Cal Alder was a Human male lieutenant of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. A highly trained, expert scout from the Outer Rim Territories planet Kal'Shebbol, Alder served with Major Bren Derlin for many years during some of the Rebel Alliance's most dangerous operations before being assigned to the Alliance High Command headquarters of Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth by 3 ABY.

Alder was responsible for patrolling the base's outer perimeter under Derlin's command, and he was the officer to inform Derlin that fellow Rebels Luke Skywalker and Han Solo still had not reported in to the base after Skywalker had gone missing during a routine scouting mission. Despite their absence, Derlin tasked Alder with closing the base's shield doors for the night, reluctantly trapping both missing men out in the cold.

During the subsequent Battle of Hoth, Alder helped to direct Rebel snowspeeder groups against the invading Imperial forces and survived the engagement. Later, in 8 ABY, he helped to organize the DarkStryder Campaign, a New Republic operation to stop the rogue Imperial warlord Moff Kentor Sarne.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 3.1 Notable appearances 3.2 Character development and inconsistencies 4 Appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references 6.1 In other languages

BiographyEdit

A lieutenant of the Alliance to Restore the Republic,^[6] the Human male^[2] Cal Alder was a highly trained,^[1] expert scout. He was originally from Kal'Shebbol,^[7] the capital planet of the Kathol sector,^[8] located along the Trition Trade Route^[9] in the Outer Rim Territories^[10] at the edge of the galaxy.^[9]

By the time Alder eventually received assignment to the Alliance High Command headquarters of Echo Base on the remote ice planet Hoth, he had already served for years with Major Bren Derlin in the Alliance Army, fighting in some of the Rebel Alliance's most perilous campaigns of the Galactic Civil War, including the Battle of Nentan,^[5] an effort to evacuate refugees from Imperial forces.^[11] Alder's expertise in terrain scouting and native creatures impressed Derlin, and his abilities made him among the first to arrive at Echo Base. As one of the finest forward scouts present,^[5] Alder's duties included patrolling the facility's outer perimeter on the planet's icy wastes,^[4] under Derlin's command.^[1]

When base personnel Luke Skywalker and Han Solo went missing out in one of Hoth's brutally cold nighttime blizzards during a routine scouting expedition in early 3 ABY, Alder coordinated a search party for the two men.^[5] Although Echo Base waited as long as possible before closing its protective shield doors for the night, in hopes that the two would return safely, Alder's responsibilities required him to report to Derlin that with Hoth's dropping temperatures threatening the conditions of the base's interior, Skywalker and Solo had still not reported in. The situation forced Derlin to inform base leader Princess Leia Organa that the doors would have to be closed for the night, to which she reluctantly agreed. With her approval, Alder carried out Derlin's order to close the base's shield doors, effectively trapping Skywalker and Solo out, leaving them to their fates.^[3][6]

Alder later fought during the subsequent Battle of Hoth, the large-scale Imperial invasion of Echo Base, serving along the main Rebel defensive perimeter, where he helped to organize snowspeeder groups against the attacking line of Imperial assault walkers. Despite the heavy losses suffered by the Rebellion during the battle,^[5] which proved to be the Alliance's worst battlefield defeat of the war,^[12] Alder survived the engagement.^[5]

Years later, in 8 ABY,^[13] Alder helped plan the DarkStryder Campaign in his home sector of Kathol under the leadership of New Republic Special Forces agent Lieutenant Judder Page^[5] to topple the rogue Imperial warlord Moff Kentor Sarne.^[13] The New Republic liberated the Kathol sector from Sarne's control largely through the efforts of the crew of the CR90 corvette FarStar, who tracked down and ultimately defeated the warlord.^[14]

Personality and traitsEdit

Cal Alder was highly trained as an expert scout in his service to the Rebellion,^[7] among the best stationed at Echo Base. His expertise in terrain and native creatures made him one of the earliest to arrive at the newly completed outpost.^[5] When Alder informed Major Bren Derlin that Luke Skywalker and Han Solo still had not checked in from Hoth's exterior, he did so with crisp efficiency, initially unaware that Princess Leia Organa, whose thoughts rested heavily on her beleaguered friends, was nearby and could overhear his report. Derlin calmly raised a hand to cut him off mid-sentence in order to lower Alder's voice for the Princess's benefit.^[3]

Alder's Hoth equipment included a DH-17 blaster pistol and protective goggles.^[15] He was also trained in riding a tauntaun,^[2] one of Hoth's native beasts that the Rebels tamed for use as a mode of transportation.^[11] Alder had bluish eyes and light skin.^[1]

Behind the scenesEdit

Notable appearancesEdit

Cal Alder's character first appeared, unnamed, in Donald F. Glut's 1980 novelization of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back,^[6] released just prior to his inclusion in the film.^[3] Actor Jack McKenzie portrayed Alder on-screen, credited only as "Deck Lieutenant" in the film.^[3] However, this crediting should not confuse Alder with the character of Tamizander Rey, also an Echo Base deck officer,^[5] who is actually addressed as such by Han Solo in the film.^[3] According to the book The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, the Alder scene was filmed between May 22 and May 29, 1979.^[16] The Alder character was first identified by name on the "Cal Alder" card as part of the November 1996 Hoth Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.^[7]

An image of Alder was featured on the packaging of an action figure entitled "Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear)," included in Kenner's 2011 Star Wars: The Vintage Collection toy line. The action figure itself bears a strong resemblance to Alder, although the character's name is not expressly used therein.^[15]

Character development and inconsistenciesEdit

Alder's backstory was greatly expanded on in the Star Wars Insider 74 article Who's Who in Echo Base, written by Josh Radke. The article connects Alder with information from The DarkStryder Campaign,^[5] a West End Games Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game adventure.^[13] This, in turn, is a connection drawing upon information^[5] originally found on Alder's Star Wars Customizable Card Game card, which identifies him as a native of the planet Kal'Shebbol,^[7] a planet first created for The DarkStryder Campaign.^[13]

While the Who's Who in Echo Base article identifies Alder as being a lieutenant in his respective character entry, the "Corporal Corman Quien" entry within the same article lists Alder as a sergeant.^[5]

AppearancesEdit

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization (First appearance)
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

SourcesEdit

• Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition (Picture only)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Hoth Limited (Card: Cal Alder) (First identified as Cal Alder)
• Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays (Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook - Special Edition (Picture only)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: Behind the Magic
• Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive (Picture only)
• "Who's Who in Echo Base"—Star Wars Insider 74
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 10 (Welcome On Board - Rebel infantry on Hoth: valiant protectors of Echo Base) (Picture only)
• Galaxy at War (Picture only)
•  Star Wars: The Vintage Collection (Pack: Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear))
•  Cal Alder in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)

Notes and referencesEdit