Tiaan Jerjerrod

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Tiaan Jerjerrod (pronounced /dʒærˈdʒærrʌd/) was a Human male Imperial officer who worked as a desk general in Logistics and Supply before becoming Moff of the Quanta sector by 1 ABY. His sector operations were based in a family estate in Val Denn, the capital city of Tinnel IV. In 3 ABY, he was present aboard the Star Dreadnought Executor during the occupation of Bespin and greeted Darth Vader when he returned to the warship. A year later, Jerjerrod had been assigned to oversee the construction of the second Death Star above the forest moon of Endor, appointed to that position by Emperor Palpatine himself. To hide the existence of the new Death Star, records claimed Jerjerrod had been made Director of Imperial Energy Systems and assigned to oversee the construction of large-scale power generators.

Whereas the first Death Star had taken around nineteen years to complete, the construction of the much-larger second Death Star had moved into its final stage of assembly after approximately two to four years. However, the construction crews had fallen behind schedule; Vader ventured to the battlestation to inform Jerjerrod that the issue needed to be rectified. Vader announced that the Emperor would be arriving to personally oversee the last stage of the Death Star's construction. Jerjerrod informed Vader that his men would double their efforts, as he was afraid of reporting his failure directly to the Emperor. Jerjerrod was among those assembled to greet Palpatine when he arrived.

The Rebel Alliance had learned of the second Death Star's construction and the Emperor's presence aboard it via the Bothan Spynet, and they launched an attack based on false information released by the Emperor himself. When the Alliance Fleet arrived, they discovered that the planetary shield protecting the Death Star was still activated and that the Imperial Navy was situated to prevent the Rebels from escaping. Palpatine had ordered Admiral Firmus Piett not to directly engage the Rebel capital ships, a move that confused personnel on both sides. The reason behind this became clear when the Emperor ordered Jerjerrod to fire the Death Star's operational superlaser at the Alliance Fleet; many Rebel capital ships were obliterated. When the Alliance gained the upper hand in the conflict, Palpatine commanded the Moff to fire on the forest moon. Before he could complete his final order, Jerjerrod perished when the Death Star was destroyed.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Moff of the Quanta sector 1.2 The second Death Star 1.2.1 Construction setbacks 1.2.2 Battle of Endor and death 1.3 Legacy 2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 3.1 Portrayal and development 3.2 Deleted scenes and script changes 3.3 Non-canon biography 4 Appearances 4.1 Non-canon appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Moff of the Quanta sector

Tiaan^[3] Jerjerrod, a Human male, started his Imperial career in Logistics and Supply as a desk officer, and eventually rose to the rank of general.^[4][5] By 1 ABY, he had become a Moff, commanding his home sector, the Quanta sector, from a family estate in Val Denn on Tinnel IV. His estate included a vault of artwork, several pieces of which were stolen by the master thief "Tombat,"^[1][6] whose real name was Tanda Marelle.^[7] The thefts were investigated by an Imperial investigator named Cammel Atarul.^[6]

Jerjerrod was present aboard the Star Dreadnought Executor during the Empire's takeover of Cloud City on the gas giant planet Bespin in 3 ABY. After Darth Vader dueled with his son, the Rebel commander and aspiring Jedi Luke Skywalker in Cloud City, Jerjerrod greeted the Dark Lord of the Sith when his shuttle landed in the Star Dreadnought's hangar bay.^[8]

[edit] The second Death Star

Jerjerrod came to be tasked with managing the construction of the second Death Star above Endor in the Moddell sector.^[2] Emperor Palpatine, not wanting this new Death Star to be commanded by a triumvirate of ambitious men^[4][5] like Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, and High General Cassio Tagge aboard the first,^[9] decided to appoint someone weaker and less ambitious to be the lone commander of this new battlestation.^[4][5]

Within the throne room of the Imperial Palace on the Imperial capital of Coruscant, the Emperor informed Jerjerrod that he would be transferred from Logistics and Supply to his new assignment. The Moff was somewhat upset with the news, and though he did not voice his opinion, the Emperor read his mind and informed him that his talents would not go to waste with his new assignment. As Jerjerrod departed, he was confronted by Imperial advisors Bregius Golthan, Alec Pradeux, and Kren Blista-Vanee, all of whom believed that Jerjerrod was a Moff of little importance, too insignificant to earn the attention of the Emperor.^[10] To hide the existence of the new battlestation and create a plausible reason for Jerjerrod's reassignment, Imperial records were doctored to indicate that he had been promoted to Director of Imperial Energy Systems, a branch of the Imperial Ministry of Energy. IES was a manufacturer of large-scale power generators that, officially, were used to provide a source of power for refugees. However, the truth to the matter was that these generators were built for use aboard the second Death Star.^[6] It was with this fabricated information that the Moff responded to his questioners. As they taunted the Moff about his apparent demotion, Jerjerrod silently told himself that he had essentially been entrusted with overseeing the destruction of the Rebel Alliance.^[10]

While serving aboard the Death Star, Jerjerrod was addressed simply as "Commander."^[2] Jerjerrod worked with Colonel Dyer to plan the defense of the shield generator bunker on Endor,^[11] which maintained operation of the planetary shield protecting the Death Star.^[2] The Moff would also charge the V-series supervisor droid AV-6R7 with overseeing the various construction droids that aided in the construction of the battlestation.^[12][13]

[edit] Construction setbacks

Over time, the crews responsible for the construction of the second Death Star had become lax in their work, despite the fact that they had moved into the final stage of assembly after approximately three to four years.^[2] This was a fraction of the first Death Star's construction time, which had been close to nineteen years.^[14][9] Regardless, Palpatine had become displeased with the slow progression of the project, and in 4 ABY he sent his apprentice, Darth Vader, to order Jerjerrod to speed up the construction.^[2] Because his crews were behind schedule, Jerjerrod had no time to inspect the new computer core and contingent of stormtroopers that had arrived with it. Unbeknownst to him, the rogue assassin droid and bounty hunter IG-88A had uploaded his consciousness into a duplicate computer core and planned to use the second Death Star as part of a revolution of droids that he was executing. Jerjerrod had originally cursed Supervisor Gurdun, the man behind the IG-88 program, now tasked with overseeing the computer core's journey, for not accompanying the core to the battlestation. In truth, Gurdun had accompanied it until the IG-88 unit killed him and replaced his stormtroopers with droid replicas, but regardless, Jerjerrod found it better that the supervisor had not been there to complicate the already delicate matter of bringing the Death Star's construction back on schedule. As the stormtrooper droids unloaded the core, Jerjerrod noted that they moved with near-mechanical precision, and he silently wished that all his men would be like them. When one of the stormtrooper droids was damaged by a falling cargo crane, the droid's self-destruct took out an entire construction crew, much to the bemoaning of Jerjerrod at yet another setback.^[15]

Lord Vader arrived in the Endor system via the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Avenger^[16] and took a shuttle to the incomplete Death Star. Jerjerrod was informed of the Dark Lord's arrival by docking bay technician Lieutenant Endicott's men, and flanked by Imperial officers,^[2] Jerjerrod waited patiently at the bottom of the shuttle's ramp.^[17] Vader informed him that the Emperor was displeased with the lack of progress in the battlestation's construction. Jerjerrod replied that he did not have enough personnel to complete what he believed to be an impossible effort. Vader countered by revealing that the Emperor would be arriving shortly to personally oversee the final stage of construction. Faced with this revelation, Jerjerrod announced that his men would increase their work twofold.^[2] He found conversations with the Sith Lord to be particularly motivating, but he had no intention of finding out if the Emperor was more forgiving than Vader was.^[18]

When the Emperor arrived in-system and took his shuttle to the Death Star, Vader and Jerjerrod were among the scores of Imperials present in the hangar to greet him.^[2] Before the Emperor emerged from his shuttle, Vader informed Jerjerrod that there would be no further ceremony regarding the Emperor's visit.^[19] When the Emperor and his cadre of advisors and Royal Guards disembarked, Vader informed his master that the Death Star would be completed upon schedule. As they processed away from the shuttle, Jerjerrod was one of the men to fall in line behind the two Sith Lords. He was later present in the Emperor's throne room alongside the two Sith Lords and Imperial Ruling Council members Janus Greejatus and Sim Aloo.^[2] Jerjerrod asked the Emperor if his seat of power was acceptable, and the Emperor responded that it would suffice.^[19] Immediately after, and with the knowledge of a Rebel fleet gathering near Sullust, the Emperor ordered the bulk of the Imperial fleet to move to the far side of the Endor moon in preparation for the Alliance assault. Palpatine believed that this trap would be an end to the Rebellion.^[2]

[edit] Battle of Endor and death

The Rebel leadership, faced with the intelligence of a second Death Star and the Emperor's presence aboard it, decided to launch a two-phased attack. A strike team led by General Han Solo was to destroy the shield generator bunker on Endor, allowing the fleet to emerge from hyperspace and launch their starfighters, which would destroy the Death Star's reactor. But Palpatine had anticipated their every move, having stationed his finest legion of stormtroopers on Endor and gathering the Imperial armada on the far side of Endor. Luke Skywalker had accompanied the strike team to Endor, but he had decided to surrender to the Imperial forces as part of his attempt to bring his father, Vader, back to the light side of the Force. Skywalker was brought before the Emperor and Vader in the throne room. When the Rebel fleet did emerge from hyperspace, they were caught between the Imperial Navy and a shielded, operational Death Star. Palpatine explained to his captive the nature by which the Rebels had come to know of the second Death Star—he had allowed Rebel Bothan spies to deliver the plans to the Alliance, but he had left out the fact that the battlestation was fully able to operate. Opening a channel to Jerjerrod in the overbridge, the Emperor ordered him to fire at will.^[2]

Though the superlaser was under the control of IG-88A,^[15] the Imperials still maintained some influence over the prime weapon. Jerjerrod relayed the Emperor's orders to the Death Star's gunnery crews,^[2] but he did so with mixed feelings. He believed that this battle would bring an end to the Rebellion, and he enjoyed the war. But he balanced that feeling of regret with a love for total annihilation.^[17] The gunners initiated the firing sequence, and the planet-destroying weapon shot out at the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty, obliterating the cruiser and stunning the Rebel fleet. Realizing that his fleet could not counter an operational Death Star, Rebel Admiral Ackbar called for a retreat. General Lando Calrissian, commander of the Rebel fighter squadrons, persuaded the Mon Calamari admiral to take the fight to the Star Destroyers on the outskirts of the battlefield, knowing the Empire would not risk destroying their own warships.^[2] Despite this tactic, many more Rebel ships were destroyed throughout the battle, including the medical frigate Redemption.^[15]

As the battle progressed, the Emperor gave Jerjerrod one final order: should the shield generator be destroyed, he was to fire the superlaser on Endor. Jerjerrod acknowledged the order, but he began to express his concern for the troops present on the moon. Palpatine did not share his concern and repeated the order with more force behind the words. Jerjerrod acknowledged the order once more, but without offering any opposition this time. General Solo and his squad succeeded in destroying the bunker and the shield generator, and this allowed General Calrissian in the Millennium Falcon to lead several Rebel starfighters into the superstructure of the battlestation while Rebel capital ships began firing on the Death Star's hull.^[17]

This bombardment killed, wounded, and scared off half of Jerjerrod's crew in the overbridge. The remaining crew was disorganized, but the Moff did not make any effort to bring order to the chaos. As an aide informed him that the Rebel fleet was closing and the Rebel fighters were eluding their defenses within the Death Star, the Moff gave him orders that made little sense, as he was now focused solely on destroying Endor. He ordered the Death Star to be brought into firing range of the moon; the aide initiated the rotation sequence before handing him the trigger and fleeing. As the countdown reached sixty seconds left until firing, Jerjerrod sat calmly as he gazed out of the viewscreen. The Rebel fighters had already taken out the main reactor, and the station was rapidly being destroyed from the inside out as a result. When the countdown reached thirty seconds, the Death Star exploded.^[17] Moff Jerjerrod perished along with it.^[1]

[edit] Legacy

Jerjerrod's hesitation to enact the Emperor's final command to destroy the forest moon ultimately spared Endor and everyone on it—had he followed the order to the letter, he would have fired on Endor immediately after the shield generator bunker had been destroyed.^[17] The morale of the Empire was severely damaged following the Alliance's victory; not only had the Emperor and Vader both died, but the Executor, the pride of the Imperial armada, had been destroyed when Green Leader Arvel Crynyd's A-wing fighter crashed into its bridge, killing officers such as Death Squadron Admiral Firmus Piett in the collision.^[2]

[edit] Personality and traits

Jerjerrod was noted as being tall, thin, and arrogant.^[17] He did not know how he and his men could possibly complete the Death Star's construction on schedule, but he did not make excuses for their lack of progress—he had no intention of learning how Vader or the Emperor would respond to any excuses.^[15] Jerjerrod was a self-described ambitious man. When ordered to destroy the Rebel fleet one ship at a time during the Battle of Endor, Jerjerrod became melancholic. He had no wish to see the war end; ongoing war was one of his favorite things. But he also loved the total annihilation of his enemy, and this gave him all the motivation he needed to order the gunners to fire the superlaser.^[17]

He was a competent administrator and, having been a desk general, was experienced with administrative details, but he possessed very little military experience. He lacked creativity and motivation. He did not possess the audacity or vision to act on his ambition. Indeed, the Emperor saw him as only slightly ambitious, like any other Imperial officer. It was for these reasons that Palpatine assigned him as the overseer of the Death Star's construction. The Emperor had no qualms about his selection; Jerjerrod could get the Death Star finished in short time, but he would not mimic his predecessor Tarkin and attempt to use the superweapon for his own personal gain.^[4][5] Jerjerrod believed that great men such as himself never hurried; it was his job to cause other beings to hurry. But upon learning that the slow in the second Death Star's assembly had displeased the Emperor, and that he would be arriving to oversee the final stage of construction, the Moff reasoned that, on certain occasions, even great men hurried.^[17]

During the Battle of Endor, Jerjerrod had time to reflect on his situation. While his disorganized crew began to flee, the Moff simply sat and dwelt on his current situation, wondering how the Empire could possibly be on the brink of defeat. He could not believe this was happening to him—he had been patient, clever, strict, and loyal. His pride at commanding the second Death Star was no consolation. His hatred for the Rebellion had grown much over the past hours; he had seen it once as small child or a baby animal—something he could easily bully without fear of reprisal—but it had matured and learned to fight back. Jerjerrod realized that the only act that could possibly satisfy him in such a despairing time was to enact his last orders from the Emperor: destroy Endor.^[17]

[edit] Behind the scenes

[edit] Portrayal and development

Moff Jerjerrod was originally created for the 1983 film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where he was portrayed by Michael Pennington.^[20] The first released appearance of the character, however, was in the novelization of the film. In the 1996 radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi, which was the first to provide a pronunciation of "Jerjerrod," he was voiced by Peter Dennis. Unlike Tarkin, his counterpart aboard the first Death Star,^[9] Jerjerrod is a minor character who appears only briefly. His name is never heard onscreen; he is called only "Commander" in the film, though his name is listed in the credits.^[2] In Return of the Jedi, Jerjerrod and all other Imperial officers wear the wrong rank badge due to a props "blooper" during production.^[16] Jerjerrod was given the first name "Tiaan" in 2009's The Essential Atlas.

Archival footage of Jerjerrod greeting Vader upon his arrival on the Death Star from Return of the Jedi was used for the Special Edition release of The Empire Strikes Back, though the scene itself is from a different angle. As a result, Jerjerrod is seen greeting Vader as he lands on the Executor following his duel on Bespin.^[1]

Both the Imperial Sourcebook (released in 1989) and Coruscant and the Core Worlds (released in 2003) mention the existences of an Admiral Jerjerrod and a Jerjerrod family estate in Sirpar Hills on Anaxes, respectively. Neither have been specifically tied to Moff Jerjerrod.

[edit] Deleted scenes and script changes

A deleted scene from Return of the Jedi has Jerjerrod and two Royal Guards attempting to prevent Darth Vader from seeing the Emperor, whereupon Vader strangles Jerjerrod using the Force, but does not kill him.^[21][22] This scene, according to Star Wars Insider 24's production timeline, was filmed on February 18, 1982. Another image, though most likely intended as a bit of on-set humor, shows Jerjerrod being shocked by a Royal Guard with a force pike.^[22] According to Leland Chee, there is a possibility that the scenes, along with other deleted scenes, may be released one day. A subplot that took place near the end of the film involved Jerjerrod expressing his concern for the Imperial troops still on Endor when ordered to fire on the moon as a last resort. Though this scene is present in the novelization, it was cut from the film.^[23]

According to Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, Jerjerrod was originally a Grand Moff in earlier drafts of Return of the Jedi, and he played a more prominent role as Palpatine's "secret agent," operating behind Vader's back. Jerjerrod was described as a tall, confident technocrat who was Vader's rival, and he had been tasked with overseeing the transformation of the Green Moon of Had Abbadon into a paradise for the citizens of the overpopulated Imperial capital. While onboard Jerjerrod's shuttle, Vader informed him that he had sensed a Rebel presence on the moon, but Jerjerrod saw it as an insult to his work and refused to believe it. While they conversed, Princess Leia and two Rebel pilots, flying a stolen Imperial transport, nearly collided with Jerjerrod's shuttle, but the Rebels avoided being captured. Arriving on Had Abbadon, Vader and Jerjerrod descended to the Emperor's throne room, which overlooked a lake of lava, and they both knelt before the Emperor. The Emperor reprimanded his apprentice for not capturing Luke Skywalker—partly by Force-choking him—and asked him to leave. Once Vader had departed, the Emperor conferred with Jerjerrod, telling him to watch his apprentice closely. Palpatine then explained that Skywalker would be replacing Vader, and that the Rebels were to launch an attack on the Death Star. Following Skywalker's surrender, General Maximilian Veers was ordered to take him to the Executor, but the shuttle captain informed the general that Skywalker was to be delivered to the Emperor on Had Abbadon. After Veers refused to do such, the shuttle captain contacted Jerjerrod. Despite Jerjerrod's orders, Veers refused to obey, and Skywalker was delivered to Vader. A furious Jerjerrod stormed in on the Sith Lord and demanded to know why Skywalker was not delivered to the Emperor. Vader grabbed the Grand Moff by the throat and killed him.^[24]

In the revised rough draft, Wedge Antilles was flying a captured TIE Fighter escorting the Executor during the strike team's infiltration, but he panicked, forcing Leia to go help him. After an Imperial flight controller asked for their clearance code, Jerjerrod's shuttle moved in, and Leia believed that they were going to board. But her captured transport was soon given clearance. Vader and Jerjerrod conversed after this, with Vader complaining that the Emperor had not been in contact with him. Jerjerrod attempted to avoid an argument, but Vader demanded an explanation for his return to the capital. The Grand Moff informed Vader that the Emperor was not pleased with his apprentice's failure in capturing Luke Skywalker and had therefore reassigned him to oversee the construction of the two new Death Stars. Jerjerrod explained to a furious Vader that the Emperor believed Vader still has feelings for his son and that only he (the Emperor) would be able to turn young Skywalker to the dark side. Jerjerrod revealed that the Emperor was aware of the impending Rebel attack, and that Luke, who was on Tatooine at the time, would soon be in the hands of the Empire. Onboard the Executor, Vader asked Admiral Firmus Piett where the Grand Moff was; he replied that Jerjerrod was inside the private communications chamber, but all surveillance equipment had been disabled and his coded transmission was undecipherable. Jerjerrod conversed with the Emperor's holographic form, and Palpatine ordered him to deliver Luke before him without Vader finding out about it. The Grand Moff noted that the Rebel attack should be ample to distract the Dark Lord from finding his son, allowing the Emperor to turn young Skywalker to the dark side. After Skywalker was delivered to the Emperor and Vader discovered this, he killed Jerjerrod.^[24]

[edit] Non-canon biography

In The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition, Jerjerrod appears as part of the Emperor's procession in the Death Star's docking bay, a scene inspired by the event as portrayed in Return of the Jedi. In addition to the Emperor, Vader, the advisors Janus Greejatus and Sim Aloo, and an Imperial officer, two Cylons from Battlestar Galactica and Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna, disguised as Royal Guards, are part of the procession. Jerjerrod also appears, as a LEGO minifigure, in the video games LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

[edit] Appearances

• Star Wars: Rebellion
• "Galaxywide NewsNets" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 6
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition)
• Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi radio adaptation
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel (First appearance)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novelization
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Photo Comic
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 1: In the Hands of Jabba the Hutt
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 2: The Emperor Commands
• The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
• Star Wars: X-wing Alliance (Indirect mention only)

[edit] Non-canon appearances

• The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

[edit] Sources

• Imperial Sourcebook
• Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, First Edition
• The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
• Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, Second Edition
• Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization
• Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
• The Art of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays
• Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: Behind the Magic
• Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive (Picture only)
• Star Wars: Power of the Jedi
• "The Ultimate Return of the Jedi Insider's Guide" - Star Wars Insider 67
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 125 ("Moff Jerjerrod")
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Death Star II Limited (Card: Moff Jerjerrod)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Death Star II Limited (Card: Mobilization Points) (Picture only)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Death Star II Limited (Card: Royal Escort) (Picture only)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Death Star II Limited (Card: Imperial Command) (Picture only)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Death Star II Limited (Card: Operational As Planned)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Colonel Dyer)
• Star Wars: The Comics Companion
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• "Ask Lobot" - Star Wars Insider 106
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Atlas (First identified as Tiaan)
•  Moff Jerjerrod in the Databank

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• None Shall Pass on Hyperspace
• Sith Management Techniques on Hyperspace