Hurst Romodi Hurst Romodi was a male human who served in the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars and later became one of the first general s in the Galactic Empire ' s Army . As an Imperial officer , Romodi was involved in the pacification of the galaxy ' s Western Reaches , and took reconstruction measures in the aftermath of the Battle of Ogoth Tiir . Although Romodi eventually stepped back from service , Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin coaxed him out of retirement to participate in the completion of the Death Star project . After witnessing the first live fire test of the Death Star ' s superlaser on the Holy City of Jedha , the General served as an adjutant to Tarkin around the time of the Battle of Scarif . Biography . Early life and career . Hurst Romodi fought in the Clone Wars , a three - year pan - galactic conflict that pitted the Galactic Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems . When Sheev Palpatine replaced the Republic by a Galactic Empire of his own device at the end of the war , Romodi was a battle - scarred veteran , and he became one of the first general s in the new Imperial Army . Alongside Wilhuff Tarkin , he contributed to the pacification of the unruly Western Reaches . In the aftermath of the Battle of Ogoth Tiir , he took reconstruction initiatives , which later became a subject of discussion in Colonel Julyan ' s Strategy and Tactics class at the Arkanis Academy . After his retirement , Romodi was personally asked to return to the military to help in the readying of the Death Star project . The Battle of Scarif . Toward the end of the Jedha insurgency in 0 BBY , Romodi was invited aboard the almost finished Death Star battle station , along with Grand Moff Tarkin and other officers , to witness the first live fire test of its superlaser , with the Holy City of Jedha as its target . The test was successful , and Tarkin immediately assumed authority over the Death Star , much to the discontent of its nominal commander , Director Orson Krennic of the Advanced Weapons Research . Romodi stayed with the Grand Moff , serving as his aide aboard the battle station . It was he who received General Sotorus Ramda ' s report that a Rebel incursion was occurring on Scarif , where the technical blueprints of the superweapon were kept . After relaying that information to Tarkin , Romodi was instructed to prepare the battle station ' s jump to hyperspace and inform Lord Darth Vader of the situation . Once on the premises , the general enthusiastically suggested to target the Rebels ' spaceborne support with the Death Star , which Tarkin refused , stating Lord Vader would handle the enemy fleet . Instead , the Grand Moff ordered a single reactor ignition aimed at the Citadel Tower on Scarif . Romodi then gave directions to his aides to carry out Tarkin ' s order , and the superlaser fired , destroying the tower and impacting the planetary surface several kilometer s away . Nevertheless , the Empire ' s actions at Scarif proved insufficient . In the nick of time , the Rebels had managed to transmit the plans of the Death Star to Prince ss Leia Organa aboard the consular ship " Tantive IV " . Although Lord Vader and his flagship " Devastator " managed to capture the " Tantive IV " above Tatooine , Romodi feared that further leakage may have occurred during the interception . The general then sent Tarkin a high - priority communique , advising him to take immediate action to neutralize political and military opposition . Prelude to Yavin . A little later on , General Romodi participated in a meeting in the Death Star ' s conference room , during which Tarkin announced the disbanding of the Imperial Senate and Darth Vader assured that the stolen plans would soon be back in the Empire ' s hands . While Romodi ' s fellow general Cassio Tagge expressed concerns that the Rebels may discover a flaw in the Death Star , Admiral Motti brushed those aside . Eventually , the Death Star was brought to the Yavin system to confront Rebel forces over their headquarters on Yavin 4 . However , Tagge had correctly assessed the rebel threat . Exploiting the presence of a thermal exhaust port in the superweapon ' s structure that had been deliberately designed by the scientist Galen Erso to be unstable , the Rebels launched a successful assault on the Death Star , resulting in its explosion and the loss of every life on board . Following that debacle , the Galactic Emperor Palpatine promoted Tagge to Grand General and placed him in charge of the entire Imperial military , commenting that there remained no one else he could use . Personality and traits . Romodi was a light - skinned man with brown hair , which had heavily receded and started to turn gray by the time of the Battle of Scarif . One prominent vein could be seen bulging at his right temple . An experienced officer who had been through many battles , Romodi felt proud and enthusiastic about the technological terror of the Death Star . He had the favor of the Galactic Emperor himself . Equipment . In his capacity as a general , Romodi wore a field gray , crease - free Imperial officer uniform made of gaberwool , like many other Imperial officers wore . On the left side of the upper chest , he sported a rank insignia plaque consisting of six yellow tiles arranged in a single row . Behind the scenes . The character of Romodi first appeared in the of the 1977 movie , released several months prior to the film . Attending a meeting aboard the Death Star , he delivers a line that is instead given to Admiral Motti in the movie . Although his appearance in the novel rendered him a part of Expanded Universe continuity , it was unclear if Romodi actually appeared in the film until 2012 when author Jason Fry confirmed that he was the " bald guy " present at the meeting ; a character whom the fan website Aveleyman claims was portrayed by Ian Selby . In that same year , Fry and Paul R . Urquhart provided the first name of " Hurst " in the reference book " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . After the Expanded Universe was renamed " Legends " and declared to be non - canon ical , Romodi ' s existence was once again in limbo until the release of the 2015 novel " " , also written by Fry . A character called General Romodi is mentioned in the book , and Fry confirmed on his Twitter account that he intended him to be the Romodi from " A New Hope " . During the development of 2016 ' s " " , the production crew took a look at everyone who is seated around the Death Star conference table in " A New Hope " , trying to pinpoint a character that could be easily recast to make an appearance in the new movie . Eventually , Romodi was chosen , and Andy de la Tour went on to portray the general in " Rogue One " . The full name of " Hurst Romodi " was given in the film ' s end credits . On the social network Twitter , several fans have humorously pointed out the resemblance between de la Tour ' s Romodi and the of , prompting several French - speaking online media outlets to relay the information .