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Rank Insignia of the Galactic Empire refers to badges of military rank which were displayed in the Star Wars feature films, used by officers of the Imperial Navy and Army. The insignia shown in the three major motion pictures, whose pattern and system was never established in an official publication or by live action dialogue, has since become a major point of speculation, conjecture, and entertainment by Star Wars fans. A badge is a device, patch, or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to annote some feat of service, a special accomplishment, as a symbol of authority (ex: police), or as a simple means of identification. ...
Military rank, or simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within military organizations. ...
The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the modified original Star Wars Trilogy. ...
Executor and several escorting Star Destroyers In the fictional Star Wars galaxy, the Imperial Navy, also referred to as the Imperial Starfleet, was the military arm of the Galactic Empire charged with maintaining security and order in Imperial space. ...
The mighty AT-ATs lead the charge against the Rebel Base on Hoth. ...
Executor and several escorting Star Destroyers In the fictional Star Wars galaxy, the Imperial Navy, also referred to as the Imperial Starfleet, was the military arm of the Galactic Empire charged with maintaining security and order in Imperial space. ...
The mighty AT-ATs lead the charge against the Rebel Base on Hoth. ...
TIE Fighter, see X-wing computer game series. ...
Star Wars Grand Admiral Breast Insignia In the Expanded Universe literature of Star Wars, Grand Admiral is a supreme Imperial rank of the Galactic Empire, outranking all other political and military personnel, including Imperial Moffs; they did not supersede personal representatives of the Emperor, however. ...
Conjectural insignia for Grand General Grand General is a fictional military rank of the Star Wars Expanded Universe that is is considered the highest possible Imperial Army rank. ...
A Grand Marshal is a court -, military and/or political office of very high rank. ...
Image File history File links OldMoff. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Image File history File links SMoff. ...
Image File history File links Moff2. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Image File history File links Moff1. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Grand Moff Insignia In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Moff is an Imperial rank honorifically bestowed among various servants of the Galactic Empire. ...
Image File history File links Moff. ...
Imperial High Admiral insignia High Admiral is a ficticious Imperial rank in the universe of Star Wars that is considered the highest possible rank of the Imperial Navy with the exception of the rank of Grand Admiral. ...
Hypothetical Surface Marshal insignia Surface Marshal is a military rank used in some science fiction sources to denote an Army or other military officer who commands all military forces on an entire planet. ...
Image File history File links HighAdm2. ...
Image File history File links HighAdm. ...
The rank of Fleet Admiral is common in many science fiction sources as a senior military officer who commands a fleet of spaceships and the rank has been mentioned in numerous films, television productions, and science fiction literature sources. ...
High General Tagge High General is a fictional military rank of the Star Wars universe that is considered the equivalent of a Field Marshal or General of the Army in real world militaries. ...
Marshal of the RAF sleeve/shoulder insignia Marshal of the Royal Air Force was the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. ...
Image File history File links OldFltAdm. ...
Image File history File links SWARSFLTADM.png =Summary New Fleet Admiral Insignia License This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely held by the company that developed the game. ...
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ...
A General is an officer of high military rank. ...
An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force (RAF) today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ...
Image File history File links OldAdm. ...
Image File history File links ImpAdmiral. ...
Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ...
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ...
An air marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Marshal is the second most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ...
Image File history File links ImpViceAdm2. ...
Image File history File links ImpViceAdm. ...
The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ...
Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...
An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts...
Image File history File links ImpRADM2. ...
Image File history File links ImpRADM.png Summmary Imperial Rear Admiral License This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely held by the company that developed the game. ...
Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a flag officer. ...
A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...
An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ...
Image File history File links ImpBrigadier. ...
Image File history File links ImpCommodore. ...
Line Captain Khurgee from the film Star Wars Line Captain is a military rank of the Star Wars universe, considered the most senior line rank of the Imperial Navy, below the flag ranks of the Admiralty. ...
High Colonel insignia High Colonel is a ficticious rank of the Star Wars universe which is considered a rank between a regular Colonel and a Brigadier in the the Imperial Army. ...
Line Captain Khurgee from the film Star Wars Line Captain is a military rank of the Star Wars universe, considered the most senior line rank of the Imperial Navy, below the flag ranks of the Admiralty. ...
Image File history File links HighColonel. ...
Image File history File links LineCaptain. ...
Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ...
Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...
A Group Captains sleeve/shoulder insignia A Group Captains command flag Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ...
Image File history File links ImpColonel. ...
Image File history File links ImpCaptain. ...
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ...
In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...
A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia A Wing Commanders command flag Wing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ...
Image File history File links ImpLTCOL.png Summary Imperial Lt. ...
Image File history File links ImpCommander. ...
In the Royal Navy, United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, a lieutenant commander (lieutenant-commander or Lt Cdr in the RN) is a commissioned officer superior to a lieutenant and inferior to a commander. ...
Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ...
A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ...
Image File history File links ImpMajor. ...
Image File history File links ImpLCDR.png Summary Imperial Lt. ...
A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ...
Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ...
A Flight Lieutenants sleeve/shoulder insignia Flight Lieutenant (abbreviated as Flt Lt and pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ...
Image File history File links ImpO-3. ...
Image File history File links ImpLT.png Summary Imperial Naval Lieutenant License This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely held by the company that developed the game. ...
A Lieutenant, Junior Grade, is a division officer in the United States Navy. ...
First Lieutenant is a military rank. ...
A Flying Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Flying Officer (Fg Off in the RAF; FLGOFF in the RAAF; FGOFF in the RNZAF; F/O in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ...
Image File history File links Imp1Lt. ...
Image File history File links ImpLTsub. ...
Insignia of a United States Navy Ensign In the military of various countries, ensign is a junior rank of commissioned officer. ...
Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ...
A Pilot Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Pilot Officer (Plt Off in the RAF; PLTOFF in the RAAF and RNZAF, P/O in the former RCAF) is the lowest substantive commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries, ranking only above Acting...
Image File history File links Imp2Lt. ...
Image File history File links ImpEnsign. ...
A midshipman is a subordinate officer, or alternatively a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the navies of several English-speaking countries. ...
USN Officer Candidate insignia Officer Candidate is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an officer. ...
A Flight Cadet is a military or civilian title that is held by someone who is in training to operate an airplane. ...
Image File history File links MIDN.png Summary Star Wars Cadet/Midshipman Insignia Screenshot (various websites and computer games) Licensing This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely held by the company that developed the game. ...
Image File history File links MIDN.png Summary Star Wars Cadet/Midshipman Insignia Screenshot (various websites and computer games) Licensing This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely held by the company that developed the game. ...
Officer Ranks In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Imperial officers of the Galactic Empire wore insignia consisting of a confusing collection of multi-colored rank squares (consisting of red, blue, yellow, orange, or white) on the left breast of the officer's uniform with a combination of several metal cylinders (which gave the officer security clearance) to either side of the rank badge. The confusing color system was used from the start of the Imperial Navy, in which officers had an unequal number of squares (as seen in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith). By the time frame of the film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the rank squares had become a much simpler collection of red and blue squares with the code cylinders still in use. This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological...
In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Galactic Empire was the regime established by then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to replace the Galactic Republic. ...
A security clearance is a status granted individuals, typically members of the military and employees of governments and their contractors, allowing them access to classified information, i. ...
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the third episode of the Star Wars film series (but the sixth film to be produced), to be released on Thursday, May 19, 2005. ...
Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ...
In the Star Wars films, most Imperial officers were verbally addressed as "Commander" with the exception of Admirals Ozzel and Piett who were addressed as "Admiral". Grand Moff Tarkin, from Star Wars Episode IV, was referred to as "Governor". With such generic terms, the Star Wars films give little hint to a system of ranks and insignia. Over the years, however, the Star Wars Expanded Universe has established a system of ranks and insignia which matches closely to the characters in the feature films and the ranks and authority which they most likely held. Grand Moff Governor Wilhuff Tarkin (64 [1] – 0 BBY) was a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ...
Expanded Universe material (e. ...
Note that there are more higher ranks than real armies. This is because there are more personnel to control within the Imperial Armed Forces. The Empire controlled tens of thousands of solar systems, with hundreds of trillions of citizens (perhaps more, since populations vary). We can assume that the Empire had a considerable percentage of the citizens enrolled in the military. Plus the leftovers from the Clone Wars. Thus more higher ranks are required to control even the admirals (which are considered high ranks in today's militaries).
Enlisted Ranks Imperial enlisted personnel have never been shown to have any type of insignia, but do have various types of uniforms which could indicate senority among the enlisted rank structure. The uniforms appear to range from Soldiers and Technicians, to Sergeants and Naval NCOs, as well as Warrant Officers and Command Sergeants. Each of these groups is shown in the feature films to have various types of uniforms but never have been shown wearing any type of identifying insignia.
Stormtroopers Imperial Stormtroopers apparently use the same rank system as the Imperial Army, but rarely wear any type of outward insignia. It is mentioned in Star Wars literature that Stormtroopers most likely have an identification scanner, built into their helmets, which can determine the rank and senority of other stormtroopers. This does not explain, however, the colored shoulder pads used by Stormtroopers on Tatooine, in Star Wars Episode IV. Also, in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back a stormtrooper is seen wearing the insignia of an Army Captain on his armor. It is assumed that such insignia display is for the benefit of non-stormtrooper personnel. Imperial Stormtroopers are highly trained shock troops in the fictional Star Wars universe. ...
Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ...
In the higher ranks of the Stormtroopers, it can be reasonably assumed that the senior Stormtrooper officers do not wear the Battle Armor on a regular basis, thus a different uniform, for the more casual "office" setting, would most likely be worn. This explains a number of Imperial officers, seen in the feature films directing groups of Stormtroopers, who appear to be wearing solid black uniforms with rank badges. Such personnel are most likely Stormtrooper commanders whose daily duties do not necessitate the regular wearing of battle armor.
Starfighter Corps The Imperial pilots of the Starfighter Corps are a subject of great debate in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. One school of thought is that such personnel are members of the Imperial Navy while another possibility exists that the starfighters comprise an entire separate branch of service. Several different literature sources have provided a feasible rank structure for the Starfighter Corps, with indications that Starfighter pilots are Imperial officers with ranks similar to the Army and Navy combined. In the feature films, no starfighter pilot was ever shown wearing rank insignia but this may have been since the pilots were only seen in flight suits. It is plausible that a separate duty uniform exists, upon which rank insignia may be displayed. Expanded Universe material (e. ...
Several conjectural rank systems for the Imperial Starfighter Corps have been extrapolated by the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Most contain numerous matches matching the structure of the Imperial Army and Navy ranks, however there are exceptions. The Lucas Arts Flight Simulator game TIE Fighter, for instance, provides a simple version of Starfighter Ranks as listed below. The Expanded Universe (or EU for short) is a collection of fictional background material from the Star Wars universe that is derived from official novels, comic books, and various other media besides the movies themselves. ...
LucasArts Entertainment Company (sometimes shortened to LEC), is a video game developer and publisher. ...
The X-Wing computer game series is a series of space simulation computer games set in the Star Wars universe that attempts to, faithfully to the movies, simulate the fictional experience of starfighter combat. ...
- General
- Commander
- Captain
- Lieutenant
- Flight Officer
- Flight Cadet
Given that the flight simulator ranks appear overly simplified and combine Navy and Army titles indiscriminately, most Star Wars sources consider the Tie Fighter ranks to be contradictory and this rank system is generally ignored.
Imperial Security Bureau Members of the Imperial Security Bureau, or the "ISB", have only been seen in Star Wars Episode IV. A white uniformed ISB Colonel can be seen attending the Death Star conference room along with two ISB NCOs walking past the Death Star main elevator area. In both cases, the ISB personnel were shown to be wearing white uniforms with rank insignia corresponding to Imperial Army and Navy personnel. It is possible that the ISB uses the same insignia, with different rank titles, or that the ISB ranks are identical to those of the Imperial Army.
Alternate Versions | Rank | Alternate Insignia | | | Officer Candidate |
 | | Lieutenant |
 | | Major |
 | | Colonel |
 | | Commodore |
 | | Major General |
 | | Rear Admiral |
 | | High Admiral |
 | The insignia scheme devised in Star Wars: Episode IV created an interesting ambiguity in that a review of the film shows some Imperial characters who have apparently the same rank and position, yet display different versions of insignia. This problem recurs in the Star Wars Expanded Universe in that Imperial officers of the same rank wear different badges of office. Officer Candidate File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Imperial Lieutenant File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Imperial ISB Major File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Imperial Colonel Alternate File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Alternate Commodore File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Major General File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Imperial Rear Admiral File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Imperial High Admiral File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The Expanded Universe (or EU for short) is a collection of fictional background material from the Star Wars universe that is derived from official novels, comic books, and various other media besides the movies themselves. ...
The possibility exists that such officers serve in different branches of the military or that the difference in insignia is a means to display senority or some other badge of distinction. This has never been determined exactly, however, leaving the viewing audience to speculate.
The chart displayed to the right indicates alternate versions of Imperial insignia, when applying to the Version One method seen in Star Wars: Episode 4.
Additional Info In the film Return of the Jedi, a wardrobe problem resulted in all Imperial characters wearing the same insignia, being that of an Imperial Navy Commander. Thus, the Imperial insignia in Return of the Jedi are often ignored. Movie poster Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, is a science fiction film that debuted in 1983, and re-released with changes in 1997 and 2004. ...
The rank of Grand Admiral was first mentioned in the Timothy Zahn novels and is considered the senior most rank of the entire Imperial military. Grand Admirals, and their Imperial Army counterparts Grand Generals are authorized to wear white uniforms with gold shoulder boards, in addition to the standard badge of rank. Star Wars Grand Admiral Breast Insignia In the Expanded Universe literature of Star Wars, Grand Admiral is a supreme Imperial rank of the Galactic Empire, outranking all other political and military personnel, including Imperial Moffs; they did not supersede personal representatives of the Emperor, however. ...
Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is a science fiction novelist. ...
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back demonstrated that the Imperial Navy and Army, while using the same rank badges, differentiate between the two services by the spacing of the colored squares on the badge itself. Imperial Army officers use rank badges with thin rank squares on a grey metal frame, while Navy officers display flush rank squares with no spacing in-between. This method of separating the two services apparently did not apply to the rank insignia of Star Wars: Episode IV, since all Imperial personnel, both Army and Navy, appeared to wear the same style of rank badge. Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ...
Insignia Sources The information displayed in this article indicates one possible sequence of insignia order based on several different Star Wars literature sources, conjectural information, and information seen in the feature films and other live entertainment productions.
Neither George Lucas nor LucasArts has ever published an established insignia guide for either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance. In the case of the Empire, however, Star Wars: Episode IV seemed to establish a basic system that the more squares and code cylinders a character wore, the more important of a position they held. This idea carried over into The Empire Strikes Back, however in that film the higher ranking characters wore more rank squares but fewer code cylinders. The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ...
LucasArts Entertainment Company is a video game developer and publisher. ...
In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Galactic Empire was the regime established by then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to replace the Galactic Republic. ...
The Starbird, symbol of the Rebel Alliance In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Rebel Alliance, or more formally, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, was an interstellar political resistance force formed in direct military opposition to the Galactic Empire. ...
With the information provided in the feature films somewhat limited, the Star Wars Expanded Universe has been left with the task of creating a rank and insignia system which holds to the information of the feature films and the additional information put forth in Star Wars literature and other film and television productions. The following sources, therefore, were used in preparing this article. The Expanded Universe (or EU for short) is a collection of fictional background material from the Star Wars universe that is derived from official novels, comic books, and various other media besides the movies themselves. ...
This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological...
Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ...
Movie poster Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, is a science fiction film that debuted in 1983, and re-released with changes in 1997 and 2004. ...
Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is a science fiction novelist. ...
LucasArts Entertainment Company is a video game developer and publisher. ...
LucasArts Entertainment Company is a video game developer and publisher. ...
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