Sedriss QL Sedriss QL , born Qaga Lok , was a Dark Side Adept and Military Executor of the Galactic Empire in 10 ABY . As a Force - sensitive youth , Qaga Lok had found work as a mercenary , and at some stage he killed several Imperial officers . Lok was arrested and sentenced to death for the crime , but was relieved by members of the Imperial Inquisitorius , who brought him before Galactic Emperor Palpatine himself . Palpatine was able to convince Lok to swear fealty to him , and so the Emperor began training the mercenary in the ways of the Force . To honor his new Master , Lok took the old Sith word " Sedriss " and made it his new name , keeping only the initials of his old one . When Palpatine died at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY , the disparate elements of the Galactic Empire turned on one another . Sedriss , however , and many dark side adepts like him , retreated to the Deep Core world of Byss , to await Palpatine ' s return in a new clone body . Sure enough , the Emperor was reborn , and to reward Sedriss ' loyalty , he made his apprentice Executor of the Imperial Military , leader of the Dark Side Elite , and arbiter of Operation Shadow Hand , a series of strikes against strategic non - Imperial worlds . Palpatine died yet again at the Battle of Pinnacle Base in 10 ABY , but in his absence , Sedriss remained confident that Palpatine would return once more . The Executor eliminated several dark side adepts who attempted to seize power in Palpatine ' s absence , and eventually , Sedriss ' faith was rewarded when the Emperor was reborn in yet another clone body . Palpatine was pleased with the Executor ' s fidelity , and he tasked Sedriss with the capture of the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker . While attempting to capture Skywalker on Ossus , Sedriss was killed by the ancient Jedi Master Ood Bnar , who the Executor in turn managed to kill as his final act . Biography . Recruitment . Qaga Lok , born sometime after 20 BBY , was a distant descendant of the Jedi Knight and Sith Lord Ulic Qel - Droma , who had fought in the Great Sith War thousands of years prior . He became a mercenary during the time of the Galactic Empire , and displayed an aptitude for use of the Force . At some stage , he worked for Imperial Intelligence as a gun - for - hire . Several attempts were made by organizations within the Galactic Empire to recruit him , to little avail . At some stage , Lok killed a group of Imperial officers , but was captured and sentenced to death for his crime . Before the sentence could be carried out , members of the Imperial Inquisitorius took custody of him , and brought the young man before Emperor Palpatine himself . The Emperor challenged Lok to a duel — if the mercenary won , he would be free to kill Palpatine . If he lost , he would have to swear unwavering fealty to the Emperor , or suffer an excruciatingly painful death . Lok agreed to the duel — and was instantaneously crushed to the ground through the Force by the Emperor ' s power . Accepting defeat , the mercenary conceded to honor their agreement . Despite this , Palpatine continued his attack , pressing down on Sedriss , and cracking the man ' s ribs . Lok continued to insist that he would serve the Emperor , but Palpatine only relented when the young man begged for his life . When he regained his energy , Lok knelt before the Emperor , acknowledging the more powerful wielder of the Force . Subsequently , Lok underwent extensive training under Palpatine , hoping to wield the same power his Master did . To honor his new Master , Lok took on a new name : " Sedriss QL . " Retaining only the initials of his old name , he derived the name " Sedriss " from the old Sith . Over the course of his training in the ways of the dark side of the Force , Sedriss was never told what his function was to be in the Empire , and the Emperor never discussed the subject . In addition to the other skills he acquired during his instruction , Sedriss was also trained to utilize a lightsaber . When , in 4 ABY , Palpatine died at the Battle of Endor , Sedriss , like most other dark side adepts , retreated to the Emperor ' s Deep Core world of Byss . Sedriss personally oversaw the planetary defense of the world , while the disparate elements of the Empire , lacking a unifying leader , turned on one another . Despite this , Sedriss realized that the Emperor ' s clone labs in his citadel on Byss would have to be kept safe , if Palpatine were to return . In 9 ABY , the Emperor was finally reborn in a new clone body , and as a reward for Sedriss ' loyalty , he granted his apprentice the rank of Executor , which meant that he was in total command of the Imperial Military . The Emperor also tasked his new Executor with ensuring that no ostensibly loyal Imperial agency seized control of the Empire , should he die again . To this end , he charged Sedriss with the security of his clone labs . Another task the Executor was given in the event of Palpatine ' s death was the running of Operation Shadow Hand , a series of strikes against non - Imperial worlds using the latest arms and weaponry in an attempt to place those worlds under Imperial rule . During this time , Sedriss was also placed in charge of the Dark Side Elite — a select cadre of seven warriors empowered with the dark side of the Force by Palpatine himself . The Elite were under the total control of Palpatine , although Sedriss possessed slightly more autonomy than the rest . Balmorra . When Palpatine died yet again at the Battle of Pinnacle Base in 10 ABY , Sedriss , commanding the Dark Side Elite , initiated Operation Shadow Hand , and launched a series of strikes against worlds close to the Core Worlds . The Executor also stayed loyal to the dead Emperor , and remained faithful that Palpatine would return . In Bast Castle on Vjun , a holding of the late Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader , Sedriss had the Dark Side Elite prepare for Palpatine ' s rebirth . While there , Sedriss had a large statue of Vader erected . While preparations were underway , one of the Dark Side Elite , Kam Solusar , defected to the enemy New Republic , following an encounter with the Jedi Luke Skywalker . Despite the loss , Sedriss remained undaunted . To command his ground forces in Operation Shadow Hand , the Executor appointed General Maximilian Veers , a man who he hated , but possessed undeniable battlefield prowess . Despite Veers ' expanded duty , Sedriss demoted him to captain for the task . One of the strikes encompassed in Operation Shadow Hand garnered Sedriss ' personal attention — the disciplining of Balmorra , a world located on the fringes of the Core Worlds . Balmorra was where the Empire ' s All Terrain Scout Transports had been manufactured , and with the news of Palpatine ' s death at Pinnacle Base , Governor Beltane , the planet ' s leader , had begun arming the New Republic . With fellow Dark Side Elite members Vill Goir and Krdys Mordi at his side , Sedriss traveled to Balmorra on the destroyer " Avenger " . Upon arrival , Goir had the ship and its accompanying fleet hold its fire and instead deploy troops for ground assault . On the " Avenger " viewscreen , Sedriss was directly contacted by Beltane , who demanded to know what the Executor meant in bringing a fleet to Balmorra . Sedriss , however , saw through Beltane ' s facade , and gave the governor the opportunity to surrender his operations and be executed . If Beltane would not comply , Sedriss claimed he would attack Balmorra . The governor retorted , claiming that he was still providing the Empire with their most advanced armor . Mordi reminded Sedriss that Balmorra was now producing cutting - edge battle droids — the SD - 10 . The Executor was aware of this , however , and he was confident that the power of the dark side would allow the Imperials to overcome any resistance Beltane could offer . As the Executor landed his troops , he informed Beltane that he would accept the governor ' s surrender . Beltane refused , as he relished the chance to fight off an Imperial invasion with his new war droids . Sedriss had his forces under the command of Captain Veers , move into the plains around Balmorra ' s capital , Bin Prime , in the hopes of luring out the governor ' s forces . As the Executor predicted , Beltane deployed his SD - 10 battle droids . Sedriss ' stormtrooper forces were slaughtered by the thousands , and his year - old SD - 9 battle droids were easily outflanked by the newer models . Satisfied that Beltane had deployed his full strength , Sedriss had Mordi give the order for the Imperial troops to pull back . The " Avenger " was carrying a complement of a new type of starfighter , the Shadow Droid , devised by one of Palpatine ' s top engineers , Umak Leth . Sedriss deployed the fighters , and sent them down to Balmorra , where they decimated the SD - 10s . The governor was not beaten yet , though , and he deployed a brand new type of war droid , unknown to the forces of the Empire : the X - 1 Viper . The X - 1 engaged Sedriss ' Shadow Droids , and Captain Veers was killed in the ensuing combat . Sedriss was surprised at the turn of events , and demanded that he be put back in contact with Beltane . Although the Executor could have turned his fleet ' s guns on Balmorra , he chose to admit that Beltane had won the battle on the planet surface , and inquired as to what the governor wanted in exchange for the X - 1 . Beltane wanted Balmorra ' s freedom , and claimed that the Galactic Empire could simply buy the munitions from the planet on a contract basis , provided that the governor agree to the contract . Sedriss was outraged , claiming that the Emperor did not buy weapons from free planets , but Beltane retorted , reminding the Executor that Palpatine was dead . Conceding the point , Sedriss prepared to send down representatives to the planet to negotiate terms . Goir and Mordi wanted to have the planet leveled , but Sedriss refused , as he needed Beltane ' s weapons as soon as possible . He explained , though , that once he had the war droids and the men who designed them , he would destroy Balmorra . Return of the Emperor . Meanwhile , back at the Emperor ' s Citadel on Byss , rumors had begun to circulate amongst the dark side adepts that Palpatine would not take on another clone body . The same adepts that had spread the rumors suggested that Sedriss should be executed for his failure to subjugate Balmorra . Sedriss and four other members of the Dark Side Elite raced back to Byss in their I - 7 Howlrunner . Landing at the Emperor ' s Citadel , Sedriss entered the Emperor ' s cloning laboratory , to find most of Palpatine ' s clone bodies destroyed . Present were the perpetrators — adepts Nefta and Sa - Di . Nefta immediately confronted Sedriss about his failure at Balmorra , and the two adepts attempted to justify their destruction of the clone bodies . The Executor , however , would hear none of it , and quickly engaged Nefta in a duel . In no time , he swiftly struck the adept down , before slaying Sa - Di . At that moment , a lone figure entered the doorway to the lab — Emperor Palpatine , returned in a younger clone body once more . Upon seeing his reborn Master , Sedriss fell to his knee , and told the Emperor that he had eliminated the last of the unfaithful adepts . Palpatine was satisfied , but did not waste time — he ordered Sedriss to bring him the pregnant Jedi Leia Organa Solo before she gave birth to her third child , as he hoped to possess the child should his current new clone body fail him . He also ordered Sedriss to array the entire Imperial military against the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker , Organa Solo ' s brother , who had been a unrelenting and persistent enemy of Palpatine for many years . The Emperor told the Executor that he would deal with the armed forces of the New Republic himself . Sedriss decided to send Dark Side Elite members Zasm Katth and Baddon Fass to capture Organa Solo , but they were killed while attempting to do so , and the Star Destroyer " Invincible " was lost . Palpatine was less than pleased , and suggested to Sedriss that the Executor be executed for his failure . Sedriss quickly dismissed the issue of Katth and Fass , claiming that he had Skywalker and the Jedi ' s companion , former Dark Side Elite member Kam Solusar . Palpatine knew this to be a lie , but Sedriss told the Emperor that one of his probe droids had tracked Skywalker and Solusar to the world of Ossus , that had served as a headquarters for the Jedi thousands of years prior . Palpatine conjectured that Skywalker was there to investigate the past of the Jedi , in an attempt to revive them to their former strength . Realizing that Skywalker could not be permitted to do so , Palpatine insisted that the Jedi be stopped , but Sedriss was already prepared — the probe droid was authorized to kill Skywalker and Solusar as soon as they arrived on Ossus . Palpatine , however , vehemently opposed such a course of action , and ordered his Executor to travel to Ossus and personally capture Skywalker . The Emperor promised the Executor a great deal of power if he succeeded , but only " madness beyond death " should he fail . Death on Ossus . Sedriss gave the order for the probe droid to stand down , but the message was lost in hyperspace static . The droid engaged Skywalker and Solusar , but they were able to destroy it without being harmed themselves . Meanwhile , the Executor researched Ossus , specifically the legends of the Jedi who had survived its devastation thousands of years prior . In his research , however , Sedriss learned of the primitive Ysanna tribesmen and decided he could enlist them as his servants . The Executor then made his way to Ossus aboard the Imperial hunter " Scourge One " . Skywalker and Solusar were located near some old Jedi ruins , in the company of several Ysanna tribesmen . Dark trooper squads were deployed to engage the Ysanna , and Sedriss hoped they would clear the way to an engagement with Skywalker and Solusar . He and Goir , who had accompanied him , watched on as the Jedi moved to engage the dark troopers . Within twenty minutes , the Imperial troopers had all been killed . Sedriss observed that Skywalker had been weakened by the battle , however , and he moved in with Goir to attack the Jedi . The pair of them utilized Force choke against their adversaries , and while Solusar felt the effects of the attack , Skywalker was able to block it . Angered by the Jedi ' s taunts , Sedriss ordered Goir to cleave Skywalker and Solusar ' s fighting arms , as they were to be taken alive . Lightsabers at the ready , the two dark side adepts engaged the two Jedi . Goir was sliced in two by Solusar , and Sedriss was sent hurtling back by a Force push from Skywalker . Disarmed , and with his back against a tree , Sedriss took one of the female Ysanna natives , Jem , hostage . He threatened to destroy Jem with the power of the dark side , but the native tried to use the Force against him . Surmising that Skywalker hoped to take the Force - adept Ysanna and train them as Jedi , the Executor declared that he would take Jem back to Byss and turn her to the dark side . He also stated that he would bring Solusar back with him , but the turncoat Dark Side Elite member adamantly refused . At that moment , the tree — actually the Neti Jedi Master Ood Bnar , who had been in a form of hibernation since the Great Sith War — reawakened , and used his tendrils to grasp and hold Sedriss . Sedriss sensed that he was now engaged in his final battle . Using all his power , he called down energy from the planet ' s charged atmosphere , and used it to attack Bnar . The Executor still held on to Jem , but Skywalker was able to pull her free just as Bnar called upon the energy of the planet beneath him to obliterate both Sedriss and himself . In the wake of Sedriss ' death on Ossus , the Emperor appointed Xecr Nist as the new Executor . Personality and traits . During his youth , Qaga Lok was found by Imperial authorities to be insolent , insubordinate , and overtly violent . Upon meeting him , Emperor Palpatine deduced that he could not respect anyone he could easily kill . When Lok was defeated by Palpatine , he pledged his unfaltering loyalty to the Emperor . He respected his Master enough to change his name to " Sedriss QL , " in honor of Palpatine . Sedriss was devoted to his liege , and would instantaneously drop to his knee upon sight of the Emperor . Palpatine was not always pleased with Sedriss ' performance as Executor , but Sedriss was able to save himself by promising the Emperor results . Even when out of the Emperor ' s presence , Sedriss displayed a great amount of fealty to Palpatine , vowing to avenge himself on those responsible for the Emperor ' s numerous deaths . Sedriss also spoke highly of Palpatine ' s ability to grant considerable power to others . Sedriss was pragmatic enough to not resort to total destruction of a valuable world such as Balmorra — although he disliked Governor Beltane , he realized that it would not be practical to have the planet bombarded , as many useful and valuable factories would be obliterated . Although Sedriss was irate at Beltane ' s victory in their initial engagement , the Executor saw men like the governor to be insignificant , compared to adversaries such as Luke Skywalker . Sedriss commanded what he thought to be considerable foresight as a military commander , and he was willing to sacrifice the lives of his men if it meant he would capture a valuable world such as Balmorra with its facilities intact . When faced with an eventuality he did not prepare for , though , Sedriss did not retaliate in rage , and instead chose to negotiate with Governor Beltane . The Executor was confident that the power of the dark side of the Force would aid him in battle , and that it would overcome the state - of - the - art weaponry he and his fellow Dark Side Elite encountered . He also credited the dark side with his superior combat abilities when dueling the dark side adept Nefta . When in battle , Sedriss would not hesitate to strike down an opponent , even if they were not prepared to defend themselves . When defeated by Skywalker , Sedriss became desperate , using an innocent bystander as a hostage . Powers and abilities . After Darth Vader , Executor Sedriss was considered to be one of the strongest of Emperor Palpatine ' s students . In spite of this , Palpatine regarded Sedriss as only moderate in his ability to wield to the Force , and decided not to train the Executor as a Sith apprentice . Sedriss was skilled in the use of a lightsaber , as he quickly out - fenced Nefta , and deftly killed Sa - Di shortly thereafter . He was also able to utilize Force choke , but his powers were effortlessly deflected by the more powerful Jedi , Luke Skywalker . The Jedi bested Sedriss in combat , utilizing Force push against the Executor effectively . In his final hour , Sedriss hurled his mind deep into the depths of the dark side of the Force , and was able to call upon the energy of Ossus ' charged atmosphere to destroy Ood Bnar . Behind the scenes . The character of Sedriss made his first appearance in " Lightsider " , then in " Dark Empire II " , both written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy ( though Lightsider was never published , making " Dark Empire II " the fans ' first exposure to the character ) . The character was later portrayed by Jim Ward in the audio drama adaptation of " Dark Empire II " . Despite several mentions in numerous " Star Wars " sourcebooks , the character has not appeared in any other narrative works . Sedriss was given a birth name " Qaga Lok " in Lightsider , which was later used in the of the 85th issue of " The Official Star Wars Fact File " . This detail did not feature in the version of issue 85 . The name " Sedriss QL " had previously appeared in a special - edition version of issue # 1 of " Dark Empire II " , published by Hero magazine . The name was later used in " Jedi Academy Training Manual " . Audio drama inconsistencies . The audio drama of " Dark Empire II " differs from the original comic " Dark Empire II " in several aspects apart from general dialog changes , in regards to Sedriss ' story . During the Battle of Balmorra , Beltane has his planetary defenses fire on Sedriss ' fleet , which is what prompts the Executor to land ground troops . Later , when Palpatine returns , Sedriss only encounters and battles Sa - Di , and does not see that the Emperor ' s clones have been destroyed firsthand . Another minor change occurs during the battle on Ossus , wherein Sedriss is bested by Skywalker in the lightsaber duel , rather than being pushed back up against Ood Bnar by the Force . These presentations of events may be canon , but for the benefit of the article , they are represented in the biography as told in the comic .