TeeDee, as his fellow troopers call him, states with confidence: "If the 501st is Vader's Fist, then I must be his middle finger!"

In our opinion, there is no better spokesperson for the Empire's foot soldiers than this guy. But be forwarned that some of his talk is a tad adult and not meant for the ears of Imperial younglings.

Stop by and download the podcasts to show this Sandtrooper your love!

According to the artist, the aurebesh writing on the memorial are actual names of some of his fallen friends and compatriots.

Like WiL-Woods, we Imp Chicks know that our Imperial men are really heroes at heart...and not cardboard villains as those who are ignorant may claim.

A bit of sluething by Imperial Chick's Artist-in-Residence Fornarina uncovered a current link for the tale, plus the homepage of its brilliant author Monika E. Simon.

Haven't read Admiral Piett and the Great Ewok Adventure? Oh, my dears, you simply must! If only to bask in appreciation of the inimitable Admiral Piett who finally gives those scruffy little creatures from Endor their due.

In honor of her fondness for the aforementioned story, Fornarina has painted a series of new illustrations below.

The festivities begin on August 12-15, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Lots of Our Men will be there, including actor Julian Glover (General Veers), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett/Lt. Shekel), George Roubicek (Commander Prajii), Chris Muncke (Captain Khurgee) and others!

Go to the Official Star Wars Celebration V site for more information, tickets, and Imperial guest confirmations.

See you in Florida!!!

Colley is currently playing a pathologist named Frederick Smith in the series Casualty 1909, a BBC program about the Royal London Hospital set in the year...1909! Our birdie also informs us BBC-deprived Imp Chicks that Colley's character did a post mortem of a body and it was VERY gory! Ooooh...shivers. Check it out if you're in the UK! The rest of us will have to wait until someone posts a scene or two on YouTube. (Hint...hint!)

"This might possibly be the silliest thing I have ever done," says Joanne on her diviantART page. "But I wish this magazine existed, because I would SO read it."

The very talented Joanne Renaud is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Her site bio states she "enjoys travel, history, costume design, classic movies, old musicals and cheesy fantasy art." She has illustrated covers for the children's books Honey Cake, The Seventh Jewel, and fantasy/sci-fiction magazine "Astonishing Adventures".

Fanfiction author ChristineX informs us that Chapter II of the Chief Bast romance Refugees is now online over at ff.net. Well worth reading!

This quote got our attention: "Ken doesn't look like a bully, but he manages to make him so playfully malevolent it was frightening." (Oooh....gives us goosebumps just thinking about it!)

Read all about KC's performance on the BBC press release page, along with a DigiGuide article that has a cool still of Colley from the production! (Check out his body language opposite MacAninch...it's positively menacing!)

Brought to our rapt attention: Refugees, a thoroughly romantic, neatly-written Chief Bast tale, by author ChristineX, over on fanfiction.net!

ChristineX states, "There seem to be two schools of thought regarding "Chief Bast" (he was listed only as "Commander #1" in the credits for Star Wars, although most sources I've found state that his rank was actually the equivalent of a Major General). Some say he perished on the Death Star along with everyone else, while others claim that he had to have survived, as his character had a cameo in the Star Wars Holiday Special, which takes places a few months after the Battle of Yavin. Obviously, I believe he survived, or there wouldn't be a story at all. As with pretty much everything else I write, I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible, but when it's muddy (as it is here), I'm taking the ball and running with it."

For those fan girls (and guys!) interested in the current doings of Star Wars actor Michael Pennington who ably portrayed Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi, check out the Michael Pennington Page. Neatly put together by Mary Hunwicks, the website contains current news, a bio, articles and reviews of Michael Pennington's film, stage and writing career.

If you were curious as to why Imperial Moff Jerjerrod has been missing from Star Wars Celebrations, this site might answer your question as Michael Pennington has been one busy scholar extolling the virtues of those brilliant playwrights Chekhov and Shakespeare!

Ummm, did we say we can't get enough of this guy?

According to Viaru, his is the first Tarkin/Daala-obssesed site. The couple are the "brightest figures of Imperial elite, as well as the Galaxy's most brilliant pairing...Governor Tarkin and Admiral Daala show you all that was hidden from the prying eyes of their personnel. A constantly increasing collection of exclusive fanart is just the beginning..." (We Imp Chicks can hardly wait!)

The site is in English and Russian. Highly recommended. Stop by and say hello to Viaru. Let him know that the Imperial Chicks sent you.

Among the suggested promotional items cooked up back in 1999 by the creative minds at Action Figure Insider were a Han Solo Carbonite Mini Fridge, an AT-AT Walker Chair Caddy, and a keen Darth Vader Gumball Dispenser that spits out Death Star printed goodies. (Way cooler than a PEZ dispenser!)

We Imp Chicks think that these items would have been a hit with Imperial consumers...especially the cute Death Star Grill. (We so want one!) Makes us wonder why these things weren't deemed marketable by Lucasfilm and Pepsi Co. Judging by the reaction from fellow Star Wars fans in both the Gizmodo and Action Figure Insider article comment sections, they're in full agreement with us.

Featuring newcomers Matt Reynolds, Mel Stephenson, Kirsty Cox, Ben Shockley, Henry Dunn, John Rackham, and Maria Long, the film also includes a cameo from the writer/director. More info on the project can be read on Screen South, along with an audio interview of Colley with Charlie O'Brien on Invicta FM. The trailer can be downloaded from the official "Greetings" website. Check it out!

And if you're still hungering for more Ken Colley, Imperial chick Blitzen tipped us off to two clips from YouTube of the actor portraying Tchaikovsky from "The Music Lovers" and a spy in "The Sweeney S2E6 Trap."

Sigh. We can never get enough of this guy.

Below are more masterpieces from artist Fornarina, featuring the brilliant (and handsome!) Imperial officer Firmus Piett.

Shortly after the glorious Battle of Hoth, the recently promoted Admiral Piett, attired in a cold weather military-issue overcoat, debarks from his shuttle to give Lord Vader a status report.	From the fan fic "We Will Be Together till the End of Time." Admiral Piett congratulates a female pilot as General Veers looks on.	Captain Piett and his wife Lady Janel attend a formal event at the Imperial Palace. Captain Needa is seen to their right, whilst Admiral Thrawn's back is turned to the left of the happy couple.

"Glory to the Empire!"

In addition to helping her comrades in arms outfit themselves in Imperial style, Van Bueningen has won numerous awards for her costuming skills that encompass the entire Star Wars Universe as well as other genres. Guaranteed to make you go "oooh!" and "wow!" whilst you gaze in amazement at more of this talented lady's work.

"I like how the owners preferred an environment that was clean, well-designed, and worthy of the Empire, rather than some Rebel spit-stucco-and-bailing-wire-construct," says Imperial chick Captain Adellon Lity, who brought this news item to our rapt attention.

Read the entire article featured on the electronichouse.com website.

Before the Battle (ff.n)
We've said it before and we'll say it again: We just can't get enough of that guy Admiral Piett! What a thrill it is to discover yet another wonderful story featuring Firmus Piett and his boss, Darth Vader, over on fanfiction.net. Written by author Adalric, "Before the Battle" has Admiral Piett and Lord Vader sharing a night's watch before the Battle of Endor. Short and sweet...like our Admiral...when he's standing next to our favorite Sith Lord, that is!

It has come to our attention that some Imperial citizens may have fallen for recent Rebel propaganda that has Chief Moradmin Bast not surviving the Death Star tragedy. Even employees within Lucasfilm are a tad confused as to whether or not Tarkin's canny advisor perished during the Battle of Yavin. The latest issue of Star Wars Insider magazine (#96) has Lucasfilm's canon expert Leland Chee confirming that the character of Chief Bast was a casualty of the aforementioned battle after being shown a brief film clip from A New Hope, wherein Bast is seen with Tarkin shortly before the Death Star went boom. All we Imperial chicks can surmise from Mr. Chee's reasoning is thus: If a Rebel snowspeeder pilot nicknamed Hobbie survived a head-on crash into an Imperial AT-AT during The Empire Strikes Back, what's to prevent a resourceful and cunning Imperial officer like Moradmin from making a miraculous, last moment escape from certain death? In our best Yoda impression: "Hmmmm?" While wishful thinking by Bast fan girls may not be enough to make Mr. Chee rethink the entire SWEU situation, Chief Bast was clearly alive after Yavin IV according to the package back of Hasbro's Death Star Briefing Room action figure set. Imp Chick Gia Octavia noted that Bast's written bio (vetted by Lucasfilm Licensing) reads: "Personal assistant to Grand Moff Tarkin aboard the Death Star, Bast shares Tagge's opinion that the Rebellion is more powerful than many Imperials believe. He is one of very few Imperial officers to successfully evacuate from the Death Star before its destruction." And despite what some Star Wars (ie: pro-Rebel) fans may claim, it really was Chief Moradmin Bast, (not his twin, or a look-alike, according to a lame explanation for the discrepancy in Bast's Wookiepedia entry) portrayed by actor Leslie Schofield, striding alongside Lord Vader during the Star Wars Holiday Special - a production that we must admit...alas...depicted Imperial officers in a most unflattering fashion...literally. Sigh. No matter which way the holocron canon blows, in our heart of hearts, we Imperial Chicks know that our beloved Bast Lives!

Alpine Garrison: Serving the Empire within the occupied territories of Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Just a note to alert all loyal Imperial citizens in the Wasatch Mountain range area that members of the 501st Legion, Alpine Garrison, will be guarding the likes of Weird Al Yankovic at a Friday night concert, September 7th, in Salt Lake City, UT; sneaking in an appearance during the Utah State Fair parade on Saturday morning, September 8th; then heading up to Idaho Falls, ID, that same evening as Weird Al once more performs his rendition of "The Saga Begins." That's one busy weekend! After taking a glance at Alpine Garrison's ultra-cool website, we got a nice icy feeling that this outfit really rocks! Any Rebels wandering onto the fairgrounds or attending Weird Al's concerts better run for cover, 'cause this outfit has a pet Wampa on its team!

501st Legion members Shane and Shawn Gordon posed with actor Richard Leparmentier who portrayed Imperial Admiral C. Antonio Motti in Star Wars, A New Hope. Left: Another great pic from TK-1970, a.k.a. Shane Gordon, and his twin brother Shawn, a.k.a. SL-6942, taken at Celebration IV with Star Wars fan favorite Richard LeParmentier, whose characterization of the arrogant Admiral Motti being Force-choked by Darth Vader aboard the Death Star is one of the most memorable scenes from the entire Star Wars saga! LeParmentier will be appearing at Dragon-Con, August 31st through September 3rd. Stop by and say hello to the Admiral if you're lucky enough to attend this incredible event. (Send us a photo with the Admiral and we'll post it on this site.)

Star Wars Insider #96 If you don't already have a subscription to Star Wars Insider, we highly recommend that you run out and grab the latest issue at your newstand on September 4, 2007. It's an Imperial collector's special, focusing on the Rise of the Empire. The mag has lots of wonderful articles, artwork, and photos, with great quotes from Original Trilogy actors Ken Colley, (Admiral Piett) Julian Glover, (General Veers) Barrie Holland, (Lt. Renz) Richard LeParmentier, (Admiral Motti) and others. There are some interesting tidbits about "Motti the Barbarian's" new namesake of Conan Antonio. Did you know that Star Wars authors Michael Reaves and Steve Perry wanted to give the Admiral the first name of "Zi" for their upcoming Death Star novel? And that one of several articles featuring the character uses "C. Antonio Motti?" (Looks like the middle name of Antonio is catching on. We like that!) The powers that be even gave Chief Bast the first name of 'Moradmin.' However, after careful observation by Keeper of the Holocron Leland Chee, Chief Bast is considered one of the casualties aboard the Death Star because he was seen fleetingly on the bridge with Grand Moff Tarkin right before it blew. (Bast fan girls can stifle those sobs...there's still footage from the Star Wars Holiday Special proving that Chief Moradmin Bast survived!) Don't delay getting issue #96 in your hands before it's sold out. Lucasfilm employees concede (more than once!) within its pages that Imperial goods outsell Rebel goodies. Not surprising when one realizes that marketing is all about style. The Empire wins that battle hands down!

From the deft brush of Fornarina: Three wonderful portraits of the inimitable Imperial Admiral Firmus Piett below...whom we are certain did NOT perish during the Battle of Endor, contrary to Rebel propaganda. Thrilling stories abound about one of our favorite admirals who cheated death by means of a strategically placed escape pod, seduced Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma, took out scores of those annoying Ewoks, and now lies in wait while he quietly formulates a brilliant strategy that will ensure a final victory over the enemies of the Empire!

Face portrait of Admiral Firmus Piett.	Piett aboard the Executor.	Enjoying the view from his shuttle.

501st members Shane and Shawn Gordon of Alpine Garrison, looking sharp in their Imperial officer uniforms, survey the scene during the May, 2007, Celebration IV festivities held in Los Angeles. TK-1970, a.k.a. Shane Gordon, a proud 501st Legion member from the Alpine Garrison, sent us this great photo of himself (left) and his twin (yes, twin!) brother Shawn, a.k.a. SL-6942, wearing their spiffy, tailored uniforms at Celebration IV. "My name on the legion boards is short trooper," says Shane. "I am 5'6" tall, so when I wear my armor I am shorter than the other troopers in my garrison. I was one of the stormtroopers that marched in the Rose Parade with George Lucas. My brother was Darth Maul, also in the Rose Parade." "As for the officer uniforms, we made them so we had something else that was more comfortable besides armor," explains Shane. "Our outfits were made from a modified Civil War pattern. Shawn and I did our own sewing, but we had some friends (thanks Tara and Melissa!) help pin our outfits so that we could tailor them. We decided that if we were going to wear the uniforms, we would be high ranked. Why be a low ranking officer? So we went straight to the top." Click on the pic for a larger view and check out their rank bars. (Extra points if you can figure out their military status in the GFFA.) These two went all the way in regards to their career insignia. We Imp Chicks just love that sort of ruthless ambition from our men in gray!

Recent renderings from Imperial Chicks 'artist-in-residence' Fornarina below!

From the ongoing saga "Angel of the 501st:" A face portrait of Imperial Naval Commander Vola Gabbe, who is none too happy serving under Inquisitor Arik Ganner aboard the ISS Black Asp.	From an upcoming tale entitled "The Quartaas Incident:" Lord Darth Vader avenges 501st soldiers betrayed by corrupt Imperial officers in league with the Black Sun criminal organization.	From the SWEU, shortly before Return of the Jedi: Moff Jerjerrod is seated in his Imperial shuttle, ready for a tour of inspection as he oversees the timely construction of the second Death Star.

Chapter 15: "Beginning of the End" As forces beyond her control conspire, Imperial courtesan Dania is given one chance to reveal her true feelings for Thrawn. Between love and duty, will she dare risk it? While in the future, Illyana has a revelation of Pellaeon's and a message from the Chiss Ascendency to respond to. Will her life ever be the same again? Pressure mounts as a figure from the past threatens the uncrowned Empress of the Hand's inheritance.

Inertia author MGA (Madame Grand Admiral) has rendered some lovely pen and ink illustrations for her story. To the right: D'saillyana, daughter of the late Grand Admiral Thrawn and Imperial courtesan Dania.

More of MGA's artwork can be seen at her Deviant Art gallery, where she goes by the name of Flowering Wolfsbane.

Domus Publica
Something wicked this way comes from Star Wars fan fiction author Julius Sykes: A splendid collection of short stories, with an emphasis on our illustrious Emperor Palpatine, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and lesser known Galactic Empire heroes like Moff Jerjerrod and TIE Fighter Ace/Emperor's Hand Maarek Stele.

Using SW canon sources, then filling in the blanks with a deft touch, this guy has obviously done his homework in regards to the galaxy, far, far away. In addition to his fine Imperial fiction, Julius Sykes has written a series of facinating articles and essays in the site's Analysis section. Sykes' name was cited in the acknowledgments section of Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections, DK Publishing, (2005) by Dr. Curtis J. Saxton for his "scholarly example."