During the Galactic Civil War, Theol Drost, a male Human officer within the Imperial Army, served the Galactic Empire. Holding the rank of high colonel, Drost was in command of the Army forces participating in the assault on Picutorion, an operation within the larger Kwymar Suppressions. He worked in conjunction with his Imperial Navy counterpart, Commodore Bevven. In the midst of the battle, Drost yielded to the judgment of Imperial Security Bureau officer Mar Barezz, agreeing to allow Captain Ganig and Sergeant Stecker, two of his men, to be killed in combat. This decision was made to prevent the potential defection of these decorated Imperial heroes to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. For the subsequent decade, Drost oversaw various space installations before being promoted to general and assuming command of security for the Bilbringi Shipyards.
In the year 9 ABY, the Bilbringi Shipyards operated under the control of Grand Admiral Thrawn's forces, with the primary function of constructing new Star Destroyers. A raid on the facility, executed by smugglers Mazzic and Ellor, led to the destruction of a Star Destroyer nearing completion and exposed weaknesses in General Drost's security protocols. Instead of punishing Drost immediately, Grand Admiral Thrawn granted him thirty hours to overhaul Bilbringi's security systems. However, Drost's revised security measures proved insufficient to withstand an assault on the Bilbringi system by a New Republic fleet, resulting in his swift removal from his command position.
During the Galactic Civil War, Theol Drost was a Human male within the Imperial Army who served the Galactic Empire. In 17 BBY, he commanded the Imperial Army contingent assigned to the assault of the planet Picutorion, a part of the Kwymar Suppressions. During this engagement, Drost held the rank of high colonel, operating alongside Commodore Bevven, who was in charge of the Imperial Navy forces. Throughout the battle, both directed the operation from the bridge of Bevven's starship in orbit above Picutorion. During the conflict, elements from the armor battalion assigned to Tensiger's 6th regiment successfully breached the defenses of a tracking station held by the Alliance to Restore the Republic. However, the Alliance put up fierce resistance, supported by BTL Y-wing starfighters. Drost and Bevven deliberated on providing air support for the ground forces. Drost knew that the attack would falter without Imperial air cover. Bevven, however, was concerned that the Y-wings might target the fleet and wanted to launch TIE/LN starfighters in a wave attack while maintaining the majority of the fighters in reserve. Drost argued that a limited effort, eliminating only a few fighters per pass, would essentially condemn the soldiers on the ground. However, the TIEs were under Bevven's sole command.
As Bevven began to order the TIEs to launch attack runs, Mar Barezz, an officer from the Imperial Security Bureau, interrupted them. Barezz informed them that two of the soldiers involved in the tracking station assault—Captain Ganig and Sergeant Stecker—had been flagged as "sensitive" by the Bureau. Both had received commendations from the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order for their actions at the Battle of Sagma, but their relaxed adherence to Imperial doctrine had raised concerns. Furthermore, they had been in contact with another soldier named Linds, whom the Bureau believed was an Alliance sympathizer. Barezz suggested delaying any air support for the soldiers until Ganig and Stecker were dead. Although there was no concrete evidence that either man intended to defect to the Rebellion, Barezz deemed the risk too great. He argued that even if they captured the tracking station, they would be decorated by COMPNOR again, and Barezz believed that dead heroes were just as valuable as live ones for propaganda purposes. Bevven looked to Drost for approval, as the soldiers on the ground were under Drost's command, even though Bevven controlled the fighters. The high colonel agreed with the plan, and the starfighter assault was delayed by ten minutes.
Drost demonstrated skill in matters concerning Imperial space-based installations, serving as commander of various outposts, including fueling centers, ammo dumps, and space station–based garrisons. He was eventually promoted to general and assigned as security chief of the Bilbringi Shipyards. Drost's headquarters were on Bilbringi VII, a planetoid without an atmosphere covered in signal relays and observation towers. Drost understood the importance of his assignment and defended the Bilbringi system with four Golan II Space Defense SpaceGuns and a network of shield barriers to prevent unauthorized access to restricted areas. All incoming freighters were thoroughly inspected before being allowed to proceed.
In 9 ABY, the Bilbringi Shipyards were part of Grand Admiral Thrawn's confederation of Imperial forces, including the Empire, the Pentastar Alignment, and the Ciutric Hegemony. During Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic, which was the successor to the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the dominant political power in the galaxy after the Empire's fragmentation following the Battle of Endor, the Bilbringi Shipyards were raided by the smugglers Mazzic and Ellor. This was in retaliation for an Imperial assault on a smuggler meeting at the Whistler's Whirlpool Tapcafe on the planet Trogan. The raid resulted in the destruction of a nearly completed Star Destroyer.
Thrawn arrived at Bilbringi and questioned Drost about the incident aboard his flagship, the Star Destroyer Chimaera. The general could not provide any justification for why he should not be removed from command due to his failure to secure the shipyards. However, Thrawn did not immediately punish Drost, giving him thirty hours to create and implement a new security system for the installation before deciding his fate. Drost's efforts satisfied Thrawn, but a subsequent assault by the New Republic to capture a crystal gravfield trap array revealed that the general's revisions to the installation's security were inadequate. The New Republic won the battle after Thrawn was assassinated by his Noghri bodyguard, Rukh, and his fleet, now under the command of Captain Gilad Pellaeon, withdrew. Drost was removed from command, and the shipyards were effectively abandoned, falling into New Republic hands soon after.
Theol Drost was a fair-skinned man with blue-eyed, with a broad chest and a stout frame. Drost was a fit and capable man who reminded his fellows of a commando. An able commander, Drost respected the abilities of the soldiers under his command. In dealings with the Imperial Security Bureau officer Mar Barezz, he was cautious and held the officer's gaze but did not go against his suggestion to delay starfighter support to allow possible defectors to perish in battle. Drost was not one for excuses; when Grand Admiral Thrawn confronted him about his failure to secure the Bilbringi Shipyards, Drost did not attempt to excuse his actions and was prepared to face whatever fate the Grand Admiral deemed appropriate.
Drost was a skilled Army commander with knowledge of ground assault tactics, space installation security procedures, and perimeter defense. During the Battle of Picutorion, he held the rank of high colonel, typically associated with command of an Army battle group. Drost was trained in the use of a blaster and unarmed combat as well as first aid. He was also skilled in operating walkers and riding beasts. Drost's years as an installation commander gave him knowledge about the internal workings and procedures of a bureaucracy.
Drost wore a standard Imperial Army uniform and carried a heavy blaster pistol and comlink.
Theol Drost first appeared in "Picutorion Viewed From the Top," a short story in West End Games' 1989 first edition of the Imperial Sourcebook, where he was identified as Drost. The character's first name, Theol, was revealed in West End Games' 1994 The Last Command Sourcebook, and he was first visually depicted in the third issue of the The Last Command comic adaptation of the eponymous novel. With illustrations by Edvin Biukovic, the comic was released by Dark Horse Comics on February 4, 1998.