Kuhru Kuhru was a Human male major in the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire and a distinguished AT - AT walker commander . In 3 ABY , Kuhru was serving on a backwater world when his forces confronted Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker , who was scouting the planet as a potential location for a Rebel base . Kuhru was tasked by the Dark Lord Darth Vader with capturing the intruder alive , but the young Rebel fled the world , leaving the Major to face Vader ' s wrath . Aboard the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , Kuhru reported the outcome of the skirmish to Vader , who , displeased , convinced the Major to step out an airlock without a space suit . Kuhru ' s career ended when he was sucked out into the vacuum of space . Biography . Kuhru was a Human male serving as a major in the Galactic Empire . A noted AT - AT commander of the Imperial Army , Kuhru was stationed on a backwater planet that housed both an Imperial base and a communications beacon . In 3 ABY , Rebel Alliance Commander Luke Skywalker , in his search for a suitable world on which to establish a Rebel base , was scouting the planet on which Kuhru served , only to discover — and be discovered by — the Imperial presence there . As an AT - ST walker moved to engage him , the scout walker ' s crew alerted the main base , which promptly dispatched a force of AT - ATs led by Kuhru to confront the intruder . The Dark Lord Darth Vader , unaware that the Rebel was Skywalker , ordered Kuhru to take the insurgent alive for interrogation . The Major instructed the AT - ST to destroy Skywalker ' s X - wing starfighter and thereby trap the Rebel on the planet , but Kuhru quickly re - tasked the scout walker with defending the communications beacon when Skywalker moved to destroy it with proton grenade s . The attack proved to be a feint , as Skywalker immobilized the AT - ST with his lightsaber before escaping the world in his starfighter . Kuhru ' s AT - ATs were unable to shoot down the craft as it fled , leaving the Major to report to Vader with news of the failure . Kuhru traveled to the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , Vader ' s flagship , to deliver his report in person , boarding the warship as it neared the Patriim system . The Major met with the Dark Lord aboard the Super Star Destroyer ' s bridge , where he attempted to defend his decision to protect the communications beacon to Vader . However , the Dark Lord disagreed with Kuhru ' s assessment of the situation . Rather than execute the officer on the spot for his failure to capture the Rebel , Vader used the Force to convince Kuhru to walk out of one of the " Executor " airlocks without a space suit . The Major complied and was propelled into the vacuum of space , killing himself in the process . Personality and traits . A distinguished Imperial Army commander , Major Kuhru was charged with leading AT - AT forces into combat on the planet on which he was stationed . When confronted by Luke Skywalker , the Major attempted to capture the Rebel officer per Darth Vader ' s orders . Kuhru ' s efforts failed when he deemed the protection of the planet ' s communications beacon to be of a higher priority , a judgment that provided Skywalker an opportunity to escape . A shaken Kuhru attempted to defend his decision to Vader on the " Executor " , but the Sith Lord disagreed with the situation and compelled the Major to get " some fresh air " by walking out of an airlock . Behind the scenes . Major Kuhru appeared in " " , the fifty - first issue in the " Marvel Star Wars " series of comics , written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Walter Simonson . Kuhru was later mentioned , albeit indirectly , in the " Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 11 " article " ComicScan : Paint Him Black " , and also received an entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " .