Moradmin Bast / Legends Moradmin Bast was a Human male from the planet Dura - Kahn . An Imperial general , Bast was stationed on the first Death Star , the Galactic Empire ' s planet - destroying superweapon , where he served as the chief personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and the subordinate to High General Cassio Tagge . In 0 BBY , Bast was present for a meeting in the battlestation ' s conference room , discussing the lost Death Star plans , which had been stolen by the Rebel Alliance . After the Battle of Yavin began , Bast received information that the Rebels had found a small vulnerable thermal exhaust port in the Death Star ' s superstructure . Since the exhaust port was a danger to the battlestation , Bast wanted Tarkin to evacuate the Death Star , although the Grand Moff believed that the Imperial forces would thwart the Rebels ' attack . However , after the Rebel Luke Skywalker successfully launched a proton torpedo into the Death Star ' s thermal exhaust port , the Death Star exploded , killing Bast and everyone else on board . Biography . Service aboard the Death Star . Moradmin Bast , a Human male , hailed from the planet Dura - Kahn . At a young age , Bast learned patience and cunning abilities by hunting big - game on his homeworld . Bast also saw the Rebel Alliance as a threat while growing up and believed that it should not be underestimated . At some point , Bast enlisted in the Imperial Army and eventually attained the rank of general . Prior to the start of the Galactic Civil War , which began in 2 BBY , the general was assigned to serve as the subordinate to High General Cassio Tagge , the head of Army Operations aboard the first Death Star battlestation . In this capacity , Bast frequently acted as the chief personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , the battlestation ' s lead commander . Admiral Conan Antonio Motti , the head of Navy Operations aboard the Death Star , feared Bast and Tagge , due to their loyalty and respect toward Tarkin . Shortly before the destruction of Alderaan in 0 BBY , Bast attended a staff conference on the battlestation . The Death Star ' s command staff — which included Tarkin , Tagge , and Motti — discussed the Rebel Alliance and its possession of the Death Star ' s technical schematics , which had been stolen by the Rebels during the Battle of Toprawa . Believing that the Death Star was " the ultimate power in the universe , " Motti wanted to use the station to threaten the Rebels , although the Dark Lord Darth Vader reassured Motti that the Death Star ' s destructive capability was insignificant next to the power of the Force . Throughout the conference , Bast sat in silence and witnessed Motti ' s near death as Vader Force choked him for his lack of faith in the Force . Death at Yavin . Following the rescue of Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa aboard the Death Star , Tarkin was able to locate the Rebels ' secret headquarters after having a homing beacon attached to the princess ' s getaway freighter . Tracking the starship to the Yavin system , the Death Star approached its target — Yavin 4 , home of the Rebel base . Before the Death Star could fire on Yavin 4 , the station had to orbit around the planet Yavin Prime . The battlestation ' s presence triggered the Battle of Yavin as the Rebels attempted to exploit a weakness in the battlestation ' s superstructure by launching proton torpedoes into a small thermal exhaust port that led directly to the Death Star ' s main reactor . However , the Rebels were not the only ones to discover this flaw . As the battle raged , military analysts informed Bast that the vulnerability of the thermal exhaust port in the face of the Rebel starfighter attack posed a real danger to everyone aboard the battlestation . Wary of the Rebels ' cunning , Bast immediately brought this information to Tarkin in the Death Star ' s overbridge and inquired whether the Grand Moff wished to have his ship ready for evacuation , but Tarkin contemptuously brushed his recommendations aside . Despite his reservations , Bast remained with his superior officer and watched as the battlestation approached Yavin 4 . Once the Death Star cleared the planet , Tarkin , without hesitation , ordered a nearby engineer to fire the superlaser on Yavin 4 to end the Rebel Alliance . However , Tenn Graneet , the master chief petty officer responsible for firing the superlaser , momentarily hesitated . Graneet ' s delay allowed Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker to successfully fire a pair of proton torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port before the superlaser was fired . Bast , as well as everyone stationed on the Death Star , was killed when the massive battlestation exploded near Yavin 4 . Personality and traits . Moradmin Bast had no personal aspirations beyond serving the Empire and was loyal to Tarkin and Tagge aboard the Death Star . Some officers believed that Vader was a subordinate to Tarkin ; however , Bast respected the Dark Lord , since he witnessed how Vader dealt with foolish officers . A confident man who rarely underestimated his enemies , Bast often praised the work that Tarkin had done on the Death Star . During the meeting aboard the Death Star prior to the Battle of Yavin , Bast remained quiet throughout . As Tarkin ' s chief personal aide , Bast became concerned for Tarkin ' s well being during the ensuing battle and delivered the Grand Moff information regarding the Rebel attack on the battlestation , including an offer to evacuate . However , Tarkin dismissed Bast ' s report as an overestimation of the Rebels ' chances at victory , which ultimately cost the Grand Moff his life , as the Death Star was soon obliterated . Bast had brown hair , lightly - colored eyes , and light skin . The Imperial general also had long sideburns on both sides of his face . Behind the scenes . Portrayal . Moradmin Bast was portrayed by Leslie Schofield in George Lucas ' 1977 film , , originally credited as " Commander # 1 . " In the final version of " A New Hope " , Schofield played the character in two scenes . However , cut footage and dialogue of the character that was omitted from the final version of " A New Hope " was later included in the 1978 television program " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . The footage was also made accessible in the bonus features of the " " Blu - ray set , which was released in 2011 . The unnamed officer later received the name " Bast " in the 1991 West End Games sourcebook " Death Star Technical Companion " . In 1995 , Bast was first identified as " Chief Bast " in the " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game " Premiere Limited " expansion set . The 2006 novel " Death Star " provided the Bast character the rank of general , while the article " " from " Star Wars Insider " 96 first identified Bast by first name — Moradmin . " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . The inclusion of Bast ' s deleted scene from " A New Hope " in " The Star Wars Holiday Special " originally suggested that the character survived the Battle of Yavin . However , Bast ' s presence with Tarkin during the final moments before the Death Star ' s destruction in " A New Hope " shows that this is not the same officer . Lucasfilm continuity manager Leland Chee officially declared Bast a casualty of the battle through the StarWars . com Message Boards . The identity of the Bast lookalike from the " Holiday Special " was never officially explained . Inconsistencies . Hasbro ' s 2006 " Death Star Briefing " action figure multipack from the " " line included a Chief Bast figure . The packaging noted that Bast was one of a handful of Imperial officers to evacuate the Death Star before its destruction . However , Leland Chee noted that the text was written before Lucasfilm had seen film evidence confirming Bast ' s death . In both the " A New Hope " and , the officer who delivers Tarkin news of the Rebels ' attack strategy during the Battle of Yavin is described as running from the room rather than remaining by Tarkin ' s side , as shown in the film . The novel " Death Star " does not show Bast during the Battle of Yavin . Instead , an operations lieutenant informs Tarkin of the thermal exhaust port danger . Cassio Tagge ' s biography from the 1998 PC program " " mistakenly states that Tagge was the one who suggested Tarkin evacuate the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin , instead of Bast . However , in another section of the multimedia guide , Bast ' s character is correctly identified , including details of his biography from the character ' s " SWCCG " card . An Imperial officer corresponding to Bast ' s role appears in the 1977 Marvel comic " " . The comic alternatively depicts Tarkin as giving the officer the order to analyze the Rebel attack and report back to him . After doing so , the officer then speaks Bast ' s line from the film , although the dialogue is significantly altered . Bast does not appear in the " Star Wars " radio drama . Instead , his role is combined with Admiral Motti , voiced by David Clennon , who orders Tarkin to leave the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin due to the Rebel attack . The 2006 video game " " shows an Imperial officer contacting Tarkin via hologram during the battle and speaking Bast ' s line from the film .