Derdram
Corporal Derdram was a member of the Internal Security Branch in Imperial Intelligence by 3 ABY. Also serving in the Imperial Navy by the same year, Derdram was assigned to the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor with the responsibility of ensuring the physical safety of Imperial personnel from Rebel Alliance saboteurs.
Biography
Derdram[2] was a Human male who served in the Galactic Empire's Navy[1] by 3 ABY.[3] He had joined Imperial Intelligence and was assigned to the organization's Internal Security Branch[2] by 3 ABY,[3] becoming a corporal, and being assigned to the Executor,[2] an Executor-class Star Dreadnought which served as the flagship of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader.[1] Derdram's role aboard the Executor was to ensure the physical safety of Imperial personnel from Rebel Alliance saboteurs.[2]

In 3 ABY,[3] following the Battle of Hoth, Derdram was stationed in the crew pits of the command bridge aboard another Imperial starship, Captain Lorth Needa's Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Avenger, part of Vader's personal Star Destroyer fleet Death Squadron. After the Battle of Hoth, the Avenger pursued the fugitive YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon through the Hoth system. At one point during the pursuit, the Falcon caused the Avenger to almost collide with another Star Destroyer. The Avenger chased the Falcon into the Hoth asteroid field,[1] and suffered significant damage when it traveled into the asteroid field to search for the Falcon.[4] When the Avenger pursued the fugitive Falcon into the neighboring Anoat system, the freighter charged the bridge, causing Derdram and others aboard the crew pits to dive for cover[1] and setting off alarms throughout the Avenger.[5]
With the Millennium Falcon no longer detected by the Avenger's sensors, unbeknownst to Derdram and the others aboard the Avenger, the freighter had simply landed on a blind spot of the Star Destroyer's conning tower. When Darth Vader demanded an update on the pursuit of the Falcon, Needa decided to personally apologize to Vader for the evident loss of the Falcon, taking a TIE/sh VIP shuttle to the Executor and being executed by Vader for the failure. The Star Destroyers of Death Squadron ultimately dispersed into hyperspace in search of the Falcon, not knowing the freighter was still hiding on the Avenger's conning tower. The Avenger prepared to go to hyperspace in the opposite direction of the rest of the fleet, emptying its garbage into space beforehand. The Falcon took the opportunity to escape by floating alongside the garbage, evading the Imperial fleet.[1]
Personality and traits
Derdram was fair-skinned with brown hair.[1]
Equipment
During his Imperial service, Derdram wore a black Imperial Navy crewman's uniform.[1]
Behind the scenes

Derdram first appeared in the 1980 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back,[1] in footage shot on Stage 5 at Elstree Studios at some point between April 24 and May 2, 1979.[6] While not credited in the film,[1] Ralph Morse recalled playing the character.[7] Towards the end of the film, Ralph Morse and other extras from the Avenger are visible on the Executor when footage of the former Star Destroyer was reused for a later scene.[1]
The Derdram character would be named on a card in the Dagobah Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game in 1997. While the lore establishes Derdram's role aboard the Executor, the image is a still of Ralph Morse from the Avenger scenes of The Empire Strikes Back. Because of the card using an image from the Avenger scenes to represent Derdram,[2] this article only assumes Derdram is the character aboard the Avenger, and avoids making a clear link to the character on the Executor.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (First appearance)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back PhotoComic
Sources
Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Dagobah Limited (Card: Corporal Derdram) (backup link) (First identified as Derdram)
Star Wars Trading Card Game – The Empire Strikes Back (TCG) (Card: Han's Attack) (backup link) (Picture only)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Han Solo in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link) (Video clip only)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6
Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Dagobah Limited (Card: Corporal Derdram) (backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The New Essential Chronology dates the events of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to 3 ABY.
- ↑ Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization
- ↑ Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days
- ↑ An interview with Morse on ralphmorse.com (archived from the original on December 3, 2011)