NEWS ARCHIVES

CON MAN

CONTACTING MR COLLEY

OFFICIAL RECOGNITION

"CAPTAIN" PIETT?!

PIETT ACTION FIGURE

MR COLLEY GOES TO WAR

STAR WARS INSIDER #35

PROJECT: SHADOW RUN

REBELLION

TALES FROM THE EMPIRE

PIETT - EPISODE 2?

Piett fans rejoice! Kenneth Colley, the man behind the magic of our beloved Admiral, attended a convention in London October 11-12! Details below are from the site of the organisers:

"EMPIRE WEEKEND STAR WARS 20th ANNIVERSARY CLUB CONVENTION"
There will be a Star Wars convention taking place in Central London in a few weeks time.Guests will include Gary Kurtz (Producer), Garrick Hagon (Biggs), Kenneth Colley (Piett), John Hollis (Lobot) plus others.

The convention will hold questions and answers with the guests; autograph session; slide show; original props and costumes on show; toys to buy; videos and rare tv footage to watch!

Dates: Oct 11-12 1997(Saturday and Sunday)
Place: Seymour Leisure Centre, Seymour Place, London
Tickets: £6 for 1 day, £10 for both days
Saturday: Doors open 11:00 am - late
Sunday Doors open 1:00pm - late

ALL PROFITS RAISED FROM THIS CONVENTION WILL BE DONATED TO CHARITY.

Hopefully this won't be his last convention appearance!

Several Cult members did attend, and Kenneth Colley did attend (even though he'd been shooting until 1am!). We'll have more info and reports soon!

Reports we have! Head on over to the Convention Reports section of the Piett Dossier page and check it out!

We hoped it wouldn't be his last convention, and from the looks of it, it certainly won't be. Cult member Susan Mollenkopf reports that Ken Colley should be attending a science fiction convention on June 26 -27, 1998 in Wichita, Kansas at which Jeremy Bulloch, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew are also scheduled to appear. For further details at this stage, either contact:

Galactic Odyssey World
Science Fiction Con 98
Wichita KS
(316)263-2179

Unfortunately, it seems that no one representing the Cult was able to make it to the convention in Kansas on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of June 1998. In fact, we're not even certain that it happened! Cult member Lindsay Smith tried everything - contacting the people who the website said were running it, even contacting the Wichita Chamber of Commerce, but couldn't get any information at all. So we don't know if Ken was there at all. But we'll do our best to keep you posted on future convention appearances.

Another confirmed Ken Convention! This information comes practically straight from the horse's mouth - the organizers of the convention. The convention is scheduled for Oct 17-18, 1998 at the Plano Center in Plano, Texas. So, any Cult members in the area at the time, go along and support Ken! For more info (including entry prices and directions), head on over to the Toy Show website.

As we gear up for the October 17-18 Plano, Texas convention that Ken Colley will be attending, more details come to hand! We have confirmation from the organizers of the con itself that Ken will be there ALL DAY, BOTH DAYS. So if you can make it at any time, you should see him there! The Cult of Piett is organising a contingent of members that will be there, and we may have some special surprises for those of you who can make it!

Well, the Convention did take place, and we had people there! Head on over to the Piett Dossier section and look under Convention Reports to read the reports from Jesse Smith and Susan Mollenkopf!

Plus you can now also keep an eye on where Ken will turn up next thanks to the Men Behind The Masks website by clicking here!

Robert Bovine reports that Ken Colley will be attending the Sci-Fi Expo and Toy Show in Houston on the 21st February 1999. Ken will be there signing his new action figure. Admission is $5.00 and only $3.00 for children 6-10. If you can make it, get along and get Ken to sign your Captain Piett figure!

Cult member Bo Lindquist reports that at the upcoming Wizard Con at the Rosemont Convention Center, Rosemont, IL, July 16-18 one of the guests will be Ken Colley. So if you can get along, let me know and go see Piett in the flesh!

Not one, but two, two, TWO convention appearances for our man Ken! Firstly (and with sketchy details at present), Ken is scheduled to go to a convention in Texas in June (what is it with all these Texas conventions that keep getting him?). It's some sort of Sci-Fi celebrity convention - we'll have more concrete details at the next update (including dates and specific place).

And then in about October, he'll be at a convention in Northampton in the UK! Thanks to Phil Bevan for letting us know about this second convention!

And while not being a Piett-featuring convention, check out this poster for an Episode 1 convention in North London and Bristol!

Want to write to Kenneth Colley, the man who gave Piett life, yourself? Simple! Simple address your letters to either:

Kenneth Colley
c/o The BBC
BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane, London W12
7RJ, ENGLAND
or
c/o Star Wars Fan Club
P.O. Box 111000
Aurora,CO 80042
USA

From there, your letter will be forwarded to Mr Colley. Thanks to Cult member Ryan Webb for the info.

After far too long, the Admiral has finally got some official recognition! In the latest update on the official Star Wars website, Admiral Piett (along with lots of others) has been included in a 'characters' section. And once again, there is no mention of his 'death' at Endor, even in this, his official profile!

If you want to check it out for yourself, head on over to Admiral Piett's page on the Official Star Wars Website.

The people have spoken! Admiral Piett is officially on of the 20 most popular Star Wars characters, as voted by Star Wars fans! The Star Wars Insider #38 featured the results of a year-long poll, in which the Admiral put in a fine showing by coming up at no. 17 - not bad at all. Beating out Bossk, Dengar and Mara Jade in the Top 20, and firmly trounced others such as Greedo, Lobot, and Uncle Owen who didn't make the cut. Sadly, far too many others were placed ahead of the Admiral - obviously the poll was rigged... ;)

Head on over to the Top 20 page in the Official Information section to read the whole Piett segment of the article.

We have confirmation from Cult member Peter Owens that Piett is in the new Star Wars Encyclopedia, but it comes with mixed news. Firstly, his entry is a scant and terse 13 lines - that's all! Secondly, he is yet again referred to as 'Captain' Piett - what is it with Lucasfilm? Why do they constantly have him as 'captain'? First the 'A Guide To The Star Wars Universe', then insisting that the Kenner figure be 'Captain', rather than Admiral, and now this! I think we should be writing to Lucasfilm fan liaison (and author of the Encyclopedia) Steve Sansweet for some explanation!

On the other hand, the entry does again prove that Piett lives - it makes no mention of any death at Endor! So, in concert with the Piett figure's card and the Official Star Wars website entry, there's no doubt that Piett lives!

If you needed a reason other than the Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace info, or the Biggs scenes from A New Hope on the Star Wars: Behind The Magic CD ROM, then this is it! Piett's on the CD, one of the few Imperial officers that did make it. He gets not only a brand spanking new pic (you can see it in the Gallery), but he's also got a bio and trivia questions. So it's well worth getting if you want to complete your Piett collection!

Jesse Smith reports the following info, further proving that Piett lives!

Today I received my copy of Anakin Skywalker: The Story of Darth Vader ( The book with the Anakin Skywalker figure) I am pleased to report there are several references to Admiral Piett in the book I am also especially pleased to report there are no references to his death and only passing references to the fleet's destruction at Endor. This leads me to believe that more of the fleet survived than reported by Rebel-sympathetic earlier reports. Surely these momentous events would have been reported had they occurred ?

I'm sure they would have! Yet another piece of evidence that Piett's 'death' is one big Lucasfilm cover-up! Does this mean that there are big plans for Piett? Maybe Episodes VII, VIII and IX?

Plus you can now check out the growing list of sites and other reference media on Piett's status thanks to the 'Piett - Dead Or Alive' list Robert Bovine has put together over in the Piett Dossier section!

Like many of you, I was glad when Decipher produced a Piett card for the Star Wars Collectible Card Game's Hoth expansion set. Like all of you, I was furious to see that he had only been given the rank of captain. That is soon to be corrected, with the release of the Cloud City expansion set, which will include an Admiral Piett card. Thanks to Cult member Anders Peyna for the info.

To paraphrase another Imperial officer, "they lied to us!" An Admiral Piett card is suspiciously absent from the Cloud City expansion. While Decipher have not ruled out an Admiral Piett card, it appears that we won't see it until the Death Star expansion, which won't be for quite a while... Thanks to Cult member Kevin J Coleman for the info.

A loyal Cult member reports that the Endor expansion for the Star Wars CCG is due out soon, and should have several new Piett-featuring cards! And maybe even a new Piett Character card - could we finally be getting our long awaited ADMIRAL Piett card? Let's hope so!

Eva Karl-Rueckert recently bought the Star Wars CCG expansion set: Starter deck for the Dark Side, and included was a list of all cards in that expansion - and an Admiral Piett card was NOT amongst them! Only an effect card with the Title "in range" (with a picture from Admiral Piett and Darth Vader) has the Admiral gracing it. So once again, we're left without an 'Admiral' Piett card, even though he was an Admiral for much, much longer than he was a Captain. Something wrong with this world...

A loyal Cult member reports that the Endor expansion for the Star Wars CCG is due out soon, and should have several new Piett-featuring cards! And maybe even a new Piett Character card - could we finally be getting our long awaited ADMIRAL Piett card? Let's hope so!

Imperial Spy and Cult Of Piett Member Sean Walsh has passed on important information! Sean has uncovered information that Admiral Piett WILL be an action figure from Kenner as part of its Power Of The Force toy line. This information was reported by a Combo reporter, Sean P. Aune, who then posted it on the 'net, and then our Sean found it! Well done Sean!

As for the rest of you - now you know which figure is going to be the ultra-sought after one.

New info to hand provided by Cult member Michael McGoldrick! Having scouted SirSteve's Guide To New Kenner Star Wars Toys, Michael saw and retrieved this picture of the figure prototype. A hearty thanks to both Michael McGoldrick, and a huge thanks to Sir Steve for having one of the nicest Star Wars action figure sites around.

The unpainted prototype figure. Click on thumbnail for bigger picture.

However, I must make a few comments. First, the accessories. Can anyone identify what that pointy stick he's holding is meant to be? And I suppose we must take for granted the fact that he has to come with the bulk standard stormtrooper blaster rifle - they do seem to give one to every other Imperial. But my big gripe is this - he's constantly referred to as Captain Piett. CAPTAIN Piett. On Sir Steve's page. In the toy magazine lists. On the Kenner site. He was an Admiral for a lot longer screentime than he was a Captain! And from what I can see, he's actually wearing the correct insignia for his correct later rank of Fleet Admiral! C'mon people, let's tell Kenner to get it right!

It seems that all our calls for an Admiral Piett figure will come to naught. In his Star Wars toy newsletter, Adam Pawlus revealed that the reason that the figure is Captain Piett and not Admiral Piett is because LucasFilm specifically requested that it be Captain, rather than Admiral. LucasFilm is notorious for being very hard on Kenner when it comes to what they want, so it's Captain. I guess we can all we can do is hope that at some stage LucasFilm will let them make an Admiral one...

New pic of the Piett figure! Again pilfered from SirSteve's Guide To New Kenner Star Wars Toys (thanks man!), this painted up version seems pretty cool. Click on the thumbnail to the left to see the larger version of it, and judge for yourself!

Another pic of the Piett figure (well, it looks like the same one, just a different angle). Plus, confirmation from Previews that the Captain Piett figure assortment is due for release in February. Let's hope it doesn't get bumped from he assortment, or that the assortment isn't delayed.

Yet another picture of the Piett figure. Fully painted up, and a better quality shot, from a better angle. Lookin' good!

A picture of the carded Captain Piett figure, courtesy SirSteve's Guide To New Kenner Star Wars Toys and Go Figure! Magazine. The bad news is that Sir Steve reports that Captain Piett's assortment is due out until May...

Note that the label on the plastic bubble says that his accessories are a blaster rifle and a pistol. It does look like they've dropped the standard issue Imperial blaster rifle in favour of a mid-sized pistol (it looks somewhat comparable to Grand Moff Tarkin's pistol), but that other accessory still looks a heck of a lot like a big pointer stick, rather than a rifle. Of course, it's possible that this sticker is not the final one.

Michael McGoldrick has retrieved this info from the official Kenner website. According to their information, Captain Piett will be released in Wave 15, Collection 3, in the first Quarter of 1998. Also in this assortment will be Darth Vader with Removable Helmet, Ishi Tib and Zuckuss.

He's out! Piett is on the stands now, so snap him up! You should note, however, that for some reason, the label makers stuck with the 'blaster rifle and pistol' description of his pistol and pointy stick. Wonder if they'll ever correct it?

Another item of interest on Piett's card is that nowhere in the text on the back of his card does it mention that he died at Endor! Does this mean that Lucasfilm has caved into fan pressure once again and resurrected Piett? Looks like it to me! VICTORY!!!!!

Well, it's not exactly Action Figure news,but it's kinda related. The Action Fleet SSD Executor may be rather expensive, but there's at least one good reason to buy it - try hitting the first sound effect button (or, if you don't have one handy, click here). Thanks to Jesse Smith for the info!

It is official - we are now at war! It seems an American Toy magazine has insulted the Admiral Piett action figure (I don't care what Kenner calls it, the rank on the figure is Admiral). The article is a top 10 action figure list on which the Admiral has been for the past few months. The publisher of the magazine or at least the author of the list apparently does not believe that the Admiral deserves to be on the list and so has gravely insulted all Piett-dom. You can read the offending section reproduced below.

Thanks to Cult member Jesse Smith for alerting us to this. If you have a suggestion as to the battle strategy we should take, drop me a line. In the meantime, I recommend that all Cult members bombard Toyfare with messages saying how wrong they are.

Our war with Toyfare magazine rages on with this foul piece of propaganda on their part:

It appears that Toyfare magazine is not content to just push Admiral Piett off their top ten toy list - they are now attempting to crush his legend by saying that he was killed at Endor! To quote: "He was blown up real good!" Thanks once again to Cult member Jesse Smith for alerting us to this. If you have a suggestion as to the battle strategy we should take, drop me a line. In the meantime, I recommend that all Cult members bombard Toyfare with messages saying how wrong they are.

A momentous occasion in Piett history! As part of the "In The Star Wars Universe" series of interviews, Scott Chernoff interviewed Kenneth Colley in issue #35 of the Star Wars Insider, the official Star Wars fan magazine. In the interview, some intriguing tidbit's of information are revealed, so grab a copy if you can!

(Click on thumbnails to see covers)

The cover on the left - with the Sandperson on the cover - is the regular newsstand edition of the magazine, while the much cooler one on the right with the TIE Fighter pilot is the Official Fan Club Members edition. On both editions, Admiral Piett tops the bill (you can see his name in the upper left corner above the title), yet doesn't feel the need to be all splashy and dominate the cover - much like the Admiral himself. Still, would have been nice for him to have had a cover all to himself... Perhaps we need to write in to the Insider and demand a special issue focusing on the Empire's Officers (much like they did with the Rebel Pilots special)?

The Project has been completed, and you're looking at it! Project: Shadow Run (named after Kenneth Colley's upcoming film, Shadow Run), the long awaited major update to the Admiral Piett Homepage, has been an outstanding success. We now have our own domain name - www.piett.org - and plenty of space, thanks to the Supreme Moff. Many thanks, SME! Let us know what you think of the new place!

Admiral Piett is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Star Wars strategy game from LucasArts. It should be out some time in 1998. Still no word on an Admiral Piett: The Game, though . . .

As promised, a picture of Piett from Rebellion. Information on his role conflicts somewhat - Star Wars Galaxy Magazine credited him as being from A New Hope, while some sources say he will appear as a captain only (since the game begins after the destruction of the first Death Star), while other sources refer to him as Admiral. What role he actually does play remains to be seen.

LucasArts promises that Rebellion will be in stores the week of March 23 1998, so keep an eye out. Unfortunately, the LucasArts website does not have any information on Piett's role in the game - in fact, they don't even have a picture of him up, even in the animated slideshow picture of many of the Imperial characters - most of whom I've certainly never heard of before! I can only guess that they want to build the excitement about him being in the game by teasing us with only small glimpses before the game comes out... We'll have further updates on Piett in Rebellion (or, if you're in the UK, Star Wars: Supremacy) as they come to hand.

In the meantime, here's the cover of the box, so you'll know what to look for!

Rebellion is out most everywhere now. Cult member John Dreyer reports that the games lists Admiral Piett as having "Good Combat and leadership skills and strong diplomatic skills." Both John and I agree that the excellent diplomatic skills are certainly right, but only GOOD combat and leadership skills?!?!?! Thankfully, John still put him in command of his main fleet, because, as we all know, there is only one real leader for the Empire...

Alright, I finally have my own copy of Rebellion! The Admiral features in the manual, such as the use of his picture on page 96 of the manual to show the various character status icons, and is one of the characters that the Imperials automatically start with. His bio on the poster chart that comes with the game is rather brief, though - "Captain Piett is first officer aboard Lord Vader's Super Star Destroyer" Considering that this game begins just after A New Hope, the rank of Captain is understandable. But from there, it's up to the player to do the Admiral justice...

We've got a couple of new pics of him in the game over in the Piett Gallery and a couple of wonderful Rebellion strategy to help you win the game when playing as the Empire (as if there were any other choice!).

Scheduled for October 1997 release in the USA, this is another Star Wars anthology book, like the Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina, Tales From Jabba's Palace and Tales Of The Bounty Hunters. Priced at US $5.99, it should have a Piett story in it - if it doesn't there's something fundamentally wrong with the universe.

It's official. There's something fundamentally wrong with the universe. Tales From The Empire is not what it would seem - instead of being an anthology of our favourite Imperials, it's a collection of short stories originally written for a Star Wars role playing magazine. Yes, it's a blow. So let's write in to Bantam Books to demand an Imperial-only anthology book!

Well, Bantam has lost the rights to Star Wars novels, so demanding anything from them is rather pointless really... Plus, in a recent chat with writer Kevin J. Anderson, he said that he wasn't working on any new Star Wars anthologies at all, so things don't look promising. That's why we here at www.piett.org have opened up the Tales Of The Imperials page...

This news in from Cult member Phil Bevan:

"For the record Admiral, I cannot CONFIRM, nor DENY this information that I got whilst talking with a friend from London, who until recently was a contributor to a very well known UK Sci-Fi Magazine (he has since become a screenwriter and director, lucky so and so).

"Whilst doing a piece on the forthcoming Star Wars Movies he was in the States for a press briefing and he was given a few notes that spoke of a Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy that will have a part in the second movie and possibly the third, now he is a fan of the movies but he is 99.9% sure that when he asked a question relating to the identity of the Lieutenant the person who answered said it would be a younger version of a Imperial Character that appeared in the later films (Star Wars IV, V and VI) now there are only three possibles that I can think of that appear in the later (earlier) films that could be in the newer (later) films, General Veers, Admiral Ozzell and our leader, Admiral Piett, now as Veers and Ozzell has a small parts in the Empire Strikes Back, my only thought can be that it will be a young Piett."

Okay, so it's REALLY tentative, and we're probably grasping at straws here (such a character could well be the oft-rumoured Young Tarkin), but if nothing else, it's something of interest for us Piett fans! And who knows? Even if he's not identified onscreen, there may be a background character who looks an awful lot like a young Ken Colley... :)