General Rieekan is an NPC, the Rebel General in charge of the Rebel base on Hoth. He's a rude, abrasive man to everyone around him, but is especially bad to R2-D2 and C-3PO due to his bigotry. He may hypocritically deny it, but it's clear he's a condescendingly bigoted Droidist.
The Enemy Let Slip[]
Since the Rebels blew up the Peace Moon, they'd been on the run evacuating several bases with the Imperials suspiciously close on their heels, but managed to stay hidden on the ice world of Hoth for the past two years. One late afternoon on Hoth, Luke was riding a tauntaun while patrolling a sector outside the Rebel base, Han was riding another tauntaun patrolling a different sector, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Princess were in the command centre of the Rebel base, while Chewbacca was in the hangar working on repairs to the Millennium Falcon.
Han reached the command centre just as General Rieekan rudely ordered 3PO to go get him a Waldorf salad. Rieekan asked Han if Luke reported in yet. Han told him the last he'd heard, Luke was investigating a meteorite. Rieekan complained about how they couldn't spot approaching ships with all the meteor activity. Han told him he'd get R2 on it. Rieekan asked how was a "stupid droid" going to help. R2 took offense.
At the Rebel base, General Rieekan was disgusted to report that their sensors are picking up an electronic signal. Princess realized it was either a prospector droid or an Imperial droid looking for Luke, since Darth Vader had put a price on his head. Rieekan said he'd hate to lose this base just because of Luke. Princess pointed out they were hiding everybody, pilots, work crew, droids...Rieekan balked at the idea of sheltering droids. C-3PO asked him if he had a problem with droids. Rieekan claimed that some of his best friends were droids. 3PO asked, like who? Rieekan stammered for a bit before coming up with that one who fixed him his salad. 3PO indignantly pointed out that was her. Rieekan lamely apologized by saying all droids looked alike to him.
Princess orders Han and Chewbacca outside to determine if the droid was hostile. As they creeped up on the droid, Han stated that they'd see what the droid wanted, and if it was hostile, they'd destroy it. Luke asked over the radio how they'd know if it was hostile. Han replied, if it shot back. Princess ordered Han to disable the droid, take a memory dump, and make it look like an accident. Han shot it in a vital area, causing it to completely blow up. Chewbacca suggested the droid was probably Imperial. Rieekan said he wasn't Droidist, but you just couldn't trust them. Princess decided they had to assume that the Empire knew they were there and she initiated evacuation, preparing for a possible attack. Rieekan suggested Operation Codename: Kamikaze Droid Decoy. R2-D2 suggested Operation Codename: Explosive Meat Dispersal.
Luke reached the hangar and greeted Han and Chewbacca. He told them they'd better have their guns ready. Chewbacca said their guns were working perfectly. Han claimed they didn't need to evacuate, the Imperials probably thought their droid self-destructed, that Princess was over reacting again, and the Imperials wouldn't attack. Rieekan announced that Imperial star destroyers had just emerged from hyperspace. Han called it coincidence.
Princess reached the command centre as Rebel Troopers prepared to defend the base (some of them reluctantly went to defend the Claburn Range because Derlin ordered them to). R2 announced he'd spreadsheeted an evacuation schedule and told Rieekan that as the ranking officer, he needed to be on the first transport and he'd better hurry as it was ready to leave. Rieekan arrogantly declared that droids didn't give orders, he, Rieekan, gave orders and he was staying! 3PO said, "Well played, Artoo." R2 replied, "Shhh!"
At the perimeter of the base, Sergeant Major Trey Callum radioed to Princess that the Imperials were sending in some funny looking land transports, that they looked like camel droids, and they had lots of guns. R2 declared he wanted one, he wanted one so bad. Princess ordered the Rebels to destroy them all.
On his hoverplane, Luke fired at the nearest "camel" (actually an armored tank). Luke's shot bounced off the armored tank. Luke noted the hoverplanes came equipped with harpoons for hunting glacier worms. R2 asked how that was going to help. Luke admitted he didn't know, he was just making it up as he went along. At that moment, a tank fired at his hoverplane. Luke tried to dodge, but the hoverplane sustained major damage in the rear compartment. Luke asked Dak if he was okay, but Dak had slumped forward, unconscious. The Rebel Troopers kept firing at the tanks, only for all their shots to keep bouncing off. In one of the tanks, General Veers contacted Vader to complain how silly he felt riding a giant attack camel. Vader asked if it was working. Veers admitted that it was. Vader told him Vader would be landing Vader's troops. Luke contacted Princess to warn that the Imperials would be landing troops soon. Princess asked if he was sure since they hadn't picked up any landers yet. Luke replied that he just had a feeling. Luke fired a harpoon at one of the tanks, hitting it in its legs. Wedge radioed in from another hoverplane to compliment his shooting, but said he didn't think Luke could tow it very far. 3PO suggested he fly around the tank's legs to trip it with his harpoon wire. Luke did so and the tank tripped and fell. R2 ordered the Rebel Troopers to capture that camel. Ledick Firest was happy to obey this order, because then they could use it against the others. The Imperial Troopers in the fallen tank tried to get it back up again. They pressed a button labeled "Rise triumphantly" only to discover that it just opened the sunroof. Luke fired into the open sunroof, causing the entire tank to explode, much to R2's distress.
Princess asked Rieekan how the evacuation was going. He replied they were almost done, they just needed the command centre and the ground troops to pull out. Princess announced over the PA that the last transport would be leaving in twelve minutes. Han and Chewbacca were still trying to fix the Falcon, Chewbacca doing most of the work while Han complained on how long it was taking. Chewbacca said they were almost done, they just needed a brief interlude lacking any vociferous irritants. Han decided he'd leave to tell that loudmouth Princess to shut up. Chewbacca paused, then told Han that would do nicely (since it meant Han would leave Chewbacca alone).
Han reached the command centre and told Princess they had to go now. She left with Han while telling Rieekan he needed to leave too. Rieekan told her to go, but he was staying, since he'd be damned if he let any droid in there. 3PO asked him if that means she doesn't even count now. Rieekan admitted he needed someone to fix him his salads.
Luke had made his way on foot to the outer perimeter of the base where he met R2, who'd managed to fly their X-wing there to meet him, and a few stray fighter pilots getting ready to leave. Princes radioed Luke that the base was lost and he should get out of there. Wedge overheard and agreed, and told Luke to meet him at the rendezvous point. Luke told Wedge to remember that was rendezvous point, Luke paused, and then said Zeta (clearly still distrusting Wedge). Luke asked if everyone made it out of the base. He learned that General Rieekan stayed behind. R2 called that an unqualified success!
Rieekan later appeared briefly in a flashback, as Corey and Pete realized the full depths of Jim's treachery, including not reporting to Rieekan on Luke's disappearance when Luke was abducted by the Wampa.