Suba (lieutenant)

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"Alert all commands. Deploy the fleet."

―Admiral Firmus Piett's orders, prompting Suba into action^[1]

Suba was a Human male lieutenant of the Imperial Navy assigned to Darth Vader's personal flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor, by 3 ABY. He served as the Executor's chief of security and political officer, responsible for ensuring the Imperial loyalty of his fellow officers. Frequently serving aboard the Executor's bridge under the command of Admiral Firmus Piett, Suba disapproved of Vader's reluctance to simply kill the Rebel Luke Skywalker, though he did not voice his opinion. Concurrent with the Hoth campaign of 3 ABY, Suba assisted in the investigation of murdered Executor bridge officer Lieutenant Commander Tanith Sorn.

Biography

Suba was a lieutenant^[3] of the Imperial Navy serving aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor, personal flagship of the Dark Lord Darth Vader, by^[1] 3 ABY.^[4] He was the Executor's chief of security and political officer, responsible for ensuring that his fellow officers remained loyal to the Galactic Empire.^[3] Suba served under the command of Admiral Firmus Piett after the latter assumed command of Vader's flagship following the death of former Admiral Kendal Ozzel, whom Vader had executed as the result of a critical tactical blunder he committed at the Battle of Hoth.^[1]

As the Executor and the remainder of Vader's Star Destroyer fleet, the Imperial Death Squadron, chased the fugitive Rebel freighter, the Millennium Falcon, through the Hoth asteroid field in the aftermath of the Hoth battle and subsequently lost the ship once it disappeared from its pursuers near the Anoat system, Vader executed another fleet officer, Captain Lorth Needa, for his incompetence. Suba was present nearby, standing at Piett's side aboard the bridge, when Vader proceeded to order his admiral to deploy the fleet and calculate every possible escape trajectory the Millennium Falcon may have taken, before issuing a clear warning to Piett that further failure would not be tolerated. Following Piett's relaying order to deploy the Imperial Star Destroyers of Death Squadron, Suba snapped into action to carry out the command.^[1]

Suba was again present aboard the Executor's bridge when the Super Star Destroyer failed to intercept the Millennium Falcon as it escaped from Imperial forces on Bespin's Cloud City. Once more Suba flanked Piett as Vader inquired whether or not the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive had been deactivated during its Imperial impounding on Cloud City, as well as the Dark Lord's subsequent command to ready a boarding party with weapons set to stun to capture Luke Skywalker and the remaining Rebels aboard.^[1]

Personality and traits

While Darth Vader intended to capture Luke Skywalker in order to turn the young Jedi to the dark side of the Force,^[1] Suba disapproved of Vader's reluctance to simply kill Skywalker,^[3] although he refrained from voicing his opinion.^[5] Suba, a Human, had brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin.^[1]

Equipment

Lieutenant Suba wore the standard-issue Imperial officer's uniform during his service aboard the Executor in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Suba first appeared in the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, portrayed by an unidentified extra in two scenes flanking Admiral Firmus Piett as the latter speaks with Darth Vader aboard the Executor.^[1] The character was first identified by name and provided a brief backstory on the "Lieutenant Suba" card as part of the April 1997 Dagobah Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.^[3] Suba also makes a brief, indirect appearance, identified only as the Executor's "Chief of Security," in the April 2009 Star Wars Roleplaying Game adventure Murder on the Executor. As that adventure was released outside Lucas Licensing,^[6] it is non-canon within the Star Wars Legends continuity.^[7] Below is the presentation of that information, with assumptions of gameplay options occurring as written.

In that adventure, while the Executor participated in the Battle of Hoth, a simultaneous investigation into the death of bridge officer Lieutenant Commander Tanith Sorn took place aboard the Super Star Destroyer. Sorn had been murdered by a Rebel Alliance spy, Malkor Trel, who had infiltrated the Executor's crew. In the course of the adventure, the player, as part of the team assigned to investigate the murder, can get Suba to assist them by granting them access to Sorn's personal quarters.^[6]