Grand Admiral

"Grand Admiral Ackbar.''" "Grand admiral is an Imperial ranking. I, like you once did, identify as fleet admiral''&mdash;but you seem to have taken the title 'Grand Admiral' for yourself."

- Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, and Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar

Grand Admiral was a senior military rank used in the Galactic Empire, and the rank was used by members of the Imperial Navy. The Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet also used the rank.

History
"The Emperor recently promoted me after my victory at Batonn."

- Grand Admiral Thrawn

In the second year before the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star, the rank of Grand Admiral was awarded to the Chiss Imperial officer Thrawn by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine after Thrawn's victory at Batonn. The Imperial rank of Grand Admiral was one of the senior ranks in the entire Imperial Military, and to be given the title was seen as a great honor.

During the Galactic Civil War, Regent Urtya served as the Grand Admiral of the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet, which at the time was commandeered by the Galactic Empire.

Following the Battle of Endor, Rae Sloane served as Grand Admiral and commanded the remnants of the Imperial Navy. New Republic Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar was considered a Grand Admiral by Imperial officers, although it was not an official rank utilized by the New Republic. Sloane continued to posses the rank of Grand Admiral during the time she was part of the First Order.

Uniform
Unlike the traditional Imperial uniform, which generally consisted of a plain gray tunic, the Imperial Grand Admiral's uniform was white with golden epaulets. Such accessories were generally uncommon in the Imperial Military, as they seemed to put an emphasis on status above duty and humility.

Behind the scenes
Timothy Zahn, author of the 1991 Star Wars Legends novel Heir to the Empire, introduced the rank of "Grand Admiral" for the villain of that novel, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Zahn wanted Thrawn to be a military leader rather than a political title-holder or darksider, but felt a normal Admiral would be too mundane. He therefore decided to use the title "Grand Admiral," which he had encountered while reading William L. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in the context of its use in the German Navy.

The title was incorporated into the Star Wars canon with the release of the 2015 novel Aftermath, written by Chuck Wendig.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes