Unidentified Alderaanian stormtrooper

"You don't owe the Empire any allegiance. Not if you think what you're doing is wrong. Join me, join the Rebellion. We can make a better world. At least we can try." "And if the Rebellion fails? Am I supposed to give up everything I have now&mdash;for a dream that might never come true?"

- Leia Organa speaks with the Alderaan stormtrooper

This Imperial soldier was a stormtrooper and TIE pilot in the Galactic Empire. Although originally a servant in the household of the Royal family of Alderaan, he left the world to become a trooper in the Imperial Military. The soldier found a sense of belonging in the Empire, something that he had not been able to discover on his home planet. Eventually, the soldier received word of the Destruction of Alderaan, a massacre carried out by the Empire with the use of the Death Star. Although the Imperials had obliterated his home planet, the soldier still stayed loyal to the Empire. He was still working as a stormtrooper a short time before the Battle of Endor when he was assigned to the planet Yinchorr, under the command of Imperial Governor Marcellin Wessel.

While serving under the governor, the soldier became involved in a plot to assassinate the Rebel leader, Princess Leia Organa. Wessel was able to lure Organa to Yinchorr on the pretense of a meeting with the native Yinchorri. When Organa arrived, her shuttle was shot down by the Alderaanian stormtrooper, but she survived. The soldier rescued Organa from the wreckage, intent on bringing her back to Wessel for interrogation. During the trek back to Imperial headquarters, the soldier revealed that he was from Alderaan, gaining Organa's contempt due to his continued service to the Empire. During their trip across the Yinchorr desert, Organa was eventually able to sway the soldier's resolve. After turning Organa over to Wessel, the soldier was shocked when the governor decided to immediately execute the Rebel leader. Changing his stance, the trooper freed Organa, and asked to join the Rebellion. However, as the two attempted to flee Yinchorr in the Millennium Falcon, the soldier was hit by blaster fire as he was about to climb the ship's boarding ramp. Organa tried to hold onto the man as the Falcon departed the planet, but he proved too heavy. The soldier slipped from the Princess' fingers and fell to his death.

Alderaan servant
"Do I look familiar? No? Well, no reason why the pampered Princess of Alderaan should remember a common servant, right?"

- The Alderaan stormtrooper speaks with Leia Organa

This man, who would eventually become a stormtrooper, was born on the planet Alderaan. He became a servant to the royal family, gaining familiarity with the Organas, including the young Princess Leia Organa. Eventually, the man left Alderaan to join the Galactic Empire. He had not found acceptance on his home world, and the Imperial service became more of a home to him than Alderaan had been. The man underwent training to become a stormtrooper as well as a TIE pilot, developing into another trained soldier for the Imperial war machine.

In 0 BBY, the Empire destroyed Alderaan during a demonstration of the power of their new superweapon, the Death Star. The Alderaanian stormtrooper eventually received word of his home planet's destruction. However, his detachment from the world kept him from taking any drastic measures, and he remained with the Imperial military. Looking to justify the destruction and loss of life, the man blamed the event on the Viceroy of Alderaan, Bail Prestor Organa. He claimed that Organa knew what would happen if he stood against the Empire, and the Viceroy's refusal to accept the Empire's authority was the sole cause of Alderaan's destruction. Sometime afterward, the Alderaanian trooper found himself on the planet Tatooine. A trader there had scavenged a chunk of rock from Alderaan's destruction. Wanting to own a reminder of his destroyed homeworld, the man bought the rock from the trader. The rock was attached to a chain and wore around the stormtrooper's neck, kept inside his armor for safekeeping.

Assignment on Yinchorr
"How convenient! You just wear the Empire's uniform&mdash;just take the Empire's money, just enforce their policies! But you're not responsible for any of it&mdash;are you? Who shot down the shuttle? Who killed all those Yinchori? Who tried to kill me?"

- Leia Organa

Sometime around 3 ABY, the Alderaanian trooper was assigned to the planet Yinchorr under the command of Imperial Governor Marcellin Wessel. Wessel was oppressing the native Yinchorri, and he eventually kidnapped the Yinchorri's Elder Council. The Yinchorri were scheduled to meet with now Rebel leader, Princess Organa, about joining the Rebellion. Wessel blackmailed the Yinchorri, threatening to murder the Elder Council unless they delivered Leia Organa to him. Forced into a corner, the Yinchorri agreed, sending a Yinchorri commander to pick up the Rebel leader in a shuttle and turn her over to Wessel. The Alderaanian stormtrooper was sent to escort the shuttle into the atmosphere of the world. Flying TIE fighters, he and his wingmate flew alongside the Yinchorri shuttle as the craft prepared to land in the Yinchorr desert.

However, Wessel had decided to take no chances, and rather than capturing Organa, the governor ordered his men to simply destroy the shuttle and kill the Rebel leader. The Alderaanian and his wingmate opened fire on the shuttle, catching the Yinchorri craft off guard. The shuttle began to take evasive maneuvers, flying close to the ground in an attempt to lose its attackers. In the midst of the chase, the ship began to return fire on the TIEs, eventually destroying the Alderaanian's wingmate. Even without his wingmate, the trooper was able shoot down the shuttle, causing it to plummet to the desert below. At the same time, the shuttle was able to get off a parting shot, destroying his TIE's left solar array wing. The Alderaanian crashlanded in a rocky area of the desert, managing to avoid major injuries. Although battered and bruised by the crash, the stormtrooper extricated himself from the destroyed TIE and set off across the desert to complete his mission of killing all the passengers of the shuttle.

Encountering Princess Leia
"And you're the leader of the Rebellion. So what?" "So what?! The Empire destroyed Alderaan! You're a traitor to your people&mdash;to everything Alderaan stood for!"

- The Alderaanian stormtrooper talks with Leia Organa

When the trooper arrived at the wreckage of the shuttle, he discovered all the Yinchorri crew members killed in the crash. Upon checking the ship's laser cannon turret, the Alderaanian recognized Leia Organa from his days on Alderaan. The Princess had been knocked unconscious and had a cut across her forehead, but she was not seriously injured. Deciding to ignore his orders to kill the Rebel leader, the stormtrooper began to work to free Organa from the wreckage of the Yinchorri shuttle. Organa awoke to see the stormtrooper attacking the wreckage with a metal pipe, and she immediately began to struggle to escape her enemy. To put Organa at ease, the Alderaanian removed his helmet, asking the woman if she recognized him from his days as a servant on Alderaan. Organa had no recollection of the man, but was shocked to learn that he was from Alderaan but still served the Empire. The two argued, with the stormtrooper claiming that Organa, a member of the royal family, could not possibly sympathize with his scenario, and she had no idea what he had gone through. In the midst of their argument, the two were unaware of the approaching native predators, the Rolk-mangir.

The stormtrooper freed Organa from the wreckage, but she refused to let the issue of the destruction of Alderaan rest. Hoping to silence the princess, the stormtrooper showed her his small pendant, his tiny piece of Alderaan. At that moment, the Rolk-mangir attacked, grabbing the stormtrooper by the leg, lifting him into the air. Unable to get to his blaster, the soldier was at the mercy of the predators. Organa decided to save the stormtrooper, firing a blaster into the Rolk-mangir's face, causing the beast to release the Alderaanian. However, the tough hide of the Rolk-mangir resisted the blaster shot, and it pursued Organa and the stormtrooper across the desert. The Rolk-mangir slowly herded the two to the edge of a cliff, trapping them. Organa noticed a small ledge some distance below, and he ordered the trooper to jump down. The soldier obeyed, but when Organa followed him, she slipped from the ledge, nearly falling the rest of the way down the cliff.

The stormtrooper grabbed Leia by the hand, pulling her back onto the ledge, saving her life. Tired over their ordeal, the stormtrooper lamented the fact that the two had to be enemies. Organa agreed with the trooper and asked for the stormtrooper to turn away form the Empire and join the Rebellion. Bringing up the small piece of Alderaan that the stormtrooper owned, Organa pointed out that the necklace was a symbol for the murder of millions of innocent people. Confronted with the evil that he had done and helped perpetuate, the stormtrooper's resolve began to waver. However, he was still unable to give up all that he had gained under the Empire. Organa, disgusted with the trooper, insulted the man for having no integrity. Offended by Organa's statements, the soldier took the Rebel leader captive, intent on bringing her back to Wessel for interrogation.

Defection
"You were right about the Empire, Leia. I guess I knew it all along. I'd like to come with you&mdash; if you'll have me."

- Alderaanian stormtrooper

At the same time, Wessel had been searching the desert with his men, wanting to make sure that Organa had died in the shuttle crash. Spotting Wessel's vehicle, the stormtrooper led Organa to the governor, turning her over to his commander. With the Rebel leader in his possession, Wessel ordered his men to execute the Yinchorri Elder Council, as there was no use keeping them any longer. Organa tried to protest, but Wessel claimed that Organa would be the next to die. The stormtrooper, shocked at Wessel's brutality, protested, but Wessel assured the trooper that every second Organa was alive was a danger to the Empire. Before Wessel could execute the Rebel leader, the Millennium Falcon arrived on the planet, intent on rescuing Organa. The ship destroyed Wessel's vehicle and landed on the planet's surface, opening the boarding ramp for Organa to make a quick escape. As Organa made a run for the Millennium Falcon, Wessel ordered his men to kill the escaping princess. The Alderaanian, unconsciously remembering his training, reached for his blaster, but in his haste, he inadvertently tore the small piece of Alderaan from his neck.

Remembering Leia's words, the stormtrooper decided to turn against the Empire. Before Wessel could shoot at Organa, the stormtrooper fired at the governor, knocking Wessel's blaster out of his hand. The Alderaanian told Organa that she was right, and asked if he could join her in escaping Yinchorr. Before the two departed, the stormtrooper decided to kill Wessel for the atrocities he had commited, but Organa stopped him, claiming that there had already been too much killing. Leaving Wessel behind, the two ran to the Millennium Falcon, but before the stormtrooper could board the ship, he was hit by blasterfire from some of Wessel's other men. With the remaining Imperials still firing on them, the ship lifted off. The stormtrooper, badly injured, was unable to get onto the ship, and he was barely able to hold onto Organa's hand as the Millennium Falcon fled from Wessel's men. Hanging off the end of the boarding ramp, Organa tried to hold onto the stormtrooper, attempting to lift him into the ship. Unfortunately for the new rebel, he proved to heavy for the princess, and he slipped from her grasp, leaving only his rock necklace in her hand. Falling away from the ship, the stormtrooper plummeted to his death.

Aftermath
"Leia, I'm sorry&hellip;at least you're safe." "Who was he?"

- Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian

With the Millennium Falcon on a course away from Yinchorr, Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian pulled Organa onto the ship, apologizing for the loss of the young man. The two attempted to ask Organa about the stormtrooper, but she could only show them the rock necklace, the only link that she had with the man she had never even learned the name of.

Personality and traits
"I was only following orders. I'm just a soldier!"

- Alderaan stormtrooper

This stormtrooper was a loyal soldier dedicated to the Galactic Empire. Even after hearing that his home planet had been destroyed by Imperial forces, he remained with the Empire, continuing to serve as a stormtrooper. The trooper justified the destruction by placing the blame on Alderaan's Viceroy, Bail Organa, for standing up to the Empire. However, he still felt some guilt over the events, especially concerning his loyalty to the Empire. As a result, he bought a small chunk of Alderaan from a trader on Tatooine as a remembrance of his lost home planet. Although he viewed the token as a sentimental souvenir of Alderaan, his attitude towards it changed when he met Leia Organa. The Princess used the small piece of Alderaan to convince the man of the gravity of Alderaan's destruction, claiming that the token was only a symbol of the murder of millions of innocents.

The trooper was originally very hesitant to act against the status quo. He was reluctant to turn his back on the Empire that had given him a sense of purpose and importance. Even after being convinced of the Empire's evil, he did not want to throw away his career for the Rebellion's dream of a future that might never come to pass. He eventually overcame his fears when faced with the possible execution of Organa at the hands of Marcellin Wessel. He turned against the Empire, betraying his commander and deciding to join the Rebel Alliance. However, this decision cost the man his life, as he was gunned down by his fellow Imperials.

The soldier was also a talented pilot. During his pursuit of Leia Organa's shuttle, he was able to shoot down the fleeing craft, despite his wingmate being shot down and the shuttle weaving through rocky outcroppings. When he was shot down, even after losing his left wing, he was able to control the crash enough to survive the landing.

Behind the scenes
The unidentified Alderaanian stormtrooper was created by Randy Stradley for use in the Marvel Star Wars comic, Star Wars 86: The Alderaan Factor. The character was never named in the comic, and he died at the conclusion of the story, leaving his identity in doubt. In the development of the story, author Randy Stradley was hoping for a tale with real emotion. As a result, he wanted to play off of a major event that was already established within the Star Wars universe. Stradley picked the Destruction of Alderaan as the major event to play off of, and as such, the stormtrooper in the story originates from the planet Alderaan.

Appearances

 * Star Wars 86: The Alderaan Factor