- "General, I do believe you owe me an apology."
"What I owe you, Lieutenant Veers, is a court-martial for disobeying my direct…" - ―Lieutenant Veers and General Irrv, the latter of whom was interupted by a shot from Commander Grath
Irrv was a male general in the Army of the Galactic Empire. He rose to his position through his support of Emperor Palpatine's New Order, and was assigned by the Emperor to subjugate the planet Culroon III. Irrv chose to coordinate a peaceful transition of power from the Culroon leader, Kloff, through a ceremony, an idea that was decried by Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers. For speaking out, Irrv gave Veers a demerit, confined him to the Imperial base, and proceeded with the plan.
The ceremony was attended by Irrv, the chief Imperial officers, and a legion of stormtroopers. When Irrv handed Kloff a Naval sword, the Culroon stabbed his aide, Colonel Jeffers, and thousands of Culroon warriors emerged from the surrounding trees to attack the Imperials, intending to kidnap the general. Irrv ordered the stormtroopers to form a protective circle around him until Veers intervened by marching an All Terrain Armored Transport toward the ceremonial grounds, breaking the Culroon's attack. Irrv still threatened Veers with a court-martial, but was executed by stormtrooper commander Grath first.
Biography[]
Early career and occupation of Culroon III[]
- "We might attain this planet with a show of force and by spilling a little Culroon blood, but not with a hollow ceremony."
"Nonsense, Lieutenant! Your Academy training has made you a tad bloodthirsty, that's all. One more word, Veers, and I'll have you riding a dewback on Tatooine!" - ―Veers and Irrv
Irrv was a male[2] who supported[3] Emperor Palpatine's[4] New Order as it supplanted the Galactic Republic[2] in 19 BBY.[5] As a result, Irrv was guaranteed a high military rank[2] and became a general in the Imperial Army of the new Galactic Empire.[3] Between the formation of the Empire and 9 BBY,[1] Irrv was ordered by Palpatine to subjugate the planet Culroon III and its indigenous species, the Culroon, in whatever manner he saw fit.[3] The general hoped to understand and work with the Culroon,[6] and therefore he arranged to hold a ceremony with the Culroon's leader, Kloff, to peacefully transfer power to the Empire[3] through the exchange of a ceremonial blaster and a Naval sword.[2]
The Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers[3] spent several weeks supervising the construction of an Imperial garrison in Kloff's territory.[2] In that time, Veers learned about the brutal wars that occurred throughout the species' history and believed they would not surrender peacefully.[3] At a staff meeting, Veers criticized the planned ceremony, unaware that his superior officer had orchestrated it,[2] and suggested that the Imperials use force to subjugate the Culroon. Irrv accused Veers of bloodlust stemming from his training at the Imperial Academy and threatened to reassign him to riding a dewback on[3] the desert planet[5] Tatooine if he continued to speak.[3]
The failed ceremony[]
- "Major Veers, you'll be good enough to escort us back to the garrison?"
- ―Commander Grath promotes Veers after executing General Irrv
Irrv gave Veers a demerit for speaking out and confined him to the garrison for the duration of the Imperial occupation, under threat of court-martial if he disobeyed. Irrv attended the ceremony alongside the other chief Imperial officers on the planet, including his aide, Colonel Jeffers, and stormtrooper commander Grath,[3] who was Irrv's superior officer.[7] The officers were accompanied by a legion of stormtroopers wielding ceremonial weapons. Kloff attended the ceremony with only a dozen warriors, while he had thousands secretly hidden in the surrounding trees, ready to launch an insurrection.[3]
When Irrv handed Kloff the Naval sword, the Culroon calmly stabbed Jeffers with it,[3] killing him.[8] At that signal, the Culroon warriors emerged and began attacking the Imperials,[3] with their objective being to capture Irrv.[6] Irrv ordered the stormtroopers to form a protective circle around him, which was weakened through Kloff's superior numbers and his warrior's power weapons. The surviving Imperials were saved through the intervention of Veers, who had been operating an All Terrain Armored Transport at the garrison and marched it toward the ceremony site. Grath rallied the stormtroopers to safety beneath the walker while the Culroon realized their blaster-fire was ineffective against it and fled.[3]
Once the Culroon had retreated, Veers looked down at Irrv and stated that the general owed him an apology. Irrv's skin reddened as he began to threaten Veers with a court-martial, but before he could finish his sentence, Grath shot and killed him.[3] The stormtrooper commander stepped over Irrv's corpse[9] and promoted Veers to the rank of major for his actions.[3]
Personality and traits[]
Irrv's loyalty to the New Order guaranteed him a position of authority, although the role was beyond his skill.[2] Even with Palpatine's permission to claim their planet through any means necessary,[3] Irrv was willing to understand and work with the Culroon.[6] Veers was irritated by Irrv's command, perceiving him as an "old school" officer and fool.[2] Irrv lashed out when Veers criticized his ideas at a staff meeting and threatened the junior lieutenant with reassignment. While under attack, Irrv ordered the legion of stormtroopers to form a protective circle around him. Even after Veers saved Irrv and the other Imperials from the Culroon, the general visibly reddened and was ready to court-martial Veers until Grath's lethal intervention.[3]
Equipment[]
During the ceremony on Culroon III, General Irrv and the other officers wore Imperial dress uniforms.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
General Irrv first appeared in the short story "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," published in West End Games' 1987 The Star Wars Sourcebook written by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith.[3] The thirty-first issue of De Agostini's The Official Star Wars Fact File magazine,[2] published on July 31, 2002,[10] stated that in the ceremony on Culroon III, Kloff was to give the Naval sword to Irrv in exchange for a ceremonial blaster,[2] whereas in "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," Irrv hands the Naval sword to Kloff.[3] The contradiction was repeated in the fourteenth issue of the revised run of The Official Star Wars Fact File,[11] which was published on April 9, 2014.[12] This article follow's the short story's version of events.
Appearances[]
- "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (also reprinted in Second Edition) (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Rebellion (Indirect mention only)
Sources[]
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back (Indirect mention only)
- The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook (Indirect mention only)
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded (Indirect mention only)
- The New Essential Guide to Characters
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 (VEE2, General Maximilian Veers)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 45 (VEE3, General Maximilian Veers)
- Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 4 (Welcome On Board: General Veers, the Perfect Imperial Soldier) (Indirect mention only)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Veers, General Maximilian in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 (VEE2-3, General Maximilian Veers)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Irrv's death during the insurrection on Culroon III as portrayed in "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" takes place following the formation of the Galactic Empire, which took place in 19 BBY according to The New Essential Chronology. The New Essential Guide to Characters states that, following the insurrection, Maximilian Veers had a son, Zevulon Veers, and that Zevulon was a teenager in the months following the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY. Therefore, Zevulon must have been born by 9 BBY at the latest, meaning that the insurrection on Culroon III must have taken place prior to or during that year.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 (VEE2, General Maximilian Veers)
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (also reprinted in Second Edition)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 4 (Welcome On Board: General Veers, the Perfect Imperial Soldier)
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 117 ("Irrv, General")
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 153 ("Jeffers")
- ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File 45 (VEE3, General Maximilian Veers)
- ↑ The second issue of the De Agostini magazine The Official Star Wars Fact File was set to be published on January 9, 2002, according to Star Wars Fact Files Available in UK by Thomas on TheForce.net (December 27, 2001) (archived from the original on June 4, 2022). Additionally, the series announcement on First Look: DeAgostini Star Wars Fact Files on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link) states that the magazine was to be published weekly. Therefore, it can be calculated that The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 was published around July 31, 2002.
- ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 (VEE2, General Maximilian Veers)
- ↑ The archived snapshots of Star Wars Fact File - DeAgostini Shop UK on De Agostini's official United Kingdom website (backup link) show that the 2014 re-make edition of The Official Star Wars Fact File was published weekly, starting on January 8, 2014, with a week off at the start of each year as well as a three-week delay for issue sixty-seven. Thus, it can be determined that The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 was published on April 9, 2014.