Soden Petigar

Soden Petigar, a human and a skilled engineer, held the rank of colonel within the Galactic Empire's Imperial Officer Corps. His mission was to formulate the subsequent phases and expansion of the Imperial occupation on the planet of Aldhani. The Empire's presence on Aldhani began in 18 BBY, marked by the liberation of the Alkenzi Air Base, the subsequent damming of the Nasma Klain river, and the establishment of a garrison within the dam. This dam served as a central depot for provisions, weapons and the Imperial payroll for the entire sector.

Over the following thirteen years, the Empire relocated the native Dhani population, who traditionally resided in the valleys surrounding the garrison, to work in the factories of the Enterprise Zone located in the Lowlands of the world. Discussions arose regarding the potential demolition of the dam and its replacement with the airbase, which led to plans for Petigar to travel from Coruscant, the Imperial capital, to Aldhani in 5 BBY. In anticipation of his visit, the garrison initiated the mapping of an ancient trail, resulting in heightened patrols in the region known as Stone Canyon. 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 prior to the engineer's arrival. He redirected the Imperials' attention to the Lowlands and informed Vel Sartha, the team's leader, about Petigar when she inquired about the patrols.

Further preparations for Petigar's arrival included Gorn's order to paint a gantry inside the dam before the engineering officer arrived and interfered with their plans. When the gantry remained unpainted on the day of the colonel's expected arrival, Gorn threatened to have his subordinates paint it during the upcoming celestial event known as the Eye of Aldhani, but ultimately agreed to have it completed after Petigar arrived, allowing his men to witness the event.

On the morning following his arrival, Petigar convened with Gorn and Commandant Jayhold Beehaz, the commander of the garrison, in an observation tower atop the dam. Gorn provided drinks to the colonel and the commandant as Beehaz explained how the Imperials had manipulated the native Dhani and reduced the number expected to attend 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 they were not, but attempted to reassure Petigar by highlighting the provision of a replacement 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 asked Gorn, the longest-serving member of the garrison, whether he anticipated a violent reaction from the Dhanis to the new facility being built. Gorn asserted that the Dhanis would have no choice but to remain peaceful. Beehaz then shifted the topic to the spectacular nature of the Eye, with the colonel expressing his anticipation for the event.

After Petigar departed the dam, Beehaz, hoping to impress Petigar and secure a transfer to a more desirable world for 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 positioned himself in an alcove within the dam and set up a survey scope, using it to observe a meteor descending over the valley. As Gorn passed by, the colonel asked if the meteor signaled the commencement of the Eye. The lieutenant explained that the Dhanis believed the Eye never ended, implying the event had certainly begun.

Petigar then joined Beehaz and his family inside the dam, where Gorn delivered a pile of goat hides for Beehaz to present to the Dhanis arriving to observe the Eye. The commandant explained that the hides would secure another three-year lease and warned him about the natives' odor, although the engineer was already aware. The group then departed, with Petigar glancing out of 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, briefly stopping for Beehaz to inspect a group of Imperials supposedly from Alkenzi, who were actually Gorn's rebel allies. At the temple, the Dhani chieftain granted Petigar and the entourage entry. The engineer then observed the tense exchange of pelts between the Imperials and the natives.

Following the completion of the ceremony, Petigar returned to the dam with Gorn, Beehaz, and the commandant's family, 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 be easier, with the days of trading pelts behind them. Once the group was inside, excluding Gorn, 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 dropped 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 trained 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 into the back of 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. However, 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 fell as they proceeded with their plan to steal the payroll and hurried Leonart and the other hostages away. Petigar was the first, but not the last, Imperial casualty of the heist, which also claimed the lives of the commandant and several other Imperial personnel, as well as Gorn, Nemik, and the rebel Taramyn Barcona. Despite their casualties, the rebels ultimately succeeded in stealing the payroll credits.

Soden Petigar expressed anticipation for witnessing the Eye of Aldhani while on the planet, but harbored concerns that the locals would violently oppose his project. He smiled when Commandant Beehaz discussed manipulating the Dhanis, though Gorn was confident that the engineer could not be charmed. When held at blaster point, he risked drawing his own weapon to demand the release of the only child present, costing him his life. The colonel had light skin, gray hair, brown eyes, and spoke Galactic Basic Standard with an aristocratic accent.

Soden Petigar wore a gray Imperial officer's uniform with a code cylinder on each breast and a rank insignia plaque with a row of five orange squares denoting his engineering background, and then a red square furthest to his left. When venturing outside the dam, he wore an Imperial kepi 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.

Soden Petigar was created for the Disney+ series Andor and was initially revealed in the teaser trailer released on May 26, 2022. He was first indirectly mentioned in the show's first season within its fourth episode, "Aldhani," which aired on September 28, 2022. The character then appeared in the sixth episode, "The Eye," which aired on October 12, 2022. He was portrayed by Richard Katz in the episode and only identified as Colonel Petigar. Exterior scenes on Aldhani were filmed at the Cruachan Dam and the surrounding mountains in the Scottish Highlands, with filming taking place during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The character's first name, Soden, was later revealed in the 2023 reference book Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide, authored by Pablo Hidalgo and Emily Shkoukani.