Shawn Valdez

"Groups seven and ten will stay behind to fly the speeders. As soon as each transport is loaded, evacuation control will give clearance for immediate launch."

- Shawn Valdez

Shawn Valdez was a Human male captain of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and an evacuation officer of the Alliance Special Forces during the height of the Galactic Civil War. Expertly trained to evacuate Rebel bases with maximum efficiency, Valdez oversaw the evacuation of the Alliance High Command's Echo Base during the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, ensuring the safe evacuation of more than 86% of the base personnel and surviving SpecForce soldiers.

Biography
"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here.''" "''We better start the evacuation."

- Han Solo and General Carlist Rieekan, concerning the evacuation of Echo Base

Shawn Valdez was a captain of the Alliance to Restore the Republic Special Forces during the Galactic Civil War. Because evacuation was routine for Rebel bases, Alliance High Command began providing specialized training in evacuation procedures to chosen SpecForce officers following the Battle of Yavin. The Alliance then assigned these specially trained officers to high-priority bases. One of these SpecForce evacuation officers was Valdez, who earned a position at the Alliance's headquarters of Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth. During his time on Hoth, Valdez owned the astromech droid R5-M2, who helped plan evacuation routes from Echo Base.

When the Galactic Empire discovered Echo Base's existence in 3 ABY, the responsibility fell to Valdez to oversee the ice facility's rushed evacuation in the face of the imminent Imperial attack on Hoth. Present in Echo Base's central hangar, Valdez issued orders to his subordinates, explaining the base's evacuation plan: two snowspeeder groups, including Rogue Group, would stay behind to meet the Imperial invasion force while the base's fleet of thirty GR-75 medium transports would depart from the planet as soon as they were loaded, carrying vital personnel and supplies.

Valdez played a major role in helping Echo Base evacuate during the ensuing Battle of Hoth. As a testament to his efficiency and training, he was able to ensure the safe evacuation of more than 86% of Echo Base personnel and surviving SpecForce troopers.

Personality and traits
Valdez was a charismatic leader of Echo Base's troopers. Well-trained to evacuate Rebel installations with maximum efficiency, Valdez's expertise and experience as an evacuation officer greatly served the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Hoth. Valdez was also a poet and a musician.

Behind the scenes
"It's okay. I really just wanted to play."

- The real Shawn Valdez



Shawn Valdez first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The extras in the brief scene in which Valdez appears are in fact all Star Wars matte artists, including conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, visual effects art director Joe Johnston, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Michael Pangrazio. While it is unclear what artist portrays Valdez, it appears that Johnston holds this distinction. Johnston, who also has a cameo as a Death Star trooper in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, would go on to direct such feature films as Jumanji and Jurassic Park III.

The character was first provided a name on the "Shawn Valdez" character card as part of the November 1996 Hoth Limited expansion set of Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The card is named for Shawn Valdez, a Jacksonville, Florida boy who died from leukemia at the age of thirteen after a near eight-year struggle. Valdez was an avid fan of the Star Wars franchise and the trading card game. Dreaming of having his own SWCCG tournament rating on the Decipher Web site, Valdez died a day after attending a SWCCG tournament from which he had to leave early due to weariness brought on by his condition. Due to the efforts of Gregg Keefer, who ran the tournament, and with Lucasfilm's permission, Decipher agreed to name a Star Wars character in Valdez's memory. The card's text, which describes the Shawn Valdez character as a "leader" and a "poetic musician," is a direct tribute to Valdez for his courage and for poetry he contributed to a book titled I Will Sing Life, compiled by children with life-threatening illnesses.

A discrepancy exists over the character's rank with the Rebel Alliance. The article Who's Who in Echo Base from Star Wars Insider 74 identifies the character as "Major Shawn Valdez" in the character's biographical section heading, but the biographical entry itself describes the character as a captain. Who's Who in Echo Base is the only source to provide any rank other than captain for Valdez, including the script for The Empire Strikes Back, as presented in the PC program Star Wars: Behind the Magic, and The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization. Given that all other sources that provide a rank describe Valdez as a captain, this article assumes the captaincy rank is canon.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back