Starck / Legends Starck was a Human male who served as an officer in the Army of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War . A colonel , Starck served in the Blizzard Force attack group under General Maximilian Veers , commanding the AT - AT walker Blizzard 4 and its group during the Battle of Hoth . In the prelude to the engagement , Starck attempted to impress the Sith Lord Darth Vader by taking Blizzard 4 and the accompanying walkers on a direct yet treacherous route through Hoth ' s Kerane Valley , which resulted in the loss of three walkers to shifting ice flows . Starck survived and regrouped with the rest of Blizzard Force . During the engagement with Rebel forces , Starck was killed when Blizzard 4 was destroyed by Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker . Biography . A Human male , Starck served in the Imperial Army as a colonel in Blizzard Force , a ground assault unit assigned to the Imperial Death Squadron by 3 ABY . Starck commanded the AT - AT designated Blizzard 4 , along with its accompanying group of walkers . When in battle , Blizzard 4 was charged with conquering terrain not covered by the primary assault and deploying soldiers to secure the area . The Empire had recently discovered the presence of a Rebel Alliance base on the frozen world of Hoth , but the presence of a strong deflector shield negated the effect of any orbital bombardment . Blizzard Force was deployed to Hoth ' s surface , tasked with destroying the Rebels ' shield generator and any resistance they met . The dropships transporting Blizzard Force landed in the Moorsh Moraine located to the north of the Rebel base . The assault force emerged from the moraine into the Kerane Valley ; while the other groups took a safe yet indirect westerly pathway through the valley , Starck opted for a direct route in an effort to impress the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader . The move proved disastrous , as Starck lost three of the group ' s walkers to ice flows . Blizzard 4 ' s group reunited with the main attack force on the North Ridge . From the top of the ridge they commenced their attack on the Rebel base . In the midst of the battle , Blizzard 4 crushed Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker ' s disabled snowspeeder after it had crashed in front of the walker . Skywalker used a harpoon gun to ascended to the underside of the AT - AT , cut open a small hatch with his lightsaber , and threw a grenade into the compartment before falling to the snow below . Blizzard 4 proceeded forward , but its advance was cut short when the grenade detonated a short amount of time later . The walker ' s head exploded , killing Starck . What remained of the walker collapsed to the ground . Personality and traits . After landing on Hoth , Starck attempted to impress the Sith Lord Darth Vader by taking his AT - AT group on a treacherous route through the Kerane Valley . Though the Colonel survived , the move resulted in the loss of three walkers to ice flows , and Starck was forced to regroup with the rest of the assault force . Behind the scenes . Colonel Starck was briefly mentioned in " Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy " , a reference book released in 2004 . Information on Starck from this source was repeated in " " , and the Colonel was briefly mentioned in Blizzard Force ' s entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . Though Blizzard 4 was destroyed during the Battle of Hoth , Starck ' s fate was originally left unclear . " " , which included a card of the Colonel , cemented Starck ' s fate when it established that his command was " cut short " with the destruction of Blizzard 4 .