Piett I see as the epitome of the downtrodden rules-follower - nominally he's in charge but in fact he's just a cog of the Empire. And he knows that no matter what he does sooner or later he's frelled.

Thanks for the explanation. I couldn't tell if you thought he was a hat-tip to a particular character (Major Major Major Major in space) or just the concept in general.

I have assumed since the first time I saw these movies that the crew of the Executor started a betting pool on Piett's life expectancy the minute he was field-promoted.