Unidentified Imperial guard A Human male worked as a guard and an officer in the Imperial Military during the Galactic Civil War . In 1 ABY , the man was on leave on the planet Kashyyyk shortly before the Dark Lord of the Sith , Darth Vader , ordered a blockade of the planet . While off duty , the guard paid a visit to a trading post near the city of Rwookrrorro and bullied the shopkeeper , Saun Dann , into giving away some of his goods for free . Having successfully pressured Dann , the guard left the trading post with an extorted high - tech groomer tucked in his belt . Biography . A Human male served as a guard and an officer in the Imperial Military , the armed forces of Emperor Palpatine ' s Galactic Empire . In 1 ABY , the Dark Lord of the Sith , Darth Vader , suspected Rebel Alliance activity on the world Kashyyyk — then known as " Wookiee Planet C " to the Imperials — and ordered martial law to be declared there . A blockade was set up around the planet and a curfew was imposed . The officer was on leave on the Wookiee homeworld when the blockade started , still wandering about in his in black uniform . While off duty , the Imperial decided to visit " Trading post Wookiee Planet C , " a local shop located near Rwookrrorro , the capital city of Kashyyyk . When the shopkeeper , Saun Dann , saw him looking at the merchandise , he was frightened and thought the officer wanted to see his identification . Dann reached into his pocket to pull out his ID , but the guard stopped him , stating that he was off - duty and only wished to look around the shop . The salesman then attempted to sell him a micro - sized aquarium . The black - clad guard inspected the fish inside for a moment before putting the container on the counter , and then bluntly commented that he hated fish , which made Dann more nervous . The old man then retrieved what appeared to be a hair trimmer , which he gave to the Imperial in hopes that he would be interested in it . The situation was becoming tense when a beeping sound was issued by a wallscreen . While Dann spoke with the caller , a female Wookiee named Mallatobuck , the guard continued browsing the goods for sale . The Imperial had been fooled : unbeknownst to him , Saun Dann was really a member of the Rebel Alliance , and Mallatobuck was the wife of Chewbacca , one of the Rebellion ' s heroes the Empire sought to apprehend . The Imperial did not notice Dann looking back to see if he was paying attention to him , nor did he realize that the video conversation was a secret message about Chewbacca and his friend , Han Solo . When the conversation was over , Saun Dann returned to the guard , who told him he was unimpressed with the last item he had been offered to buy . Feeling challenged , the shopkeeper picked up the manual for the groomer and started demonstrating it as he talked . The Imperial finally took the groomer from Dann ' s hands and put it in his belt . When the old man asked him if he wished to pay or trade for it , the guard answered that he would simply take it . Without any further ado , he walked away with the extorted merchandise , leaving a confused and mumbling Saun Dann alone in his shop . Personality and traits . The Imperial guard was a Human of average size and build , with brown hair , a bushy mustache and brown eyes . He stared at Saun Dann with cold , intimidating looks and spoke with a deep , growling voice in a military fashion , using short sentences . He would take advantage of his status as an Imperial guard , ready to bully the shopkeeper to obtain what he wished . He was rather blasé about the exotic items Dann attempted to sell him , remaining calm and uninterested the entire time . When the shopkeeper left him on his own for a moment , the officer started browsing the merchandise with obvious nonchalance . The mustachioed guard also loathed fishes . Equipment . When in service , the guard wore a black double - breasted tunic and a swooping , black - tinted blast helmet made of plastoid composite alloy . On both outside panels of his tunic , there were pockets containing code cylinders , devices that allowed officers access to computer systems and secure areas . His belt was also equipped with an officer ' s disc , which contained additional coded information . The guard ' s issued uniform did not fit him exactly , as the sleeves were a bit too short . Behind the scenes . This Imperial guard appeared in the 1978 " Star Wars Holiday Special " , in which he was portrayed by an actor , Lev Mailer . In an interview with the fan site Starwarsholidayspecial . com , Mailer explained that he and Art Carney — who portrayed Saun Dann — chose to play their scene like a classic " The Bully and The Idiot " routine , with Carney playing the idiot to his bully . The " Holiday Special " aired only once on television and was almost unanimously panned . In an article published in the 106th issue of the " Star Wars Insider " magazine , " Star Wars " author Alex Newborn credited the Imperial characters as contributing factors to the program ' s lack of cohesion , calling them " ineffectual Imperial antagonists " . However , unlike other actors who starred in the show , Mailer didn ' t express regrets for participating in the " Holiday Special " , stating it was " kind of a fun little show " and had " a certain charm . " In the show ' s credits , Mailer ' s character was credited as " Imperial Guard # 1 , " but the Emperor ' s Royal Guards , also known as " Imperial Guards , " first appeared in , five years after the " Holiday Special " . Furthermore , the bully wears the distinctive helmet and black uniform of the Imperial Navy trooper s who first appeared in in 1977 . However , the Navy troopers had a wide range of duties , serving notably as guards aboard Imperial battlestation s such as the first Death Star . The presence of two code cylinders in the small pockets of his tunic also indicates that the black guard was an officer and not just an enlisted soldier , since such devices were issued only to officers . The mustachioed guard did not wear any rank indicator plaque . While officers with code cylinders and no plaque never appeared in the " Star Wars " trilogy , some were seen in the 1995 video game " " .