Theol Drost

Theol Drost was a Human male who served the Galactic Empire in the Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War. He commanded the Imperial Army element committed to the assault on the planet Picutorion, which was part of the Kwymar Suppressions, in 17 BBY. Drost held the rank of high colonel during the engagement, alongside Commodore Bevven, who headed the Imperial Navy contingent. Both commanded the battle from the bridge of Bevven's starship in orbit of Picutorion. During the battle, elements of the armor battalion assigned to Tensiger's 6th regiment penetrated the defenses of an Alliance to Restore the Republic–held tracking station, but Alliance resistance was fierce with BTL Y-wing starfighters flying in support of the defensive action. Drost and Bevven discussed the possibility of air support for the ground assault; Drost knew the attack would falter without Imperial air cover, but Bevven was afraid that the Y-wings would choose to attack the fleet and wanted to send TIE/LN starfighters in a wave attack while keeping the bulk of the fighters in reserve. Drost believed that a piecemeal effort, one that only eliminated a handful of fighters with every pass, would effectively doom the soldiers on the ground. The TIEs, however, were solely under Bevven's command.

As Bevven began to order the TIEs to launch on attack runs, he and Drost were interrupted by Mar Barezz, an officer of the Imperial Security Bureau. Barezz relayed information to the pair that two of the soldiers attacking the tracking station—Captain Ganig and Sergeant Stecker—had been tagged as "sensitive" by the Bureau. Both had been decorated by the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order for their actions at the Battle of Sagma, but their lax attitude toward Imperial doctrine had been highlighted. In addition, they had been in contact with another soldier named Linds, whom the Bureau was confident was an Alliance sympathizer. Barezz suggested that any air support for the soldiers be delayed until both Ganig and Stecker were dead; although there was no proof that either man planned to defect to the Rebellion, Barezz felt the risk was too high. Both would be decorated by COMPNOR again if they captured the tracking station, and Barezz believed that dead heroes were just as good as live ones for propaganda purposes. Bevven looked to Drost for assent; while Bevven commanded the fighters, the soldiers on the ground were Drost's. The high colonel agreed with the plan, and the starfighter assault was delayed by ten minutes.

Drost proved to be an adept tactician in matters surrounding space-based Imperial installations and served as commander of various outposts, including fueling centers, ammo dumps, and space station–based garrisons. Eventually, Drost received a promotion to general and was assigned as security chief of the Bilbringi Shipyards. Drost's headquarters were located on Bilbringi VII, a planetoid with no atmosphere that was covered in signal relays and observation towers. Drost knew that his assignment was important and defended the Bilbringi system with four Golan II Space Defense SpaceGuns and a network of shield barriers that prevented unauthorized travel into restricted areas. All incoming freighters were thoroughly checked before being allowed to proceed.

In 9 ABY, the Bilbringi Shipyards were part of Grand Admiral Thrawn's confederation of Imperial forces, which included the Empire proper, the Pentastar Alignment, and the Ciutric Hegemony. During Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic—successor state to the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the new dominant political government in the galaxy following the fragmentation of the Empire in the wake of the Battle of Endor—the Bilbringi Shipyards were raided by the smugglers Mazzic and Ellor in retribution for an Imperial assault on a smuggler meeting held at the Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe on the planet Trogan. The raid resulted in the destruction of an almost complete Star Destroyer.

Thrawn arrived at Bilbringi and questioned Drost over the incident aboard his flagship, the Star Destroyer Chimaera, but the general was unable to provide any reasons as to why his failure to ensure the shipyards' security should not result in his removal from command. Thrawn, however, did not immediately punish Drost, giving him thirty hours to draft and implement a new security system for the installation before deciding his fate. Drost's efforts satisfied Thrawn, but a later assault by the New Republic in an effort to capture a crystal gravfield trap array showed that the general's revisions for the installation's security had been inadequate. The New Republic won the battle after Thrawn was assassinated by his own Noghri bodyguard, Rukh, and the withdrawal of his fleet, now under the command of Captain Gilad Pellaeon. Drost was removed from command, and the shipyards were effectively abandoned, falling into the hands of the New Republic shortly after.

Theol Drost was a light-skinned, blue-eyed man with a barrel chest and a short, stocky build. Physically fit and capable, Drost was a formidable-looking man who reminded his fellows of a commando. An able commander, Drost respected the abilities of the soldiers under his command. In dealings with the Imperial Security Bureau officer Mar Barezz, he was cautious around the man and held the officer's gaze but did not go against his suggestion to delay starfighter support to allow possible defectors to perish in battle. Drost was not one for excuses; when faced by Grand Admiral Thrawn over his failure to secure the Bilbringi Shipyards, Drost did not attempt to excuse his actions and was prepared to face any fate the Grand Admiral deemed appropriate.

Drost was a capable Army commander, knowledgeable in ground assault tactics, space installation security procedures, and perimeter defense. During the Battle of Picutorion, he held the rank of high colonel, which was commonly associated with command of an Army battle group. Drost was trained in the use of a blaster and unarmed combat as well as first aid. He was also skilled in the operation of walkers and beast riding. Drost's years of working as an installation commander gave him knowledge about the internal workings and procedures of a bureaucracy.

Drost wore a standard Imperial Army uniform and carried a heavy blaster pistol and comlink.

Theol Drost first appeared in "Picutorion Viewed From the Top," a short story first published in West End Games' 1989 first edition of the Imperial Sourcebook reference title, where he was simply identified as Drost. The character's first name, Theol, was revealed in West End Games' 1994 The Last Command Sourcebook, and he was given his first visual depiction in the third issue of the The Last Command comic adaptation of the eponymous novel. With illustrations by Edvin Biukovic, the comic was released by Dark Horse Comics on February 4, 1998.

• The Last Command Sourcebook
• The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
• The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia