One of the most interesting and dynamic things about the Star Wars franchise is that it is an absolute reservoir of trivia and tidbits that its fans eat up and spit out in a rabid sense. It’s a virtual geek’s paradise of information. Like The Beatles, there aren’t many other pop cultural institutions that are so drawn and quartered to the last minute detail by its minions of followers.

So that said, we are sad to report that Richard LeParmentier, who appearing in the first Star Wars film, has died. LeParmentier is best known for playing Admiral Motti in the Star Wars: A New Hope and who was also the first character shown on screen being force-choked by Darth Vader for his defiant behavior towards him. Motti – who put his confidence behind the Empire’s new “technological terror,” the Death Star – was a character who actually had the balls and audacity to and stand up to the Darth Lord of the Sith’s authority, creating a sequence which made the iconic cinematic villain exclaim one of the most memorable lines of the franchise. When Motti tells Vader that his “sad devotion to that ancient religion” hasn’t help him retrieve the stolen Death Star plans, the Sith Lord responds by Force-choking the cocky Admiral, calmly stating, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”