[Theory/Poll] Was Admiral Ozzle a Rebel Sympathizer?

[Durandal]

This is an idea that I've been sort of juggling around in my head for a while. Look at Ozzle's actions.

First, he tries like Hell to convince Vader that the Rebels aren't on Hoth.

After Vader tells him to bugger off and go to Hoth anyway, he gets really pissed at Piett.

He brings the fleet out of hyperspace too close to the Hoth system, allowing the Rebels to detect the fleet earlier than they're supposed to and prevent an orbital assault, which would have most certainly spelled certain doom for them.

I find it hard to believe that a man who makes such a poor decision is stationed on the flagship of the Imperial fleet, so I think there's some merit to the idea that he wanted to divert Vader away from Hoth and if he couldn't do that, screw up Vader's plans enough so that the Rebels could escape.

[David]

An interesting theory.

[Kuja]

Hmmm, that's an interesting idea. I always figuered he was just a pompous ass....and I think I read somewhere that he disliked Piett and always tried to discredit him, which is why Piett mentioned Hoth while Vader was with them.

[Typhonis 1]

Very interesting idea,he may have even tipped the Rebels off a few times before hand.

[Mr Bean]

Very interesting idea,he may have even tipped the Rebels off a few times before hand.

Possible but unlikely remeber anything he tramsits will go by the other ships meaning the Com officer in the bridge of every ship in Vadar's Fleet had to be A rebel along with the back-up comm officer in the redundant bridge

That and they already have the Proid Droid to Warn them

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

Just for the record, I'll say that IIRC, this idea was first publicized by Phil Skayhan (sp?), a regular denizen of ASVS specializing in the ASVS-HN "paper" and also does some calcs.

As for whether Ozzel is a Rebel sympathizer, I'll say the chances are about 50-50. I abstain on this poll.

[Phil Skayhan]

This is an idea that I've been sort of juggling around in my head for a while.

I thought you read my site. Well, I'm canelling your subscription. So there!

Anyway, while no one ever brought this up on ASVS or SB (that I know of), about a month after I put up my page I did find this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ozzel ... 59-1&hl=en

That'll teach me to limit my search to ASVS.

[Master of Ossus]

If he had been a Rebel sympthizer, Veers would never have defended him to Vader. Instead it seemed that Veers looked at him like a well meaning buffoon.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

The probe droid probably showed Rebel activity, so why else would he convince Vader that the Rebels aren't on Hoth?

[Akm72]

You guys are treating Ozzel a bit unfairly IMO. What is wrong with asking for more proof than a couple of images of a power generator? We don't know how many false leads they'd already followed up.

As to the dropping out of lightspeed to close to the system, this is something I've wondered about a lot. You wouldn't expect even an incompetant officer to foul up if it was as much a no-brainer as Vader suggested. The most likly answer is that Ozzel was going 'by the book' on the initial attack, and hoping that the Rebels would be caught unprepared and fail to raise their shield in time. Whereas Vader was aware of the thick asteroid field, which could've been used to mask the fleet if they emerged from hyperspace on the opposite side (as General Rieekan mentioned earlier).

So my impression of Ozzel is of an unimaginative but still competant officer, but with too much pride and a unfortunate tendancy to talk down to Lord Vader.

[Cal Wright]

It's like the Needa thing in Wedge's Gamble. His cousin is in charge of an orbital mirror and there's talk about him being a Rebel sympathiser. In Lucas' Star Wars, good is good and bad is bad. If your in charge of the Executor, your not a sympathizer. Needa wasn't a sympathizer either. He didnt 'let' the Falcon get away. This should also go on that other thread. As far as I'm concerened The Empire is evil, and it's officers are under the pressure of Vader. Ozzel just had the arrogance to defy him.

[David]

There is a fan fic about this at Fanfix.com. I can't remember the name, but it was under the Empire category.

[StarshipTitanic]

Admiral Ozzle's Dilemma. First one on the Empire page.

[Kuja]

Note that when Piett mentions Hoth, Ozzel seems frustrated. "It could be anything! It could be smugglers..." It seems that the Imperial fleet had been chasing down every lead, only to find some glitbiters or smugglers hiding away. Maybe he was just getting tired of chasing ghosts.

[Durandal]

Sorry, Phil. I didn't rip this off from you. I came to it through independent discovery actually quite a few years ago, and it just popped back into my head yesterday, and I thought it would make a good poll.