A Naval sword,[1] also known as a ceremonial sword,[2] was a ceremonial weapon used by the Galactic Empire.[1] Between 19 BBY and 9 BBY,[3] the Imperial General Irrv was in charge of the Imperial occupation of the planet Culroon III and planned a ceremony to arrange the transition to Imperial control with the planet's leader, the Culroon Kloff.[1] The ceremony would involve the exchange of the Naval sword and a ceremonial blaster to symbolize the peaceful transition of power.[2]
When the ceremony was held, it was attended by Irrv and his Imperial officers along with Kloff and a handful of Culroon warriors, with thousands more secretly hiding in the surrounding forests, who were ready to attack the Imperials. When Irrv handed Kloff the Naval sword, the warlord calmly used it to impale Colonel Jeffers, Irrv's aide,[1] killing him.[4] At that signal, the warriors revealed themselves and surrounded the Imperials, who were ultimately saved through the actions of Junior Lieutenant Maximilian Veers.[1]
Behind the scenes
The Naval sword 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 described as a ceremonial sword in the thirty-first issue of The Official Star Wars Fact File, a magazine published by De Agostini,[2] written by Iain Lowson,[5] and released on July 31, 2002.[6] In "The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers," Irrv hands the Naval sword to Kloff as part of the ceremony,[1] which was contradicted by The Official Star Wars Fact File as it stated that Kloff would give the sword to Irrv in exchange for a ceremonial blaster.[2] The contradiction was repeated in the fourteenth issue of the revised run of The Official Star Wars Fact File,[7] which was published on April 9, 2014.[8] This article follows the short story's version of events.
Appearances
"The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (reprinted in Second Edition) (First appearance)
Sources
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 VEE 1-2: General Maximilian Veers (First identified as ceremonial sword)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II ("Jeffers")
- The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 VEE 1-4: General Maximilian Veers
Notes and references
- ↑ 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
"The Promotion of Lieutenant Veers" — The Star Wars Sourcebook (reprinted in Second Edition)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Official Star Wars Fact File 31 VEE 1-2: General Maximilian Veers
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 153 ("Jeffers")
- ↑
Iain Lowson on LinkedIn (screenshot)
- ↑ 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) (backup link archived on June 4, 2022). Additionally, the series announcement on First Look: DeAgostini Star Wars Fact Files on StarWars.com (original site is defunct) 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.
- ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 VEE 1-4: General Maximilian Veers
- ↑ The archived snapshots of Star Wars Fact File - DeAgostini Shop UK on De Agostini's official United Kingdom website (original site is defunct) 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 61, as stated here. Thus, it can be determined that The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 14 was published on April 9, 2014.
