Kendal Ozzel

Biography

Early service

Kendal Ozzel, a male human born to a prosperous family on Carida, received education at various Core World institutions during his youth. Eventually, he graduated and gained the position of Captain of the Line. However, his superiors deemed him unsuitable for an active field commander role, leading to his assignment as a teacher at the Academy of Carida for some time.

Ozzel's career in the military spanned decades. He served in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars. In his younger years, Ozzel decided to serve in the Galactic Empire, the Republic's successor. He was also engaged to a woman. Ozzel could have chosen a simple life, marrying on his homeworld of Carida, surrounded by loved ones. However, one night, his fiancée suggested he join the rebellion against the Empire. Already committed to the Empire, Ozzel and his fiancée spent the night in tears before parting ways the next morning. Consequently, Ozzel served in the Imperial Navy. By 14 BBY, he had achieved the rank of Rear Admiral and was a member of the Joint Chiefs.

Admiralship

Following the destruction of the first Death Star, he was promoted to Admiral. He sent a message to the Imperial Starfleet, ordering them to prepare for battle. This was followed by the Hijacking of the Executor, where Darth Vader dispatched Cylo, a scientist, who tried to steal the Executor, an Executor-class Star Dreadnought. Originally, the SSD was intended for Grand General Cassio Tagge, but Emperor Sheev Palpatine demoted Tagge to General and gave the Executor to Vader due to Tagge's trust in Cylo. Vader used the Force to choke Tagge on the bridge of his new command ship in front of Ozzel. Witnessing this incident secretly thrilled Ozzel. Vader inquired about the Executor's readiness, giving him two weeks, despite Ozzel's claim that he needed a month. After Captain Magna Tolvan failed to capture Chelli Lona Aphra, who was investigating the Great Temple, Ozzel contacted her, warning her that Vader would be less forgiving than Cassio Tagge.

Weeds in a storm

Later, Ozzel and General Veers met with Vader at his castle on Mustafar. As Vader observed the landscape, Ozzel explained that the Death Star's destruction had energized the rebellion. Resources for the Empire's construction projects were delayed, and Rebel forces were too scattered to effectively counter. Ozzel suggested a world-by-world bombardment as a deterrent and insisted that the Death Squadron should carry it out. Just as he questioned why they weren't using the fleet, Vader interrupted, questioning his use of the word "ludicrous."

After apologizing, Ozzel questioned how to eliminate the Rebels, comparing them to vermin. Veers contradicted him, comparing them to weeds. Angered, Ozzel watched Veers explain how weeds survive storms and how the Rebellion would survive Imperial attacks because they were flexible, unlike a sturdy tree. Ozzel then addressed Vader, who showed interest in Veers's statement.

Searching for the Rebel base

Ozzel was eventually promoted to Fleet Admiral and became the commanding officer of the Death Squadron, an Imperial vessels armada tasked with finding the Alliance's hidden main base after the Battle of Yavin, though Vader had de facto control of the fleet. As admiral, Ozzel led Death Squadron from Vader's flagship, the Executor. Believing himself the perfect choice to command the warship during the hunt, Ozzel oversaw the Empire's search for the Rebel headquarters. During his time on the Executor, Ozzel congratulated Lieutenant Commander Ciena Ree for her outstanding service over the past two years, implying a possible promotion to Commander.

The Empire deployed thousands of probe droids across the galaxy to find the Rebel base. One detected signs of an occupied settlement on the ice planet Hoth. Before Captain Han Solo destroyed it, the droid sent its data to the Executor in the Juris sector, where Ozzel, Captain Firmus Piett, and General Veers reviewed it. Piett considered the data their best lead, but Ozzel dismissed it as lacking definitive proof. Vader overruled him, ordering the fleet to Hoth system to confront the Rebels.

Final thoughts

As Vader retired to his private quarters, Ozzel took command of the fleet's maneuvering and strategy. Believing he could surprise the Rebels, Ozzel brought the Star Destroyers out of hyperspace directly above Hoth. However, the Alliance detected them immediately, as the probe droid had made them suspect the Empire had found their base. Before orbital bombardment could begin, the Rebels activated their shield, which could deflect any laser barrage, even from the Executor.

Veers reported this to Vader, who disapproved of Ozzel's blunder, as it forced them into a ground battle instead of a simple orbital bombardment. The Sith Lord contacted Ozzel on the Executor's bridge and began telekinetically strangling him as Piett and others watched. Initially, Ozzel thought it was a lesson, but Vader declared it his final failure and executed him, promoting Piett to admiral as Ozzel's corpse fell to the floor. Vader simultaneously ordered a blockade around Hoth.

As he died, Ozzel realized he had given his life to authoritarians. He regretted his choices, wishing he had been a rebel spy and shared a life with his fiancée. His last thought was a childhood memory of running up a mountain to dinner.

Legacy

The Empire won the Battle of Hoth despite Ozzel's actions. While the battle was the Alliance's worst defeat, it wasn't crushing. Ozzel inadvertently gave the rebels time to evacuate by bringing the fleet out of hyperspace too close to Hoth. Historians of the Galactic Civil War concluded that without the defeat on Hoth, the Rebel Alliance might not have risked everything the following year in the Battle of Endor.

Personality and traits

Standing at 1.75 meters, Kendal Ozzel was a smug and arrogant man who believed he was the obvious choice to command the Executor. As the ranking officer of Darth Vader's Death Squadron, he often tested Vader's patience by challenging his orders and making foolish decisions, as his opinions differed from Vader's. Piett, Ozzel's subordinate, despised the admiral, considering him incompetent. Ultimately, Ozzel's personality and blunder at Hoth led Vader to immediately replace him with Piett.

Ozzel, a man of science and warfare, dismissed Darth Vader's use of the Force as vulgar hocus-pocus. Despite this, Ozzel was still terrified of Vader, like most other officers. Even so, he respected Vader, viewing the Force chokes the Sith Lord used as a way to make him and other subordinates learn lessons. Ambitious young captains like Firmus Piett annoyed him; in particular, Ozzel thought Piett was entirely too enthusiastic, as if everything he said might have proved sufficient for a promotion. In his final moments, Ozzel regretted his life and wished he had joined the rebellion with his fiancée.

Behind the scenes

Admiral Ozzel appeared in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the second film in the Star Wars original trilogy. He was played by Scottish actor Michael Sheard.

Having enjoyed Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977), Sheard did not audition for Ozzel. Instead, the casting director sent him the Empire script. By the time he finished Escape to Athena (1979), his name was on the casting board for Ozzel. Irvin Kershner directed Ozzel's scenes, assuring Sheard that his death scene was perfect in one take.

In 2004, a Lucasfilm producer erroneously reported that a young Ozzel would appear in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (2005), the final film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, when asked on television, though the executive in reality refused to confirm or deny Ozzel's potential appearance. Sheard, already disliking the prequels, debunked the report, saying he was old enough to play Ozzel's father. The finished film did not include Ozzel.

In Ultimate Star Wars, Ozzel's first name was mistakenly spelled "Kendel" instead of "Kendal."