Wookieepedia

READ MORE

Wookieepedia
Register
Advertisement
Wookieepedia

"I'm not talking about bringing down the whole Empire. Just causing enough trouble so the Imperials will leave Lothal alone and go ruin some other planet. Let somebody else save the galaxy, Zare—I just want to save this little part of it."
―Beck Ollet discussing his motives for resisting the Empire[1]

Beck Ollet was a student at the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences on the Outer Rim planet Lothal's Capital City a few years years prior to the Battle of Yavin. He was a close friend of Zare Leonis and played fullback on the Academy's grav-ball team, the AppSci SaberCats. Beck was unhappy with the Galactic Empire's developmental projects on Lothal since it cost his family their homestead and farm. Unlike Zare, Beck refused to enroll at the local Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal because he disliked its heavily regimented lifestyle.

Later, Beck and Zare witnessed stormtroopers shooting a peaceful group of farmers protesting their eviction to make way for Imperial mining operations. This incident turned Beck against the Empire and made his friend Zare question the "benevolence" of the Empire. During the summer, Beck joined a rebel cell who attempted to sabotage an Imperial mining operation which had been established on his family's former jogan fruit orchards. Beck narrowly escaped captured at the hands of the Imperial authorities and was forced to go into hiding. Later, Beck's hiding place was discovered by Imperial Stormtroopers who quickly arrested Beck and his associates. Zare witnessed the arrest of his friend, which coupled with the mysterious disappearance of his sister Dhara Leonis, solidified his antipathy towards the Empire.

Following his arrest, Beck was enrolled in an Imperial re-education program known as Project Unity, which involved extensive brainwashing and drug therapy. As a result, Beck was brainwashed into becoming a loyal Imperial subject. Later, he played an important role in exposing his former classmate Zare Leonis, who had been transferred to the Imperial Academy on Arkanis. Consequently, Zare was tried and sentenced to death by the Imperial authorities. Leonis later managed to free his friend from his Imperial brainwashing by exposing him to a jogan fruit blossom, which rekindled his memories of how the Empire had destroyed his family's orchards. Beck helped Leonis to break out of Imperial captivity and later sacrificed himself during a mission to rescue Zare's sister Dhara Leonis.

Biography[]

Childhood[]

"Because the Empire was paying premium credits for orchards and farms. Guess I can't blame my folks for taking the offer, but I wish they hadn't. Still, the grav-ball grid here's a lot nicer than my old school's."
―Beck discussing his reasons for moving to Capital City[1]

Beck Ollet was a Lothalian student who studied at the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences in Lothal's Capital City a few years years prior to the Battle of Yavin. He was a third-generation Lothalian who grew up in the Westhills where his parents ran a jogan fruit orchard. After the Galactic Empire purchased his family's land, Beck and his family moved to the west side of Capital City. At the time, the Empire had embarked on an ambitious planet-wide development project and were offering local farmers premium credits to sell their orchards and farms. Ollet was unhappy with this decision but acquiesced since he understood his family's financial motivations for selling their orchard.[1]

Junior AppSci[]

"How about we follow the playbook from now on, Ollet?"
"Like I said, Zare—just give me the ball"
―Zare and Beck discussing grav-ball tactics[1]

After moving to Capital City, Beck enrolled at the Junior AppSci and became a fullback on the school's grav-ball team, the AppSci SaberCats, wearing number 23. During the autumn season, he befriended Zare Leonis and his girlfriend Merei Spanjaf, two recent migrants from the Core Worlds who also played on the grav-ball team. Unlike Zare, Beck distrusted the Empire and had little interest in joining Lothal's Academy for Young Imperials, which he regarded as too regimented for his liking. Following a Crop Management class, Zare met up Zare and Merei at a study hull. During the meeting, Merei used her computer hacking skills to locate Beck's old farmstead only to discover that the Imperial authorities had classified the area for some unspecified excavation project. Beck was upset since this land had traditionally been used for jogan fruit harvesting but Merei believed that there was a glitch on the Imperial Agriculture Ministry's database.[1]

Following a match between the SaberCats and another team called the Green Dragons, Beck and his friends traveled on their jumpspeeders to his family's orchards in the Westhills. During the journey, Beck expressed dismay towards the Empire for planning to demolish a bridge where he used to fish regularly in order to make way for a larger freight bridge. Upon arriving at Beck's old orchard, they encountered an armed guard and his pack of Neks. While the guard was initially hostile, he let Beck and his friends through after Beck explained that this orchard used to be his home. Beck was further dismayed to find that the Imperials were using harvester droids to harvest jogan fruit. These droids were incompetent in their work and caused extensive damage to the orchard. This visit only hardened his feelings towards the Empire.[1]

The following week, Beck did not speak to Zare and concentrated solely on the practice grid. During a home match against a rival team called the East City Brawlers, Beck lost his temper due to the visiting team's aggressive tactics and a biased referee who favored the Brawlers. In a fit of rage, Beck assaulted one of the Brawlkers and was consequently ejected from the game. Beck's tantrum caused the SaberCats to forfeit a goal which enabled the East City Bawlkers to place the ball at center grid. Beck argued with the referee and Zare was forced to drag him off the pitch. When Zare warned him not to lose his temper, Beck protested that the game was rigged. Due to Beck's major misconduct foul, the Brawlers score enough points to win the fifth match in the grav ball season.[1]

Beck's misbehavior led Zare to seek a meeting with the school's athletic director Janus Fhurek. However, Fhurek brushed aside Zare's concerns and claimed that passion was part of the sport. Instead of giving Zare advice on how to manage Beck's temper, the athletic director instead derided the Aqualish player Hench Sina as a brute. This incident cause Zare to distrust Fhurek since Hench had done nothing wrong. Later that week, Zare advised Beck not to be provoked into fouls against the Thrashers, the SaberCats' next opponent. Zare's diplomatic but firm approach succeeded in addressing Beck's aggressive behavior. During the sixth grav ball match, the SaberCats defeated the Thrashers by 44 to 18 points.[1]

Rising discontentment[]

"So enlighten me, Zare. Since Merei wouldn't come, you run the numbers for me. Explain to me why destroying Lothal will make life better everywhere else. Because this is a good thing, right? It must be because the Empire you adore would never do anything wrong."
―Beck criticizing the Empire's developmental policies on Lothal[1]

Outside of school, Beck Ollet developed ties with the growing underground resistance against the Galactic Empire on Lothal. Following the grav-ball match, Beck brought his two friends to visit his family's former orchards, which had since been turned into an Imperial mine. They also discovered that several anti-Imperial insurgents had attached detonators to several Imperial seismic surveyor droids. Zare contacted the Imperial authorities with his comlink. When Imperial stormtroopers arrived, Beck told the authorities that the insurgents had fled north; when in fact they had actually gone south. This incident led Beck's friend Zare to suspect that he was somehow connected to the anti-Imperial resistance on Lothal. Following the failed bombing incident, Zare was visited by Lieutenant Piers Roddance from the Security Ministry. Zare told the lieutenant everything but omitted Beck's act of misleading the stormtroopers.[1]

Beck and his friends did not discuss the orchard incident throughout the winter season. Whenever Zare or Merei questioned him, he would claim that he had to study for the final examinations. During a match against the South Capital City Volunteers, Beck's aggressive maneuvers and willingness to bend the rules annoyed Zare but won him the praise of the school's athletic director Fhurek, who commented that he was a fan of "smashmouth" grav-ball. Despite the AppSci SaberCats' final victory over the Mavericks during a subsequent match, Beck found little to celebrate after he discovered that the Imperial authorities had turned his family's former orchards into a mine. Beck took Zare to the mine and expressed his distrust and aversion towards the Empire. This forced his friend to revise his views about the Empire's "altruistic" motives.[1]

Beck and Zare's discontentment with the Empire grew during the spring season when the two boys witnessed Imperial stormtroopers shooting a peaceful gathering of farmers in the Westhills. These farmers had gathered to confront an Imperial government official over the loss of their homes and farms in the orchard-lands. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the Imperials deployed stormtroopers and AT-DP walkers. When the farmers refused an order to disperse, Lieutenant Roddance ordered his troops to open fire on the gathering. The two boys managed to escape on Beck's unregistered jumpspeeder but were greatly traumatized by the incident. A contemporary HoloNet report claimed that the farmers had provoked the shooting by destroying mining equipment and attacking surveyors.[1]

Beck also learned about the disappearance of Zare's sister Dhara Leonis, who allegedly ran away during an Imperial training exercise. However, Zare suspected that the Empire was concealing the truth behind his sister's disappearance. Beck was also present when Zare physically assaulted the athletic director Fhurek, who made the offhand remark that treason ran in Zare's family. Beck and three other AppSci students were forced to restrain Zare and drag him away. Beck later consoled Zare that the unpopular athletic director had to wear a cold pack over his eye. In late spring, Beck presumably graduated from the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences alongside his friends Zare and Merei.[1]

The summer of rebellion[]

"...The more the Empire tightens its grip, the more people will feel the squeeze - and realize it's fight back or be crushed. A real resistance will emerge. And when it does, they'll need people on the inside, who can help them."
―Beck Ollet encouraging Zare to infiltrate the Lothal Imperial Academy[1]

During the summer holidays, Beck Ollet disappeared and did not respond to messages sent by his friend Zare to his comlink and datapad. Beck's parents told Zare that their son was spending the holidays riding jumpspeeders around Lothal with his cousins prior to starting work as a harvest supervisor. However, Zare suspected that this was merely a ruse and that Beck was involved in illegal activities. Knowing that the Imperials were monitoring HoloNet, Beck got one of his former classmates, the Rodian Frid Kelio to get in touch with Beck. Two days later, Beck visited Zare outside his the Leonis family's apartment complex. During a brief conversation, the two talked about Zare's missing sister Leonis and discussed their antipathy towards the Empire. Beck also hinted that he was involved in an anti-Imperial resistance group.[1]

A few days later, Beck confirmed to Zare that he had indeed joined an underground resistance group during a visit to an Imperial mining camp built over his family's former orchards. Later, Beck and two other insurgents staged an attack on the mine and managed to damage several Imperial mining droids with their detonators. However, they were forced to flee on their landspeeder when an Imperial Troop Transport arrived and pursued them. During the pursuit, Beck exchanged fire with the Imperial pursuers. Leonis managed to protect his friend from capture by throwing a detonator under the Troop Transport, delaying its pursuit and allowing Beck and his associates to flee into hiding. The following day, Zare and Merei received a message from Beck to meet him at his old school's grav-ball grid. During their meeting, Beck revealed that the Imperials had traced his landspeeder. During their meeting, Beck and Merei both encouraged Zare to infiltrate the Imperial Academy so that he could fight against the Empire from within and to find his missing sister.[1]

Later, Beck and two other rebel associates were arrested during an Imperial raid on a shop which served as their base. One of the stormtroopers that participated in the raid was Ames Bunkle, a friend of Zare's sister Dhara. The last that Zare saw of Beck was his friend being bundled away into an Imperial transport. This incident which reinforced Zare's desire to infiltrate the Academy and bring down the Empire from within.[1]

Imprisonment and re-education[]

"Helped you how? By brainwashing you into some kind of droid? By feeding you drugs?"
"It's not like that at all, Zare. The medications calm you and give you clarity so you can consider other points of view. That's all. They're helpful. I had to stop taking them so they could question me for your tribunal, and I miss them. But look at me—I'm no different. I just see things differently now."
―Zare talking to a brainwashed Beck[3]

Following his arrest, Beck was interrogated by the Imperial Security Bureau and later tried before a security tribunal. During interrogation, Beck was uncooperative and kept to his story that he was a new recruit to a three-member resistance cell dedicated to bringing down the Empire. He cited the destruction of his family's fruit orchards in the Westhills and the shooting of protestors as his motives for joining the rebel cell. However, Beck managed to conceal his cadet friend Zare Leonis' role as the unknown jumpspeeder rider who had attacked the troops pursuing his landspeeder. Beck was tried and found guilty by a security tribunal, which enrolled him in an experimental re-education program called Project Unity.[4]

As a ward of Project Unity, Beck was subjected to political indoctrination and given drugs. These drugs caused Beck to develop a glassy-eyed and blank facial expression. He and the other Project Unity participants also wore orange jumpsuits. During his imprisonment, Beck was transferred to the planet Arkanis where he was housed at Area Null, a secure tower that was connected to the local Imperial Academy. Due to his brainwashing and drug treatment, Beck came to believe that the Empire was a force of good. He also rationalized the shooting of the farmers in the Westhills by claiming that they had been manipulated by the enemies of the Empire.[3]

Later, Beck's former classmate Leonis, who was now an Imperial cadet, was transferred to the Arkanis Academy as a reward for his apparent loyalty to the Empire. However, this was a trap engineered by the Grand Inquisitor to expose his connection to the Spectres, a rebel cell that included Leonis' one-time classmate Dev Morgan. The Arkanis Academy was run by Commandant Brendol Hux, who ran a secret society known as the Commandant's Cadets, which aimed to create elite soldiers. To join the Commandant's Cadets, prospective recruits had to kill a fellow cadet and make it look like an accident. With the help of Lieutenant Chiron, who had been sent to investigate Commandant Hux, Leonis managed to infiltrate the Commandant's Cadets.[3]

Before he could be formally inducted, Leonis had to wait outside the ceremonial room as a group of Project Unit participants exited. Beck was part of the group and pointed his finger directly at Leonis. The "rehabilitated" Beck then proceed to expose Zare's involvement in illegal activities on Lothal and his true reason for wanting to join the Imperial Academy. As a result, Zare was arrested and tried by Colonel Julyan on several charges including fraudulent enlistment, disobeying lawful orders, dereliction of duty, destruction of Imperial property, and providing aid and comfort to the enemies of the Empire. Leonis pleaded guilty to all charges and was formally expelled from Imperial service. In addition, Colonel Julyan sentenced him to death.[3]

While Zare was waiting on death row, Lieutenant Chiron arranged for Beck to talk with his former friend. Due to his respect for Leonis, Chiron wanted to save Leonis from execution by convincing him to enroll in Project Unity. During his meeting with Leonis, Beck tried to convince Leonis to accept Chiron's offer and claimed that Project Unity had helped him. However, Leonis refused to consider Project Unity because it involved drugging and brainwashing. Beck tried to allay Leonis' fears by claiming that the medications calmed him and made him more susceptible to accepting other points of view.[3]

Leonis then attempted to reason with Beck by discussing how Imperial forces had opened fire on displaced farmers in the Westhills. While Beck could remember that earlier incident, he rationalized that the farmers had been manipulated by "greedy, secretive organizations" that wanted to return the galaxy to corruption and disorder. While conceding that murder was horrible, he argued that the Empire had to deny its enemies the use of their "tools" by any means necessary. When Leonis pointed out that the victims were Imperial citizens, Beck reiterated that the Empire had to do its duty and urged Leonis to join Project Unity. Unable to reach Beck, Zare ordered him to leave; prompting Beck to reply that Leonis did not "want to be helped."[3]

Redemption and death[]

"There isn't one. Now listen to me. Lothal needs you. You're the ones I'd been hoping for—the ones who will spark the fire that turns the Empire to ash. And besides you never know—I might get lucky."
―Beck's last words[3]

Prior to Zare' scheduled execution, Leonis told Lieutenant Chiron to arrange for Beck Ollet to bring his final meal: two jogan fruits with sprigs of blossom. The scent of the jogan fruit blossom helped to break Beck's mental conditioning and rekindle the memory of how the Empire had destroyed the orchards and killed people who dissented with them. Zare was then able to reason with his friend and convinced him to help him rescue his sister Dhara. Freed of his Imperial brainwashing, Beck revealed that they were above the ceremonial room in Area Null, the secluded tower that housed Project Unity.[3]

At Zare's suggestion, the two friends agreed to take out the two stormtrooper sentries by using grav-ball moves. Beck tricked the guards into entering by claiming that he was ready to leave Zare's cell. When the stormtroopers entered, Beck rammed himself into the first trooper's midsection while Leonis wrested the blaster from his hands. Leonis then shot down the second stormtrooper before shooting the stormtrooper that was struggling with Beck. Stealing the stormtroopers' blasters, the two friends made their way into the corridor and blasted the guards manning the detention block's control room. At Zare's instruction, Beck also shot out the cameras in order to delay Imperial reinforcements.[3]

Before they could proceed with their plan to rescue Dhara, another starship arrived on the roof of Area Null. This starship was the Ghost and carried Beck's old friend Merei Spanjaf, her mother Jessa Spanjaf, and three rebels from the rebel cell known as the Spectres: Dev Morgan, Garazeb Orrelios, and Sabine Wren. Several stormtroopers arrived in the main elevator shaft but Beck and Leonis eliminated them with their blasters. Shortly later, they were rejoined by Merei and her new rebel allies. Together, Beck and his rebel allies devised a plan to rescue Merei. While the Spectres and Jessa hacked into the main computer node to lock Imperial reinforcements out of the building, Beck along with Leonis and Merei went to rescue Dhara. Merei also handed Beck a thermal detonator.[3]

After hacking into the computer console, Merei discovered that Dhara was housed in cell seventeen. While Beck watched the main elevator for Imperial reinforcements, Zare went to fetch his sister from her cell. Shortly later, they were attacked by stormtrooper reinforcements who had regained control of the control room. While exchanging fire with stormtroopers, Beck told his friends to make their way up the stairs to the roof while he took care of the stormtroopers. Before Zare or Merei could object, Beck took the thermal detonator that Sabine had handed him earlier and charged headlong at the stormtroopers. Beck was killed during the ensuing explosion which buried the stormtroopers under a heap of stone chunks and metal debris. However, his selfless sacrifice gave his friends sufficient time to escape Area Null with Dhara. Leonis' last sight of his late friend was Beck's hand clutching a spring of jogan blossom.[3]

Personality and traits[]

"You took no prisoners out there. I've always been a fan of smashmouth grav-ball - no trickery, just a question of who wants more."
―Janus Fhurek compliment Beck's aggressive grav-ball style[1]

Beck Ollet was a big-built youth with blonder hair and pale skin. He had a hot temper which sometimes got him into trouble on both the grav ball grid and with the authorities. Beck's aggressive maneuvers and willingness to toss out the playbook unnerved his best friend Zare Leonis but won him the praise of the school's athletic director Janus Fhurek, who liked aggressive sports. Despite his hot temper, Beck was still able to develop a good friendship with Zare and Merei Spanjaf, two recent immigrants. Beck disliked the Galactic Empire since it purchased his family's jogan fruit orchards and turned it into a mine. This led him to join a nascent anti-Imperial resistance group on Lothal. Beck's hot temper and fierce dislike for the Empire ultimately got him into trouble when he was arrested after planting explosives on Imperial mining machinery.[1]

In Imperial captivity, Beck displayed courage and tenacity in his refusal to cooperate with the Imperial authorities. His respect and loyalty to Zare led him to conceal Zare's involvement as the unknown jumpspeeder rider who had attacked the Imperial Troop Transport.[4] As a result of being subjected to Project Unity, Beck was brainwashed and drugged into becoming an Imperial loyalist. This programming led him to rationalize the murder of the farmers in the Westhills by believing that they had been duped into resisting the Empire by shadowy forces. His new sense of loyalty also led him to expose his former friend Leonis as a traitor and rebel sympathizer.[3]

Beck was able to overcome his programming after Zare got him to smell a jogan fruit blossom, which rekindled his memories of how the Empire had destroyed his family's orchards and murdered people. After being freed of his mental indoctrination, Beck took part in a mission to rescue Leonis' sister Dhara. During their rescue attempt, Beck used techniques he had learned in grav-ball to help Leonis to overpower the stormtrooper guards. Most importantly, Beck's devotion to his friends led him to sacrifice his own life so that they could escape their Imperial pursuers.[3]

Skills and abilities[]

Beck Ollet was a grav-ball player who played fullback on the AppsCi SaberCats, the Junior AppSci's grav-ball team. He was aware of several manoeuvers including a handoff and center striker sneak. These skills came to good use on both the grav-ball grid and during an escape from Area Null.[3]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

In other languages
Advertisement