Brenn Tantor

On Garos IV, during a period of civil war, Brenn Tantor, a male Human, entered the world into a family of modest means. The Galactic Empire's intervention brought an end to the conflict, deeply impressing Tantor's father, who then joined the military as a transport pilot. He instilled in his sons a respect for the stormtroopers who maintained order. However, the rise of a resistance movement against the Empire led to the destruction of the Tantor family's home during a battle. Stormtroopers rescued Brenn and his younger brother, Dellis, from the wreckage, inspiring them to pledge to become stormtroopers themselves.

Brenn Tantor gained immediate acceptance into the Imperial Academy of Carida and began stormtrooper training, excelling in tactical studies. Dellis followed a year later. During this period, they received the devastating news that their father had been killed by the Rebel Alliance while delivering medical supplies to Graal'diin. This tragedy only strengthened their determination to join the stormtroopers and fight against the Rebellion.

Despite their exceptional performance as cadets, they were mysteriously barred from joining a stormtrooper squad, unbeknownst to them, because they were not clones. The two began following Cattena Squadron, stationed at the Academy, until the squad captain, impressed by their dedication, allowed them to join as "honorary stormtroopers." However, they never achieved true acceptance from the rest of the unit, with whom they had no social interaction.

In 0 BBY, Cattena Squadron was deployed to Kalaan. During a battle, the squad's sergeant was killed, and Tantor, then a corporal, assumed command. His outstanding leadership caught the eye of Captain Beri Tulon, a training officer scouting for candidates for a special project. Tulon promoted Tantor to lieutenant on the battlefield and instructed him to report to the Star Destroyer Inquisitor. Dellis, who had been wounded shortly before Tulon's arrival, was also transferred to Inquisitor and placed in a bacta tank.

Tantor was chosen as one of the initial officers to master commanding troops through the Battlefield Holographic Control Interface, or BHCI. This project, championed by Grand General Malcor Brashin, enabled commanders to oversee battles in a comprehensive holographic simulation, issuing orders from the safety of an orbiting Star Destroyer.

From Inquisitor, in orbit above Tatooine, Tantor guided Zeta Squadron, which now included the recovered Dellis, through a series of simple commands to familiarize himself with the system. However, the exercise was interrupted when Brashin intervened with new orders. An escape pod from the Rebel CR90 corvette Tantive IV Tantive IV had been detected nearby. Lieutenant Tantor swiftly located the pod, despite attacks from local Tusken Raiders. Despite the natives' hostility, Tulon cautioned him against engaging them unless provoked, urging him to act as "a soldier, not a murderer."

Tantor led further missions to retrieve the Rebel droids from the escape pod, including tracking and capturing the Jawa Sandcrawler that transported the droids, and searching the home of local hermit Ben Kenobi.

However, the Imperials were too late, and the droids escaped the planet with the plans for the Death Star, a recently completed Imperial battle station. The droids had apparently fled to Alderaan aboard the YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon Millennium Falcon, but some in the Empire believed that the ship's canny captain Han Solo had jumped to Ruul, along the same vector. Tantor, now a captain, was sent to Ruul with Tulon and Brashin. Although Solo had not jumped there, the Imperials did find that Rebels had captured an important computer facility on Ruul. Tantor, with help from his technically-minded brother on the ground, was able to recapture the facility and string a line of remote relay beacons from the station to an undamaged antenna from which he could broadcast important Rebel data found in the computer complex. For his excellent performance, Tantor was promoted to the rank of commander and placed under Grand General Brashin's personal supervision. Nevertheless, he continued to hold the greatest respect for Captain Tulon, who had been reassigned after Brashin found his more traditional values incompatible with the New Order.

Commander Tantor's subsequent mission took him to Sarapin. Intelligence from the Ruul facility revealed that the Rebellion had seized several of the lava planet's thermal energy collection plants. Tantor successfully reclaimed these facilities, but soon discovered that the Rebels had also captured a drilling station. This station, now uncontrolled, was destabilizing the region, triggering significant seismic activity. Tantor's forces fought through heavy defenses to reach the drilling platform, where Dellis managed to shut down the drill just in time to avert a volcanic eruption and devastating groundquakes.

This victory was overshadowed by two somber announcements from Brashin. First, the Death Star had been destroyed by Rebel starfighters, resulting in massive casualties. The loss of so many skilled officers created opportunities for competent commanders like Tantor, whom Brashin promoted to major. The second announcement was that Brenn and Dellis would be separated. Dellis had finally gained acceptance into Imperial Intelligence, a path he had pursued before Kalaan, when it appeared he would not become a stormtrooper.

Tantor next drew the attention of the Imperial Sith Lord Darth Vader by rescuing one of Vader's favored officers, Colonel Maximilian Veers, from a crashed shuttle during a mission to destroy the Rebel base on the moon Yavin 4. Tantor later engaged in a battle on Eos sometime after this in which All Terrain Personal Transports played a key role. On Empire Day in 1 ABY, Major Tantor was present in the city of Theed on the planet Naboo. There he recruited Imperial loyalists to counteract anti-Imperial propaganda during the festivities.

Tantor, with his unique blend of exceptional command abilities and the favor of Grand General Brashin and Darth Vader, rose to become one of the Empire's leading generals. When Vader's task force discovered the Rebel base on Hoth in 3 ABY, the Sith Lord summoned General Tantor to oversee the ensuing battle. Tantor coordinated the assault of Veers's Blizzard Force on the Rebel base, issuing orders to the lower-ranking general from orbit via the BHCI. Blizzard Force's AT-AT walkers overwhelmed the Rebels, forcing them to evacuate the icy planet.

With the Rebels defeated and his standing in Imperial High Command at its peak, Tantor was suddenly struck by a devastating revelation. Dellis appeared in his cabin with a classified datadisk revealing a shocking secret: the Empire had murdered their father. Despite being told he died in a Rebel attack, the Empire had executed him as an example to other pilots after he lost a shipment of grain to pirates. Worse still, Dellis knew his superiors were aware of his inquiries and that he was likely marked for death. General Brashin had assigned him to quell a rebellion on Ruul, a mission Dellis knew he wouldn't survive. Dellis quickly departed, leaving Brenn to grapple with this information and question his loyalty to an Empire that had betrayed his family.

Tantor's next assignment was relatively straightforward, but indicative of his high rank. He was entrusted with the knowledge of the Second Death Star's location above the forest moon of Endor and tasked with finding a suitable location for the groundside shield projector that would protect it. However, his small scouting force was attacked by Ewoks, forcing him to kill many of the natives and destroy several villages that stood on potential shield projector sites. The slaughter of the diminutive natives did nothing to soothe Tantor's troubled conscience.

He was then ordered to eradicate a substantial Rebel force that had seized the seat of government on Abridon. His forces drove the Rebels from a captured Imperial base, which Tantor used as a staging point to call in reinforcements and withstand repeated tank assaults until he could break through the Rebel lines and capture the Abridon Government Center. From there, he repelled a Rebel counteroffensive and captured five Rebel dignitaries sent to persuade Abridon's government to join the Rebel Alliance. Among these dignitaries was the renowned Rebel commander Luke Skywalker. The capture of the galaxy's most-wanted individual was a significant achievement for Tantor.

General Tantor was quickly dispatched to eliminate the main Rebel base on Abridon. During his briefing, he received a pleasant surprise: his former superior, now-Colonel Tulon, would be commanding an additional task force to assist Tantor in the attack. Tantor was to utilize the Tracked Mobile Base, or TR-MB, a prototype mobile command center equipped with a BHCI, placing him directly on the ground.

However, the mission soon took a disastrous turn. Tulon's AT-AT suddenly went rogue, destroying the rest of his task force and heading straight for the Rebel base. Tantor, fearing for his mentor's life, assumed he had been killed or taken hostage by a defector, and pushed his forces until they overtook and disabled the walker just short of the Rebel stronghold. To Tantor's utter shock, Tulon was the defector. Unable to endure the Empire's brutality any longer, he had decided to join the Rebels. Tulon warned Tantor that the Empire was corrupt and evil, and that the Rebels were the true heroes. Helpless, Tantor turned his former mentor over to Brashin for imprisonment in the Tarkin Detention Facility.

Numbed, Tantor continued, efficiently destroying the Rebel base. However, this was not enough for Brashin. He demanded that Tantor destroy a nearby refugee camp as a show of force. The conflicted Tantor had finally reached his limit. Recalling Tulon's admonition to be "a soldier, not a murderer," he refused his superior's orders. Enraged, Brashin cut off Tantor's communication frequencies and ordered Tantor's stormtroopers to attack, falsely claiming the camp was full of Rebels who had disabled the TR-MB, preventing Tantor from issuing the order. Horrified, the general watched as his soldiers massacred innocent civilians.

At that moment, Tantor received an unexpected transmission. His opponent, Rebel general Tyr Taskeen, appeared on his comm line. Taskeen had overheard the communications between the two Imperial generals and offered Tantor his personal comm frequency. While the offer was not explicit, the Rebel was inviting Tantor to defect rather than face the court-martial that undoubtedly awaited him.

Back on his Star Destroyer, a communication from Brashin delivered the news Tantor had been dreading. Dellis had been killed—in a Rebel attack, according to Brashin—and Brenn Tantor himself was to report to Kalaan to face the consequences of his insubordination. He chose the only option left to him. Contacting Taskeen, Tantor instructed the Rebel general to meet him on Kalaan.

On Kalaan, Tantor was placed in an outdoor cage for the night before his court-martial. Brashin assured him that the outcome was certain: Tantor would be found guilty and executed. However, Brashin assigned as guards stormtroopers from a unit that had served loyally under Tantor's command for years. Gana Lant, one of those stormtroopers, freed Tantor from prison and arranged for the defection of the entire guard detail. However, Tantor wanted to prove his good intentions by more than just bringing a squad of stormtroopers. He hijacked the TR-MB parked nearby and released Luke Skywalker, who was being held in the same facility. With these valuable assets and the assistance of the Kalaanite resistance, Tantor outmaneuvered Imperial patrols and turrets to reach Taskeen's base.

Once evacuated to Taskeen's fleet, Tantor did not receive the heroic welcome he had anticipated. Taskeen, wary of such a high-ranking Imperial officer, imprisoned him. Tantor would have to prove his loyalty under Taskeen's close supervision. Tantor offered Taskeen a plan: if Taskeen would allow him to rescue Beri Tulon from the Tarkin Detention Facility on Ruul, he could combine Tulon's inside knowledge with his own tactical expertise to deliver an AT-AT to the Alliance. Taskeen, cautiously intrigued, gave Tantor the green light, but warned him that he would be under constant observation.

Tantor led a rapid commando raid that overwhelmed Tulon's escort before he reached the prison, freeing Tulon and a Ruulian Rebel leader. However, he was forced to extend his operations on Ruul when Tulon informed him that he needed an Imperial code to access the AT-AT manufacturing facility on Trasse. This code could be found at the nearby computer facility at Sounder Flats. Tantor's soldiers held off Imperial scout walkers and stormtroopers long enough for Tulon to download the codes from the computer complex.

After careful preparation, including Tulon's training of a special unit of armor-hijacking Infiltrators, they set out for Trasse. The capture of the AT-AT went smoothly, but extraction was complicated by the arrival of a familiar Star Destroyer—Inquisitor, Grand General Brashin's personal ship. Tantor and Brashin exchanged words before the battle; Brashin expressed his disappointment in his former protégé, and Tantor offered the grand general a chance to defect. Brashin declined. Tantor was forced to race to capture a planetary-defense ion cannon and disable the Star Destroyer before he could escape with the valuable captured walker.

That vote of confidence from Taskeen led to Tantor being entrusted with more crucial missions and better armor, as he had proven himself. The experience Tantor gained on Abridon played a pivotal role in his selection to lead the mission aimed at liberating the planet. Ironically, this was from the very Imperial garrison that Tantor had previously established. Tantor successfully overwhelmed the Imperial forces stationed in the capital, reclaiming the Government Mound. Furthermore, he freed a nearby prison camp, discovering Hamman Flatt within its walls. Flatt, the former lieutenant governor of Abridon whom Tantor had once imprisoned, informed the unaware Rebel general that Abridon was prepared to donate a shipment of locally produced A-wings. Tantor then proceeded to seize control of the shipyards located in the war-ravaged city of Sayan, ensuring that a Hover Transport, filled with skilled pilots, could safely transport the A-wings to Sullust, where the Rebel fleet was readying itself for the confrontation at the Second Death Star.

Following the elimination of all remaining Imperial forces in Sayan, a task requested by the Abridon Nationalists, Tantor personally participated in the Battle of Endor during 4 ABY. Given his prior experience in setting up the shield generator, Tantor accompanied General Han Solo and his strike team aboard the Lambda-class shuttle named Tydirium to Endor. Remaining within the shuttle, he utilized a portable BHCI to coordinate the actions of the commando team. Their successful destruction of the shield generator subsequently enabled the Rebel fleet to destroy the Death Star in orbit. Tantor's critical involvement in this pivotal battle solidified the trust his Rebel superiors placed in his loyalty and underscored his growing significance within the Rebellion.

The Galactic Emperor, Palpatine, met his end during the battle, leading to the Alliance's evolution into the Alliance of Free Planets, and eventually the New Republic. Tantor rose to prominence as a respected commander within the new organization. Two years after the Battle of Endor, Tantor played a role in the New Republic's push into the Core Worlds, collaborating with Admiral Willham Burke to secure the capture of Commenor, Gyndine, and [Reytha]. Tantor then reached the apex of his career when he was selected to command the Liberation of Coruscant. He was given the prestigious task of spearheading the assault on Coruscant, the Empire's capital, working alongside General Rand Talor.

Tantor initiated the operation by deploying a small, stealthy force near Coruscant's north pole, carefully avoiding detection by the planet's advanced sensor network. This initial team disabled the sensor nodes in the area, paving the way for Tantor to land a larger assault force undetected. He then breached the defensive perimeter along the polar ice cap, seizing several critical Imperial installations, including a hospital, a repair bay, artillery platforms, and walker storage facilities.

Tantor pressed forward to the final confrontation at the Imperial Palace. Facing fierce resistance led by his old adversary, Grand General Brashin, Tantor relentlessly broke through successive layers of Imperial defenses, including armored units, weapon emplacements, and air support, until a final infantry assault secured the Imperial Palace.

Following the capture of the Palace, Tantor received astonishing news. Rebel troopers, while clearing a hidden Imperial dungeon within the Palace, discovered an unexpected prisoner: Dellis Tantor. Overjoyed that his brother, whose supposed death had haunted him for years, had actually escaped execution, Brenn shared an emotional reunion with Dellis. As they stood on the steps of the Palace, they were greeted by Tyr Taskeen, who welcomed Dellis into the Rebel ranks, stating, "Welcome to the next chapter in the history of the galaxy."

Brenn Tantor began his service to the Empire as an enthusiastic young recruit, motivated by a desire to bring order, peace, and justice to the galaxy through his service in the stormtrooper corps. He excelled at the Academy, quickly mastering tactics and eagerly anticipating his role as a stormtrooper.

However, Tantor's initial enthusiasm and idealism were shaken when both he and his brother were denied entry into the stormtrooper corps. They were accepted into Cattena Squadron, but even that proved disappointing, as the members displayed little affection for the brothers. Brenn's determination drove him to work even harder to earn Cattena's approval, even as Dellis began to lose hope. He never gained their approval before his promotion to lieutenant and subsequent transfer.

Tantor's appointment to officer status and selection for an elite project reignited his enthusiasm and resolve. However, Tulon's reassignment left Tantor without a mentor and questioning the reasons behind Tulon's dismissal. His sense of isolation deepened when Dellis was assigned to Imperial Intelligence. Brenn saw him only sporadically over the following year and not at all for the two years that followed.

Brashin and Tantor maintained a functional working relationship, but Brashin was not particularly friendly. While his men respected him, Tantor's command position created a distance between them. Despite his military successes, Tantor moved from one conflict to another, lacking a social life or close friendships.

The revelation from Dellis that the Empire had murdered their father, coupled with the massacres of the Ewoks on Endor, plunged Brenn into a period of introspection and moral conflict. Beri Tulon's attempted defection and capture, the Abridon massacre, and the news of Dellis's death only intensified Tantor's depression, leading to nightmares.

Tyr Taskeen and, after her rescue, Beri Tulon provided some companionship, but Tantor remained driven to defeat the Empire and prove himself, haunted by his past actions and the presumed death of his brother. Aboard the Tydirium on the way to Endor, he experienced a hallucination, seeing Dellis sitting across from him. Guilt and depression marked Tantor's character throughout 3 and 4 ABY. However, discovering Dellis during the Battle of Coruscant offered Brenn a genuine chance at happiness.

Brenn Tantor was created for the 2000 LucasArts video game Star Wars: Force Commander, with Jeff Bennett providing his voice. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds also depicts the Liberation of Coruscant, although in that game, the assault on the Imperial Palace is led by Rand Talor. This article posits that the two commanders collaborated during the battle.

Tantor also appeared as a Non-player character (NPC) in the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game Star Wars Galaxies. During the Empire Day live events in 2009, 2010, and 2011, he was located in Theed, assigning quests to players. These quests involved either placing Imperial propaganda posters or removing Rebel posters.