Piers Roddance Piers Roddance was a lieutenant and later a captain in the Imperial Military on the Outer Rim planet of Lothal . As an Imperial Military officer , Roddance took a substantial interest in Imperial Military technology and also helped to train Imperial cadet s at the Academy for Young Imperials . Roddance was known for taking a harsh stance against dissenters and opponents of the Galactic Empire ' s policies on Lothal . On one occasion , Roddance ordered his stormtrooper s to open fire on a crowd of demonstrators protesting their eviction from their farmlands . The following year , Roddance was promoted to the position of Captain . In response to the growing insurgency on Lothal , Captain Roddance took an interest in the Cadet Zare Leonis , whom he viewed as a security risk due to his association with " rebel elements . " Despite his best efforts , he failed to expose Leonis and to sabotage his academic progress . Later , Roddance committed his cadets to a planetwide security sweep launched by Governor Arihnda Pryce . After Leonis took charge during an anti - smuggling operation , Roddance , under orders from the Grand Inquisitor , reluctantly acquiesced to his colleague Lieutenant Chiron ' s recommendation to transfer Leonis for officer training at the Arkanis Academy . Biography . Imperial service . The male human Piers Roddance served the Galactic Empire as a Lieutenant on the planet Lothal . His duties on the world included inspection of the facilities belonging to Sienar Fleet Systems , which received three squadrons of TIE / ln space superiority starfighter s with new P - s4 ion engine s while he worked there . His duties also led to him observing a All Terrain Defense Pod ' s Maad - 38 heavy laser cannon shoot through medium vehicle plating . Following a raid by the Empire ' s 291st Legion against Thalassian slavers on the planet Galpos II , Roddance spent time extensively studying reports on the battle . Around six years before the Battle of Yavin , Roddance was in his mid - twenties and attended a summer party thrown by the Leonis family to celebrate their daughter Dhara Leonis being accepted into Lothal ' s Academy for Young Imperials . At the party , the Lieutenant found Dhara ' s brother Zare Leonis and his neighbor Ames Bunkle discussing a patrol of TIE fighters passing the Leonis family apartment where the celebration was being held . Roddance and the boys discussed the vehicles , and then AT - DPs before Zare spotted Arihnda Pryce , Governor of Lothal , and dragged Bunkle away to speak to her . Trouble on Lothal . Later that year in fall , Roddance returned to the Leonis household after Zare and his friends Beck Ollet and Merei Spanjaf discovered detonators placed by dissidents on Imperial surveyor droids while out on a late night walk . Following the incident , Roddance was invited into the apartment and offered tea by Zare ' s parent s , Leo and Tepha Leonis , before Zare was brought out of his room by the nanny droid Auntie Nags . The Lieutenant reassured the boy that he was not in trouble , and then took him to the Security Ministry and questioned him about the incident . Zare told Roddance everything he had seen , but left out some of the actions of Ollet , who had misdirected Imperial stormtrooper s when they arrived at the surveyor droid ' s location . In winter of that same year , Roddance was sent as an Imperial representative to meet with a group of disgruntled farmers who had been displaced from their land by Imperial mining operations . The farmers had put together a petition for Governor Pryce , and hoped to speak peacefully with Roddance , but the Lieutenant arrived at their meeting place with two AT - DPs and an Imperial Troop Transport full of stormtroopers . Emerging from the transport , he then spoke through the vehicle ' s speakers using a comlink and informed the farmers their gathering was illegal and that they would have to disperse . When the group refused to comply and sat on the ground in protest , Roddance ordered his stormtroopers forward to break up the crowd . The troopers then began stun ning some of the farmers , before opening fire with the lethal energy weapons . Later that year , Dhara disappeared during a training exercise in Lothal ' s Easthills . While the Imperial authorities claimed that she had run away , her mother Tepha and her brother Zare suspected that the Empire was lying about the circumstances behind her disappearance . The following summer , Zare enrolled at the Imperial Academy and was accepted . Roddance once again returned to the Leonis family apartment for the boy ' s acceptance party , where he stood by a railing and smiled at Zare . The young Leonis , who had witnessed Roddance ' s involvement in the attack on the farmers , forced himself to smile back . Unknown to Roddance , Zare was planning to infiltrate the Academy to discover his sister ' s whereabouts . Confronting Zare Leonis . The following year , Piers Roddance was later promoted to the rank of captain . While visiting the Academy for Young Imperials during the Fall season , Captain Roddance encountered Zare , who had just completed a grueling training exercise in the Well , a specially configured chamber that could simulate many obstacle courses . During their brief conversation , Roddance revealed that he was aware of his colleague Lieutenant Chiron had made a query into Dhara ' s disappearance at Zare ' s behest . Roddance then reiterated the official Imperial standpoint that the Empire was doing its best to find Dhara and would inform the Leonis family once they had something to report . In the meantime , he instructed Leonis and Chiron to make better use of their time rather than resorting to pointless worrying . Leonis took it as a veiled threat from the Empire to cease any inquiry into his sister ' s disappearance . Later , Leonis ' suspicions of an Imperial cover - up were confirmed when his girlfriend Merei Spanjaf discovered that Dhara had been forcibly inducted into a secret project called Project Harvester , which was based on the planet Arkanis . During the Fall season , the Academy for Young Imperials was infiltrated by a young rebel called Dev Morgan , who used his cover as a cadet to steal a decoder that enabled his rebel associates to intercept a Kyber crystal shipment . With the connivance of Leonis , Morgan and another Force - sensitive cadet named Jai Kell escaped the Imperial authorities and fled into hiding . Leonis managed to evade exposure by pretending to resist the rebel infiltrators and received a commendation for defending the Academy . In response to the attack , the Imperial authorities began interrogating cadets at the Academy about their past . During the crackdown , Captain Roddance took a personal interest in Zare Leonis . Since Leonis had associated with several known rebel sympathizers including Beck Ollet , Morgan , and Kell , Roddance had recommended that the young cadet be turned over to the Imperial Security Bureau for interrogation . However , that request was denied by " higher authorities " in the Imperial hierarchy , who appeared to regard Leonis as a model cadet . Interrupting Lieutenant Chiron ' s questioning , Roddance personally took charge of Leonis ' interrogation and questioned the young cadet about his fitness for Imperial service . Roddance started with a past incident involving Leonis ' former athletic director Janus Fhurek . Leonis had struck Fhurek after the latter had suggested his sister Dhara was a traitor . He then asked Leonis whether he knew that Dhara was planning to desert . When Leonis confirmed this was not the case , Roddance then questioned Leonis about his family ' s loyalty to the Empire . After being assured of his family ' s loyalty , the Captain asked Leonis why he had initially withdrawn his application . Zare responded by citing his difficult family circumstances and claimed that he had reapplied to restore his family name . When Roddance questioned Leonis about whether he suspected anything suspicious about the Kell and Morgan , Zare feigned ignorance of their " treachery " and reiterated his claim that he had been caught off - guard by them . Unable to disprove Leonis ' account , Roddance then turned his attention to Leonis ' old school friend Ollet , who had attempted to sabotage Imperial mining operations in the Westhills . When Roddance questioned Leonis whether he knew that Ollet was planning to murder Imperial personnel , Leonis denied any foreknowledge but conceded that he knew about Ollet ' s anti - Imperial sympathies , which were motivated by the destruction of his family ' s orchards to make way for a mine . During the interrogation , Leonis voiced empathy for Ollet ' s grievances towards the Empire . Despite his best efforts , Roddance was unable to prove any evidence of treachery or sedition on the part of Leonis . Conceding defeat , he warned the young cadet that he would be keeping a watch over him . Captain Roddance then informed Leonis that he had been selected for one final exercise , which had been arranged by " higher authorities . " Even Roddance admitted ignorance about its purpose . Shortly later , a junior officer brought a curious device — a screen with a handle on it that resembled an old fashioned datapad . After an image of a ship , a cup , and a speeder appeared on the screen , Roddance asked Leonis what was on the screen . Leonis quickly realized that the Empire was testing to see whether he was Force - sensitive like his sister Dhara . In addition to screening cadets for disloyalty and sedition , Captain Roddance was also known to have supervised at least one training exercise . This training exercise involved the cadets advancing on a position held by a high - value target . For this exercise , decommissioned droid s that had been judged unworthy of being refurbished or resold were used as the targets . Prior to the exercise , Roddance ordered his stormtroopers to shoot an old protocol droid . Roddance ' s destructive lust unnerved Leonis but was enthusiastically adopted by Cadet Nazhros Oleg , an opportunistic bully who was unpopular with his fellow cadets including Leonis . Taking Roddance ' s example , Oleg disintegrated a nanny droid during the exercise . Oleg ' s unprovoked violence earned Roddance ' s praise and the Captain began favoring the young Cadet at Leonis ' expense . Enforcing Imperial justice . Following the winter break , a further upsurge in rebel activities on Lothal led Governor Pryce to implement a planet - wide crackdown . To support the crackdown , Captain Roddance announced that the cadets of the Academy for Young Imperials would be carrying out law enforcement operations in Capital City . Their primary mission was to help ensure public safety and security by detecting illegal activity and eliminating it . He also told the cadets that questioning Imperial orders was a violation of the law itself . As part of the crackdown , the cadets questioned residents about any knowledge of illegal activities in their neighborhoods . Other activities included placing the children of fugitives into protective custody and raiding smugglers . In order to provoke Leonis into breaking the law , Roddance arrange for him to be paired up with Nazhros Oleg , whom he favored at Leonis ' expense . By the first day , Roddance ' s cadets had produced some results . Cadets Uzall and Giles had helped stormtroopers capture a fugitive weapons smuggler . The Captain also praised Cadet Oleg for collecting information about petty tax violations and treasonous rumors . When Lieutenant Chiron expressed concerns that people were still unfamiliar with the new Imperial revenue collection policies , Roddance accused the lower - ranking officer of trying to justify tax evasion . Roddance then reiterated that every violation was an attack on the social order . When Leonis questioned the need to investigate everyone who question Imperial orders , Roddance argued that disloyal thoughts would lead to disloyal statements and actions . Before dismissing the cadets , Roddance warned the cadets that he would be investigating their personal backgrounds . He also reminded them that he expected absolute loyalty to the Emperor and unquestioning devotion to the Imperial cause . Later , Lieutenant Chiron recommended that Zare Leonis be transferred to the Arkanis Academy the following autumn for officer training . This recommendation was seconded by Sergeant Currahee and approved by Commandant Aresko , who looked on Leonis favorably for his role in " saving " the Academy from rebel attackers . However , Captain Roddance , who personally disliked Leonis , opposed this transfer . In an effort to goad Leonis into breaking Imperial law , he continued to pair the cadet with Oleg ; knowing that the two disliked each other . In addition , Roddance had learned from Supply Master Yogar Lyste ' s informants that Oleg ' s two uncles , were involved in smuggling activities and operating from a warehouse in Capital City . To test the two cadets , Roddance assigned Oleg and Leonis to lead a raid on the smuggling den . For that mission , Roddance had assigned Oleg to lead stormtroopers on that raid and made Leonis his assistant . While Leonis passed the test , Oleg failed when he tried to shield his uncles from prosecution by ordering his men to release them . However , Leonis quickly took command of the situation and ordered the stormtroopers to arrest the uncles for smuggling . He also relieved Oleg of his duties . After learning about Oleg ' s transgression during the raid , Roddance arranged for Oleg to be expelled on the grounds of " associating " with criminals . Following the smuggling incident , a higher authority known as the Grand Inquisitor took an interest in Leonis ' case and sped up the cadet ' s application to the Arkanis Academy to a matter of a few days rather than the following Fall . Roddance was forced to concede defeat on this matter . The Captain was later present when the Grand Inquisitor summoned Leonis for a midnight briefing in Roddance ' s office . During the meeting , Roddance told Leonis that the previous incident yesterday was a lesson about the value of loyalty and that Oleg had been expelled for failing that test . When Leonis suggested that Oleg was unaware that his uncles were engaged in smuggling , Roddance responded that Oleg ' s associations were a weakness that the enemies of the Empire would have exploited . To serve the Empire , he reasoned that one had to purge oneself of all weaknesses . When Leonis asked whether compassion was a weakness , the Inquisitor interjected that compassion was the most insidious weakness and then turned the discussion to the topic of Leonis ' transfer to Arkanis . The Inquisitor then ordered Roddance to leave the office while he briefed Leonis . While Leonis ' transfer to Arkanis was officially reported as a reward , the Inquisitor actually intended to investigate his links to Dev Morgan and to break the young cadet . Following the execution of Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko and Taskmaster Myles Grint by the Grand Inquisitor , Roddance was made temporary head of the Academy for Young Imperials . Personality and traits . Roddance spoke with a Core Worlds accent and had pale skin and dark hair , which he wore close - cropped . Upon meeting Zare Leonis for the first time he gave the boy a handshake strong enough to make Zare wonder if the Lieutenant was trying to crush his hand . Roddance was far more interested in the future progress of Dhara and Zare at the Academy than that of the poorer and less intelligent Bunkle . When Roddance spoke with Leonis and Bunkle concerning Imperial vehicles , he scolded Bunkle for not using the proper terminology when referring to AT - DPs . The Lieutenant became embarrassed however , when Bunkle assumed he had taken part in the raid on Galpos II when in fact the Imperial had only read about it . Roddance spoke with great pride about the Galactic Emperor and the justice he brought to the galaxy , and refused to listen to the arguments of the displaced farmers he was sent to deal with , ordering violence against them when they began to peacefully protest . As Captain , Roddance appeared to take delight in flouting his authority over his subordinates . After Zare Leonis convinced Lieutenant Chiron to make an inquiry into Imperial efforts to locate his missing sister Dhara , Roddance reprimanded them for not minding their own business . When Lieutenant Chiron later suggested that the Empire should show some leniency towards Lothalian citizens who were unfamiliar with Imperial tax regulations , Roddance accused Chiron of condoning tax evasion . As a commanding officer , Roddance encouraged aggression and brutality among his subordinates . During a live - fire training exercise , Roddance took pleasure in disintegrating a decommissioned protocol droid , which had been designated as a " high - value target " . Roddance ' s disregard for droids encouraged Cadet Nazhros Oleg to disintegrate an decommissioned nanny droid in an unprovoked attack . Roddance was also firmly devoted to the Galactic Empire and believed that his men should be willing to follow all orders unquestioningly . He also equated telling lies with the crime of treason . He believed that the Imperial Military needed to be purged of recruits with conflicting interests that would displace their loyalty to the Empire . When Cadet Oleg failed to arrest his uncles for smuggling , Roddance had him expelled on the grounds that his loyalty was compromised . Behind the scenes . Piers Roddance was created for " " , a novel written by Jason Fry and published in 2014 .