One of the things you do during Star Wars Celebration is talk a lot about Star Wars. And as long as I can remember knowing him, Jesse Hildreth and I have done more than our fair share of pontificating about our favorite saga. Since he got a job on The Clone Wars, we haven’t been able to talk much Star Wars and we’ve had to limit our conversations drastically because of his non-disclosure agreements. Pretty much anything involving The Clone Wars is off limits. Any time he has a smile on his face about anything (or even types one in instant messenger) the response I get to inquiries is “I’ll tell you in a year.”
So, during Star Wars Celebration, Jesse and I were discussing an article I wrote quite a long time ago involving my theory that Moff Jerjerodd was a rebel spy.
“Jerjerodd? No. Ozzel was the real spy,” Jesse told me.
And the more we discussed it at length, the more I think he’s right.
I mean, you don’t get to be an Admiral in the Imperial fleet for being a bumbling incompetent. Ozzel at one point must have been an incredible leader. But the second his job demanded he hunt for rebels, he turned into a fool.
Think about this… When Piett, who is easily the most effective, efficient, and calculating of the Imperial Officers we’re shown in the classic trilogy (save for Tarkin), brings up the prospects of the rebels on Hoth, Ozzel is instantly dismissive and on the defensive. “There are thousands of probes searching the galaxy, I want proof not leads.”
When Vader intervenes, he softens but explains it could any number of things… uncharted settlements, smugglers…
If he was sympathetic to the rebels and an Imperial Admiral, he might not know the exact location of their base, but he’d know the telltale signs. Seeing them with Piett’s report, he works hard to deflect. But Vader is adamant. What can he do?
And notice that look he shares with General Veers… Veers is an excellent soldier and tactician, clearly the hero of the Hoth battle, and they share a cold gaze. They don’t like each other? Maybe they know their allegiances…
Even though Vader is adamant, Ozzel still has a chance to warn them. Since he can’t send them a signal, he can make a tactical blunder that will give the rebels an advantage. He thinks he can dress it up in sound tactical thinking, but even if it costs him his life, it’ll give the rebels a fighting chance.
Sure, he ended up paying the ultimate sacrifice, but isn’t that what being an entrenched spy is all about? To make the hard decisions and sacrifice yourself for the good of the cause if that’s what the mission is?
I think we have, perhaps, another rebel hero on our hands.