The film""s screenplay was adapted by Frank S.Nugent (director Ford""s son-in-law) from Alan Le May""s 1954 novel of the same name, that was first serialized as a short story in late fall 1954 issues of theSaturday Evening Post, and first titledThe Avenging Texans.He carefully and warily tiptoes over to the fireplace when he sees that no one is about: "I made myself at home." Mathayus was knocked unconscious and then buried up to his neck in sand in a desert pit, where it was expected that hungry red fire ants would eat his naked head.Rieekan ordered the start of the evacuation of the Rebel base.Light years away on the Imperial fleet on Darth Vader""s (David Prowse/voice of James Earl Jones) command ship theExecutorleading the way through space with Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE fighters alongside, Imperial Force Admiral Piett (Kenneth Colley) reported to angry and skeptical Admiral Ozzel (Michael Sheard) about a fragment of a signal from a probe droid in the Hoth system, a possible life-reading.The trio (Spencer, Tracy, and Carlos) were plotting o run away from the shelter in a pre-dawn escape.