A stormtrooper commander of Human descent functioned as an officer within the elite 501st Legion of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps during the Galactic Civil War. This individual was stationed aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer known as the Devastator, operating under the direct authority of Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith. During a battle in 0 BBY that took place above the planet Tatooine, the Commander spearheaded a squad of Imperial troops in an assault on the CR90 corvette named Tantive IV, which served as the consular ship for Senator Leia Organa. Following the successful capture of the Rebel starship, the Commander discovered that the sought-after stolen plans for the Imperial Death Star battle station were absent from the ship's central computer, a finding he promptly relayed to Vader. In response, Vader instructed the Commander to persist in the search for the plans and to ensure the live capture of all passengers aboard the vessel.
During the Galactic Civil War, a commander of Human origin fulfilled the role of an officer within the Stormtrooper Corps of the Galactic Empire. He was a member of the 501st Legion, an elite stormtrooper unit often called "Vader's Fist," and was under the direct command of Darth Vader, the Dark Lord and enforcer of Emperor Palpatine. The Commander was part of the troop contingent aboard the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator, which served as Vader's flagship. Around 0 BBY, he sustained a facial scar from an energy beam that managed to penetrate the defenses of his helmet.
In that same year, 0 BBY, following the transmission of the stolen plans for the first Death Star superweapon by Rebel Alliance operatives to the CR90 corvette Tantive IV, the consular ship belonging to Senator Leia Organa of the Rebel faction, the Devastator pursued and captured the Rebel vessel while it was positioned above the planet Tatooine. This particular stormtrooper played a key role in guiding the 501st Legion as the assault commander during the operation to board and secure the Rebel starship. He kept Vader informed about the ongoing efforts to breach the entry locks of the Tantive IV, and he escorted Vader to the main hangar of the Star Destroyer so that he could board the captured vessel.
Stormtroopers forcefully boarded the Tantive IV, eliminating all resistance and apprehending Captain Raymus Antilles of the Rebel forces. Vader then boarded the ship and proceeded to the corridor where the prisoners were being held. Meanwhile, the assault commander led a team to the ship's control room to examine its main computer for the presence of the Death Star plans.
As Vader interrogated Captain Antilles, holding him by the throat, the assault leader hurried from the control room to report that the plans were nowhere to be found. Antilles denied Vader's accusations of intercepting illegal transmissions before dying at the hand of the Sith Lord. Enraged, Vader ordered the assault commander to conduct a more thorough search for the plans and to ensure that all passengers on the vessel were captured alive. Although Organa was apprehended by stormtroopers just minutes later, the troopers remained unaware that the stolen plans were already en route to Tatooine in an escape pod carrying Organa's droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The commander's attire was identical to that of the stormtroopers under his command. Beneath his helmet was a scar, the result of an energy weapon breaching his armor. He harbored a deep-seated fear of his commanding officer, Darth Vader. Following the death of Antilles, Vader turned abruptly, causing the Imperial officers nearby, including this stormtrooper commander, to recoil under his gaze. Both officers and troops quickly dispersed to carry out the Dark Lord's directives—and to distance themselves from his menacing presence.
The stormtrooper commander's character initially surfaced in the December 1976 novelization of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster. Within the novel, the Commander is depicted as an officer whose "armored helmet [was] shoved back to reveal a recent scar, where an energy beam had penetrated his shielding," and his dialogue differs from that in the film.
The character's debut in live-action occurred in the film A New Hope itself, where he was portrayed by an uncredited extra. His scene was among the final ones filmed during principal photography, taking place between June 29 and July 16, 1976, in the United Kingdom. Terence McGovern, a disc jockey, provided the character's line, which was delivered over a walkie-talkie and recorded by sound designer Ben Burtt. In the revised fourth draft script of A New Hope, as featured in Star Wars: Behind the Magic, the Commander is simply identified as "Imperial Officer."
In the third episode of the Star Wars radio drama, the stormtrooper commander's line is spoken by an unmasked Imperial officer, referred to in the script as "Commander." This is part of a longer scene where a commander, voiced by the same actor, accepts Antilles' surrender before Vader's arrival. The same actor also voices the Imperial commanders Daine Jir and Nahdonnis Praji in other parts of the episode. This article does not confirm whether it is Jir, Praji, or the subject of this article who accepts Antilles' surrender, and it remains unclear if the subject of the article is the same character who speaks the corresponding line in the film, given the unmasked voice.