Maximillian Veers Maximillian Veers was a human male who served as a general in the Galactic Empire ' s army . In that capacity , he fought in the Galactic Civil War , which pitted the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Alliance . Veers was famous for his leadership during the Imperial assault on the then Rebellion - occupied in the Hoth system , during which he led a squadron of AT - AT walkers past Rebel defenses and personally destroyed the shield generator powering Rebel base ' s deflector shield . His leadership in the battle was critical to the successful takeover of the Hoth planetary system , a key victory for the Galactic Empire . Biography . A human male , Maximillian Veers was born on the planet of Denon . In time , he came to serve as an army officer of the Galactic Empire , an authoritarian regime that governed most of the galaxy . As such , he was involved in the Empire ' s struggle against the Rebel Alliance , which contested the rule of Emperor Palpatine . Rising in the ranks through cunning and courage , Veers took part in many battles , including on Zaloriis and Culroon III . Aside from being a brilliant army officer , Veers was also a husband and a father . Following the Battle of Yavin , during which the Rebels destroyed the Empire ' s planet - killing Death Star battle station , Veers already served as a general . At that time , he was tasked with locating the former senator Johhar Kessen . The Empire thought that Johhar would play a key role in finding the location of the Rebel Alliance ' s new headquarters . For the duration of that mission , the general was assisted by Kosh , an officer stationed on Tatooine . Some time later , Veers was posted to the Death Squadron , a flotilla of vessels commanded by the Emperor ' s dark enforcer , a Sith Lord named Darth Vader . The Death Squadron ' s commanding officer , Admiral Kendal Ozzel , was charged to oversee the Empire ' s search for the Rebel headquarters . As part of the search imperial probe droid s were used throughout the galaxy to collect data and identify the Rebel base . Veers often clashed ideologically with Ozzel , his superior . While Ozzel preferred a measured , calculated approach to military strategy , Veers was more doggedly loyal to the personal whims of Darth Vader , making him a favored figure among the Imperial hierarchy . One of the droids detected signs of an occupied settlement on the sixth planet of Hoth , a system located in the Anoat sector of the galactic Outer Rim . On the " Executor " , the flagship of the Death Squadron , Veers joined the panel of officers who reviewed the probe droid ' s data , along with Vader , Ozzel and his subordinate , Captain Firmus Piett . While Vader immediately identified the data as proof of the Rebellion , Ozzel was more skeptical . Vader ultimately ordered the fleet to investigate the Hoth system , and Veers began to prepare for the assault . Imperial hero of Hoth . Admiral Ozzel ' s approved lightspeed course , intended to surprise the Rebellion , brought the Imperial fleet out of lightspeed close to the system . As a result , Rebel forces on the planet ' s surface had time to prepare a defense plan and organize an evacuation . Due to a localized energy shield protecting the base and power generator , orbital bombardment of the base was considered to be an ineffective attack strategy . Vader , dissatisfied with Ozzel ' s decision to emerge so close to the system , ordered Veers to lead a ground assault on the power generator and disable the energy shield . Vader then executed Ozzel and promoted Piett to Admiral . Veers , who had always kept a low profile in front of Vader , had been offered a chance to correct Ozzel ' s mistake . His squadron of Imperial AT - AT walkers was deployed beyond the border of the energy shield , allowing a ground approach to be made . Veers led the squadron into the Echo Base mountain valley , facing heavy Rebel ground fire as he approached the shield generators . The general led his troops from the front , in the cockpit of the lead walker , as the Rebels prepared to evacuate their headquarters . A group of snowspeeders led by the Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker tried to delay Veers ' force , destroying two walkers . As Rebel ground forces retreated , Veers ordered his walker to fire on the shield generator , destroying it . The generator ' s destruction marked the end of the Rebel defense , allowing Vader and his men to land on Hoth and break into the base , and demonstrating Veers ' effectiveness as a military commander . During the battle , the " Blizzard One " , Veers ' AT - AT , was decapitated when a snowspeeder flown by Derek Klivian crashed into it . Personality and traits . General Veers was a powerfully built man with brown hair and eye s . Weighing 82 kilogram and standing 1 . 93 meter s , he was ten centimeters taller than the average stormtrooper s , the Empire ' s white - armor ed shock troops . A cool and efficient officer , he did not hesitate to put himself in harm ' s way on the front line , wearing the AT - AT pilot armor . Cunning and capable , he was also devoted to his family . Because of those qualities , he was viewed as a model Imperial officer . An effective and decorated officer , Veers enjoyed the respect of his peers thanks to an impressive record of ground combat . Although he always seemed very sure of himself when talking to Vader , Veers had learned to tread lightly around the Sith Lord , fearing both the mysterious power he wielded and his volatile temperament . For example , when the general went to see Vader in his quarters , he was not bold enough to interrupt the meditating Sith , but stood quietly at attention until he spoke . Equipment . On the battlefield , Veers wore a grey - green chest armor over his duty uniform , and a matching open face helmet with an ample rear skirt and a black chin strap . Behind the scenes . Portrayal . General Veers first appeared in the 1980 movie , the second installment in the original trilogy of " Star Wars " , in which he was played by the actor Julian Glover . Robert Watts , an associate producer on " The Empire Strikes Back " , invited Glover in , as the two were next - door neighbors at the time . Glover worked on the movie for five days , which he later described as " five days of complete and total bewilderment . " Despite having a relatively small part in the movie , Glover discussed Veers ' relationship to Vader with " Star Wars " creator George Lucas . In Glover ' s opinion , Veers should not be sycophantic toward Vader , since a proper general would not lack confidence . Lucas approved the actor ' s vision of the character , allowing Veers to stand up to Vader a little . The armored breastplate worn by Veers in " The Empire Strikes Back " was the same design seen on the snowtroopers and the bounty hunter Dengar . In the following movie installment , , co - producer Robert Watts played AT - ST pilot Lieutenant Blanaid . Before this pilot was identified , Watts once said that his character was General Veers . However , that identification was refuted on the official StarWars . com website , on the grounds that Veers ' demotion to a simple pilot was unlikely . In an early draft of the film ' s script , Veers was slated to return as the Commander of Endor ' s Garrison , personally leading the battle on the moon . This was cut , however . Alternate fate . In the script of " The Empire Strikes Back " , Veers died when the Rebel snowspeeder pilot Derek Klivian flew his damaged vessel directly into the cockpit of the general ' s walker . That scene , however , never made it into the final cut of the film , although it did appear in the , written by Donald F . Glut . Veers ' background and fate were expanded upon in a number of reference books and comic books , although those stories are part of the " Star Wars " Legends , formerly known as the Expanded Universe , and are therefore not canon since Disney ' s acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd . . On October 2 , 2017 , during an interview with Ed Dolista for the Episode 256 of " IndyCast " , Julian Glover was asked by Dolista his opinion about Veers ' fate . Glover stated that he thinks Veers may have survived since his apparent death happened offstage ( although he is aware of Veers ' fate in Glut ' s novelization ) and that he could well be brought back if Lucasfilm wants . Non - canon material . Maximillian Veers appears as the main antagonist in the 2015 LEGO animated television series " " . Following the Battle of Endor , General Veers and a renegade group of stormtroopers attempted to restart the droid foundries on Geonosis in order to restore the Galactic Empire . His plot involved tricking Lando Calrissian and his partner R2 - D2 into gathering old droids and reusing their parts to build battle droid s . Veers ' scheme was defeated by the combined efforts of R2 - D2 , Lando , C - 3PO , Chewbacca , Nien Nunb , and Admiral Ackbar .