Venka Venka was a Human male officer in the Imperial Navy during the height of the Galactic Civil War . A native of the Imperial throne world of Coruscant , Venka had a spoiled childhood , raised the son of a wealthy industrialist . Venka attended one of the oldest military training academies in the Core Worlds , where his many connections helped him graduate at the top of his class . After the Empire ' s catastrophe at the Battle of Yavin , Venka was one of many non - commissioned personnel promoted to fill the void of so many officers lost in the destruction of the Death Star battlestation . Venka ' s academy connections earned him a prestigious assignment to the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , the personal flagship of the Dark Lord Darth Vader , at the young age of twenty - seven . By 3 ABY , Venka served as a lieutenant on the " Executor " bridge , under the command of Captain Firmus Piett . When Vader killed Admiral Kendal Ozzel , the " Executor " commanding officer , for incompetence during the Battle of Hoth , the " Executor " admiralty passed to Piett , although Piett denied Venka a corresponding promotion to captain , declaring that the remainder of the Hoth campaign would be a test of Venka ' s command abilities . Venka secretly detested Piett for the denial , but he nevertheless resolved to do his job the best he could . At the conclusion of the Hoth campaign , which ultimately saw the escape of the Rebel Alliance and Luke Skywalker , Vader ' s son , Piett finally granted Venka his promotion to captain . Biography . Privileged Coruscant upbringing . Venka was a Human male native of the galactic capital planet of Coruscant . He was born circa 24 BBY , in the midst of the Separatist Crisis that spawned the full - blown Clone Wars , leading to the eventual formation of the Galactic Empire . Venka was raised a spoiled child , the son of a wealthy industrialist . He learned military basics at one of the oldest and most prestigious training academies in the Core Worlds , and the many connections he enjoyed at the academy as a result of his privileged upbringing helped Venka graduate at the top of his class . The Imperial defeat at the Battle of Yavin , in which the Rebel Alliance succeeded in destroying the Empire ' s first Death Star battlestation , created a power vacuum in the Imperial ranks as well as an opportunity for career advancement . Among the many non - commissioned personnel promoted to replace the vast numbers of officers killed in the Death Star disaster was Venka , who found himself appointed to the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , the personal flagship of the Dark Lord Darth Vader and the premier command ship of the Imperial Navy , at the ripe age of twenty - seven standard years . Venka worked hard for his transfer to the " Executor " , but it was the connections from his academy days that won him his prestigious assignment . A test of command ability . Lieutenant Venka served aboard the " Executor " as a bridge officer under the command of Captain Firmus Piett . In 3 ABY , the raging Galactic Civil War led the " Executor " and the remainder of Vader ' s Star Destroyer fleet , the Imperial Death Squadron , to the Hoth system , site of the Rebel Alliance ' s secret base . At the onset of the resulting Battle of Hoth , Vader executed Admiral Kendal Ozzel , the " Executor " commanding officer , for tactical blundering and promoted Piett to admiral to lead the fleet , and much of the operation of the " Executor " subsequently fell to Venka . However , much to Venka ' s displeasure , Piett denied him a corresponding promotion to captain , saying that the remainder of the Hoth campaign would be a test of his command abilities . Loathing Piett for the slight , Venka nevertheless vowed to carry out his responsibilities the best he could . The Battle of Hoth soon led Vader ' s fleet into the Hoth asteroid field in pursuit of the fleeing Rebels Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa aboard Solo ' s starship , the " Millennium Falcon " . Disappointed with his crew ' s inability to capture the Rebel fugitives on their flight from Hoth , Vader summoned a group of six bounty hunters aboard the " Executor " to bring him the elusive " Millennium Falcon " where the Imperials had failed . Upon the bounty hunters ' arrival , Venka directed the motley group to wait for Vader on the bridge , but Piett warned Venka to watch the bounty hunters ' every move , for they were all notorious killers . Together , from a distance , Venka and Piett scrutinized each of the hunters ' career merits and the lethality each presented , particularly the notorious Boba Fett . While the hunters waited for Vader , a tense atmosphere gripped the " Executor " bridge . The " Executor " crew felt extremely uncomfortable in the bounty hunters ' presence , especially Piett , who voiced his displeasure to Venka moments later while Venka was working closely in the bridge ' s port - side crewman pit with Commander Brandei , the " Executor " TIE operations officer . However , Venka temporarily relieved Piett of his concerns with news that the " Executor " had received a priority signal from the Imperial Star Destroyer " Avenger " at the forefront of the fleet — Solo and the " Millennium Falcon " had been found . Although the " Millennium Falcon " proceeded to escape the " Avenger " and the " Executor " in the Anoat system , Vader ' s fleet caught up with the Rebels once more above the planet Bespin . With the " Executor " closing in on the " Millennium Falcon " , the responsibility fell to Venka to organize a boarding party to capture the Rebels onboard , including Luke Skywalker , Vader ' s son — the Dark Lord ' s true target . Arranging the boarding party proved to be Venka ' s last task as lieutenant , as the " Millennium Falcon " unexpectedly jumped into hyperspace to escape the " Executor " pursuit for good . Afterward , Piett , realizing how lucky he was to avoid execution at Vader ' s hands for losing the Rebels , finally promoted Venka to captain . Eventually , in the aftermath of the Hoth campaign , captaincy of the " Executor " passed from Venka to Captain Kallic , who assumed temporary command of Vader ' s flagship . Personality and traits . Lieutenant Venka secretly despised Firmus Piett for Piett ' s decision to deny Venka a promotion to captain following Piett ' s own promotion to admiral . Venka believed Piett was merely lucky to be the next in line to the " Executor " admiralty , questioning Piett ' s true abilities . Still , faced with the Hoth campaign as a test of his own command abilities , Venka buckled down and strove to perform his job the best he could . Venka had light skin , brown hair , brown eyes , and stood 1 . 8 meters tall . Skills and abilities . Venka possessed knowledge of Imperial Navy bureaucracy as well as planetary systems . He had mechanical ability in capital ship piloting and technical proficiency in capital ship repair . Equipment . During the Hoth campaign , Lieutenant Venka wore the standard - issue Imperial officer ' s uniform while serving aboard the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " . His equipment included a blaster pistol and comlink . Behind the scenes . Lieutenant Venka was first mentioned in the 1989 first edition of the West End Games sourcebook " " , written by Michael Stern for " " . The text presents Venka as an example of a standard Star Destroyer officer and provides the character with basic roleplaying statistics . The July 1996 of " Galaxy Guide 3 " includes a full profile for Venka with a detailed character background as part of a major expansion on the text by Pablo Hidalgo . However , " Galaxy Guide 3 " did not explicitly identify Venka as being any character appearing in the corresponding film . The " Lieutenant Venka " card from the April 1997 " Dagobah Limited " expansion set of the " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game was the first source to identify Venka as the film ' s Imperial officer who informs Admiral Piett that the " Executor " has received a priority signal from the Star Destroyer " Avenger " during the search for the " Millennium Falcon " . According to fan sites , actor Robin Scobey , who is credited in " The Empire Strikes Back " as one of five " Other Officers " in the Imperial Forces , played the Venka character . Venka – Kallic inconsistency . While the second edition of " Galaxy Guide 3 " explains that Venka was Piett ' s immediate successor to the " Executor " captaincy , some sources fail to take into account Venka ' s involvement . The 2002 " The New Essential Guide to Characters " and the 2008 " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " explain that Captain Kallic was Piett ' s immediate successor , with no mention of Venka . Alternatively , " The Official Star Wars Fact File 89 " and the Admiral Piett character entry in the now - defunct StarWars . com Databank do correctly identify Venka ' s relationship to Kallic in the " Executor " captaincy lineage — Kallic eventually succeeded Venka .