Ristt General Ristt was a Human male who served the Rebel Alliance as the ranking officer at an asteroid field base at some point between 0 BBY and 1 ABY . When the Rebel - allied smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca returned late to the base from a mission to retrieve the mystical Talisman artifact , Ristt aided a communications officer in establishing video contact with their freighter , and subsequently watched in horror as the ship narrowly avoided colliding with the base before speeding away . Fellow rebel Luke Skywalker went on to retrieve Solo and Chewbacca from the moon Panna Prime , and Ristt later appeared in a cartoon created about the day ' s events . Biography . Ristt was a Human male who served as a general in the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War . At some point between 0 BBY and 1 ABY , he was the ranking officer at an Alliance base located in an asteroid field . Under the General ' s supervision , the Rebel - allied smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca left the asteroid base on a mission to acquire the Talisman , a mystical artifact rumored to be sought by the Galactic Empire . When the smugglers took longer than expected to return , Ristt waited near the base ' s communications station for a transmission , standing alongside fellow rebels Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker , as well as their droids C - 3PO and R2 - D2 . One officer eventually reported the receipt of a weak signal , which materialized into video when Ristt suggested accessing it on a lower channel . The rebels stood puzzled as they watched Solo hang upside - down in the cockpit of his freighter , the " Millennium Falcon " ; they attempted to establish radio contact with Chewbacca , but their efforts were to no avail . Ristt realized that the " Millennium Falcon " was on a collision course with the base , but on Organa ' s insistence that they trust Chewbacca , the communications officer held off firing while the group braced themselves for impact . The " Millennium Falcon " ultimately passed by the base and continued on its way , which prompted Skywalker and the droids to pursue it in a Y - wing fighter . After tracking the freighter to the moon Panna Prime , they discovered that Solo had contracted a sleeping virus from the Talisman and had been hung upside - down by Chewbacca in order to keep blood flowing to his head . The earlier near - collision had been an attempt by Chewbacca to warn them of the Talisman ' s drowsy effects . A cartoon that chronicled the rebels ' adventure on Panna Prime and included an appearance by Ristt was later created , and it was watched by Chewbacca ' s son Lumpawarrump in 1 ABY . Personality and traits . Risst was a somewhat portly fellow with a double chin . Although the crest and backside of his cranium were bald , bushy red sideburns connected to a thick mustache of the same color . The General additionally sported large red eyebrows ; his skin was light ; and his pupils were black . Ristt was the first to realize that the " Millennium Falcon " was heading straight toward the rebel base , and although he described the situation as " madness , " he deferred to Leia Organa ' s insistence that they trust Chewbacca and not fire on the freighter . Behind the scenes . Ristt ' s first appearance in " Star Wars " canon came in " The Story of the Faithful Wookiee " , a cartoon that aired on television in 1978 as part of " The Star Wars Holiday Special " and was later included as an Easter egg on the 2011 " " release . The character was played by an uncredited voice actor . Referred to only as " General " in the cartoon , Ristt is named in the " Holiday Special " script . The name was later confirmed in " I Have a Bad Feeling About This ! " , a 2008 article published in " Star Wars Insider 106 " . In the script ' s fourth draft , Ristt speaks several lines that failed to make the final cut of the cartoon . While waiting for Solo to return with the Talisman , he expresses a desire to relocate the asteroid base before being discovered by an Imperial cruiser , and voices a mistrust of Solo for being a mercenary . Upon establishing video contact with the " Millennium Falcon " , Ristt asserts that Chewbacca has killed Solo and further means to kill the denizens of the rebel base . He explicitly orders the communications officer to fire upon the freighter before being dissuaded by Organa . Later , while Skywalker is searching for the " Millennium Falcon " , Organa learns that he is in the Panna system but is told by Ristt that the system contains too many planets and moons , therefore negating the possibility of launching additional rescue craft . The line regarding Chewbacca ' s perceived murderous intent was originally included in the cartoon but was re - dubbed prior to broadcast . Alex Newborn , author of " I Have a Bad Feeling About This ! " , has speculated that Ristt ' s appearance is a stylized take on a rebel character with similar facial hair from the Yavin 4 base scenes in the 1977 film . With a bald head and a thick white sideburns – mustache combo , Commander Bob Hudsol fits the description ; the two characters have additionally been conflated on the fan site Starwarsholidayspecial . com and by Dr . Curtis Saxton in his Star Wars Technical Commentaries .