Soden Petigar

Soden Petigar, a human and a skilled engineer, held the rank of colonel in the Imperial Officer Corps while serving the Galactic Empire. His assignment centered on formulating and implementing the next phase of Imperial dominance over the planet Aldhani. The Empire's presence on Aldhani began in 18 BBY when they liberated the Alkenzi Air Base. Following this, they constructed a dam across the Nasma Klain river, establishing a garrison within it. This garrison served as a central depot for supplies, weapons, and the sector's Imperial payroll.

In the subsequent thirteen years, the Empire relocated the native Dhani people, who traditionally inhabited the valleys surrounding the garrison, to work in factories located in the Enterprise Zone within the Lowlands region. Discussions arose about dismantling the dam and replacing it with the airbase. Plans were set for Petigar to travel from Coruscant, the Imperial capital, to Aldhani in 5 BBY. To prepare for his arrival, the garrison initiated the mapping of an ancient trail, leading to increased patrols in the Stone Canyon area. Lieutenant Gorn, a member of the garrison secretly collaborating with a rebel infiltration team plotting to steal the payroll, ensured the patrols ceased two days before the engineer's arrival. He redirected the Imperials' focus to the Lowlands, informing the team's leader, Vel Sartha, about Petigar when she inquired about the patrols.

Further preparations for Petigar's visit included Gorn's order to repaint a gantry inside the dam before the engineering officer arrived and interfered with their scheme. When the gantry remained unpainted on the day of the colonel's expected arrival, Gorn threatened to have his subordinates complete the task during the upcoming celestial event known as the Eye of Aldhani. However, he agreed to postpone the painting until after Petigar's arrival, allowing the men to witness the event.

The morning following his arrival, Petigar convened with Gorn and Commandant Jayhold Beehaz, the commander of the garrison, in an observation tower located on the dam. Gorn provided drinks for the colonel and the commandant as Beehaz explained to Petigar how the Imperials had manipulated the native Dhani, reducing the number attending the Eye of Aldhani event in Akti Amaugh, the valley where the dam was constructed.

Petigar inquired whether the Dhani were aware that this would be their final time visiting the sacred valley. Beehaz admitted their ignorance but attempted to reassure Petigar by stating they had provided an alternative Imperial viewing event in the Enterprise Zone, emphasizing that the Dhani would eventually return to the valley as laborers for Petigar's projects. The engineer then questioned Gorn, the longest-serving member of the dam's personnel, about the likelihood of the Dhanis reacting violently to the new facility's construction. Gorn asserted that the Dhanis would have no choice but to remain peaceful. Beehaz then shifted the conversation, highlighting the spectacular nature of the Eye event, with the colonel expressing his anticipation.

After Petigar left the dam, Beehaz, hoping to impress Petigar to secure a transfer to a more desirable world for himself and his family, sought Gorn's opinion of the colonel. However, the lieutenant cautioned the commandant that his attempts to charm the engineer would be futile. Meanwhile, Petigar moved to an alcove within the dam and set up a survey scope, using it to observe a meteor descending over the valley. When Gorn passed by, the colonel asked if the meteor signaled the beginning of the Eye, but the lieutenant explained that the Dhanis believed it never ended, implying the event had already commenced.

Petigar then joined Beehaz and his family inside the dam, where Gorn delivered a stack of goat hides intended for Beehaz to present to the arriving Dhanis. The commandant explained to Petigar that the hides would secure another three-year lease, warning him that the natives would have a strong odor, a fact already known to the engineer. The group then departed, with Petigar glancing out the window and grimacing at the smell of the goat hides as he passed.

The colonel accompanied Beehaz and his family to the Nasma Brani temple in front of the dam to meet the Dhanis, pausing briefly for Beehaz to inspect a group of Imperials purportedly from Alkenzi, who were actually Gorn's rebel allies. At the temple, the Dhani chieftain permitted Petigar and the rest of the entourage to enter, where the engineer observed the tense exchange of pelts between the Imperials and the natives.

Following the completion of the ceremony, Petigar, along with Gorn, Beehaz, and the commandant's family, returned to the dam, escorted by the disguised rebels. During their walk, Beehaz complained to Petigar that the older Dhanis were the source of all the problems. As they entered the dam, he asserted that things would soon become much easier, with the days of trading pelts behind them. Once everyone except Gorn was inside, the rebels locked the doors and raised their weapons, ordering an Imperial sentry to drop his weapon. The sentry complied, and the commandant's family fell to the floor as a shocked Beehaz questioned the situation. As the rebel Karis Nemik moved past Petigar, the engineer drew his blaster pistol and aimed it at Nemik, creating a standoff as the other rebels focused their weapons on him.

The colonel demanded that the rebels release Beehaz's son, Leonart Beehaz, reiterating his command more loudly when the rebel Arvel Skeen pressed the muzzle of his blaster rifle against Leonart's neck. The commandant pleaded with Petigar to stand down as the rebel Cassian Andor attempted to assure him that no one needed to die. At that moment, the rebel Cinta Kaz, who had infiltrated the facility separately, shot Petigar as she descended into the room. Petigar was killed, firing as he fell and narrowly missing Nemik when the shot went wide.

The rebels left Petigar's corpse where it had fallen as they continued with their plan to steal the payroll, hurrying Leonart and the other hostages away. Petigar was the first, but far from the last Imperial casualty of the heist, which also resulted in the deaths of the commandant, several other Imperial personnel, Gorn, Nemik, and the rebel Taramyn Barcona. Despite their losses, the rebels ultimately succeeded in stealing the payroll credits.

Soden Petigar expressed anticipation for witnessing the Eye of Aldhani while present on the planet, yet he also harbored concerns about potential violent opposition from the local population towards his project. He responded with a smile upon hearing Commandant Beehaz's discussion of manipulating the Dhanis, although Gorn remained confident that the engineer was impervious to charm. When confronted with a blaster pointed at him, he bravely drew his own weapon in an attempt to secure the release of the sole [child](/article/youngling] present, ultimately sacrificing his life. The colonel was characterized by his fair complexion, gray hair, brown eyes, and his manner of speaking Galactic Basic Standard with a distinct aristocratic accent.

Soden Petigar was typically seen wearing a gray Imperial officer's uniform adorned with a code cylinder on each breast and a rank insignia plaque featuring a row of five orange squares, signifying his engineering background, with a red square positioned furthest to his left. When venturing outside the dam, he donned an Imperial kepi complete with an officer's disk, a dark green overcoat, and black gloves. He carried a blaster pistol in a holster on his left hip and utilized a survey scope.

The character of Soden Petigar was conceived for the Disney+ series Andor, making his initial appearance in the show's teaser trailer released on May 26, 2022. He received his first indirect mention in the show's first season, specifically in the fourth episode titled "Aldhani," which aired on September 28, 2022. The character then appeared in the sixth episode, "The Eye," which aired on October 12, 2022. Richard Katz portrayed him in the episode, where he was only identified as Colonel Petigar. Exterior scenes set on Aldhani were filmed at the Cruachan Dam and the surrounding mountains of the Scottish Highlands, with filming occurring amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The character's first name, Soden, was later revealed in the 2023 reference book titled Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide, authored by Pablo Hidalgo and Emily Shkoukani.