Danetta Pitta

Danetta Pitta, a being classified as Near-Human, held a position in the Imperial Navy. Consumed by xenophobia, Pitta stood out as one of the most fervent advocates for Human High Culture within the Galactic Empire, using this fervent support to conceal his own less-than-Human heritage. Pitta's prejudice reached such extremes that even those who strongly favored humanocentrism maintained a distance from him. During the New Year's Fete in the year 2 BBY, Pitta, along with eleven other officers, received a promotion to the newly established rank of Grand Admiral. Following this, he initiated a campaign across the Outer Rim Territories, systematically depopulating worlds inhabited by non-Humans.

Following the death of Emperor Palpatine during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Pitta assumed control of a Torpedo Sphere and, through bribery of the local diktat, became the de facto protector of the Corellian sector. However, his authority was challenged by another Grand Admiral, Josef Grunger, who had aspirations to move against Imperial Center itself. Grunger deployed his fleet into the sector, which led Pitta to confront him in the Battle of Tralus. Despite gaining an advantage in the battle, Grunger chose to conclude the conflict by intentionally crashing his Super Star Destroyer, the Aggressor, into Pitta's Torpedo Sphere, resulting in the demise of both Grand Admirals.

Biography

Promotion

Danetta Pitta, a Near-Human male, was a well-known xenophobe and bigot who served within the ranks of the Imperial Navy. To keep his mixed heritage, which included Borneck and Etti ancestry, a secret, Pitta transformed himself into one of the most ardent champions of Human High Culture in the Galactic Empire. He reinforced this image by consistently scrutinizing the lineage of others—his fanaticism even made officials from the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order uneasy.

Two years prior to the Battle of Yavin, Pitta, a New Order zealot known solely for the intensity of his politics, was selected—along with eleven others, including Demetrius Zaarin, Ishin-Il-Raz, and Martio Batch—for promotion to the newly created rank of Grand Admiral. This promotion was marked by an elaborate ceremony during a New Year's Fete, presided over by Emperor Palpatine himself. Pitta's prejudices made him ideally suited to lead the Empire's expansion into the Outer Rim Territories. Consequently, he was given command of three dungeon ships: the Apocahk, the Angrix, and the Azgoghk. With these vessels, Pitta ravaged the Outer Rim, depopulating non-Human worlds and either sterilizing or enslaving their populations.

Protector of Corellia

Following the Emperor's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Pitta leveraged his considerable wealth to bribe the Corellian diktat, positioning himself as the unofficial protector of the Corellian sector. In this new position of power, Pitta secured a Torpedo Sphere for his personal use. However, his holdings and authority were challenged by fellow Grand Admiral Josef Grunger. Grunger, intending to move against Imperial Center, then under the control of Director Ysanne Isard, deployed his fleet into the Corellian sector in 5 ABY. At Tralus, Pitta's forces battled Grunger's for dominance over the Corellian sector. Through skillful deployment of his Torpedo Sphere, Pitta inflicted heavy losses on Grunger's fleet. Grunger, refusing to accept defeat, rammed his Super Star Destroyer, the Aggressor, into Pitta's Torpedo Sphere, destroying both ships and causing the deaths of both Grand Admirals.

Personality and traits

Danetta Pitta, characterized by his xenophobia and bigotry, immersed himself in Human High Culture to compensate for and conceal his own mixed ancestry. His beliefs were so extreme that he was disliked even by organizations dedicated to Human supremacy, such as COMPNOR. He seemed unaware of the irony of his fervent humanocentrism, given his own Near-Human status. His convictions aligned with his work, and he was meticulous in the depopulation of Outer Rim worlds, even resorting to vivisection on his captives. Pitta also proved to be a skilled tactician, as demonstrated in his battle against Grand Admiral Grunger. For personal defense, Pitta carried a FWG-5 flechette pistol.

Behind the scenes

Pitta was initially mentioned in The Essential Chronology, published in 2000 and authored by Kevin J. Anderson and Daniel Wallace. Three years later, he was featured in the article Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals, published in Star Wars Insider 66 and written by Wallace and Abel G. Peña. This article provided most of the character's biographical details, including his first name and the only artistic representation of him to date. Pitta was subsequently mentioned in The New Essential Chronology (2005), a successor to The Essential Chronology, and in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008).

The Who's Who article, originally titled Dirty Dozen: The Imperial Grand Admirals, was intended for publication in Star Wars Gamer magazine before its cancellation. The original manuscript contained more extensive information about Pitta, including roleplaying game statistics. Among the deleted details were the name of Pitta's flagship, the Impenetrable, more details about Pitta's bigotry, the reasons for his move to Corellia after the Battle of Endor, and the origin of his substantial wealth.

Cut content

Among those whose pedigree was scrutinized by Pitta was fellow Grand Admiral Miltin Takel. Although Palpatine initially sent Pitta to the Outer Rim to pacify the outlying alien worlds, Pitta believed he could accomplish much more and requisitioned three outdated dungeon ships to carry out his plans. Under Pitta's command, these ships were capable of depopulating entire cities in a single day. Non-Humans who were not executed for poor performance were subjected to vivisection in a series of experiments. As he carved a path through the Outer Rim Territories, Pitta amassed considerable wealth through plunder. Following Palpatine's death, Pitta established his own warlord kingdom beyond Hutt Space. When it became clear that Ysanne Isard's control over Imperial Center was precarious, he moved his forces to the Corellian sector, where a massive Torpedo Sphere was reportedly under construction at the local shipyards. While stationed in the Corellian sector, he frequently fantasized about deploying his prison ships to rid the sector of its native non-Humans, such as the Drall, the Selonians, and the Nosaurians.

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Notes and references

Appearances