Admiral Ozzel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Star Wars character | |
| Kendal Ozzel | |
|---|---|
 On the bridge of the Executor, Kendal Ozzel is ordered to set course for Hoth. |
|
| Position | Admiral of the Imperial Fleet |
| Homeworld | Carida |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Affiliation | Galactic Empire |
| Portrayed by | Michael Sheard |
Admiral Kendal Ozzel is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe. In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back he was portrayed by British actor Michael Sheard.
Ozzel was born on the planet Carida. Because he was clumsy, many fellow officers are puzzled by how he became an admiral. For a short time, Captain Ozzel served as an instructor at the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. He was the presiding officer at Han Solo's court-martial for saving Chewbacca.
Captain Ozzel became the commander of the Super Star Destroyer Executor when it was launched, with Firmus Piett as his second-in-command. A massive power vacuum was created after the destruction of the Death Star and the death of Admiral Griff six months later. When Griff was killed, Ozzel was promoted to admiral and commander of the Death Squadron, despite whispered rumors that he had Rebel sympathies. Piett became the captain of the Executor.
Shortly before the Battle of Hoth, Piett and his staff received a transmission from a probe droid that suggested the new Rebel base was located on Hoth. While Ozzel dismissed it, Darth Vader ordered his fleet to the Hoth system on that information.
A miscalculation brought the Imperial fleet out of hyperspace too close to Hoth, alerting the Rebels and giving them time to activate a planetary defense shield. A simple bombardment from space was thus useless against the Rebel's energy field and the operation became a costly surface invasion led by General Maximilian Veers. Ozzel was swiftly choked to death by Vader for incompetence and being (as Vader declared) "as clumsy as he is stupid." Piett was in turn, promoted commander of the fleet.
[edit] Trivia
- George Lucas remarked that Sheard produced "the best screen death I've ever seen" [1].
