An ambitious Imperial officer, Piett rose through the ranks to captain and was assigned to the Super Star Destroyer Executor, Darth Vader's flagship. There, he chafed at having to serve under the foolish, vainglorious Admiral Ozzel. When Vader strangled Ozzel, Piett was granted a battlefield promotion to admiral -- and given a grisly warning of the penalty for failure. Miraculously, he survived his time as Vader's underling, but died when a Rebel starfighter destroyed the Executor's command bridge.

Captain Needa commanded the Avenger, one of the Imperial Star Destroyers that fought for the Empire at the Battle of Hoth. His ship pursued the fleeing Millennium Falcon, but the freighter escaped under mysterious circumstances. Baffled but contrite, Needa decided it was his duty to apologize to Darth Vader for losing the ship.