Conan Antonio Motti

Conan Antonio Motti, a human male, was born to a family of considerable wealth and influence located in the Outer Rim Territories. As a native of the planet Seswenna, Motti became a naval officer in the service of the Galactic Empire. This Empire was the successor state to the [Galactic Republic], ruled by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine from the capital world of Coruscant. He distinguished himself within the Imperial Navy and became one of its most celebrated starship captains and experienced naval commanders. Eventually, he attained the rank of rear admiral, flying his flag from the Star Destroyer named Steel Talon.

By the time of 14 BBY, Motti had become a notable figure within the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military. This group consisted of generals, admirals, and other senior military officers who advised the Emperor on all matters concerning military affairs. The Emperor considered Motti as a potential candidate for the newly created position of Grand Moff, a role that would eventually be filled by Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Alongside the other members of the Joint Chiefs on Coruscant, Motti played a role in coordinating the Empire's response to the rebel campaign led by Berch Teller, a disgruntled intelligence analyst whose cell posed a threat to various Imperial outposts scattered across the Outer Rim. Due to his involvement in these events, and the discrediting of Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit, who headed the Naval Intelligence Agency, Motti received a promotion directly from the Emperor.

By 0 BBY, Motti had achieved the rank of Admiral of the Navy and also served as the Chief of the Imperial Navy. Stationed aboard the DS-1 Death Star Mobile Battle Station, the Empire's planet-destroying battle station, Motti took on the responsibility of leading naval operations. He worked alongside Grand Moff Tarkin in the testing of the superweapon on the planet Rango Tan, which was inhabited by a pre-hyperdrive species known as the Rangan. Motti briefed the crew on the planet's inhabitants and their lack of involvement in recent conflicts, after which Tarkin ordered the planet's destruction. However, the simulation failed before the firing sequence could be completed, leading Tarkin to demand its abortion. When Motti inquired about the cause of the failure, a crew member explained that each gunner needed to execute their protocol at the correct moment for the simulation to succeed. Motti suggested an immediate investigation to identify the individual who had failed to complete their protocol, but Tarkin insisted on personally inspecting the gunners.

The Alliance to Restore the Republic had escalated their activities to open warfare and successfully stole the technical readouts for the Death Star during the Battle of Scarif. Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith, captured the rebel flagship, the Tantive IV, which carried the plans, but he was unable to recover the plans themselves. Shortly thereafter, Motti met with General Cassio Tagge of the Imperial Army in his private office aboard the battle station. Tagge was reviewing data from the attack on Scarif. The two then proceeded to the Joint Chiefs' conference room. When a senior advisor inquired if anything was amiss, Motti declared that the theft of the station's plans had made Tagge overly cautious. Tagge responded by asserting that the Empire remained vulnerable to the Alliance's attacks until the Death Star was fully operational. Motti countered, stating that while the Alliance posed a threat to Tagge's forces, the battle station faced no such danger. Tagge further argued that the Alliance would continue to gain support within the Imperial Senate, but Tarkin, accompanied by Lord Vader, interrupted him. Tarkin informed the officers that the Emperor had dissolved the Senate. He added that fear, particularly fear of the Death Star, would maintain order among the star systems, which caused Motti to smile.

Tagge raised the concern that the Alliance, possessing the Death Star plans, could discover and exploit a weakness in the battle station. However, Vader, who had arrived to interrogate Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, proclaimed that the Empire would soon recover the plans. Motti then asserted that regardless of the technical data possessed by the Alliance, any attack on the Death Star would be futile. He boasted about the station's power, claiming it was the ultimate power in the universe, and suggested that the Empire should utilize it. Vader countered this claim, warning Motti not to underestimate the power of the Force. Motti, driven by arrogance, mocked Vader, questioning his devotion to the Force and suggesting that it had failed to help him recover the stolen Death Star plans or locate the Rebels' hidden base. In response, Vader began to force choke Motti, rebuking him for his "lack of faith," and relenting only at Tarkin's insistence. Motti slumped across the conference table, gasping for air and visibly shaken, exchanging a glance with Tagge. Despite this, he later submitted a strongly worded incident report criticizing what he described as Vader's attempt at religious proselytization, further emphasizing his confidence and pride in the battle station.

Later, Motti oversaw the final checkout of the battle station, confirming that all systems were operational. He then went to Overbridge to inform Tarkin, who was being briefed by Lord Vader along with General Tagge. The Sith Lord had been torturing the captive Leia using an IT-O Interrogator droid, but he was struggling to extract the location of the rebel's hidden base due to her strong resistance to the mind probe. Motti inquired about the Death Star's destination, and Tarkin ordered it to head to Alderaan as a means of "alternate persuasion." Motti responded that he would carry out the order with pleasure. Shortly after, Motti approached the Grand Moff in private, reiterating the extraordinary capabilities of the Death Star. He pointed out that the ultimate power in the universe now resided with Tarkin, as he commanded the battle station. Motti suggested that Tarkin could, if he wished, attain a position of authority in the Empire second only to the Emperor, subtly hinting that he himself could serve alongside Tarkin. Tarkin considered Motti's words to be bordering on treason and rejected the offer, but the ambitious Motti remained undeterred from the idea.

When the Death Star arrived in the Alderaan system, Motti informed Tarkin of their arrival. At that moment, Vader arrived at the Overbridge with Princess Leia, and as Motti watched, Tarkin openly threatened to destroy Alderaan if she did not reveal the location of the Rebel's hidden base. In response to the threat of her home planet's destruction, Leia lied and informed the Grand Moff that the rebels were headquartered at the defunct base on Dantooine. Despite this, Tarkin ordered Motti to have the Death Star's superlaser fire when ready, shocking the princess. Motti complied with the order, and the Death Star fired on Alderaan, destroying it within moments.

Following the failed attempt to destroy Rango Tan, Tarkin had instructed Motti to install bio-trackers in the helmets of every Death Star gunner. This allowed the Grand Moff to discover that several gunners, including Chief Gunner Endo Frant, had hesitated at crucial moments during the destruction of Alderaan. As a result, they were immediately sealed in an airlock and jettisoned into space.

Shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, which was later referred to as "the Disaster," General Tagge led a search on Dantooine, discovering only an abandoned base. Although Tarkin issued an order for Leia's execution, it was not carried out. A YT-1300 light freighter, the Millennium Falcon, managed to board the Death Star from Tatooine, and its crew succeeded in freeing Organa from her cell. After Vader had previously captured the Tantive IV, Leia entrusted the Death Star plans to the astromech droid R2-D2, who, along with C-3PO, escaped the Tantive in an escape pod and landed on Tatooine. There, they encountered Luke Skywalker, a moisture farmer; Han Solo, the captain of the Millennium Falcon; Chewbacca, Solo's first mate; and Obi-Wan Kenobi, a former Jedi Master. As the custodians of the Death Star plans, their initial plan was to meet with Leia's father, Imperial Senator Bail Organa, on Alderaan and deliver the plans to him, but the planet's destruction forced them to alter their plans. The team successfully escaped the battle station with Leia, but not before Imperial stormtroopers had planted a tracking device aboard the starship. The Empire tracked the freighter to the Rebel base on the fourth moon of the planet Yavin. As the Death Star prepared to destroy Yavin 4, a battle erupted between the Imperial and Rebel forces above the Death Star.

When several T-65 X-wing starfighters proved capable of evading the station's defenses, Vader piloted his personal TIE Advanced x1 and engaged them. He began eliminating the surviving fighters one by one, but some officers grew concerned that the rebel attack posed a threat. Meanwhile, the battle station approached the rebel base, and Motti stood beside the gunner on the Overbridge. However, the Alliance was aware of a flaw in the Death Star: a small, unprotected thermal exhaust port that led directly to the station's main reactor. Against all odds, Luke Skywalker, piloting a Rebel X-wing, successfully navigated the trench where the exhaust port was located and fired a pair of proton torpedoes into the shaft. This caused the Death Star to explode, instantly killing everyone on board, including Motti.

Three years following Motti's demise, Vader recalled the instance when he Force choked Motti, which mirrored Palpatine's punishment of Vader using the same method. This punishment stemmed from Vader's inability to turn Luke Skywalker, his son, to the dark side of the Force, and for allowing the Amidalans to escape.

Motti was a loyal supporter of Grand Moff Tarkin, yet he maintained a rivalry with Darth Vader. His ambition occasionally overshadowed his loyalty to the Empire, as demonstrated when he approached Tarkin with the idea of using the Death Star to seize power, with Motti himself serving as Tarkin's right-hand man. This ambition was fueled by his unwavering belief in the Death Star as an instrument of ultimate power. He considered the battle station to be invulnerable and dismissed any potential rebel attack as a futile and doomed endeavor. In this context, he openly criticized views that acknowledged a credible rebel threat, such as those held by General Tagge, famously stating that "the dog nipping at [Tagge's] heels is no threat to my locked and guarded house," referring to the Death Star. More broadly, Motti dismissed the rebellion as a whole, viewing the Alliance's military capabilities as merely a "patchwork of X- and Y-wing fighters."

According to Leia Organa, Motti possessed one of the largest egos in the galaxy. His arrogance was evident in his condescending attitude towards other high-ranking officers and in his submission of a lengthy and strongly worded report regarding the strangulation incident involving him and Darth Vader. Despite being on the receiving end of the Sith Lord's wrath, Motti remained unrepentant, insisting that Vader was at fault for resorting to violence. Motti interpreted this as a sign that he had won the argument. He further implied that Vader and Tagge were disloyal to the Empire, with Vader placing his faith in the Force rather than the Death Star, and Tagge being overly concerned with the strength of the Rebellion.

Although Motti was personally religious, he was dismissive of the Force and doubted its very existence. He publicly regarded Darth Vader as a mere sorcerer with a "sad devotion" to an "ancient religion," later justifying his attitude as a response to alleged "workplace proselytization." This nearly resulted in his death when Vader Force-choked him for his insolence.

Motti made his first appearance in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which was the initial installment of the Star Wars original trilogy. He was portrayed by Richard LeParmentier, who was credited as "General Motti." Initially, Motti was intended to be an admiral, but due to LeParmentier's height, which made him too tall for the admiral's uniform, he was fitted in a general's uniform, and Motti's rank was changed accordingly.

LeParmentier initially auditioned for the role of Han Solo, but Harrison Ford was selected instead. He was then offered the role of a customs officer who would attempt to prevent Solo from leaving Mos Eisley. A friend of LeParmentier took the part, but the role was ultimately removed from the film. However, LeParmentier was invited back a month later to read for Motti's part. As an American actor, LeParmentier was one of the few non-English actors cast as Imperial officers who spoke without an English accent. During filming, LeParmentier suggested to director George Lucas that he use his Mid-Atlantic accent for Motti, and Lucas approved. To prepare for the scene in which Motti is Force-choked by Darth Vader, LeParmentier spent several days practicing choking in his dressing room to make his performance convincing. He worked to control and induce spasms in his neck. During the filming of the scene, LeParmentier had his pants rolled up to his knees and had removed his boots, along with Don Henderson, due to the extreme heat.

In retrospect, Richard LeParmentier preferred to be remembered as Motti, considering it an honor to have been a part of the Star Wars saga. In his opinion, A New Hope helped him secure more roles in other major films because it was the most memorable film he had been involved in. LeParmentier was proud that Motti's Force choke was the first instance in the saga where fans witnessed the power of the Force in action, although at the time, he was unaware of the film's future success. He greatly enjoyed his experience, citing the only inconvenience he faced on set was Motti's boots, which caused him significant foot perspiration. As a result, the film's crew members would remove the boots of the Imperials and air-dry their feet between shots.

While portraying the character, Richard LeParmentier viewed Motti as a trigger-happy military figure eager to demonstrate the Death Star's power and resentful of those who disagreed with him. He played Motti as a sanctimonious and smug character, believing that this was necessary to contrast with the calm and reasonable Cassio Tagge, played by Don Henderson, and to prompt Darth Vader to use the Force on Motti. At the time of his death in 2013, LeParmentier was producing an animated fan film called Motti Now, in which Motti survives the Battle of Yavin and abandons the Empire. However, it is likely that he had not completed it prior to his death, as it has not been released as of yet.

Motti was originally intended to appear, alongside Generals Cassio Tagge and Trech Molock, as one of the Imperials present at Tarkin's summit on Eriadu in "The Summit," which was the fifteenth episode of the second season of the Disney+ animated television series Star Wars: The Bad Batch. However, it was ultimately decided that the character would not have been high-ranking enough that early in the Empire's existence.

Motti's full name was revealed by Star Wars creator George Lucas during an episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien on May 1, 2007. When Lucas was challenged to a trivia question by a fan—Late Night Associate Producer Jordan Schlansky—regarding the name of the officer whom Darth Vader Force chokes in A New Hope, Lucas jokingly replied "Conan Antonio Motti," a tuckerization of Conan O'Brien's name. The day after the episode aired, Late Night posted a blog entry on the NBC website expressing their surprise at the quick response of Wookieepedia in adopting the new full name for Motti and their appreciation for Lucas' decision to name the character after O'Brien. The name was subsequently confirmed in-universe by Star Wars Legends novels and later within the canon novel Tarkin.