Moradmin Bast

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Moradmin Bast was a Human male Imperial Army general, subordinate to High General Cassio Tagge. The personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin aboard the first Death Star, the Galactic Empire's ultimate superweapon, Bast also served as the Death Star's chief manager. In 0 BBY, Bast was present for a meeting onboard the battlestation, discussing the lost Death Star plans in the conference room, shortly before the Battle of Yavin. During the battle, Bast analyzed the Rebel attack and found that a small thermal exhaust port was a potential danger to everyone onboard the battlstation. Bast offered Tarkin to evacuate the Death Star in the Death Star bridge, however Tarkin had confidence in the Imperial forces that engaged the Rebel attack on the battlestation. Bast was killed when the Death Star exploded near Yavin 4, after Luke Skywalker's proton torpedo entered the Thermal exhaust port in the Death Star.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Imperial service 1.2 Battle of Yavin (0 BBY) 2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 3.1 Possible survival 4 Appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references

[edit] Biography

[edit] Imperial service

Moradmin Bast learned cunning and patience by hunting big game as a youth on Dura-Kahn, earning him the ability to accurately estimate his enemies. This lifetime of training enabled Bast to see the Rebel Alliance as a dangerous animal, never to be underestimated.^[1]

Bast entered service in the Imperial Army and eventually attained the rank of general. He was assigned to serve as subordinate to General Cassio Tagge, head of Army Operations aboard the Death Star battle station.^[3] In this capacity, Bast frequently acted as a kind of personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin himself. Despite being junior in rank to Tagge, he outranked the station's highest-ranking naval officer, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, and served as chief manager onboard the Death Star.^[4] In 0 BBY, Bast attended a conference on the Death Star shortly before the Battle of Yavin. The group of command staff stationed in the Death Star discussed the Rebel Alliance, and their victory in obtaining the Death Star plans. Motti suggested that they use the battle station to threaten the Rebels, however Darth Vader reassured to Motti that the ability to destroy a planet was insignificant next to the power of the Force. Throughout the conference, Bast sat in silence and witnessed Motti's near death when Vader Force choked him for his lack of faith in the Force.^[2]

[edit] Battle of Yavin (0 BBY)

During the Battle of Yavin, Bast indicated that a small thermal exhaust port, an entrance to the Death Star's main reactor, was a potential danger to everyone onboard the battlestation. Having concluded that the Rebel starfighters could pose a threat to the Death Star, Bast immediately brought this information to Tarkin in the overbridge of the Death Star, but the Grand Moff contemptuously brushed his recommendations aside. Despite his reservations, Bast remained with his superior officer, and watched as the Death Star approached it's target: Yavin 4, home of the Rebel base. As Darth Vader and his TIE fighters intercepted the Rebels, young Luke Skywalker posed a serious threat when he led a wing of fighters into the trench of the Death Star. Vader quickly dismissed two of the three fighters that accompanied Skywalker, and soon the Rebels ran out of time to fire their proton torpedoes n the exhaust port.^[2]

The Death Star cleared Yavin 4 and without hesitation, Tarkin ordered Bast to fire the superlaser on the planet to end the Rebel Alliance, though the engineers stationed on the Death Star experienced slight difficulties, delaying the destruction of Yavin 4. Skywalker successfully fired his proton torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port before the superlaser was fired. Bast, as well as everyone stationed on the Death Star, were killed when the massive battlestation exploded near Yavin 4.^[2]

[edit] Personality and traits

Moradmin Bast had no personal aspirations beyond serving the Empire, and was loyal to Tarkin and Tagge.^[3] Moradmin Bast chose to wear the prominent sideburns that were popular among the Imperial officer class at the time, though his were more prominent than some, as they extended all the way down to his jawline.^[5]

During the meeting onboard the Death Star in 0 BBY, Bast remained quiet throughout. As chief manager of the Death Star, Bast gave Tarkin information regarding the Rebel attack during the Battle of Yavin. Wanting to save his friend's life, Bast assured to Tarkin that his ship will be on stand-by. However the commander-in-chief of the Death Star quickly dismissed Bast.^[2]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Moradmin Bast was portrayed by Leslie Schofield in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.^[2] Cut footage and dialogue from A New Hope featuring Schofield was used in The Star Wars Holiday Special.^[6]

The novelization, junior novel, and the photo comic does not identify Bast by name. In both novelizations, the officer who delivers Tarkin of the Rebels' strategy is described running from the room, rather than remaining by Tarkin's side as shown in the film, however that officer is never stated to be Bast. Bast, along with all personnel onboard the Death Star perished after its destruction.^[7][8] In the photo comic, Bast was shown standing by Tarkin's side when he gave the order to destroy the Rebel base on Yavin 4—as it appeared in the movie, although, the scene where he tells Tarkin of the Rebel attack is not shown.^[9] The novel, Death Star, was the first source to confirm Bast's rank as a General, and specified he was of lower rank than Tagge and higher rank than Motti. The authors of the book failed to realize he was the officer who informed Tarkin during the Battle of Yavin the Rebels could succeed. During the battle, his character is misidentified as an "operations lieutenant."^[3]

Moradmin Bast was first identified as "Chief Bast" in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game Premiere Limited pack in 1995.^[1] In 2007, Star Wars Insider 96 ranked top 10 Imperial officers that were shown in the Original Trilogy, Chief Bast was first identified as Moradmin Bast in the article.^[4] Identified as the Death Star chief in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary and the Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, Bast was shown as Tarkin's personal advisor. Bast, along with other personnel on the Death Star was said to be killed when the Death Star exploded over Yavin 4, during the Battle of Yavin.^[10][11] Under the name of Chief Bast, he was listed in the first Star Wars Encyclopedia in 1998.^[12] In 2008, the original encyclopedia was updated with the The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and Bast was identified as Moradmin Bast.^[13]

[edit] Possible survival

Though scenes of Chief Bast talking with Darth Vader cut from A New Hope were included in The Star Wars Holiday Special, Bast's presence with Tarkin during the final moments of the Death Star shows that this is not the same officer. On the StarWars.com message boards, Leland Chee originally noted two opposing C-canon on his survival, but was later shown that the film itself counters the idea that he survived.^[14] The lookalike officer in the Holiday Special has not yet been identified. His connection with Bast, if any, has not been explained.^[6]

[edit] Appearances

• Death Star
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel (First appearance)
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novel
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Photo Comic
• Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition
• Star Wars 2: Six Against the Galaxy
• Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?

[edit] Sources

•  "Premiere Limited" - Star Wars Customizable Card Game (Card: Chief Bast) (First identified as Chief Bast)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
•  "A New Hope" - Star Wars Trading Card Game (Card: Imperial Control Station) (Picture only)
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The New Essential Guide to Characters
• "The Empire's Finest: Who's Who in the Imperial Military" - Star Wars Insider 96 (First identified as Moradmin)

[edit] Notes and references