Daine Jir

For other uses, see Daine and Jir.

"Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the Senate."

―Daine Jir, to Darth Vader, referring to Leia Organa^[3]

Daine Jir was a bold and outspoken Human male who served as an Imperial stormtrooper officer of the 501st Legion under Darth Vader aboard the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator. He served as a commander during the hunt for the stolen Death Star plans in 0 BBY. Jir—part of a family that had donated a genetic template for the Imperial stormtrooper development program— proved himself to be a competent and ruthless officer. However, many suspected he would not last long under Vader's command after he called one of the Dark Lord's decisions into doubt. Vader instead was impressed with Jir's brutal honesty, and promoted the officer instead of killing him.

In 0 BBY, Jir led a contingent of the 501st in an attack on the CR90 corvette Tantive IV, on which Vader believed Senator Leia Organa had received transmissions containing the Death Star plans. The 501st picked off the Rebel forces aboard the ship and captured Organa, but despite a thorough search of the corvette no trace of the plans could be found. After the battle, Jir was tasked with sending a distress signal from the ship and alerting the Imperial Senate that all aboard were killed. His ultimate fate was unknown.

Biography

Commander of the 501st

"…dead man walking…"

―Murmurs about Daine Jir after he defied Vader for the first time^[2]

Daine Jir was posted to the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator. — Daine Jir was posted to the Imperial Star Destroyer *Devastator*.

A tall, slim Human^[1] male,^[2] Daine Jir was a member of the Jir family, who were known to have donated a genetic template for the Imperial stormtrooper development program.^[4] Jir himself^[2] was a stormtrooper in the 501st Legion, having served as a noncombat officer^[5] with the rank of lieutenant in the same legion,^[2] known for its exploits at Kamino and Polis Massa as well as quelling a prison break on the Death Star.^[6] Jir subjected his troops to constant crisis simulations,^[7] and those were used along with constant training regimens to ensure that he maintained high performance levels.^[8]

By 0 BBY, Jir and the 501st were posted aboard^[8] the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer^[9] Devastator, and served directly under Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine's enforcer.^[3] Vader was a fearsome figure who was known to execute his subordinates for the merest of errors,^[10] and after Jir first spoke out against one of Vader's suggestions, his peers began to count his days amongst the living; Vader had Force choked men for far less. The Dark Lord, however, found Jir's brutal honesty a refreshing contrast to the usual manipulative rhetoric of most Imperial officers, and promoted him to commander. Of the officers in the Galactic Civil War, it was later said that Jir, like Admiral Firmus Piett and Captain Janus Bonn, was one of the select few Imperial officers who had ever earned Vader's respect.^[2]

Attack on the Tantive IV

In 0 BBY, members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic on the planet Toprawa stole plans to the Empire's secret Death Star project, which were transmitted to Imperial Senator Leia Organa—herself a member of the Rebel Alliance—and her crew on board the CR90 corvette Tantive IV. By the time Imperial Intelligence located the leak, Organa had fled in the Tantive IV. Vowing to retrieve the stolen information at any cost, Darth Vader took the Devastator in pursuit,^[11] along with Jir and the 501st.^[3] Vader also hoped capturing the ship would provide the Empire with the location of the Rebels' secret base.^[11]

Jir, beside Darth Vader as he confronts Leia Organa

The Devastator intercepted the Tantive IV over the remote world of Tatooine in the Outer Rim Territories; the Star Destroyer tractor beamed the ship, and Vader ordered the 501st to prepare to board. Jir stayed behind with Vader as the legion's contingent of stormtroopers entered the Tantive IV to engage what few soldiers the Rebellion had defending the ship. The Imperials killed many of them, allowing Vader to enter and oversee the search for the Death Star plans. However, no trace of the plans could be found, and the Imperials were also unable to locate Princess Leia Organa.^[3]

Troopers located the Tantive IV's captain, Raymus Antilles. They brought Antilles^[12] to a spot where other captive officers were being held,^[1] where they awaited Lord Vader. Vader soon arrived. He lifted Captain Antilles by the throat and demanded to know where he had hid the Death Star plans and the Princess. When Antilles refused to answer, Vader killed him and tossed his body aside.^[3]

Questioning the Dark Lord

"Send a distress signal and then inform the Senate that all aboard were killed."

―Darth Vader, to Daine Jir^[3]

Before long, Organa was located, but the troops still were unable to find the Death Star plans. The stormtroopers escorted the princess to Jir and Vader, who began questioning her. Organa was defiant, reiterating that she was on a diplomatic mission and that the Senate would not stand for Vader's actions. Furious, Vader accused her of conspiring with the Rebellion and had her taken aboard his Star Destroyer for interrogation at a later time.^[3] After she was gone, Jir spoke to Vader. He argued that Organa would not buckle under even Vader's interrogation. He bluntly told Vader that holding her in custody could generate sympathy for the Rebel Alliance in the Senate^[3] and that killing her would be wiser.^[1] The Dark Lord, however, was adamant that he needed her in custody because she was his only link to the Rebel base,^[3] though he confessed to having no idea why she had come to Tatooine. Jir confirmed that the Devastator's sensors had found no sign of a military presence in the system.^[12] Commander Jir, betraying a bit of sympathy for the princess,^[1] then warned the Dark Lord that Organa would rather die than give away any information to Vader.^[3]

Vader acknowledged Jir's warnings but was undeterred. He ordered the commander to send a false distress signal from the ship and inform the Senate that all aboard were killed.^[3] Jir's official explanation was that the Tantive IV had been destroyed in an asteroid storm, with no survivors.^[13] After that, Vader ordered Jir to have the Alderaanian ship vaporized so that no evidence would be left of the attack.^[1]

The Devastator left the Tatoo system and headed for the Death Star. Organa was transferred to Detention Block AA-23, where Vader subjected her to a brutal interrogation.^[3] There, Jir's prediction proved true: Organa refused to betray the Alliance; she did not reveal the location either of the Death Star plans or of the Rebel base.^[14] Jir's fate after the Battle of Tatooine remained unknown.^[7]

Personality and traits

"She'll die before she'll tell you anything."
"Leave that to me."

―Daine Jir and Darth Vader^[3]

A typical Imperial leader,^[15] Daine Jir was bold and outspoken,^[2] with brown hair and light skin.^[3] Competent and ruthless,^[2] his aggressive and independent thinking made him respected, even by Lord Vader.^[16] He was known to question the decisions of Darth Vader without fear of the consequences,^[2] being one of the few Imperial officers not afraid of the Dark Lord.^[7] While other officers believed Jir would be soon executed, his suggestions were appreciated by Vader, who personally promoted him from lieutenant to commander.^[5]

Behind the scenes

"She should be destroyed, Lord Vader."

―Jir, to Darth Vader, in the Marvel comic Star Wars 1^[17]

Daine Jir's character has appeared in numerous adaptations across different media, introducing many small differences and inconsistencies. The character first appeared in the 1976 novelization of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where he is not given a name but is described as "a tall, slim soldier wearing the sign of an Imperial Commander." He questions Vader's decision to hold Princess Leia and recommends instead that she "be destroyed immediately." After their discussion, Vader gives the commander two orders: to send a fake distress signal and oversee the search for the Death Star plans.^[1]

In 1977, Jir appeared in A New Hope.^[3] His scenes were filmed in mid-1976 in Elstree Studios.^[18] The identity of the actor who played him was not known for many years, but in 2007, The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film included a photograph caption stating that the "commander" in scene 11 was played by Constantin De Goguel.^[18] However, less than a month later, the StarWars.com Visual Guides authored by Pablo Hidalgo stated that Jir was portrayed by Al Lampert, as per the film's production notes.^[4] Lampert himself related in a 2011 interview that Jir was to be portrayed by Scottish actor Ken Hutchison, but he had a beard which George Lucas disapproved of, and the role was given to Lampert.^[19] In the film, the character is still unnamed. His dialogue is somewhat shorter than in the novelization. Vader orders him to send the fake distress call, but he directs his order to search for the Death Star plans to another officer, Nahdonnis Praji.^[3]

Jir in the Marvel adaptation of A New Hope — Jir in the Marvel adaptation of *A New Hope*

Jir also appears in the 1977 first issue of Marvel's A New Hope adaptation, though with a different appearance sporting black sideburns. His dialogue is shortened to just one line, urging Vader to destroy the princess— a line in the novelization but not the film. Also like the novel, Vader orders Jir rather than Praji to lead the search on Tatooine's surface.^[17]

In the Star Wars radio dramatization, aired in 1981, there are times when a voice actor is heard as an Imperial commander within the third episode. First, the voice actor is heard hailing the Tantive IV near Toprawa and then Tatooine, ordering the Rebel ship to surrender.^[12] This was established to be Commander Praji, in the 2007 novel The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader.^[20] Second, the voice actor is heard as a commander who captures and beats Captain Antilles before Vader comes aboard; this version has Vader boarding the Tantive somewhat later than in the film. Finally, the actor is heard as Jir, as he argues with Vader in a scene adapted from the film with some additional dialogue in which he and Vader wonder aloud why the Princess has come to Tatooine.^[12] Given the voice actor's confirmation in portraying both Jir and Praji in the episode, it is unclear if it is Jir, Praji, or a separate character who captures and beats Antilles.

In 1997, Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game first gave the character a name, identifying him as Commander Daine Jir in a card in the A New Hope Limited expansion. "Daine Jir" is likely a play on the word "danger," inspired by Jir's line: "Holding her is dangerous."^[2] In 2003, the Star Wars Trading Card Game identified Jir as a "Star Destroyer Commander" in the Imperial Navy,^[21] which contradicts the novelization, which describes him as a commander of Stormtroopers.^[2]

In 2007, an article in Star Wars Insider 96 called "The Empire's Finest" told Daine Jir's backstory, for the first time revealing something of the commander's life before he found himself next to Darth Vader on the deck of the Tantive IV. It confirmed that he was an officer of the 501st Stormtrooper Legion.^[2]