Alton Kastle

During the Age of the Empire, Alton Kastle operated as an Imperial broadcaster stationed on the planet of Lothal. In 6 BBY, he provided coverage of the Westhills massacre. Kastle asserted that insurgents had been responsible for the destruction of mining equipment and attacks on Imperial surveyors in the Westhills, which compelled the Empire to deploy troops to restore order. The truth was that Imperial forces under the command of Lieutenant Piers Roddance had opened fire on a peaceful sit-in protest organized by disillusioned farmers who had been dispossessed of their land due to an Imperial mining operation. Zare Leonis and his friend Beck Ollet were aware of the actual events, but they chose not to disclose this information to his parents, who believed Kastle's version of the story.

Between the years 5 BBY and 4 BBY, Kastle worked as a newscaster for various Imperial HoloNet News reports. These included Lothal's new Imperial Registration Program, the quelling of a Wookiee revolt on Kashyyyk, improvements in unemployment rates, the Empire's new affordable housing initiative, and the prohibition of unauthorized mining. Although many Imperial citizens residing on Lothal, such as Leo Leonis, accepted Kastle's reports, others like Leo's wife Tepha Leonis and son Zare viewed his reports as carefully crafted half-truths or outright propaganda intended to portray the Empire favorably.

The false narratives disseminated by Kastle played a role in motivating Corwi Selgrothe, a former colleague of Kastle, to seek out the Rebellion and uncover the truth.

Following the attack by the Spectres rebels Ezra Bridger and Garazeb Orrelios on an Imperial Troop Transport and the subsequent rescue of Imperial prisoners, including Morad Sumar, Marida Sumar, and their Aqualish servant, Kastle issued a biased report claiming that the rebels had targeted innocent workers. Kastle's HoloNet transmission was then interrupted by a broadcast from the renegade Senator Gall Trayvis, who alleged that the Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was being held imprisoned on Stygeon Prime. On the fourteenth anniversary of Empire Day, Kastle delivered a news report stating that the holiday commemorated Emperor Palpatine's creation of the Empire. His broadcast was hacked by a transmission from Gall Trayvis urging the people of Lothal to boycott the annual Empire Day celebrations.

Later, Kastle presented another news broadcast in which he disparaged the Lothal City Capitol Building in Lothal's Capital City as an outdated relic. This was immediately followed by a coded transmission from Trayvis instructing the Spectres to meet him at the Old Republic Senate Hall. Unbeknownst to the Spectres, Trayvis was an undercover agent provocateur collaborating with the Empire to identify and eliminate rebel operatives. The rebels narrowly avoided a trap orchestrated by Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus and Minister Maketh Tua, who were acting under the orders of Governor Arihnda Pryce.

After the Spectres managed to escape the Imperial trap, Kastle conducted an interview with Trayvis, who publicly reaffirmed his commitment to serving the Empire. Trayvis also condemned the Spectres as violent extremists who had stolen his message and offered a bounty for their capture. In response, the Spectres formulated a plan to hijack the Imperial Communications Center near Jalath to present their side of the story. During the Siege of Lothal, Kastle delivered a news report falsely claiming that the Spectres had assassinated Tua. In reality, the Spectres had been attempting to assist Tua in escaping, but Kallus had bombed her shuttle and framed the rebels for the act.

In 2 BBY, Alton Kastle delivered a news broadcast in which he criticized the former Senator Mon Mothma for her allegedly treasonous speech denouncing Emperor Palpatine's involvement in the Ghorman Massacre. This broadcast was intercepted by the Spectres, whose ship Ghost was located in deep space. Shortly thereafter, the Spectres, now affiliated with Phoenix Cell, assisted in escorting the rogue senator through the Archeon Nebula to the planet Dantooine.

Following the death of Kanan Jarrus in 0 BBY, Alton Kastle broadcasted propaganda asserting that the Rebellion's efforts on Lothal had been rendered futile by the death of their leader. He then announced that Governor Pryce had organized a parade to celebrate the Imperial leadership's success in defeating the "extremists" and that all citizens were required to attend the parade.

A few months after the Battle of Yavin, Kastle delivered a broadcast reporting on the apparent treason of Imperial Captain Iden Versio, who had made disparaging remarks about the Death Star and the Galactic Empire as a whole. In truth, Versio's comments were part of a deception designed to infiltrate a Partisan cell known as the Dreamers.

Alton Kastle, a human male broadcaster, lived during the Imperial era. He was recognized for his impeccable attire and his comforting, familiar vocal tone. While Kastle enjoyed popularity among many pro-Imperial citizens, dissidents like Zare Leonis considered him to be an Imperial pawn who twisted the truth and fabricated falsehoods. Kastle was a devoted Imperial loyalist who consistently condemned the rebels as criminals and traitors.

Due to his affiliation, Kastle wore a gray-blue version of the Imperial uniform, complete with black boots, belt, and gloves. However, he wore an Imperial media badge instead of a military rank plaque, had a Holonet News patch under the left shoulder, and carried two code cylinders on the right side of the chest. Alton Kastle was known for always being impeccably dressed.

Alton Kastle's voice was first heard in 2014, in the HoloNet News tie-ins related to Star Wars Rebels. In the young readers novel Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy, released in October 2014, Alton Kastle was mistakenly identified as Alston Kastle on two occasions. His voice was provided by Steve Blum, who also voiced the rebel character Garazeb Orrelios.