Toss was an Imperial captain who served as the commanding officer of IX3244-B, a Survey Team tasked with finding a construction site for the Galactic Empire's Death Star II battlestation. During Mission 759/B, the team discovered the Forest Moon of Endor, which Toss viewed as a good Death Star construction site. When Lieutenant Kiviett, Toss's second-in-command, reported the dangers of Endor's native Ewoks, Toss dismissed the latter's concerns. However, Emperor Palpatine would later commission a second Survey Team to investigate Endor upon being displeased by Toss's superficial reports.

Biography[]

Surveying Endor[]

Toss was an Imperial officer who attained the rank of captain.^[1] At a certain time following the 0 BBY Battle of Yavin,^[2] Emperor Palpatine decreed the construction of the Death Star II battlestation. Thousands of Imperial Survey Teams searched the galaxy for a place to construct the station.^[1] For Mission 759/B,^[3] Captain Toss was the commanding officer of Survey Team IX3244-B, with Lieutenant Kiviett as his second-in-command. Including Kiviett, the team consisted of at least two stormtroopers and at least three men in light armor.^[1]

Toss and his team visited several planets before their survey frigate found the Forest Moon of Endor. Orbital scans revealed that Endor was capable of sustaining Human life. Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader viewed the remote moon as a good location for a construction site, also viewing Endor's indigenous life forms as posing no threat to the Empire's presence, with Toss agreeing.^[1]

Mission 759/B and later Imperial defeat[]

When scans showed many sentient and primitive life forms on Endor, Toss ordered Kiviett and others to go to the moon and investigate as he stayed on the frigate to make a holoreport on the moon's discovery. Upon Kiviett's return to the frigate, he reported to Toss that Endor's Ewoks led them in circles and prevented them from reaching the species'^[1] Bright Tree Village.^[4] However, Toss viewed the Ewoks as no threat and also ignored Kiviett's suggestion to apply forest camouflage to all the Imperial vehicles and armor.^[1] Toss would report that Mission 759/B was a success^[3] in discovering Endor as a location for the Death Star's construction.^[1]

Ultimately, Palpatine was displeased with IX3244-B's superficial reports and sent a second Survey Team led by Sergeant Pfilbee Jhorn to Endor. Jhorn was also displeased with the report, and the failure to mention the presence of such dangers as Gorax, condor dragons, and Sanyassan Marauders made Jhorn view IX3244-B as disgraces to the Imperial Military.^[5] In 4 ABY,^[4] the remote moon's native Ewoks helped the Alliance to Restore the Republic defeat the Empire in the Battle of Endor, and a captive Kiviett reported his experience with IX3244-B to Alliance historian Voren Na'al.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

Toss considered the Ewoks' primitive weapons to be no match for stormtroopers and also viewed the remote location as perfectly meeting Vader's requirements. He further laughed at Kiviett's reported trouble with the Ewoks, believing them to be no threat and saying exterminating the species could be easily done if they proved to be too much trouble. Toss also agreed with Darth Vader that an environment already capable of supporting Human life was better than wasting time on constructing life-support systems and domes for the Death Star shield generator.^[1]

In Kiviett's mind, Toss ignored the former's report on the Ewoks being a threat, as he was in a rush to be credited with establishing the new Death Star's construction site. He likewise also ignored Kiviett's suggestion for forest camouflage added to the Imperial vehicles and armor on Endor.^[1] Correspondingly, Palpatine was not satisfied with Toss's rushed report, and Jhorn felt no differently during his assignment leading the second Survey Team.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Toss was created for "Report to Imperial Command," a short narrative story included in 1987's The Star Wars Sourcebook, authored by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith. As the in-universe author of a report on IX3244-B's survey of Endor,^[3] the character was later named in "Imperial Scouting Party," a story released in 1990 for Michael Stern's Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi.^[1]

Appearances[]

• "Report to Imperial Command" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (also reprinted in Second Edition) (First appearance)
• "Imperial Scouting Party" — Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi (also reprinted in Second Edition and The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook) (First identified as Toss)

Sources[]

• The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (Indirect mention only)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 11 (END10, The Battle of Endor)

Notes and references[]