As an avowed Star Wars superfan, I’ve watched and rewatched the Star Wars films countless times. And upon every viewing, I’ve always wondered about those Galactic Imperial officers rushing around in the background and speaking in clipped British accents. Yes, they are supposed to be standing in for the Nazis and, in the case of the sequel trilogy, neo-Nazis, so I shouldn’t shed too many tears. George Lucas was wise to keep their appearances brief in the original Star Wars, with only Grand Moff Tarkin, played by the great Peter Cushing, representing the Imperial bad guys. Tarkin and a roundtable of arrogant generals get a single scene discussing the final dissolution of the galactic senate and the Emperor’s total absolute rule. So naturally, when the rebel alliance made the Death Star go boom, we didn’t feel so bad that the group plotting the end of freedom and democracy perished in the flare-filled explosion.
However, in “The Empire Strikes Back,” many Imperial Officers get substantial screen time. Of course, their appearance is mainly for the running joke of Vader outright “force” choking all the lackey commanders that seem to fail him at every turn. The first one to go was Admiral Ozzel, whose big sin was to come out of hyperspace too soon, alerting the rebels on the ice planet Hoth that the Empire was preparing to attack. Later, Captain Needa receives Vader’s wrath when he seemingly loses the Millennium Falcon (which was cleverly hidden behind the Star Destroyer’s bridge). Hell, the only Imperial who seems to do anything correctly is General Veers, whose ground army of AT-AT walkers successfully destroys the rebel base, causing our heroes to flee.
This brings us to Admiral Piett, one of many rank captains sniveling at Vader’s feet at the film’s start. But Piett, in several tense (and funny) scenes, slowly rises the food chain, starting with Ozzel’s demise, eventually attaining Admiral status by the end credits. One of the reasons why Piett stands out is the crack comic timing of his reactions to his fellow officers’ sheer bad luck. This guy’s main success is being at the right moment at the right time. He also knows how to word things in a particular way not to incur Vader’s deadly temper. Piett knows the values of politics and, when used correctly, can be enormously influential in surviving a fascist imperialized military.
Admiral Piett gets some juicy moments in “Empire,” my favorite being his snotty attitude toward the collection of Bounty Hunters assembled on his bridge (we don’t need that scum!). Or that “oh shit” look as he watches the Millennium Falcon finally jumping into light speed at the movie’s climatic conclusion. Yes, he ultimately fails Vader, but comically, Vader calmly strolls away as Piett and his men nervously stand aside and sweat bullets. And they live to appear in the next franchise installment.
Reportedly, Piett was brought back for “Return of the Jedi” after his character received many fan mail letters after Empire’s release. His big scene is reporting to a testy Vader, asking permission to approve shuttle Tydirium passing through the Endor force field (unaware that it is hiding rebel freedom fighters). His final moments are much more tragic. During the battle of Endor, Piett was commanding the Executor super star destroyer and a rebel A-wing fighter crashed kamikaze style into the bridge, causing the Executor to crash into the second Death Star, killing him and all his crew. I always felt that if Piett had lived, maybe he would have seen the error of his authoritarian ways and joined the side of the angels, taking part in the fun Ewok celebration.
Part of Admiral Piett’s popularity is the performance of English actor Kenneth Colley. The acclaimed character actor was a fixture in British cinema, appearing in many of Ken Russell’s films like “Mahler” and “The Music Lovers” and played Jesus in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.” His most notable American role was in Clint Eastwood’s 1981 espionage thriller “Firefox” He plays Russian baddie Colonel Kontarsky going toe to toe with Eastwood’s PTSD-suffering undercover agent. It’s miles and away different from his groveling Star Wars Admiral and shows the actor’s range.
Thankfully, Colley is still working, appearing in mostly BBC productions like the “Peaky Blinders” TV series. Colley is one of those great character actors, understated when he needs to be but pops enough to make an impression. His pitch-perfect performance is why Admiral Piett stood out from the rest of those poor Imperial lackeys. There are rumors that Piett might appear in the upcoming “Andor” Disney + series. Let’s hope Lucasfilm takes the opportunity to give our favorite Admiral some much-needed backstory and an actor that can fill the big shoes of the amazing Kenneth Colley.