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Insurrection on Culroon III

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Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Canon version of this subject.  This article covers the Legends version of this subject. 
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There are two conflicting sources for this article: "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" and The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 (VEE1-2, General Maximilian Veers).

Lucasfilm has not established a cohesive timeline regarding this subject. Editor discretion is advised.

"General, I do believe you owe me an apology."
"What I owe you, Lieutenant Veers, is a court martial for disobeying my direct…"
―Lieutenant Maximilian Veers and General Irrv, with the latter's speech cut short by a blaster-shot from Commander Grath[1]

The insurrection on Culroon III occurred on the planet Culroon III when the native Culroon ambushed the forces of the Galactic Empire. Between 19 BBY and 9 BBY, the Imperial General Irrv was charged with occupying Culroon III and planned to do so peacefully in a formal ceremony with the Culroon ruler Kloff. The plan was decried by Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers, who believed that the Culroon would not accept Imperial rule without violence. As a result, Veers was confined to the Imperial base on the planet during the ceremony, commanding a single All Terrain Armored Transport.

The ceremony was attended by the Imperial staff, a legion of stormtroopers, Kloff, and a dozen Culroon warriors. Secretly, thousands more Culroon surrounded the site. The insurrection began when Kloff received a ceremonial Naval sword from General Irrv, which the Culroon used to stab the Imperial Colonel Jeffers. The Culroon warriors then ambushed the stormtroopers, who were equipped with ceremonial weapons and unable to maintain an effective defense. The Imperial forces were saved by Veers, who ignored his orders to stay at the base and marched the AT-AT towards the ceremony site. After Veers killed many of the Culroon and the survivors fled, General Irrv began to threaten Veers with a court-martial for his disobedience until he was shot dead by stormtrooper commander Grath. The commander gave Veers a battlefield promotion to major for his heroism.

Prelude[]

Target: Culroon III[]

Planet10-SWR

Culroon III (pictured) was targeted for Imperial subjugation.

The history of the planet Culroon III was filled with various wars among[1] the tribes[3] of the native Culroon until offworld weapons were imported and used by the Culroon[1] warlord[3] Kloff to end the wars and unite the planet as its ruler. The Galactic Republic was aware of Culroon III,[1] but due to the wars[3] the planet was ignored until[1] the Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY.[4] Between that year and 9 BBY,[2] Emperor Palpatine ordered General Irrv of the Imperial Army to subjugate the planet using whatever means necessary.[1] The Emperor's orders came as standard Imperial policy involving the subjugation of worlds, as Culroon III had little to offer in terms of strategic positioning or resources. The Empire began Culroon III's occupation by building a garrison on the planet in Kloff's territory.[3]

Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers[1]—who had been deliberately transferred to a remote world by superior officers who considered him dangerous to their careers[5]—arrived with an initial research team while the Imperial garrison was built[1] over the course of several weeks. Veers' role was to protect the Imperial engineers and technicians with an All Terrain Armored Transport and an All Terrain Scout Transport, alongside[3] a stormtrooper legion under Commander Grath. In that time, Veers learned about the history of the Culroon and believed that a peaceful surrender was out of character for them.[1]

A failed ceremony[]

"We might attain this planet with a show of force and by spilling a little Culroon blood, but not with a hollow ceremony."
"Nonsense, Lieutenant! Your Academy training has made you a tad bloodthirsty, that's all. One more word Veers, and I'll have you riding a dewback on Tatooine!"
―Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers and General Irrv[1]
Veers targets

Maximilian Veers, who correctly predicted that the Culroon would not peacefully submit to Imperial rule

General Irrv sought to understand and work with the Culroon,[6] therefore planning to conduct a formal ceremony with Kloff[1] involving the exchange of a ceremonial blaster[3] and a Naval sword[1] to symbolize the peaceful transition of power. At a staff meeting, Veers scoffed at the plan, unaware that it had been the general's idea,[3] and argued with Irrv that the Empire should attack the Culroon to demonstrate their authority forcefully as opposed to holding the ceremony. Irrv dismissed Veers' concerns as a sign of bloodlust resulting from his Imperial Academy training and threatened to reassign Veers to riding a dewback on[1] the planet[4] Tatooine if he persisted with his protests. Irrv then gave Veers a demerit, and confined him to the Imperial base for the duration of the occupation.[1]

At the ceremony, Veers was given command of a single AT-AT, along with a pilot and a gunner.[1] They were forced to run non-essential maintenance[3] with the help of B-3Z technical droids. The lieutenant watched the proceedings from a shuttle docking platform above the vehicle located less than ten kilometers from the ceremony site. The Imperial garrison had two other AT-ATs that were on patrol miles away. At the ceremonial site, Irrv stood with a dozen Imperial officers—including his aide, Colonel Jeffers—all in Imperial dress uniform. They were accompanied by a legion of stormtroopers[1] equipped with underpowered and cumbersome dress-weapons[3] designed for show rather than for combat. Kloff attended the ceremony with a dozen[1] male[3] Culroon warriors in ceremonial dress. As the ceremony began, Veers observed it through a set of macrobinoculars, believing Irrv to be a fool for following through with his plan. He also noticed that Kloff had not brought the majority of his warriors to the ceremony and suspected that the warlord was plotting something. Secretly, thousands of Culroon warriors surrounded the site, wielding power weapons.[1]

The insurrection[]

ATAT-SWFB

An AT-AT (pictured) saved the Imperial forces during the insurrection.

The insurrection began when General Irrv presented Kloff with the Naval sword, which the Culroon used to calmly stab Colonel Jeffers. The Culroon warriors revealed themselves and surrounded the Imperials at the ceremony. Immediately reacting to the ambush, Veers dropped his macrobinoculars and barked orders at his subordinates to quickly activate the AT-AT.[1] They marched the walker through the jungle[3] to the ceremony site, even though Veers knew that he risked a court-martial for leaving the garrison. Irrv gave orders for the stormtroopers to form a protective circle around him, and many of them were killed as their ceremonial weapons were unable to match the Culroon's blaster power.[1]

Kloff's warriors were able to wear down the stormtroopers,[1] intending to reach the general and abduct him.[6] Just as Kloff shouted for them to continue the attack, Veers' AT-AT shook the ground as it arrived and flattened trees and bushes. Many of the Culroon panicked and fled at the site of the AT-AT, believing it to be a giant monster. Veers directed the walker's blasterfire to clear the area around the stormtroopers. Commander Grath directed the surviving stormtroopers to rally beneath the AT-AT and use its legs as cover. The remaining Culroon warriors realized that their blasters were unable to pierce the AT-AT's armor and fled. Veers ordered his gunner to fire on warriors as they retreated. Afterward, Veers smiled down at Irrv from the viewport[1] and arrogantly[3] requested an apology. Irrv began to reprimand Veers and was about to enact a court-martial before he was gunned down by[1] the superior officer on Culroon III,[7] Grath,[1] for his perceived foolishness.[8]

Aftermath[]

"Major Veers, you'll be good enough to escort us back to the garrison?"
"Of course, sir. But would you prefer to ride?"
―Commander Grath and Lieutenant Veers, after the former executed General Irrv[1]

Grath stepped over Irrv's corpse,[8] holstered his blaster, and asked Veers for an escort back to the garrison, addressing him as "Major Veers"[1] as a reward for his heroism.[9] Veers appreciated the outcome and offered Grath a ride inside the AT-AT instead.[1] The newly promoted major was subsequently posted to[8] the planet[4] Corellia,[8] and his actions during the insurrection brought him to the attention of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, who facilitated Veer's transition into commanding the ground forces of Death Squadron, Vader's personal fleet group.[6] Veers continued to rise in rank until he became a general[5] at Vader's initiative.[10]

Behind the scenes[]

Starwarssourcebook1st

The insurrection on Culroon III first appeared in "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," published in The Star Wars Sourcebook.

The insurrection on Culroon III first appeared in the short story "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," published in 1987 in West End Games's The Star Wars Sourcebook written by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith.[1] It was first identified in Veers' Databank entry on StarWars.com, published by 2001.[11] In the short story, Veers watches the beginning of the ceremony from a shuttle docking platform above the AT-AT, and although it is not explicitly stated in the prose, would have had to move into the AT-AT's cockpit to participate in the counterattack.[1] The thirty-first issue of De Agostini's The Official Star Wars Fact File magazine,[3] published around July 31, 2002,[12] states that Veers observed the ceremony and ambush from the AT-AT cockpit.[3]

The short story also describes General Irrv giving Kloff the Naval sword that he uses to stab Colonel Jeffers,[1] whereas the Fact File states that Kloff was meant to present the sword to Irrv when he used it to attack Jeffers instead.[3] The contradiction was repeated in the fourteenth issue of the revised run of The Official Star Wars Fact File,[13] which was published on April 9, 2014.[14] This article follows the short story's version of events.

Appearances[]

This article has an associated index page with page numbers and/or timestamps.

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 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 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 WEG icon2 "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (also reprinted in Second Edition)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The insurrection on Culroon III as portrayed in "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" takes place following the formation of the Galactic Empire, which took place in 19 BBY according to The New Essential Chronology. The New Essential Guide to Characters states that, following the insurrection, Maximilian Veers had a son, Zevulon Veers, and that Zevulon was a teenager in the months following the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY. Therefore, Zevulon must have been born by 9 BBY at the latest, meaning that the insurrection on Culroon III must have taken place prior to or during that year.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 (VEE1-2, General Maximilian Veers)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Essential Atlas
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 4 (Welcome On Board: General Veers, the Perfect Imperial Soldier)
  7. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 117 ("Irrv, General")
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Official Star Wars Fact File 45 (VEE3, General Maximilian Veers)
  9. ↑ The New Essential Guide to Characters
  10. ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
  11. ↑ Databank title Veers, General Maximilian in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
  12. ↑ The second issue of the De Agostini magazine The Official Star Wars Fact File was set to be published on January 9, 2002, according to Star Wars Fact Files Available in UK by Thomas on TheForce.net (December 27, 2001) (archived from the original on June 4, 2022). Additionally, the series announcement on StarWars First Look: DeAgostini Star Wars Fact Files on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link) states that the magazine was to be published weekly. Therefore, it can be calculated that The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 was published around July 31, 2002.
  13. ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 (VEE2, General Maximilian Veers)
  14. ↑ The archived snapshots of Star Wars Fact File - DeAgostini Shop UK on shop.deagostini.co.uk:80 (archived from the original on January 19, 2016) show that the 2014 re-make edition of The Official Star Wars Fact File was published weekly, starting on January 8, 2014, with a week off at the start of each year as well as a three-week delay for issue sixty-seven. Thus, it can be determined that The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 was published on April 9, 2014.
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