Tiaan Jerjerrod/Legends

"Great men never hurry; great men cause others to hurry."

- Moff Jerjerrod

Jerjerrod was the Imperial Moff of the Quanta Sector and later the overseer of the second Death Star's construction.

Characteristics
Jerjerrod was an unambitious technocrat. He did not hungrily seek power as many of his contemporaries did, but he did not refuse a responsibility offered to him either. However, Jerjerrod was also a soldier. He loved the constant state of war the Empire provided and reveled in the total annihilation of an enemy. It was these characteristics that made Jerjerrod an ideal candidate to command Palpatine's new Death Star. Palpatine had seen the trouble caused by an ambitious, overly proud man like Wilhuff Tarkin, and sought to avoid a repeat of Yavin.

Biography
Jerjerrod's history prior to his appointment as Moff of the Quanta Sector is unknown, although he may have been related to an Admiral Jerjerrod who served in the Republic Navy in the latter days of the Galactic Republic. By 1 ABY, Jerjerrod was already a Moff, ruling his home sector from a family estate in Val Denn on Tinnel IV. His estate included a vault of artwork, several of which were stolen by the notorious Tombat. Jerjerrod had an older brother, Nevan Jerjerrod, a Senate Guard, who was killed by rogue senator Murt Saggasi on Tatooine, shortly after the dawn of the Galactic Empire.

At some point, Jerjerrod was assigned to Executor, as he was the officer tasked with greeting Darth Vader upon his arrival from Bespin. It is possible that Jerjerrod was merely aboard the command ship to discuss the status of the Death Star project.

When Jerjerrod was tasked with managing the construction of the new Death Star, Imperial records were doctored to indicate that he had been promoted to Director of Imperial Energy Systems in order to prevent Rebel spies from finding out about the second Death Star too early. While serving aboard the Death Star, Jerjerrod was addressed as Commander—an appropriate title due to his command position aboard the station, and also his status as High Commander of Moddell Sector's military forces.

Shortly before the Battle of Endor, Jerjerrod received a second visit from Vader to inform him of Palpatine's impending arrival. Vader suggested Jerjerrod find better methods of motivating his workers to ensure the completion of the battlestation's vital systems. To his credit, the superlaser and essential combat systems were fully functional in the time frame established by Palpatine.

During the battle, Jerjerrod commanded the Death Star's gunnery crews, destroying several Rebel warships. When the Death Star's shields fell, Jerjerrod, acting on orders given to him by Emperor Palpatine, ordered the Death Star to turn and fire on the sanctuary moon of Endor.

At the same time the redeemed Anakin Skywalker lay dying before his son aboard the Death Star II, Jerjerrod fled across the same hangar bay with a handful of Imperial troops. It is perhaps possible that he abandoned his belief that 'great men never hurry' in the face of the chaos following the death of his erstwhile Emperor.

Portrayal

 * Moff Jerjerrod was portrayed by Michael Pennington.
 * A deleted scene from Return of the Jedi has Jerjerrod and two Imperial Royal Guards attempting to prevent Darth Vader from seeing the Emperor, whereupon Vader strangles Jerjerrod using the Force (but does not kill him).
 * The use of archival footage from Return of the Jedi for the Special Edition release of The Empire Strikes Back means Jerjerrod now appears in both movies; he now greets Darth Vader as he lands on the Executor following his duel on Bespin, and again a year later onboard the second Death Star.

Script changes

 * According to Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, Jerjerrod was originally a "Grand Moff" in earlier drafts of Return of the Jedi, and held a higher position than Darth Vader (Vader salutes him).
 * It is widely believed that Jerjerrod wears the wrong rank badge due to a props "blooper" during production on Return of the Jedi, as claimed, for instance, at the Star Wars Technical Commentaries fan website.
 * In one of earlier drafts Jerjerrod was originally Vader's rival much like Prince Xizor. He was just as ambitious, but with more respect for the Emperor than Xizor. He was seen smirking to himself after the Emperor curtly told Vader 'Your work here is finished, my friend', possibly gloating at Vader being dismissed by his own master in that manner.
 * In the Return of the Jedi novelization, Jerjerrod remains on the second Death Star up until the very end, out of hubris and anger at the Rebels for fighting back and gaining the upper hand. With the firing switch of the Death Star's main cannon in his hand and abandoned by the rest of the crew in his area, Jerjerrod stands alone, waiting to watch Endor be destroyed. He obviously perishes onboard in this version.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel
 * The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy