PIETT CHRONOLOGY

    In an effort to dispel confusion about his background, as well as to provide more information to the legions of Piett fans ravenous for more, the Admiral has authorised the opening of his personal file. What follows is an honest and true account of the Admiral's extraordinary life and times.

Prior to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

• Piett is born
• Piett takes his first breath (very shortly after above)
• Piett learns to crawl
• Piett grows his first tooth
• Piett takes his first steps
• Piett says his first word
• Piett loses baby teeth
• Piett stops believing in Santa

Date and order is conjecture, but seem to make sense

• Piett enters the Imperial Academy
• Piett graduates the Imperial Academy

Date and order is again conjecture, but also seems to make sense.

• Piett is assigned to a small patrol squadron on the Outer Rim as a commander. While serving there, Piett builds an extremely impressive record of arrests and suppressions. Under his command, his sector becomes one of, if not the, most secure sector in all the Empire.
• Piett is promoted to the rank of Captain.
• Fleet Headquarters becomes increasingly aware of Piett's flawless record of service. He is hand picked to join the elite group of the Imperial Navy's top officers serving under Darth Vader.
• Piett joins Darth Vader's Death squadron, under the command of Admiral Griff.

Information taken from Piett's West End Games file. Dates are conjecture, but as Admiral Griff is replaced by Admiral Ozzel following Griff's failure to capture the Rebels during their evacuation of Yavin 4, it stands to reason that the Death Squadron was formed prior to or during Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Prior to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

• The Super Star Destroyer Executor is commissioned and given to Darth Vader by the Emperor. Captain Piett comes aboard as captain of the ship.
• On one of the Executor's first voyages, Piett conveys Lord Vader to the planet of Circarpous IV

Piett's journey to Circarpous IV is shown in the first two pages of issue #3 of Dark Horse Comics adaption of Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The validity of this occurrence is questionable. Which is to be regarded higher when it comes to continuity - a pre-modern wave Star Wars novel, or a modern Star Wars comic? This entry is made for the sake of completeness.

During Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

• Piett recieves a signal from a probe droid in the Hoth system. Admiral Ozzel dismisses this, but Piett manages to bring it to the attention of Lord Vader. Vader agrees and the fleet sets course for the Hoth system.
• After Admiral Ozzel makes the stupid mistake of coming out of hyperspace too close to the system, he is executed by Vader. Piett is promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, and takes command of the task force.
• Under Piett's command, the fleet makes the best of the tactical disadvantage Ozzel created. Several Rebel transports are damaged, destroyed or captured.

Tales of the Bounty Hunters clearly establishes that not all the Rebel Transports got away as safely as the one seen escaping during the Empire Strikes Back

• The Executor, under Piett's command, engages in the pursuit of the Millennium Falcon. Piett tries to advise Lord Vader against taking the Executor into the asteroid field in which the Falcon is hiding. Vader ignores this advice and orders the ship to follow them.

Of course, Piett was wise to offer this advice - the Executor's size meant that it would have to spend all it's time destroying asteroids in order to navigate within the asteroid field, greatly hampering any efforts to locate the Rebels

• Piett recieves word that Emperor Palpatine wishes to speak with Vader, and advise him as such. Under orders, Piett moves the Executor out of the asteroid field
• Piett allows a group of Bounty Hunters to board the Executor, but still makes his true feelings about them known.
• Under orders, Piett deploys the fleet to capture the Falcon, having disappeared from scanners.

Undoubtedly a ruse on Piett's part to flush them out.

• Piett brings the Executor to the Anoat system, heading for Bespin

Not seen, but it must have happened.

• Piett orders the use of a tractor beam on the escaping Millennium Falcon. However, the Falcon escapes.

Prior to Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi

• Piett is temporarily reassigned from duties aboard the Executor.

Inferred from the fact that during Shadows Of the Empire, the Executor is commanded by an unnamed captain. Though some might interpret this as punishment for failing to capture the Millennium Falcon, I feel it is sloppy research on the part of Shadows author, Steve Perry.

• Piett is returned command of the Executor.

Obvious, since he again commands the ship during Return Of The Jedi.

During to Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi

• Piett brings the Executor to Endor.

Again, not seen, but probably happened. The Dark Horse Shadows Of The Empire series shows the Executor arriving at Endor prior to the beginning of Return Of The Jedi, yet the film shows Vader arrivng from an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, so therefore the exact timing of the Executor's arrival is in question. Is it likely that Vader would have changed ships to get onto a shuttle?

• Piett supervises ship movements while the Executor is on station patrol.
• Under orders from Vader, Piett moves the entire fleet of Imperial capital ships to the far side of the moon of Endor.
• Piett recieves orders from the Emperor himself over the strategy to be employed against the Rebel attack.

The two sets of orders must come at seperate times. The Emperor orders Vader to take the fleet to the far side of the moon of Endor, while later Piett says he has orders from the Emperor himself - this indicates two seperate occasion. Obviously, the Emperor felt it wise to tell Piett himself, rather than relaying such information through Vader, and probably took the opportunity to ask for some tactical advice. Later dialogue also reveals that Piett did indeed know that the Death Star II was fully operational.

• When Rebel forces attack, Piett orders all forces to hold their position, in accordance with the Emperor's orders.
• As the battle begins to turn, Piett orders intensification of the forward batteries around the bridge of the Executor. This does not, however, prevent Rebel pilot Arvel Crynyd crashing his out of control A-Wing starfighter through the Executor's bridge.
• Piett is believed killed

How Piett survived remains a mystery. Some believe that he did indeed manage to make it to an escape pod as he lept into the bridge pit, others say he had already been replaced with a clone (though at what point this subsitution takes place is also a matter of great debate).

Piett's survival is supported not only by intense fan pressure, but also the text description on the card of the Captain Piett action figure, which mentions nothing whatsoever of his 'death'.

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