Bewil was a captain within the [Galactic Empire](/article/galactic_empire], a human who fought during the Galactic Civil War against the Rebel Alliance. In the year 3 ABY, he was a member of the Imperial military under the command of Sith Lord Darth Vader during the occupation of Cloud City on the planet Bespin. The aim of this occupation was to ensnare Luke Skywalker, a Jedi padawan. When Skywalker's T-65B X-wing starfighter was detected approaching the city, Bewil brought this information to Vader. He was also present in Cloud City's carbon-freezing chamber as Han Solo, Skywalker's companion, underwent carbon-freezing in carbonite.
As a captain and soldier in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Officer Corps, the human known as Bewil participated in the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic. During 3 ABY, he was part of the Imperial forces commanded by Sith Lord Darth Vader that took control of Cloud City which floated above the planet Bespin. Vader's intention was to seize the crew of the rebel YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon, and then use these rebels as bait to lure their ally, the Jedi padawan Luke Skywalker, into a trap.
With assistance from the bounty hunter Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian, the Baron Administrator of Cloud City, Vader successfully captured the Falcon's crew. The Sith Lord then inspected the city's carbon-freezing chamber, where he planned to freeze Skywalker in carbonite so he could be transported to the Galactic Emperor, Sheev Palpatine. While in the chamber, Bewil approached Vader, informing him that Skywalker's T-65B X-wing starfighter had been detected approaching Cloud City. Vader instructed the captain to monitor the Jedi's movements and allow him to land. Bewil acknowledged the order and departed swiftly.
Before using the freezing process on Skywalker, Vader decided to test the carbon-freezing procedure to ensure it wouldn't kill the Jedi. Therefore, he commanded that Han Solo, the captain of the Falcon, be the first subject to be frozen. Bewil remained in the chamber, observing as Solo was lowered and subjected to the freezing process. Once the procedure was completed, and Calrissian confirmed Solo's survival, Bewil approached Vader and delivered the news that Skywalker had landed.
The Sith then instructed Bewil to ensure that the Jedi was directed to the freezing chamber. The captain departed to execute these orders. Skywalker was eventually drawn into the chamber while attempting to rescue his comrades. However, he managed to escape from Vader and flee Cloud City aboard the Falcon, along with its crew and Calrissian, who had betrayed the Empire.
Bewil was clad in the standard olive-gray Imperial officer's uniform, complete with an Imperial kepi, a rank insignia plaque displaying two red bars above two blue, and one code cylinder.
Bewil's first appearance was in the original trilogy film from 1980, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. He was played by Milton Johns, who was credited only as one of the "Other Officers." Johns was initially reluctant to accept such a minor role. However, after being booked for only a week, his engagement was extended to six weeks. He delivered his first line during his second week and began working on the cooling chamber set on Stage 5 at Elstree Studios in his fourth week. Due to further production delays, his scenes were not actually filmed until his sixth week, with the scene of Solo's freezing being shot on June 21, 1979.
Within the current Star Wars canon, Bewil's name was first officially used in the 2019 Topps Star Wars Black & White: The Empire Strikes Back set of trading cards, released by The Topps Company, Inc. in 2018, which included cards autographed by Johns himself. The name had previously appeared in the Star Wars Legends continuity, specifically in the Cloud City Limited set of cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game released in 1997.