![]() ![]() ![]() He was out of uniform! He was indeed a colorful character whose colors bled into everyone else’s lives that he touched. In fact, one time that I bumped into him (I don’t remember which convention it was) he didn’t have the tie on and it took me by surprise. He wore this suit jacket with an extensive array of buttons and pins all over the lapels and to top it off, a bow tie. He absolutely loved the toy and was always happy to sign them for fans who came to see him. I don’t think I’ll ever forget his trademark “uniform” that he’d wear to almost every convention he attended. I could feel his excitement from across the ocean. He never stopped talking about his family, especially his “Dearly Beloved” Ros, his “bum actor” friends, and all the fans whom he affectionately called his “chums.” I’ll never forget how excited he was to learn that there was going to be an Admiral Ozzel action figure made. Michael left me with a lot of fond memories. ![]() He was someone who decided early on what he wanted to do in life and did it well, enjoying his great success. I thought of him as a wonderful friend someone to respect and look up to. This was a man who was so gracious and so wonderful that you would give him your 110% willingly and not feel a need to ask for anything in return. I hosted his site, maintained it for him, and did whatever else he needed and never charged him a dime-nor would I. He was always open and honest, endlessly telling me how much everyone loved the site. He never felt I was some random Star Wars fan, but instead, a friend. We’d meet at the occasional convention but mostly stayed in touch electronically since he lived “across the pond” as he’d put it. Over the years (we registered his site in 2000) I felt a real relationship developed and there was a great mutual respect. He knew that I was there for him and could help him out with his site, e-mail, or whatever else he needed on the web. He was the most appreciative person I’d ever worked with. From that day on, he thanked me in every e-mail. I threw together a design and he approved it. He, of course, was very receptive and wanted to proceed, knowing that I had worked on Dave Prowse’s website. I first met him many years ago on the convention circuit and offered him some help in making a website and getting an online presence. ![]() Little did I know that 20+ years down the road, I’d be maintaining Michael’s official website. In fact, the last time I spoke to him in May of 2005 at Star Wars Celebration III, he spoke to me of going upstairs to his room to read the script for his next job. Living in the USA, we weren’t privy to certain shows like Grange Hill, so Michael might not have been as well known here until The Empire Strikes Back was released, but his list of credits is astounding. The way he slumped to the ground was morbidly grand. Ozzel’s choking death was perfectly done in one take. He was mid-sentence when Vader reached out through the Force and cut off his oxygen supply while at the same time promoting captain Piett to the rank of admiral. Then there was that fabulous death scene. Vader was correct, of course, although Ozzel couldn’t see it. I loved how he tried to talk sense to Darth Vader but Vader would overrode him at every turn. I remembered admiral Ozzel as that pompous bad guy who felt his authority was undermined by an underling. I loved everything about the film but I always had fond memories of the array of Imperial Officers that peppered both films, even the ones who went nameless for years afterwards. Darth Vader telekinetically strangled Ozzel, because the rebels detected the arrival at the planet Hoth too early, as shown in Episode V.I was all of 10 years old when The Empire Strikes Back was released and due to the profound effect that Star Wars had on me three years prior, I was looking forward to it very much. The effect of this Upgrade Card triggers during step 3 of Ship Phase: " Execute Maneuver"Īdmiral Ozzel led the search for the hidden rebel base after the Battle of Yavin from the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Upgrade Card Collection (new card size/updated text)."When a friendly ship resolves a command, it may change its speed by an additional 1." " During each friendly ship's Determine Course step, it may change its speed by 1." With Armada 1.5 published in December 2020 this card's effect has been changed. ![]()
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