Hurst Romodi/Legends

Hurst Romodi was a male Human who served as a Commander in the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic and later a General of the Galactic Empire's Imperial Army.

Service to the Republic
A male Human born on the planet Matacorn, Hurst Romodi joined the Planetary Security Forces of the Lambda sector where he gained prestige during a rebellion by Aqualish upstarts. When the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems declared war, Romodi joined the Grand Army of the Republic. One of the first non-clone commanders in the Clone Wars, Romodi was a decorated hero following victories at the battle of Peldon Minor and the fight at Tulatharri Junction. Rising to the rank of Colonel by the battle for Mygeeto, Romodi survived all three years of the Clone Wars and was in the field to witness the fall of the Jedi Order and the Republic.

Imperial Army
When the Grand Army of the Republic was reorganized into the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire, Romodi was made a General and assigned to work with Admiral Terrinald Screed to put down Separatist holdouts still active following the conclusion of the war. Fighting broke out in the Kanz, Tragan Cluster, Ciutric, Nijune, Sprizen, and Quelii sectors as part of a series of uprisings; in what was later called the Ciutric Offensive, Romodi and Screed put down all of them. While the cohesion of some units throughout the Imperial Army were questioned, Romodi and Screed's team work at Vinsoth and Vardoss earned them accolades and the media praised them as examples of the New Order's successes.

For two years Romodi remained out of the field, living on Coruscant as the Empire grew and expanded. In 17 BBY, Romodi was dispatched to lead the Western Reaches Operation under the command of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. A unique leadership style, Romodi directed all of his battles from the open hatch of a Floating Fortress which he would maneuver across the battlefield. After the battle of Kelrodo-Ai, Romodi won another success at Ord Vaug and became known across the HoloNet as a hero. Despite his new found fame Romodi remained a focused and disciplined leader, and would risk his life to win the battle for the Empire. After years of exposure to artillery shell explosions, Romodi had his eardrums replaced with cybernetic implants to avoid the possibility of hearing loss.

It was during the operation at Bryndar that Romodi, fighting alongside Admiral Arhul Holt, was ambushed by Iska pirates and badly wounded by a detonating fragmentation grenade. With his face, arms and chest severely injured, Romodi was placed in a bacta tank from which he continued to direct the last of the battle until the enemy had been routed. Rushed back to Coruscant to have his wounds tended too, Romodi was left badly scarred, with wounds so deep reconstructive surgery could not return his face to its undamaged self. Cybernetic eyes were installed to replace his ruined, natural ones; the unblinking nature of the implants caused many in his company to be deeply unnerved.

Serving the Lambda sector
After suffering grievous injuries in the field, Romodi retired from active duty and instead became the Senator for the Lambda sector, working on Coruscant as part of the Imperial Senate. During his time in the Senate Building, Romodi was a strong proponent for military spending and one of Emperor Palpatine's fiercest advocates. Despite his strong will and vocal support for the Empire, Romodi's colleagues and aides soon came to realize that the decorated general had indeed suffered more than physical wounds during his service to the Empire. Plagued by horrific night terrors and complaining of having difficulty focusing on his senatorial duties, Romodi was forced to retire after serving only a single term.

Despite his state of declining lucidness, Grand Moff Tarkin offered him the position of Chief of Battle Station Operations aboard the Imperial space station known as the Death Star. There, Romodi often butted heads with General Cassio Tagge, considering the Rebel Alliance to be of no consequence, confident that Darth Vader would successfully recover the battle station's schematics after a group of Rebels managed to steal them. Romodi was wrong however; the Rebel Alliance would lead a successful attack on the Death Star in 0 BBY over Yavin 4, resulting in the destruction of the station and the loss of every life on board.

Behind the scenes
Romodi's only confirmed appearance is in the Death Star meeting scene in the novelization of A New Hope, replacing Admiral Motti. The character had not appeared in any Expanded Universe medium before, and it is not known which if any of the unidentified Imperials in the Death Star conference room he might be.

Romodi was given a complete back story and biography in the 2012 release of The Essential Guide to Warfare. The biography confirms an earlier statement by Leland Chee that Romodi was a senator, and details his victories during the early years of the Empire.

What connection, if any, he had to Romodi Interstellar remains unknown.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope