Surface Marshal

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. In some cases, the rank may be held by those who command all forces in a solar system or even entire space sectors.

The rank of Surface Marshal is almost always defined as separate from ranks of space fleets since such ranks are typically modeled after naval titles. Surface Marshal, which is an expansion of the rank of Field Marshal, inherently indicates ground forces only.

Surface Marshal is most common in the universe of Star Wars where it is the second highest possible Imperial Army rank. The rank is junior to the Moff positions and to the position of Grand General (Army equivalent of a Grand Admiral). A Surface Marshal has never been seen in a live action Star Wars production, but the rank makes several appearances in Star Wars literature and computer simulations (such as Star Wars Galaxies).