Zertik Strom

Zertik Strom was an officer in the Imperial Navy who, in 0 ABY, launched an ill-fated attempt to seize control of the massive casino space station known as the Wheel. The son of an Imperial governor, the relentlessly ambitious Strom quickly established himself as a fast riser in the Imperial Navy, gaining renown for single-handedly putting down a rebellion on the planet Armstiss while still just a lieutenant. Strom was soon made not only one of the youngest fleet commanders in history, taking control of a Pursuit-class light cruiser known as the Enforcement, but also the Sector Commander of the Mid Rim region containing the Wheel.

Although the Wheel had long had a deal in place preventing Imperial troops from operating aboard the station, Strom desired access to the station's profits and devised a plan to justify an Imperial takeover. Strom staged Rebel attacks on merchant starships in Wheel space, and although station administrator Simon Greyshade quickly sussed out Strom's intentions, he struck a deal with the commander to allow his plot to go through in exchange for Leia Organa, a Rebel leader hiding aboard the station with whom Greyshade had long been infatuated. Although Strom accepted the proposition to work together, the wily Greyshade soon stabbed Strom in the back, instead partnering with the Rebels to expose his plans. Greyshade's duplicity led to an all-out battle between Strom's stormtroopers and Wheel Security, in which Greyshade killed Strom with a proton grenade and put an end to his schemes.

Text and facts from the “Zertik Strom/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.