Ozzel, Admiral Kendal

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Carida

• Species:
  Human

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.7 meters

• Vehicle:
  Executor

• Affiliation:
  Empire

• 

From the Movies

Clumsy and stupid -- an unflattering epitaph for Admiral Ozzel crafted by none other than Darth Vader, the man who killed him. Ozzel was the Imperial Navy officer in command of the Imperial Death Squadron prior to the Battle of Hoth. Ozzel was a by-the-manual type officer, with little imagination. He initially disregarded Captain Piett's report of life-signs in the Hoth system. When Vader decided to follow Piett's leads, Ozzel brought the Imperial fleet out of hyperspace too close to the system.

Alerted to the Imperial presence, the Rebels were able to erect a protective energy shield over Echo Base, preventing any Imperial bombardment. What was to be a simple bombing strike now was transformed into a costly ground invasion. It was the last error Ozzel ever made. Using the Force, Vader telekinetically strangled Ozzel, and placed Captain Piett in command of the fleet.

From the Expanded Universe

Given his ineptness, many wonder how Ozzel had achieved his rank. Some speculate old ties between his influential family and the military cemented his advancement in the Navy. The Ozzels are a long line of land-owners on the Imperial Academy world of Carida. Ages ago, Mann Ozzel organized the trading of many of the world's mineral rights, gaining the Ozzels considerable wealth.

As a second son, Kendal Ozzel was not in line to inherit the family business, so he bettered himself with the opportunities available to the privileged few. He attended the best institutes of higher learning in the Core, using his family name to ascend the political, social and eventually, the military ranks of the Empire. As a captain, Ozzel served for a time as a Naval Academy instructor on Coruscant.

The destruction of the Death Star saw an immense power vacuum from the resulting death of many of the Empire's brightest and most capable Naval officers. Ozzel took advantage of this calamity to further climb the military ladder, landing the position of Death Squadron commander. It would ultimately be his undoing.

Behind the Scenes

Admiral Ozzel is the first of two Imperial officers to die by telekinetic strangulation in The Empire Strikes Back. Actor Michael Sheard, who played Ozzel in Empire, also played Hitler in a brief scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.