Admiral Piett

Admiral Piett is a character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Aside from Darth Vader, he is the only Imperial officer to return in both movies. 
Piett manages to escape Vader's wrath and to some fans, a sort of everyman who is stuck in a terrible job and is doing his best to stay alive and out of trouble. Piett is perhaps a nod to the reality that many evil empires are staffed by people following orders and collecting a paycheck, something that makes their crimes not less, but perhaps even more horrifying, in its mundane ordinariness.
==Fan Comments==
===1980===
===1995===
At least one fan saw Admiral Piett as a calm voice of reason in a fanfic trend she couldn't abide: 
==Piett's Role in a Controversy==
Hoth Admiral was a Star Wars fic by Barbara T and Sylvia Stevens. It featured Piett and an original male character named Serzho Alyandi as lovers. The story was non-explicit. 
This story was created at a time when Lucasfilm was trying to keep the lid on some themes in fanfiction. See Open Letter to Star Wars Zine Publishers by Maureen Garrett for more context on this topic.
As per Lucas' request, in the summer of 1981, the editor of the zine "Imperial Entanglements" (Karen Osman) submitted, "Hoth Admiral," a non-explicit slash story to Lucasfilm for their review and consideration. 
In September 1981, Maureen Garrett and Lucasfilm's legal counsel rejected the story, saying:
The editor of "Imperial Entanglements," Karen Osman, wrote a letter of protest directly to Lucasfilm. In the letter, she explained that the proposed story contained no physical expressions of any kind of sexual activity and lacked reference to anatomical details. By excluding non-explicit homosexual fan fiction while allowing non-explicit heterosexual fanfiction, Lucasfilm would be adopting a prejudicial and offensive attitude towards gays and lesbians. She also took issue with the concept that "even Imperial crew members" must be allowed to maintain their "innocence" by pointing out that these same Imperial crew members had committed acts of genocide, mutilation and torture. And by setting "homosexual expressions of love" in opposition to "innocence" Lucasfilm would be implying that homosexuality was morally undesirable. The letter ended with the editor somewhat wryly commenting that previously published slash fan fiction in the Star Wars universe had not harmed the Star Wars brand. An official policy of prejudice against an organized minority might, however. The editor then distributed the two letters amongst Star Wars fanzine publishers. editor's letter to Lucasfilm, undated, submitted by Barbara T. 
A month passed, and soon second-hand reports began circulating that perhaps Lucasfilm might be reconsidering their stance against slash fan fiction. On October 21, 1981 one of the authors of "Hoth Admiral," (Barbara T) wrote directly to Maureen Garrett seeking confirmation of the rumors:
The response was brief and to the point: 
 
==Fanworks==
===The Executor Cycle===
This is the fic series featuring Piett and Serzho Alyandi (an original character). They are a same sex couple to which Lucasfilm gave the green light. See The Executor Cycle.
In 1983, a fan commented: 
==Other Fanworks==
* Revenge of the Native by eluki bes shahar in (an RPF that includes Piett) (Crossed Sabers #1) (1981)
* Transfer by Ann Wilson (The Sith Yearbook #1) (1981)
* Shadow on the Dark Side by Pat Spath and Ann Wilson (Antithesis #19) (1982)
* With the Admiral's Leave by Karen Osman (Organia) (1982)
* Hide and Seek, story by Karen Osman (Alderaani Imperative) (1983)
* The Sith Yearbook by Susan Henderson (1983)
* ThousandWorlds novel "Counterpoint: The Battle for Rynan" by Maggie Nowakowska (Skywalker #5) (1983)
* Valley of the Shadow, part one by Pat Molitor ("Following the death of his father in the battle over Endor, Jorann Piett finds himself besieged by nightmares, and his quest to explain it takes him first to Luke Skywalker, then, ultimately, to the world of the Sith, where a terrible secret awaits him...") (Shadowstar #14) 1984)
 
* Incident at Nijmegen by Joyce Yasner (Dark Master Dark Servant #2) (1998) (Note: the website gets both the issue and the date of publication wrong.)
* Illaru by S.M. Black (Alliance and Empire #2)
* Children of the Sith by T.R. deMaiffe
==Meta and Further Reading==
* by David Sims (December 12, 2015)
* The Old Republic Reader #7 contains an interview with Ken Colley who played Admiral Piett (1984)
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Star Wars Characters
Category:Star Wars: Original Trilogy
Category:Star Wars: Expanded Universe
Category:Star Wars Legends