Enric Pryde

Enric Pryde's birth occurred on the Core World of Alsakan in 27 BBY. Early in his life, Pryde started developing a plan to gain power and control over his destiny and other people. A key part of his plan was to avoid the front lines of any war. While he thought an Imperial desk job on Coruscant or another Imperial base would be the safest option, he believed such a posting to be beneath him. He would continue to adapt his plan throughout his career within the Empire. By 11 BBY, Pryde had achieved advanced placement in the Alsakan Academy.

During the Imperial Era, Enric Pryde was a member of the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire. He gave up his use of death sticks to fit his mental image of an Imperial officer. He was stationed on the Star Destroyer Steadfast from 6 BBY. Pryde was friends with fellow Imperial officer Brendol Hux, and his wife, Maratelle. Through them, he also was familiar with Hux's son Armitage. As a young fleet officer, Pryde personally witnessed Darth Vader in action.

Pryde held the rank of Captain of the Steadfast when a new Commodore, Scaanos, was assigned to the ship following his predecessor's death at the Battle of Ponolapo. Although Scaanos outranked Pryde, the two frequently clashed, with Pryde believing Scaano stretched the boundaries of command in ways he felt were deeply and deliberately antagonistic. Pryde felt further dislike for the Commodore as he had conjured a long and complicated plan, beginning from his time in the Alsakan Academy, that would end with him taking charge of the ship and Scaanos' presence had put the plan in jeopardy. He would make his feelings known about his superior through official Imperial channels, though he later admitted he could have worked around the rules more smartly rather than adhering to them.

Sometime between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Lieutenant Commander Pryde was temporarily assigned to the Star Destroyer Impervious to conduct an inspection of Zee-Nine City Seven. During his inspection, Pryde made several reports to Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. In one of his recorded reports, he reported having discovered that the local Imperial Garrison was woefully understaffed and underfunded, therefore making it a target for rebels. He also noted that since his previous report, he had discovered three additional security breaches and captured a dozen insurgents. As he reiterated his request for more troops and supplies, the garrison came under attack by Rebel forces, causing him to fall to his feet. While ordering an assisting protocol droid to contact the Impervious, the droid noted that it was attempting to do so, but it did not believe it would be able to answer, just as Pryde finally noticed the Star Destroyer crashing from the sky, with Pryde loudly expressing his disbelief.

He quickly ordered his troops to form up and prepare for an attack and threatened to kill his prisoners but was stopped by the M.A.R. Corps who captured him and locked him in a cage. Twelve hours later, Lord Vader arrived and freed him after getting information on the Rebel cyborgs. As Vader exited to confront the Corps, Pryde warned him that he was walking into a trap, to which the Sith Lord agreed. Pryde attempted to assist Vader in his fight with the Rebels but was pushed out of the way, with Vader telling him not to interfere with what he failed to comprehend. After Vader captured the rebels, Pryde volunteered his services but was rebuffed by the Sith Lord's droid assistant, ZED-6-7, who told him he was entirely unequipped for what would be coming next.

Before the Battle of Endor commenced, Pryde was ordered to join the ground forces on Endor by Scaanos, much to his disdain. On the forest moon, he commanded a regiment of stormtroopers, including FS-451. As the battle intensified on the ground and in orbit above the moon, Pryde hunkered into a hollow with FS-451 and TK-111, a stormtrooper from another battalion, and during this time, he witnessed the destruction of the second Death Star in the skies above him. Pryde remained hidden as rebel X-wings flew celebratory arcs above, and later, as the fighters scoured the forest for Imperial survivors. Following the shock and awe of witnessing the demise of the Imperial fleet, Pryde could not provide answers to the two stormtroopers who looked to him for guidance. To provide relief from their situation, FS-451 offered Pryde a death stick, which he took without hesitation. Following his consumption of the illicit substance, Pryde succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

When he awoke early the next morning, the effects of the death sticks lingered long enough to fill him with a feeling of celebration and pride as he believed the Empire had won a great victory. After the initial effects quickly wore off, Pryde realized the Empire had lost the battle. FS-451 offered him another death stick and he quickly refused, and instead thought of how the rebels might have taken care of Scaanos for him during the battle. Attempting to compose himself, Pryde could not feel his face or lips and his head had gone numb from the previous night's overindulgence. Fighting back the feeling of nausea in his stomach, he told himself he would bring up FS-451's behavior and lack of decorum at a later time. Pryde knew they would not be rescued from their situation, so he began to formulate a plan to escape the planet. After scolding FS-451 for being unable to start a fire to keep them warm, TK-111 informed Pryde that she had found something that would interest him.

TK-111 led Pryde and FS-451 through the forest and eventually stopped behind the hulk of a fallen tree. In the distance was a funeral pyre that was still emanating heat despite the fire having died out. When TK-111 informed him that Darth Vader had died and his body burnt on the pyre, Pryde believed it made no sense as he knew Vader was not on the moon and, having witnessed Vader in action, knew the rebel soldiers did not have the capability to capture him. After the stormtrooper insisted she had seen Vader atop the pyre, Pryde looked closer and agreed that it was a pyre but could not confirm that Vader had been on it. He believed that the pyre instead belonged to a high-ranking member of the Rebel Alliance and began to think of how he could spin it to work in his favor with the Emperor as he knew there were many gaps to be filled in Imperial ranks following the battle.

Ordering TK-111 to remain with FS-451, Pryde made his way to the funeral pyre to identify the corpse and salvage a souvenir. After moving a section of the pyre, he was overcome with shock and horror when he found the melted remains of Darth Vader's armor in the center of the pile. Pryde could not comprehend how Vader could have died and believed the situation he was looking at to be impossible. However, his shock quickly made way for a joyous sense of calm as he began to piece together the opportunities that had arisen in the aftermath of the battle and with Lord Vader's death.

Hurriedly, Pryde ordered TK-111 to assist him in finding Vader's lightsaber as he intended to use it as a totem to demonstrate the shifting of power from the Sith Lord to himself. He became overwhelmed with giddiness at the potential of the situation and was forcefully brought back to the present by TK-111 as the sounds of Ewok drumming and activity grew louder around them. Realizing they had to leave the area before they risked being discovered, Pryde reluctantly gave up his search for the lightsaber. He instructed TK-111 to eliminate FS-451 as collateral damage due to him having consumed further death sticks. He allowed himself to look into the sky above at the ragged glowing patch where the second Death Star had once been and murmured to himself that the old order was giving way to a new one. When TK-111 confirmed she had killed FS-451, Pryde smiled and told her they were going to find a way off the moon.

At some point, he acquired the pelts of a family of Ewoks and was able to make a fur coat from them. He regarded it as one of the finest pieces of tailoring he had ever owned and believed it fitting for an officer of the rank of High Colonel.

Pryde later commanded a battlegroup during the Battle of Jakku, which represented the Empire's final act of defiance against the New Republic in 5 ABY. During the battle, the Steadfast was destroyed, and Pryde, along with other Imperial officers, fled into the Unknown Regions following the Empire's defeat on Jakku by the New Republic.

Pryde was a captain in his battlegroup at the time of the Battle of Jakku. With the deaths of his superior officers, Pryde asserted his authority over the remaining members of his battlegroup as their new commander and self-appointed high colonel. Now a veteran of the Imperial Military, he still held the rank of high colonel by 21 ABY, at which point he worked toward the goal of reuniting the disparate remnants of the old Galactic Empire, believing that what the galaxy needed most was order and stability. Falling under the emerging command structure from the Unknown Regions, the Imperial remnant that Pryde served maintained a covert relationship with the Corporate Sector Authority.

Pryde used the code name "Steadfast" while working with the CSA to conceal the remnant's connection to the company. He also came to the attention of the Sith Eternal cult, which operated under the authority of the reborn Palpatine, and the cult came to view "Steadfast" as an agent they could trust. During a CSA mission on Basta Core, "Steadfast" was sought out by Ochi of Bestoon, a Jedi hunter who looked to the Imperial veteran for assistance in the hunt for Dathan and Miramir, and their daughter Rey. Pryde granted Ochi three platoons—a full company of CSA troopers—and a transport, despite Viceprex Coromun's objections, though they were overruled by the high colonel. Later, however, Pryde rejected Ochi's demands for another detachment of CSA troops, and warned the hunter to stay away from the Corporate Sector.

Enric Pryde became a member of the First Order, a military junta founded by former Imperial officers, nobles, technologists, and warlords after the Empire's defeat on Jakku. Many former leaders, including Pryde, eventually yielded to a new leader, Supreme Leader Snoke. While he found Snoke's mystical powers foreign, Pryde possessed more knowledge of the Supreme Leader's schemes than many of his peers, which he used to consolidate his own power. However, Pryde eventually began to suspect that Snoke was subservient to an unknown force. Pryde's suspicions of Snoke would eventually prove correct when he was recruited to become a contact for the reborn Darth Sidious, who trusted Pryde with the news of his survival, becoming an agent for Sidious within the First Order.

In 28 ABY, Snoke gave Pryde, an Admiral by that that time, command of a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, which was named the "Steadfast" by Pryde in honor of the Star Destroyer he served aboard during the days of the Empire. Pryde was part of a second wave of leadership in the First Order kept in reserve by Supreme Leader Snoke during the unveiling of Starkiller Base, which Pryde would later come to regard as an error due to the loss of resources and men.

After Snoke's death, his former apprentice Kylo Ren, who had secretly assassinated Snoke himself but instead had implicated Rey as Snoke's murderer, became the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, coercing his and Pryde's rival, General Armitage Hux into following him. Pryde, an admiral, was left as one of the most senior officers in the First Order High Command and commanded reserve forces. While rebuilding his command, Ren discovered the reserve forces under Pryde's leadership and brought Pryde to the fore, eventually making him a member of the First Order Supreme Council he formed. Pryde knew far more about the machinations of Supreme Leader Snoke and the late Sidious than his cohorts, which he used towards his advantage to cement his power.

One of Ren's acts as Supreme Leader was to award the rank of Allegiant General to Pryde, granting the Imperial veteran command over both services of the First Order military. General Hux considered the promotion of Pryde as a public slight against his person, given his past rivalry with Ren.

In the year after the Battle of Crait, a mysterious broadcast with the voice of the late Emperor Palpatine, the public identity of Darth Sidious, swept out across the galaxy. Deeming the Emperor's return as a potential threat to his rule, Ren diverted his attention from the Resistance and sought ways to track down the Emperor's whereabouts. The Supreme Leader became aware that he required a Sith wayfinder to do so, leading Ren to go, accompanied by Pryde and Hux, to the volcanic planet of Mustafar, once ruled by Vader from his personal stronghold, Fortress Vader. Upon arriving there, Ren and a stormtrooper squad engaged in a fight with the Alazmec of Winsit, a tenacious sect of Sith cultists devoted to protecting Corvax Fen and who venerated Vader as a deity of the dark side, while Pryde and Hux watched from a safe distance. As the fight ensued, Pryde asked Hux if he didn't like to see Ren fighting. When Hux expressed his opinion that Ren had gone mad due prioritizing a ghost's chase over the burning rebellion flames across the galaxy, Pryde reminded Hux that there was someone behind the message and that Ren would answer to no one due to the sacrifices he made to gain his power.

Ren eventually made his way to Fortress Vader and recovered his grandfather's wayfinder, which he used to track down the Emperor. After discovering that Darth Sidious had brought himself back to life, his followers in the Sith Eternal, and their built-up forces on Exegol, and learning that there was a spy within the First Order who had sent a message to the Resistance, Kylo Ren presented the head of Boolio before Pryde and the rest of the Supreme Council and informed them of his findings during a meeting on the Steadfast. General Domaric Quinn expressed skepticism of the cult, dismissing them as soothsayers and conjurers, but Pryde supported the First Order's alliance with the Sith Eternal, and scoldingly told the former technologist Imperial junior officer that a Sith armada, the Final Order, would increase their resources ten thousandfold before snidely remarking that it would "correct the error" of Starkiller Base while glaring at General Hux.

After discovering that the Resistance was operating on Pasaana, Leader Ren ordered Allegiant General Pryde to prepare his ship and notify their local forces on Pasaana of the Resistance's presence. General Hux later discussed the mission to Pasaana with Allegiant General Pryde, noting that the First Order had experienced considerable losses under the command of the Knights of Ren. Hux presented their captured prisoner, Chewbacca, to Pryde, who ordered he be locked up in the detention block.

During the mission the Resistance undertook to Kijimi, Hux aided Commander Poe Dameron and Finn in their return to the Millennium Falcon and their escape from the Steadfast. Simultaneously, Pryde was taken by surprise when he noticed the Bestoon Legacy, the very vessel Ochi had previously utilized, now in the hands of the Resistance. Hux then falsely stated to Pryde that the Resistance operatives had compelled him to assist in their escape. However, Pryde discerned the deception and, upon realizing Hux's role as the informant, summarily executed him. Following this, he informed the Supreme Leader about Hux's betrayal and espionage. Furthermore, Pryde informed Ren that the Sith dagger, bearing an inscription indicating the location of a Sith wayfinder and currently held by the Resistance, had been scanned during the Wookiee's captivity. This scan enabled Ren to trace Rey to Kef Bir, where the Jedi aspirant aimed to uncover a Sith wayfinder that would directly lead her to the Emperor.

Kylo Ren abandoned the First Order and rejected the dark side following his mother, Princess Leia Organa's, sacrifice to reach out to him during a duel with Rey on Kef Bir, and reclaimed his identity as Ben Solo. With Ren absent, Pryde gained the ability to receive directives directly from Sidious. Sidious communicated these developments to Pryde via a hologram. The Emperor commanded the Allegiant General to meet him on Exegol, and Pryde pledged his allegiance to Sidious, recalling his past service during the Old Wars and reaffirming his commitment. This declaration solidified the alliance between the First Order and the Sith cultists.

Subsequently, the Emperor informed the Allegiant General of his intention to dispatch a Xyston-class Star Destroyer and instructed him to deploy it to a planet with connections to the Resistance. General Pryde dispatched the Star Destroyer to Kijimi, resulting in its subsequent destruction, following his order to the garrison to implement Protocol 13. The Emperor then shared the route to Exegol with Pryde, showing him a hologram of the massive Sith fleet that he was now in charge of, while Sidious assumed direct command of the First Order's forces.

Pryde's arrival on Exegol preceded the Battle of Exegol, where the Steadfast functioned as the command ship for the Sith fleet. The Resistance initiated an attack with the goal of preventing the Sith Star Destroyers from unleashing chaos across the galaxy. After being informed by a fellow officer that the Resistance was targeting the navigation tower on Exegol, Pryde ordered the navigation signal, essential for the fleet's deployment from Exegol, to be rerouted to the Steadfast, asserting that they would personally guide the fleet. However, Resistance General Finn discerned that the signal had been transferred to the Steadfast, leading the Resistance's ground team to devise a daring strategy to land on the hull of the Steadfast. Pryde deployed legions of Sith troopers and Sith Jetpack Troopers to repel any boarders and also ordered a bridge technician to jam the Resistance speeders, only to be informed that they were not using speeders; rather, to Pryde's astonishment, the Resistance mounted a cavalry charge on orbaks against the Sith troopers, causing a battle to break out on the ship's hull.

Pryde was further taken aback by the arrival of another fleet consisting of thousands of ships to reinforce the Resistance, questioning the origin of such a vast number of vessels, given the Resistance's lack of a navy. Admiral Griss, who was also present, astonished Pryde by explaining that it was not a navy, but rather the ordinary citizens of the galaxy, uniting to repel the encroaching darkness.

Following Finn and Jannah's successful shutdown of the transmitter, the Resistance prepared to evacuate the ship, having overcome numerous Sith troopers. However, the First Order officer simply issued the command to reset the Steadfast's systems, which Finn recognized. Consequently, he and Jannah chose to remain on board to destroy the ship, while the rest of the ground team escaped.

By holding back the Sith troopers, Finn and Jannah successfully brought about the destruction of the Steadfast by turning its turbolasers against the ship itself, coinciding with Rey's final defeat of Darth Sidious. As the Steadfast began to collapse under its own firepower, Pryde rushed to the front of the bridge, gazing out at the Sith fleet as it was overwhelmed and destroyed by the allied fleet. Pryde's despair was short-lived, however, as a massive explosion engulfed the bridge of the Steadfast, killing all those present and sending Pryde's lifeless body hurtling through the viewport.

Enric Pryde was a human male distinguished by his [blue](/article/color] eyes, light complexion, and gray hair. He was typically seen wearing a distinctive First Order military officer uniform, complete with the appropriate rank insignia of the First Order. He also frequently carried a lacquered ebonwood swaggerstick, a nod to the equestrian traditions of the military of Alsakan, Pryde's homeworld. In his younger years, he had a habit of using death sticks, but he abandoned the drug to better align with his idealized image of an Imperial officer. However, his dealings with Ochi, Bestoon, and the CSA rekindled his longing for the stimulant. During this period, he took to carrying a flask of expensive abrax to remind him of the civilization he had left behind to collaborate with the CSA, experiencing a mix of annoyance and amusement at Ochi's consumption of much of the flask's contents.

Beyond his yearning for the resurgence of "High Human" culture, Enric Pryde harbored a deep desire for the restoration of the Galactic Empire and its authority over the galaxy. Pryde held fond memories of the grand spectacle of the Empire Day parades. He recognized that he possessed greater insight into the machinations of Darth Sidious and Snoke than most of his peers, and he leveraged this knowledge to maintain his own power. He was a pragmatist and considered the Sith fleet to be the culmination of his life's work. He found that he could look across it forever.

In contrast to his First Order counterparts, Pryde exhibited a degree of tolerance for mysticism, although he refrained from openly expressing his views. When the First Order formed an alliance with the Sith Eternal, he was eager to exploit their forces, while many within the First Order clashed with their new allies. Pryde regarded the arcane practices of the Sith Eternal as mere byproducts of a thirst for power and considered Sidious his master, experiencing a sense of near-ecstasy as their plans began to unfold. Unlike more arrogant officers, he understood the importance of respecting these beliefs, having personally witnessed Darth Vader in action. General Hux speculated, and was correct, that Pryde possessed a certain quality that shielded him from fear, harm, and punishment when delivering unfavorable news to Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, preventing him from being Force choked or beheaded; this quality was his competence.

As a First Order officer, Enric Pryde was known for his calm demeanor, high intelligence, and ruthless nature as a general. Despite his unwavering loyalty to the Order, he harbored a disdain for its more gruesome and abhorrent aspects. Following the escape of the Resistance fighters from the Steadfast, Pryde was the first to identify General Hux's betrayal as the spy within the First Order, and he executed him on the spot without hesitation or remorse. Pryde recognized the potential value in the legions of Star Destroyers created by the Sith Eternal, even when others dismissed them. Pryde viewed the Starkiller Base superweapon as a "mistake" for which he held Hux accountable, as the resources expended in its construction and subsequently lost when it was destroyed by the Resistance had hindered the First Order's ability to maintain control over the galaxy; he saw the offer of the Sith fleet as a means of rectifying this error.

While Pryde was ambitious in his pursuit of power, his allegiance was solely to Darth Sidious, as a Galactic Civil War veteran of the Galactic Empire, and he willingly relinquished control of the First Order to him. The Allegiant General was quite happy when it was revealed that his master returned. Pryde was able to maintain a calm composure even when bewildered, such as when an allied fleet arrived to reinforce the Resistance at the battle at Exegol, something he had no backup plan for. When facing his death, Pryde ultimately lost his cool composition, giving in to anger and fear when faced with his last defeat.

Enric Pryde made his debut in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, the concluding installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He was brought to life by Richard E. Grant.

In order to secure the role of Pryde, Grant had to audition by performing scenes from "a forties British war film." Several months later, he was invited to Pinewood Studios to meet with director J.J. Abrams, who informed him that he had been cast in the role. In his portrayal of Pryde, Grant drew inspiration from Peter Cushing's depiction of Wilhuff Tarkin in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

Much of Pryde's background was subsequently revealed in the novel Shadow of the Sith and the short story "The Steadfast Soldier," both penned by Adam Christopher, who characterized Pryde as a "loveable psychopath" and a "handsome chap" with a "bit of a chip on his shoulder." In agreement with a tweet that lauded the "chilling and calculated" Pryde as one of the Skywalker Saga's finest villains, Christopher affirmed that he has additional ideas for the character.