Bursk Bursk was a Human male snowtrooper sergeant major in the Galactic Empire ' s Stormtrooper Corps . By 3 ABY , Bursk was one of Imperial Supreme Commander Darth Vader ' s most seasoned troops . He took part in the Battle of Hoth that year as the leader of one of the most brutal snowtrooper platoons , participating in the assault on the Alliance to Restore the Republic ' s base on the planet Hoth . Bursk was among the snowtroopers who invaded the base itself , and was tricked into entering a pen containing some of the base ' s captured wampas when the 3PO - series protocol droid C - 3PO tore off a warning label on the door . Bursk and the rest of the troopers were then attacked and killed by the wampas . Biography . The Human male Bursk served as a stormtrooper in the Galactic Empire ' s Stormtrooper Corps during the Galactic Civil War , a conflict between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic . He attained the rank of sergeant major by 3 ABY . By that time , Bursk had become one of the most seasoned and well - trained troops serving the Imperial Supreme Commander , Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader . That year , the Empire discovered a hidden base belonging to the Alliance on the planet Hoth . The discovery led to the Battle of Hoth , which included a ground assault on the base itself . Bursk took part in the assault as part of the Imperial Blizzard Force , and was the leader of one of the most brutal snowtrooper platoons , coordinating attacks and managing troop movements . As the Alliance frantically attempted to escape their headquarters , Bursk was among the snowtroopers who reached the base . He gave pursuit , his helmet - mounted sensors ready to catch any unsuspecting Rebels . He was part of a group of troopers who ran into a hallway containing a heavily shielded pen where the Alliance had previously quarantined the planet ' s native carnivorous predatory wampas . The Alliance ' s 3PO - series protocol droid C - 3PO , who was attempting to escape the Imperial pursuit , tore off a warning label on the door before disappearing around another bend in the corridor . The group reached the doors , and its leader , Sergeant Narthax , punched the controls to its control panel . The door slid open , and the troopers all filed into the room with military efficiency . They were then attacked and killed by the wampas held within . When Darth Vader reached the room , he saw a cave - in exposing the room to Hoth ' s daytime sun , and the bodies of Bursk and the other troops under piles of blood - stained snow . Personality and traits . Bursk was one of Darth Vader ' s most seasoned and well - trained troops by 3 ABY . He was also a cunning planner . When the door to the pen was opened , Bursk and the rest of his group filed in with military efficiency , not knowing the room in fact contained the wampas that would ultimately kill them . He wore full snowtrooper armor , and was armed with an E - 11 blaster rifle . Behind the scenes . Bursk first appeared in a deleted scene for the 1980 film , during which he was part of a group of snowtroopers who were tricked into entering a wampa pen after C - 3PO tore off the door ' s warning label , and were attacked by the wampas within . That deleted scene was later canon ized in the short story " One Step Ahead " , published in of " " . In fall of 1998 , that deleted scene was included , along with photos , in the CD - ROM " " . In November of that year , Bursk was first identified by name , and given a brief backstory , in a card for the Special Edition Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game . In 2011 , the deleted scene with the snowtroopers was officially released as part of the " " set .