One of my favorite character actors from the very heart of Star Wars lore, Michael Sheard, has passed on from this world. Even his small part in Empire Strikes Back made me appreciate this actor's art. And so I write this lovingly in his memory.

I've harbored this one fanboy theory, though often time I avoid such rampant, wild speculation. But even the worst of us have a thought that maybe, just maybe, there was something unspoken, something implied about a character that only we in our infinite fan wisdom get. Mine is Admiral Ozzel, and his true identity.

I've always held that for the most part, what The George gives us on the surface is very similar to what lurks just beneath. Little tidbits of plot-bound reality like "Anakin was the Chosen One" and "Mace was not a Sith" and "Clone troopers turned into Stormtroopers" and "Luke was the last living Jedi". Stuff like that. But for you, on this day, I'll deviate from the Dark Moose formula just a smidge and make an idiot out of myself. Though it's certainly not the first time, to be sure. So here it is, my singular insight into this great character:

Admiral Ozzel was a Spy.

Yep. He was a Reb. A plant. A traitor to the Empire. A double agent. He wasn't clumsy. He wasn't stupid. He was a Rebel Operative.

Consider that furtive look he throws Captain Piett when he brings the Hoth base to Vader's attention. It's that one great bit of acting from Mr. Sheard that got me thinking.."what is this guy up to?"

Let's look at his odd, seemingly inadvertant acts of service to the Alliance:

1) I Want Leads, Not Proof!

When Hoth is identified by Piett, Ozzell argues his subordinate down...

"I think we've got something, sir," the ambitious Piett calls out. "The report is only a fragment from a probe droid in the Hoth system, but it's the best lead we've had."

Ozzel is clearly incensed. "We have thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy. I want proof, not leads!"

"..The visuals indicate life readings," Piett presses on.

Ozzel takes another stab at burying the upstart Piett's hopes: "It could mean anything. If we followed every lead..."

"But, sir," (and now Piett is really starting to become aggravating) "the Hoth system is supposed to be devoid of human life."

So hold on - your second in command brings you information that could very well make you look like a friggin' genius in front of the Dark Lord of the Micromanagers, and you want to suppress the find? Wha-? This is a career-minded Imperial Admiral?

or...was he a SPY! dunno. Let's move on.

2) The Look

When Vader overhears this little feral fracas between these two brown nosing Impies, he of course sticks his big black plasteel nose into everyone's beezwax. And yet Ozzel is again reluctant to follow this particular lead, however promising...

"You found something?" Vader wheezes menacingly into everyone's collective mug.

"Yes, my lord," Piett squeezes in before Ozzel can reply, quite convincing in his imitation of a dutiful Yorkshire terrier.

"That's it," Vader announces after a moment of Sithly surveilance. "The Rebels are there."

Crap. Ozzel attempts some hasty damage control.

"My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be..."

"That is the system," Vader growls. "And I'm sure Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Hoth system."

Vader turns to a hapless general Veers, who has apparently strayed just a shade too close to the Dark Lord's personal space, and catches helmet full in the face. "General Veers, prepare you men!"

Crap Crap.

And then...the Look. In a second moment of man-on-man kissing distance confrontation, Ozzel gets all up in Piett's Kool-Aid and stares at him for a full 2 count. The intent, to me, is clear.

"Son, 'zackly what the HAY-Yulll do you think yer doin'?"

But again, it's odd. Piett likes the data. Vader likes the data. Ozzel, on the other hand, is having kittens. Why?

Is ..it..because...he's a SPY?? huh? feel it? Ok, moving on.

3) Hyperwhoops

When it comes time to run over Hoth with the big Imperial Space Dozer, Ozzel performs his last service to the Alliance, apparently on accident. Our dear Ozzel conveniently forgets to apply the brakes on the fleet. Whoops...

Veers loses the coin toss and has to inform Darth Meanie.

"What is it, General?"

"My lord, the fleet has moves out of light-speed. Com-Scan has detected an energy field protecting an area around the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."

Crap Crap Crap.

"The Rebels are alerted to our presence. Admiral Ozzel came out of light-speed too close to the system," Vader muses as if he's just found a hangnail he'd prefer to remove with a thermonuclear device.

Veers and Ozzel apparently are mess hall pals. He tries to save his hide: "He felt surprise was wiser..."

And then DV gives us one of my favorite Vaderisms:

"He is as clumsy as he is stupid. General, prepare your troops for a surface attack."

Vader rings up the soon to be demoted Admiral...

"Lord Vader," Ozzel gushes. "The fleet has moved out of light-speed, and we're preparing to...Aaagh!"

Doing his new "Look Ma, no hands" force choke move, Vader pinches Ozzel's head off.

"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral..."

So repeatedly, Ozzel makes some most curious moves. He refuses to use the information that Piett brought to him first, something any other Imperial officer would have gladly used to their own advantage. Then, he openly (and unwisely) decides to engage in Darth Debate Club with Vader about the find, despite Vader's conviction that Hoth is in fact the Rebel Base. To cap it all off, when victory and surprise seems imminent, he tips off the Rebels by doing Hyper-donuts on their front lawn with the Imperial Fleet.

Sure, you might say Ozzel was truly stupid. And clumsy. And the reason for his misgivings about Hoth were based in laziness and an aversion to responsibility. You might also say that he was miffed at Piett for making him look like an idiot, when he could clearly do it himself.

But there's this other option, you see...he's a SPY! A freakin' Spy, I'm tellin' ya!

It might just be possible that he was recruited by the Rebel Alliance, unknown to the Imperial High command, to cross over, and infiltrate the Imperial intelligence network. Whenever possible, he was to steer the Task Force away from the true Rebel base on Hoth, and to lead them on various wild Bantha chases across the galaxy. And when Piett, an outsider to his plans, actually manages to stumble across the true Rebel Base on Hoth, he attempts to downplay the find by dismissing it as faulty data, smugglers, whathaveyou.

And then, when all else failed, when his mission was on the rocks and his only option was to blow his cover or blow his allegiance to the Rebellion, Admiral Ozzel tipped the Rebels off by coming out of lightspeed too close to the system, giving them that extra few moments of preparation. This allowed them to erect the shield in time to avoid being scorched off the surface by turbo-laser bombardment. It further allowed them time to put ground forces in place, to start their evacuation, and to point that pesky Ion cannon at the sky at the exact coordinates of the fleet they never would have known was there until too late.

Could it be, then, that our dear Ozzel was a hero? Did he sacrifice his reputation, and then his life, to give the Rebels a fighting chance?

Clumsy? Stupid? Or Spy!

Dunno. But let's raise our beer cans to Admiral Ozzel, and a talented actor, Michael Sheard. RIP, Admiral Ozzel. :0)

DM out