General Veers' Death

About this scene:

During the Battle of Hoth, General Veers is just about to target the rebel power generators when he is suddenly faced with a kamikaze pilot (Hobbie, Rogue Four) crashing through the front window of the cockpit. Veers is presumably killed in this scene.

Everything up to the snowspeeder crash is still in the film, leaving the question of whether Veers is meant to be alive or dead still a mystery. At least one early version of a Return Of The Jedi script has Veers appearing again, but this was later left out. Also interesting to note is that a very similar scene did end up happening later in Return Of The Jedi, when a damaged rebel craft flies through the front viewscreen of the Super Star Destroyer's bridge after the shields are disabled, causing the entire massive bulk of the ship to plunge into the Death Star's surface.

The only known evidence left of Veers' death scene are the storyboards and descriptions in earlier versions of the script.

 

INT WALKER NO. 1 - COCKPIT

CLOSE-UP VEERS inside Walker No. 1 cockpit. He speaks over the com-link as he studies various readouts.

VEERS
... yes, Lord Vader. I've reached the main power generators and I'm destroying them now. The shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing...

PILOT
Look out!

Veers looks out the cockpit window.


EXT BATTLEFIELD - HOTH

FULL SHOT of Hobbie's speeder, Rogue Four, as it races over camera right at the head of the oncoming walker.


INT WALKER NO. 1 - COCKPIT

A storyboard depicting the resulting explosion.

OVER THE SHOULDER of Veers and his pilots as the speeder crashes into the front window.

PILOT
He's going to...

Impact, huge explosion.


EXT BATTLEFIELD - HOTH

FULL SHOT of Walker No. 1 with head exploding and frying into a million pieces.



EXT BATTLEFIELD - HOTH

FULL SHOT Walker No. 1. After a few moments the headless walker topples over on its side in a cloud of snow.