Romas Navander/Legends

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"General, there's a fleet of Star Destroyers coming out of hyperspace in Sector Four."
―Romas Navander, to General Carlist Rieekan[2]

Romas "Lock" Navander was a Human male lieutenant of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. Originally from the planet Corellia, Navander graduated from the Imperial Academy before defecting to the Rebel Alliance. Navander was eventually stationed at Echo Base, the hidden Alliance High Command headquarters on the remote ice planet Hoth. Under the authority of General Carlist Rieekan, Navander worked as a tech communications officer, helping to relay orders to Rebel starships.

Navander first detected the arrival of the Dark Lord Darth Vader's Imperial Death Squadron in the Hoth system just prior to the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, reporting his finding to Rieekan as Echo Base prepared to evacuate in the face of an imminent Imperial ground assault. During the Hoth battle, Navander publicly announced to Echo Base the safe escape of the first Rebel evacuation transport before personally helping to escort four more transports past the Imperial blockade in Hoth's orbit in the cockpit of a BTL Y-wing starfighter. When he turned back to help escort a fifth transport, a pair of TIE fighters destroyed his Y-wing. Although Navander safely ejected, he was captured by a nearby Star Destroyer.

Biography

Echo Base communications officer

"Reroute all power to the energy shield."
―General Carlist Rieekan, to Romas Navander, in response to Death Squadron's arrival in the Hoth system[2]
Romas Navander (far right), flanking General Carlist Rieekan, looks on as Echo Base learns of the Imperial probe droid.

Romas "Lock" Navander was a Human male native of the planet Corellia,[1] in the Core Worlds.[3] Shortly after graduating from the Imperial Academy, Navander, a skilled pilot, defected from Imperial service and joined the revolutionary Alliance to Restore the Republic.[1] As a lieutenant, he served the Rebellion at the Alliance High Command's secret Echo Base[4] on the remote ice planet Hoth from the facility's command center. Working under the direction of General Carlist Rieekan,[2] commander of all Alliance forces in the Hoth system,[5] Navander played an important role as tech communications officer,[1] responsible for coordinating and relaying orders[4] to nearby Rebel starships in space.[1] In that capacity, he worked closely with Commander Tamizander Rey,[4] Echo Base's senior deck officer, who oversaw docking bay operations.[6]

Navander joined Rieekan in Echo Base's command center[2] in 3 ABY[7] to listen in on a conversation via communicator between Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa concerning the presence of an Imperial Viper probe droid outside the base. Realizing that the Empire had discovered the base's existence, Rieekan reluctantly remarked to Navander that the Alliance had best begin to evacuate from Hoth.[2]

Shortly thereafter, Navander, working in the command center, detected the arrival of[2] Death Squadron,[4] the Dark Lord[8] Darth Vader's personal fleet of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, led by his flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor,[3] in the Hoth system.[2] After urgently gesturing for Rieekan to look at his computer console,[9] Navander reported to the general the imminent Imperial threat bearing down on the planet. In response, Rieekan ordered Navander to reroute the base's power supply to the Rebels' energy shield in defense of a potential orbital bombardment.[2]

Battle of Hoth

"The first transport is away. The first transport is away."
―Romas Navander, during the Battle of Hoth — (audio) Listen (file info)[2]
With General Rieekan monitoring, Romas Navander detects the arrival of Death Squadron in the Hoth system.

During the early stages of the Rebels' subsequent evacuation of Hoth, Navander declared to the base over the central public address system that the facility had gone to full alert status after sensors had indicated Imperial landings beyond Echo Base's perimeter. He also announced the departure of Rogue Group's snowspeeders en route to meet the Imperial invasion force. Moments later,[10] Navander reported to the base that the first Rebel evacuation transport to depart the planet,[4] the Quantum Storm,[11] had safely escaped the system[4] after slipping through the Imperial blockade in Hoth's orbit under the protective fire of Echo Base's planetary ion cannon.[2]

From there, Navander took command of one of the base's BTL Y-wing starfighters and helped to escort four more transports to the hyperspace jump point,[4] where they would proceed to the Rebels' predetermined rendezvous point.[2] However, when Navander turned back to escort a fifth transport, a pair of Imperial TIE fighters destroyed his Y-wing. Navander safely ejected from his craft, but he was captured by a nearby Star Destroyer.[4]

Personality and traits

Romas "Lock" Navander was one[1] of many[12] skilled Corellian pilots.[1] After graduating from the Imperial Academy, Navander joined the Rebellion, where his piloting abilities were put to good use in the Alliance's evacuation from Hoth. Navander personally helped to escort four transports to safety in the cockpit of a Y-wing starfighter.[4]

Navander had brown hair that was graying with age, blue eyes, and light skin.[2]

Equipment

During his service time at Echo Base, Navander wore the standard-issue cold-weather fatigues of Hoth personnel, including the uniform's padded vest, lightweight tunic, leggings, and boots. While working at his control console when he detected the arrival of the Imperial fleet in the Hoth system, Navander wore gloves and a headset.[2]

Behind the scenes

Notable appearances

Romas Navander appears in the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back as the Echo Base controller who first detects the presence of Darth Vader's Star Destroyers in the Hoth system just prior to the Battle of Hoth.[2] Navander's first appearance came in The Empire Strikes Back novelization,[13] just prior to the film's release.[14] The character's name, backstory, and role in the film were first established on the "Romas 'Lock' Navander" card from the November 1996 Hoth Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.[15]

Actor discrepancy

Actor Burnell Tucker, who portrayed Romas Navander, also played Rebel character Del Goren in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

The 2004 article Who's Who in Echo Base, written by Josh Radke for Star Wars Insider 74, claims that Romas Navander is played by actor Jerry Harte,[4] who is credited in The Empire Strikes Back as "Head Controller" in the Rebel Forces.[2] The article also notes that Harte would go on to play the character Professor Stanton in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a part of Lucasfilm's other popular movie franchise.[4]

The actor who portrays Navander in The Empire Strikes Back is, in fact, Burnell Tucker,[16] who is credited in the film as one of several "Other Officers" in the Rebel Forces.[2] Tucker also plays the character Wyron Serper,[16] another Echo Base controller in The Empire Strikes Back,[4] as well as the Rebel character Del Goren in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Meanwhile, Harte plays another Echo Base controller who was not given a name in Star Wars Legends.[16] This character appears as the lone male controller still in the Echo Base command center when Princess Leia issues the final evacuation code signal at the end of the Battle of Hoth.[2]

Tucker and Harte appear together in The Empire Strikes Back, surrounding General Rieekan actor Bruce Boa, during the scene in which Han Solo communicates with Princess Leia to report that he has destroyed the Imperial probe droid. In this scene, seen here, Harte is facing camera, while Tucker is standing over Boa's left shoulder.[2]

Character development and inconsistencies

The article Who's Who in Echo Base expands upon Navander's role at the Battle of Hoth based on the character's original Star Wars Customizable Card Game information, including identifying him as the P.A. voice that announces the successful evacuation of the first transport during the battle.[4] However, actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars original trilogy, actually voices the announcement in the film.[17]

A Star Wars: Rebel Assault cutscene mirrors film footage of General Rieekan and Romas Navander from The Empire Strikes Back.

Navander's scene in which he reports the arrival of the Imperial fleet to General Rieekan appears in the film and The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization,[2][18] but it is not included in the original The Empire Strikes Back novelization or radio drama.[13][19] The young readers novel Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, adapted by Larry Weinberg, includes an Echo Base loudspeaker address announcing, "Imperial Star Destroyers coming out of hyperspace in Sector Four!", clearly inspired from the character's film dialogue. However, this announcement is not necessarily attributable to the Navander character.[20] Additionally, the radio drama includes the announcement of the first evacuation transport's escape as well as an additional line attributable to Navander announcing the launch of Rogue Group at the advent of the Battle of Hoth.[19]

The video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided rendered an appearance of Navander in its 2008 Battle of Hoth instance, in which players recreate the iconic battle from The Empire Strikes Back. Along with several other of the battle's key players, Navander appears in a comm window to announce the character's line from the film: "The first transport is away! The first transport is away!"[21]

The Official Star Wars Fact File 12 includes a picture insert of Navander from The Empire Strikes Back scene in which he detects the arrival of the Imperial fleet. However, the character in this picture is misidentified as Wyron Serper.[22]

The 1993 LucasArts video game Star Wars: Rebel Assault features a cutscene that reuses footage of Navander and Rieekan from The Empire Strikes Back to depict two Rebel characters in a similar setting. The cutscene replaces the heads of Navander and Rieekan with those of a commander and his communications officer.[23]

Appearances

Sources

Explore all of Wookieepedia's audio files for this article subject.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 363 ("Navander, Lieutenant Romas 'Lock'")
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Essential Atlas
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "Who's Who in Echo Base" – Star Wars Insider 74
  5. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 100 ("Rieekan, General Carlist")
  6. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 98 ("Rey, Tamizander")
  7. ↑ The New Essential Chronology dates the events of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to 3 ABY.
  8. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 288–290 ("Vader, Darth")
  9. ↑ Star Wars: Behind the Magic
  10. ↑ The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization
  11. ↑ Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition
  12. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 143 ("Corellian system")
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization
  14. ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
  15. ↑  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Hoth Limited (Card: Romas "Lock" Navander) (backup link)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 This assertion is based on a visual comparison of actors Burnell Tucker and Jerry Harte, using pictures of both men in their respective various acting roles (see: Burnell Tucker and Jerry Harte). Comparing both actors demonstrates that Tucker played Rebel Alliance character Del Goren in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Echo Base controllers Romas Navander and Wyron Serper in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, and that Harte played an unnamed Rebel officer in The Empire Strikes Back. Therefore, the claim from the Star Wars Insider 74 article Who's Who in Echo Base that Harte played Navander is incorrect.
  17. ↑ "The Empire Strikes Fact!" – Star Wars Insider 119
  18. ↑ Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back radio drama
  20. ↑ Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back book
  21. ↑ File:SWG logo sm.png Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
  22. ↑ Non-Canon Ref
  23. ↑ Star Wars: Rebel Assault
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