Dyer/Legends
- "Freeze!"
- ―Dyer, to Han Solo
Dyer was a Human male who held the rank of colonel in the Imperial Army. As an Imperial officer, he worked closely with Tiaan Jerjerrod, an Imperial Moff who oversaw the construction of the second Death Star battlestation, while planning the defensive systems of a bunker on the Forest Moon of Endor. The bunker, which generated a shield for the unfinished orbiting Death Star, was under the supervision of Dyer, who was responsible for the defense of the installation. In 4 ABY, hoping to destroy the bunker, a group of Rebels infiltrated it and ambushed the Imperial troops stationed there. Dyer then entered the base with his men in order to capture the intruders. When Dyer confronted Rebel General Han Solo, Solo threw a toolbox filled with explosive charges at the colonel, causing him to fall over a platform railing.
Biography
Death Star defense coordination
Dyer,[5] a Human male,[2] was an Imperial officer who held the rank of colonel in the Imperial Army.[4] At some point during his service to the Galactic Empire, Dyer worked closely with Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod,[5] an Imperial militant who oversaw the construction of the second Death Star battlestation.[2] The two planned the defensive systems of an installation[5] that supplied a shield for the unfinished Death Star, which was orbiting the Forest Moon of Endor.[2]
The bunker, which was located on the Forest Moon,[2] was supervised by Dyer, who became responsible for completing the defense of the bunker.[5] Dyer and Jerjerrod would also plan the deployment of ground troops on Endor,[1] alongside Commander Igar[6] of the Imperial Tempest Force unit.[7] As part of another task, Dyer took part in commanding an elite group of troops guarding the shield generator.[8] Alongside Dyer's instruction to hold troops in reserve,[5] the group consisted of members of the 501st Legion,[9] Imperial Lieutenants Grond[10] and Renz,[11] as well as the stormtrooper Sergeant Wallen.[12]
Battle of Endor
In 4 ABY,[1] a group of Rebel Alliance members infiltrated the bunker to destroy the shield generator—which would allow the Rebels' orbiting fleet to attack the Death Star itself. In order to stop the intruders, the Imperial group entered the base.[2] Dyer was joined by Renz[11] and Grond, who became the Imperial colonel's primary aide during the Rebel attack.[13]
After the Rebel group ambushed the stationed Imperial officers inside the bunker, Dyer confronted Rebel General Han Solo, pointing a blaster pistol at him and ordering him to freeze. However, Solo threw a toolbox full of explosive charges at Dyer, which caused the colonel to fall over the railing of a catwalk and into a generator room below,[2] resulting in his apparent death. Following the event, Renz took command of the elite Imperial group.[3] After later destroying the bunker and the orbiting Death Star, the Rebels won the Battle of Endor.[2]
Personality and traits
Dyer had brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin.[2]
Skills and abilities
Dyer possessed a degree of Force-attunement[5] and Force-sensitivity.[14]
Equipment
Dyer wore the black variant of the Imperial officer's uniform. During the Battle of Endor, he wore the uniform without rank insigia plaque.[2] In his possession, he had a blaster pistol[5] and an E-11 blaster.[15]
Behind the scenes
Return of the Jedi and character development
- "I had the opportunity to play a very minor part in the film as an Imperial officer. In the Endor power station, who jumps out from behind a wall, at the power station, and holds a gun on Han Solo then gets hit with a toolbox and then falling into a generator room below. And my big line was 'Freeze!'
" - ―Ben Burtt, discussing his role in the Return of the Jedi audio commentary
Dyer first appeared as an unnamed Imperial officer in Richard Marquand's[16] May 25, 1983[17] film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the original trilogy. Ben Burtt, the sound designer for the film, was given a small role during production,[16] though his brief cameo was uncredited.[2] The interior bunker scenes took a day and a half of shooting and were filmed on Stage 8 at Elstree Studios[18] on March 23 and 24, 1982.[19]
In 1999, Dyer was featured in Endor Limited, an expansion set of the Decipher, Inc. Star Wars Customizable Card Game. His card further established his character and identified him as "Colonel Dyer,"[5] and his name was synonymously mentioned on the Lieutenant Grond, Lieutenant Renz, and Sergeant Wallen cards from the set.[10][11][12] The toy manufacturer Hasbro was originally going to include Dyer in a Return of the Jedi–themed battle pack titled "Shield Generator Assault," but he was pulled from the set prior to its release[20] in October 2008.[21]
Filming
- "The Imperial Officer they blow across the balcony in that sequence? I thought he was a stunt man, but he turned out to be a sound man!"
- ―Barrie Holland, discussing Ben Burtt's role as Dyer
In the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi, Burtt commented about his cameo as Dyer in the audio commentary.[16] The scream that Dyer makes when he is knocked off the catwalk is meant to be an attempt at replicating the Wilhelm scream, which Burtt, in his role as sound designer, attempted to include in all of the films on which he worked.[23]
Actor Barrie Holland, who portrayed Lieutenant Renz in the film, recalled that shooting the scene that featured the characters Dyer and Renz was difficult due to Director Richard Marquand having conflicting views with his assistant director and first cameraman. Shooting the scene took "several beats" in order to get it right, and Holland believed that a stunt man played Dyer before finding out that Ben Burtt portrayed the character.[22]
Appearance inconsistencies
The Dyer character was not created in the original revised third draft of Return of the Jedi's screenplay. In that version of the script, both Dyer's and Renz's lines were merged and the person who shouts "Freeze! You Rebel Scum" was identified simply as "Commander."[24] Similarly, Dyer's brief one-line dialogue was spoken by Renz in the Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi PhotoComic,[25] released April 23, 2008.[26]
Dyer was not present in the December 3, 1983 comic Return of the Jedi 3, released as part of Marvel Comics' Star Wars series. Instead, Solo was given his line.[27] The character also did not appear in the 1996 radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi, and his line was given to Solo, similarly to the Return of the Jedi 3 Marvel comic.[28] In 1997's Return of the Jedi Read-Along, one of the Imperial troops on Endor is described as saying "Freeze, you Rebel scum." Similarly to the Return of the Jedi script's third draft, as that line is a merged version of Dyer and Renz's lines, this article avoids considering the Return of the Jedi Read-Along a confirmed appearance for either the Dyer or Renz characters.[29]
Appearances
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (First appearance)
- Star Wars Manga: Return of the Jedi 3
Sources
- Star Wars: The Scripts (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Behind the Magic (Picture only)
Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Colonel Dyer) (backup link) (First identified as Dyer, simultaneous with Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Lieutenant Grond) (backup link), Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Lieutenant Renz) (backup link), and Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Sergeant Wallen) (backup link))- Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Lieutenant Grond) (backup link)
- Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Lieutenant Renz) (backup link)
- Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Endor Limited (Card: Sergeant Wallen) (backup link)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 11 (END7, END9, The Battle of Endor)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 34 (END6, Endor – Shield Generator) (Picture only)
"The Men Who Built the Empire" – Star Wars Insider 96 (Indirect mention only)- "25 Years of Return of the Jedi!" – Star Wars Insider 105
Return of the Jedi Collectible Mini Busts (Pack: Lieutenant Renz) (backup link)- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Star Wars: The Legacy Collection (Pack: Battle for Endor) (backup link not verified!)- The Essential Atlas (Indirect mention only)
- "The Men Who Built the Empire" – Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2010 (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Force Collection (Card: Colonel Dyer (★★★))
- File:StarWarsLCG Logo.png Star Wars: The Card Game – Press the Attack (Card: Colonel Dyer) (Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:ArchiveAccess/FFGTCG' not found.)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 73 (NAV1, Imperial Navy troops) (Picture only)
