Imperial military uniforms

"I'm going to need that uniform as soon as possible.''" "''Certainly, sir. I'll instruct the fabricator to begin at once."

- Moff Tarkin and a protocol droid The uniform worn by the martial forces of the Galactic Empire consisted of a double-breasted tunic with a round collar and matching trousers, a pair of black boots, a belt and a command cap. While free of medals and battle ribbons, it featured various rank insignia, including a metal plaque, several code cylinders and officer's disks. It was designed by Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in the Empire's fifth year, as a replacement for the uniform used by the officers of the previous government, the Galactic Republic. Tarkin's design remained in use for over two decades, at least being used until the Empire's defeat at Endor.

History
"Is that the new uniform?''" "''What, this old thing?"

- Nils Tenant and Wilhuff Tarkin

At the conclusion of the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine abolished the democratic Republic he presided over, reorganizing it into a First Galactic Empire with him as absolute ruler. As the massive Grand Army of the Republic was progressively transformed into the Imperial military, the uniform originally created for the Republic officers remained in use during the first five years of Emperor Palpatine's reign. In the Empire's fifth year, however, the task of designing a new uniform was assigned to Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, a decorated Imperial governor from Eriadu. With the assistance of an RA-7 protocol droid, Tarkin accomplished that mission while he was stationed on Sentinel Base, a secret deep space mobile battle station that was being built in orbit of Geonosis. When Grand Vizier Mas Amedda summoned Tarkin to Coruscant, the Empire's capital world, the Moff launched production of his altered uniform so he could wear it at the Imperial court. That new service uniform was quickly endorsed in all branches of the military, and remained in use at least until the Empire's defeat at Endor.

Design
"While I can appreciate devotion to one's sartorial programming, I've no interest in initiating a fashion trend on Coruscant or anywhere else. I simply want a uniform that fits. Especially the boots. The stars know, my feet have logged more kilometers aboard Star Destroyers than during surface deployments, even in a facility of this size."

- Moff Tarkin, to a protocol droid

The few key alterations that were made to the old Republic uniform met both Moff Tarkin's tastes and the evolution of military fashion on Coruscant.

Tunic
The uniform jacket was a short skirted double breasted tunic that fastened with snap closures on the inside. The tunic featured a round choker collar, and its skirt extended halfway between the hip and the knee. When closed, the Tarkin-style tunic had a vertical left over right closure, when its Clone Wars predecessor extended across the chest on one side and across the midsection on the other. Additionally, the Imperial tunic generally lacked shoulder boards and epaulettes, as both Tarkin and many other military leaders believed that the use of such put more emphasis on status as opposed to duty.

Trousers
Contrarily to the straight-legged Clone Wars-era trousers, the redesigned ones were flared in the hips and thighs, narrowing at the cuffs so they could be more easily tucked into their wearers' boots. There were laces and lace holes at the lower leg.

Accessories
Officers wore a pair of black knee boots with turndown topside cuffs; Tarkin stressed the importance of the boots fitting the wearer while designing the uniform, citing the significant distances he had walked while aboard Star Destroyers. Accessories to the uniform included a brimmed cap and a belt, both featuring an identity disk. Rank and rank-related privileges were indicated by a metal insignia plaque affixed to the tunic's left breast and a number of code cylinders carried in narrow pockets just below each shoulder. Beneath their uniform, officers wore an off-white shirt. Sometimes, the collar and sleeve cuffs of that shirt were slightly visible, protruding from under the tunic. Some officers also wore black gloves. While the standard-issue uniforms were made of a gray-green fabric, there existed a black variant worn by noncoms and stormtrooper officers. There also existed a version of the uniform with a white tunic, black trousers and a black cap associated with matters regarding Intelligence, as well as a gray-blue variant affiliated with the Imperial Press Corps. Since the Emperor himself was scornful of commendations, there was no place for medals or battle ribbons on the uniform.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Tarkin
 * A New Dawn
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part II
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 2: Vader, Part II
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 2: Vader, Part II
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Aftermath