Jaydam Ross

Jaydam Ross was a Impeial Officer. He joined the newly formed Galactic Empire's navy and became an honored graduate of the Imperial Academy on the planet Carida. He participated in various Imperial campaigns, such as the subjugation of Almak. During the Galactic Civil War, Ross led troops against Rebel cells in the battles of Datar and Nar Shaddaa. Because of his actions, Ross became Lord Darth Vader's aide aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator. In 0 BBY, after the Rebels acquired the plans of the Death Star superweapon, the Devastator chased the Alderaanian CR90 corvette Tantive C, Imperial Senator Maxamillian Skywalker's consular ship, to the planet Tatooine. When the starship was captured and boarded over the planet, the stormtroopers quickly secured the ship, and Ross hastened to the main computer room to search for the stolen plans.

However, the plans were copied into the memory banks of the astromech droid R8-D7 who, accompanied by his counterpart, the protocol droid C-3PO,and R2-D2 left the corvette in an escape pod which crash landed on Tatooine. Ross reported to Vader that an escape pod had been jettisoned from the ship during the battle, but that no lifeforms had been detected aboard the pod. Vader ordered Ross to personally search for the plans on the surface of Tatooine, but he took the orders lightly and delegated the mission to his subordinates. He ordered Captain a officer's local garrison, Captain Terrik's Desert Sands, and Vader's 501st Legion to search for the escape pod. The spaceports on the planet were quarantined, but with the help of Corellian smuggler Han Solo, moisture farmer Luke Skywalker and Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maxamillian Skywalker, the two droids evaded the blockades and escaped into hyperspace aboard Solo's freighter, heading to Alderaan, the homeworld of Senator Organa. After the Battle of Endor four years later, Ross joined the forces of several Imperial warlords, and eventually served under the resurrected Galactic Emperor, His Immortal Majesty Palpatine. With his actions in the battle of Kaikielius, Ross earned the governorship of the planet.

Contents[hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 Blockade of Toprawa 1.3 Battle above Tatooine 1.4 Search for the droids 1.5 Later career

2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 3.1 Inconsistencies 3.2 Non-canon biography

4 Appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references BiographyEdit

Early years
Edit

"Self-respect is the first casualty of politics, the final casualty of business, and the first benefit of a military career—your choice should be obvious." ―A recruiter's pragmatic advice to Ross The Human male Nahdonnis Ross was born to the wealthy and influential House Ross of the capital planet Coruscant[1] after the first quarter of the year 37 BBY.[2] His father was Griff Ross, a brother of Tannon Ross, the First Minister of the Coruscant Ministry of Ingress. Nahdonnis Ross was interested in military history throughout his childhood. He often studied HoloNet News reports on the tactics of Jedi Generals and starfighter aces during the Clone Wars. Prior to the dissolution of the Galactic Republic in 19 BBY, some of the Coruscanti Rosses, such as Colonel Nepa Ross, entered military service. Months after the war's end, Ross came to the age of eighteen and enlisted to the newly established Galactic Empire's navy.[1] He gained his basic training and graduated with honors from the Imperial Navy Academy on Carida.[4] The Ross family donated genetic templates for Imperial stormtrooper development programs.[5] Nahdonnis Ross himself had a child, a daughter named Sue.[1]

Vengeance-Datar
Ross arrived aboard the Vengeance to destroy a Rebel cell on Nar Shaddaa.

Ross participated in the subjugation of the native Leffingites on the planet Almak, and he had to admit that the Empire's All Terrain walkers, which he viewed as graceless brutes, were indeed effective. In 1 BBY, early in the Galactic Civil War, Ross was assigned to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Vengeance and was dispatched to look for Rebel supply networks. Later, he served under Vice Admiral Tills, who ordered his troops into an unwinnable scenario against the Rebels on the planet Datar. After the botched attack, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader killed Tills and took command of the operation.[1]

Vader's next target was the Rebel base on Nar Shaddaa, the moon of the Hutt planet Nal Hutta. Ross led the troops personally to the 88th Level of the moon's Corellian Sector, and reached a very high collateral kill count. He used a flanking tactic once favored by Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, who had utilized it during the Clone Wars. Ross's action and previous records impressed Vader, who assigned him into a staff position with greater responsibility.[1] He became Vader's aide on board the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator,[4] but lost his permanent command post, for most of the Devastator's troop complement was filled with the elite stormtroopers of the 501st Legion, under the command of Commander Penn Franklin.[1]

Blockade of ToprawaEdit
"Tantive IV, this is the Devastator. Our sensors indicate you have intercepted illegal transmissions in this solar system. Heave to or we'll open fire!" ―Commander Ross, to Captain Antilles[src] In 0 BBY, on the planet Toprawa, the Rebel Alliance obtained the plans of the first Death Star, a new Imperial superweapon. The Toprawa system was declared restricted,[6] and Darth Vader, who realized the plans were now in the hands of the Rebellion, took the Devastator to the world.[7] The Rebels planned to smuggle out the plans from the planet aboard the Alderaanian consular ship Tantive IV. As the vessel leapt into the Toprawa system, it began receiving a transmission from the surface of the planet.[6] Commander Ross stood beside Vader on the bridge of the Devastator when the sensors detected the consular ship. As the data was transmitting, an Imperial communications officer detected the signal, and Ross contacted the Tantive IV, ordering it to heave to and prepare to be searched.[7] Scrambling for more time,[6] the Rebel Captain Jek Antilles told the Devastator of their "malfunction" and attempted to use the vessel's diplomatic immunity. Ross acknowledged the message and ordered the Tantive IV to hold its course and prepare for boarding.[7]

Seconds later the transmission ended, and Antilles replied to the Devastator, insisting that as they were on a diplomatic mission they could not be detained. He also ordered his crew to accelerate the ship to full speed and get into hyperspace.[6] Ross announced that they had detected the transmission of the plans, and again ordered the Tantive IV to heave to or prepare to be fired on. Vader ordered the Star Destroyer to shoot for minimum damage, and only moments after it began firing, the Tantive IV finally jumped to lightspeed. It was impossible to track a ship through hyperspace; however, the Tantive IV carried an Imperial homing device, which had been installed on a previous trip to the planet Ralltiir. Ross consulted a sensor screen and reported that the Tantive IV was heading to the planet Tatooine.[7]

Battle above Tatooine Edit
"Lord Vader, the battle station plans are not aboard this ship and no transmissions were made. An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting but no life forms were aboard." ―Commander Ross, to Darth Vader[src]

Ross-reporting-to-Vader Ross, reporting to Vader aboard the Tantive IV

The Devastator followed and captured the Rebel vessel in the Tatoo system,[7] where the troopers of the 501st legion besieged the crippled consular ship.[8] After the first wave of troops, under the command of an assault leader, broke the defenses of the Rebel vessel, Lord Vader, accompanied by Ross and Commander Franklin, boarded the ship.[9] Ross led a cluster of troops to the ship's main computer room to search for the stolen plans.[10] He was tasked to check the computers for the plans and any other useful information.[11]

used the modified R4-series agromech droid, R4-M10, to pull all data from the memory banks before the Rebels could destroy it,[11] but he did not find any valuable information or evidence of bank erasure.[10] When Vader and Commander Franklin arrived at the main computer room,[12] Ross delivered an update of the search to the Dark Lord[13] by reporting that the plans were not aboard the ship and that no transmissions had been made. He added that an escape pod had left the ship, but that no life forms had been detected aboard it. Vader ordered him to personally lead a detachment of stormtroopers to Tatooine and search for the escape pod used by protocol droid C-3PO and astromech droid R2-D2, the latter of whom carried the stolen plans.[3] Vader also ordered Ross to send detachments to every spaceport and quarantine the planet.[7]

Search for the droidsEdit
"She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them… See to it personally Commander." ―Darth Vader, to Commanders Franklin and Ross[src]

Stormtrooper Search
Ross ordered the local garrison, the Desert Sands and the 501st Legion to search for the escape pod.

By Vader's order, Commander Jaydam Ross supervised the search for the Death Star's missing plans on Tatooine.[14] His first order was to assign Captain Nelsons local garrison to the task, while the 501st was readied.[1] The Desert Sands sandtrooper detachment,[15] which arrived to relieve the troopers garrisoned in the city of Mos Eisley,[16] were also ordered by Ross to begin searching for the escape pod immediately.[15] After a brief landfall, Ross delegated the overall command of the situation to Captain Nelson.[1]

After a few days' searching, a storm trooper of the Desert Sands reported to Ross that a young moisture farmer, possibly a Rebel sympathizer if not a Rebel agent, had taken the droids and was presumably heading to the nearest spaceport, Mos Eisley. In reality, the actions of the Desert Sands—murdering his uncle Owen Lars and aunt Beru Whitesun Lars—had caused the farmer, Luke Skywalker, to accompany Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in his quest of returning the stolen plans to the Rebellion. Ross concurred with him and ordered him to quarantine Mos Eisley.[17]

However, the delay in coordinating the units of Nelson's troops, TK-'s troops and the 501st enabled the droids to bypass the blockade[1] and escape from Tatooine aboard the light freighter Millennium Falcon. A stormtrooper officer saw the freighter lift into the sky and reported to Commander Ross, who alerted the orbiting Star Destroyers. Han Solo, the Falcon's captain, slipped past the blockade, leaving the Commander in the uncomfortable situation of reporting his failure to Vader. Ross also reported the description of the fugitives and their escape vessel to all Imperial outposts.[17] He personally reported the bad news to Vader, who spared his life.[1]

Later careerEdit
"Delusions of grandeur, hah! […] But now the physical incarnation of the phrase was staring me in the face, and I don't mind telling you I didn't care for it at all." ―Ross, to Voren Na'al about Emperor Palpatine[src]

After the Battle of Yavin, which saw the Rebels destroy the Death Star based on information they had found in the stolen plans, Vader formed Death Squadron,[3] a squadron of Star Destroyers that included the Devastator. Vader brought his staff to his new flagship, the first ship of the Executor-class Star Dreadnought line, but General Cole Pans blocked Ross from the appointment, and Vader did not overrule him.[1]

In 4 ABY during the Battle of Endor, Emperor Palpatine was killed, which led to the splintering of Empire into various warring factions. Ross served under several different Imperial warlords and ascended to the rank of General. He chose his allies by searching for the best way to carry on the New Order's mission. When the Galactic Emperor, His Immortal Majesty Palpatine returned from the Deep Core of the galaxy, Ross joined his forces and met him personally for the first and only time.[1]

In 10 ABY, Ross led the portion of the Shadow Hand Fleet that conquered the planet Kaikielius prior to the push towards Coruscant at the onset of Operation Shadow Hand. Ross enjoyed destroying the skyhooks of the House Vahali, an old rival of his family, and placed the planet under martial law. His higher position led him to realize that the Emperor's theocracy was not the Empire he had joined decades earlier, so he requested Kaikielius as a fief in order to leave the military. Emperor Palpatine then made him the Governor-General of the world, re-establishing the old connection between Kaikielius and House Ross.[1] After the Battle of Coruscant during the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Coruscanti Praji regrouped on Kaikielius. Ross later retired from governorship and met historian Voren Na'al, who asked him about his encounter with Emperor Palpatine in an interview.[1]

Personality and traitsEdit
"Surrender in the name of the Emperor! We have you under our guns!" ―Ross, to the Tantive IV[src] Ross was all business when dealing with his superiors, and he often delegated assignments to a subordinate, such as Captain Franklin. His subordinates knew him for intolerance and level-headed professionalism, although Ross was not a man quick to anger. His businesslike professionalism impressed Lord Vader, too.[18] As a member of the capital's aristocracy, Ross disrespected the Rimmer's, people hailing from the Outer Rim region of the galaxy, even his superiors. He was an old-fashioned military man who disdained foot-soldiers partly due to Imperial officer training, which disregarded the clones, who were "made to be killed." He became so committed to the orderly despotism of the Galactic Empire, that during the Imperial Civil War, he served under several warlords looking for the best way to carry on the New Order's mission.[1] Ross chose to wear the prominent sideburns that were popular among the Imperial officers around the time of the Battle of Yavin.[19] Ross graduated with honors from the Imperial naval academy and became a good pilot and navigator.[4] Under able officers like him, stormtroopers learned to adapt to their environment.[20]

During the search for the Death Star plans, Ross recited to Vader mechanically that the plans of the Death Star were not aboard the Tantive IV,[10] but hurriedly added that the supposedly empty escape pod had been released during the fight.[21] He waited attentively for the orders of the Sith Lord,[10] who deemed him highly loyal and too capable to waste and spared the Commander's life when Ross disobeyed his direct order by not searching personally for the missing plans. Ross never put much stock in his family's old vendetta against House Vahali, but it was tremendous personal pleasure for him to break their power by knocking their skyhook headquarters during the Imperial Civil War.[1]

He also held a lot of loyalty to the Emperor up until Operation Shadow Hand, when he learned about the Emperor's plans of creating a theocracy of Dark Side Mages. Although he had heard throughout his career that the Emperor possessed delusions of grandeur, he dismissed the statements due to believing that they were simply figures of speeches and pejorative from lesser individuals who couldn't comprehend truly great men. However, upon learning of the Emperor's plans for a theocracy, and being in direct conflict with the New Order he had served, he was forced to reassess his earlier beliefs on the Emperor possessing such.[1]

George Roubicek, the actor who played Praji (2006)

The Praji character first appeared in the December 1976 novelization of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope,[10] ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster.[22] Although he was not credited, actor George Roubicek played the character in the 1977 film. However, his lines were dubbed by an American actor, so the character's voice did not at all resemble that of Roubicek.[23] The one sequence in which he is seen was shot over three days in July 1976 at the virtual end of principal photography, on the Tantive IV main corridor set erected on Stage 9 at Elstree Studios, just north of London.[24] In the revised fourth draft script of A New Hope, as presented in Star Wars: Behind the Magic and Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, Praji is addressed as "Second Officer," and Vader orders Jir instead of Praji to "send a detachment down."[25]

In 1995, the Star Wars Customizable Card Game's Premiere Limited base set was the first to identify the character as Praji,[4] and the 2007 article The Empire's Finest: Who's Who in the Imperial Military, published in Star Wars Insider 96, was the first to name him Nahdonnis.[18] When the character of Tannon Praji was created in 2005, he was intended to be the uncle of Commander Praji.[26] However, this information was not published until 2009 in Nathan O'Keefe's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji, which established Nahdonnis as the son of Tannon's brother Griff, as well as naming many other members of the Praji family.[1]

AppearancesEdit ◾The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader ◾Death Star ◾Star Wars radio drama ◾Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization (First appearance) ◾Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope ◾Contemporary Motivators: Star Wars ◾The Star Wars Storybook ◾Star Wars Droids 6: Star Wars According to the Droids, Book I ◾Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 1 ◾Tag & Bink Are Dead 1 (Non-canonical appearance) ◾Darth Vader's Mission: The Search for the Secret Plans ◾Star Wars Manga: A New Hope 1 ◾Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novelization ◾Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope PhotoComic