"The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers", a tale penned by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith, saw its initial publication within the pages of The Star Wars Sourcebook back in 1987. Taking place during the Imperial Period, specifically between 19 BBY and 9 BBY, the narrative follows Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers' experiences on the planet known as Culroon III. Veers finds himself excluded from a celebratory event marking the peaceful transfer of authority from the native Culroon people to the Galactic Empire, a consequence of his dissenting views against the strategies of his commanding officer, General Irrv. However, the Culroon leader, Kloff, turns against the Empire, instigating an insurrection. Veers heroically intervenes to aid the Imperials, employing an All Terrain Armored Transport to force the Culroon into retreat. Despite Veers' actions, Irrv remains displeased with him for following orders, but stormtrooper commander Grath shoots Irrv and then elevates Veers to the rank of major in recognition of his valor.
This short story was later included in the second edition of The Star Wars Sourcebook, which came out in 1994, and once more in the 30th Anniversary edition of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. It served to provide some background information on Veers, who was depicted as a general in the 1980 movie Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back](/article/star_wars:_episode_v_the_empire_strikes_back). Events from "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" have been referenced in other works, although some of these references have contradicted the original story.
During the Imperial Period, Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers of the Imperial Army observes a ceremony on the planet of Culroon III from afar, positioned on a platform near an All Terrain Armored Transport. He is confined to the Imperial base by order of General Irrv. Using his macrobinoculars, Veers focuses on the Imperial officers and Kloff, the leader of the native Culroon species, noticing with surprise that Kloff has not brought the majority of his warriors. The lieutenant reflects on his initial weeks on Culroon III, during which he learned of the planet's violent history and debated with General Irrv, asserting that the Culroon would only yield to force. Irrv dismissed these concerns, attributing Veers' perceived bloodthirstiness to his Academy training.
Veers returns his attention to the present, contemplating how Kloff had employed imported weapons to gain dominance over the Culroon prior to the Empire's arrival. The galactic community had disregarded the planet until the Emperor mandated that General Irrv subdue it by any means necessary. As the ceremony commences, Kloff accepts a Naval sword from Irrv, only to use it to stab his aide, Colonel Jeffers. This act serves as a signal for thousands of Culroon warriors to emerge and commence an attack on the Imperial forces, wielding power weapons. Recognizing the ambush, Veers directs the AT-AT crew to activate the vehicle in an attempt to rescue their comrades.
Irrv commands his stormtroopers to form a protective perimeter around him, but many succumb to the superior numbers and weaponry of Kloff's forces. As the AT-AT arrives, many Culroon flee at the sight of the massive metal construct, with Veers utilizing its blasters against the attacking crowd. Stormtrooper commander Grath instructs his troops to seek refuge beneath the AT-AT's hull. After the Culroon withdraw, Veers addresses Irrv, suggesting that the general owes him an apology. Irrv, incensed, threatens Veers with a court-martial, only to be shot by Grath. The commander then addresses Veers as a major and requests an escort back to the garrison, an offer to which Veers responds by offering Grath a ride back.
"The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" initially appeared as a single page within Chapter Seven of The Star Wars Sourcebook, a supplement to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith authored the sourcebook, which was released in November of 1987. The short story was subsequently included in the second edition of the sourcebook, published in June of 1994. Furthermore, the entirety of The Star Wars Sourcebook was reproduced in Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game 30th Anniversary Edition, published by Fantasy Flight Games on July 5 in 2018.
"The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" provides the origin story for General Maximilian Veers, a character introduced in the original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Portrayed by Julian Glover in the film, General Veers commands the Imperial forces during the Battle of Hoth from an All Terrain Armored Transport. Both the character and the vehicles made their debut in the film novelization by Donald F. Glut, which was released on April 12 of 1980, prior to the film's premiere on May 21 of the same year. The Empire Strikes Back also depicts a promotion scenario similar to that in "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," where the Sith Lord Darth Vader executes Admiral Kendal Ozzel for his incompetence and then promotes Captain Firmus Piett to the rank of admiral.
Veers' background on Culroon III was referenced in other materials, starting with another West End Games sourcebook, Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, written by Michael Stern and released in 1989. Culroon III was visually depicted for the first time in the 1998 LucasArts video game Star Wars: Rebellion, which also hinted at the events of "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers." In Veers' Databank entry on StarWars.com, published by 2001, the short story's central conflict was identified as the "insurrection on Culroon III." While the short story indicates that Jeffers was stabbed by Kloff, his death was not confirmed until the publication of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008.
Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" is situated within the Rise of the Empire era, occurring sometime after the formation of the Galactic Empire, which, according to The New Essential Chronology, took place in 19 BBY. The New Essential Guide to Characters, authored by Daniel Wallace and published on April 23 of 2002, states that Veers had a son, Zevulon Veers, shortly after the insurrection on Culroon III, and that Zevulon was a teenager in the months following the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY. Therefore, Zevulon must have been born by 9 BBY at the latest, implying that the events of "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" must have transpired prior to or during that year.
The 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds depicted Veers' promotion from colonel to general in the fourth level of the Imperial campaign, entitled "An Empire's Fury." The game also contradicted "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" and other sources by portraying AT-ATs as a novel weapon that debuted on the planet Zaloriis shortly before the Battle of Hoth. The location of the prototype AT-AT is also referred to as Camp Culroon. In 2006, the video game Star Wars: Empire at War presented another contradiction with a level in its Imperial campaign, set between 2 BBY and 0 BBY. This level, titled "A New Weapon of War," presented the AT-AT as a new weapon first demonstrated on the planet Carida. The fourteenth issue of the revised run of The Official Star Wars Fact File, a magazine published by De Agostini around April 9 of 2014, addressed the discrepancy from Galactic Battlegrounds by asserting that Veers was developing a new model of AT-AT on Zaloriis.
The thirty-first issue of the original The Official Star Wars Fact File, released on July 31 of 2002, elaborated on details from "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" while also introducing inconsistencies. It stated that Veers observed the ceremony from the AT-AT's cockpit. However, the short story begins with Veers watching the ceremony through macrobinoculars from a shuttle docking platform above the AT-AT, and he is not described as being inside the walker until after the Culroon attack. The Fact File also claimed that the ceremony involved the exchange of the Naval sword with a ceremonial blaster. However, it contradicted the short story by stating that Kloff was meant to give the sword to Irrv, whereas "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" depicts Irrv handing the sword to Kloff. These contradictions were repeated in the fourteenth issue of the revised The Official Star Wars Fact File.
On April 25 of 2014, Lucasfilm Ltd. announced that the majority of existing Expanded Universe works would be reclassified as Star Wars Legends and would no longer be considered fully canon, which included "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers." The canon junior novelization of The Empire Strikes Back, titled The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?, written by Adam Gidwitz and published in 2015, referenced Maximilian Veers'' career before his promotion to general, including his involvement in a campaign against the Culroonians on Culroon III.