Peccati Syn

"Violence only ever begets more violence."

- A mantra from Syn's religion, the Sacred Way

Peccati Syn was one of the twelve original Grand Admirals of the Imperial Navy. Raised as a devout Sacred Way follower, the young Syn was forced to abandon his religion under Imperial oppression. He joined the Empire to fill a spiritual void, rising through the ranks thanks to his tactical expertise and energetic devotion. After becoming a Grand Admiral in 2 BBY, he fought with distinction in the Galactic Civil War aboard his flagship, Fi.

When the Empire began to fragment after the Battle of Endor, Syn again searched for a new source of spiritual inspiration, and found one in the Church of the Dark Side on Coruscant. While officially remaining part of Sate Pestage's faltering Imperial regime, Syn's true loyalty was with the Church and its Prophets, and most of his time was spent on Kashyyyk, the residence of his spiritual guide, Merili. When the New Republic launched a major offensive against Imperial-controlled Kashyyyk eight months after Endor, Syn was embroiled in a tactical confrontation with Admiral Ackbar. Ultimately, the Grand Admiral lost the duel; he died when his ship was vaporized in orbit.

Ascension
The male Human Peccati Syn was born into a deeply religious family, who devoutly followed the pacifist, karmic religion known as the Sacred Way, and its Holy-Book. His parents instilled in him the belief that, should he adhere to his religion's tenets, he would reach a glorious, idyllic afterlife, and Syn lived a happy, devoted childhood. However, soon the Galactic Empire began to enforce its prohibition of religion on his homeworld. Some, such as the Verpine "Pera" on Aduba-3, ignored the mandate and continued to practice, but Syn complied.

After such a faith-oriented youth, Syn was left spiritually barren, and, bereft of other options, turned to the doctrine of the New Order to fill this religious vacuum. He ardently internalized the Emperor's dogma and enlisted in the Imperial Navy, carving out a name for himself. In 2 BBY, Syn was one of twelve men elevated by Emperor Palpatine to the newly created and highly prestigious position of Grand Admiral. While some Grand Admirals were politically motivated appointments, Syn was selected on merit: his ascension coincided with the beginning of the Galactic Civil War, and he fought the Rebel Alliance with devotion to duty and tactical acumen. He named his flagship Fi, after the High Galactic word for "son" used by Sacred Way clergymen.

Imperial fragmentation
Syn's exalted Empire began to deteriorate after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, in which Emperor Palpatine and his enforcer Darth Vader perished, along with the second Death Star and the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Many Imperials, including some of Syn's Grand Admiral colleagues, turned warlord, seizing personal dominions, while others complied with the orders coming out of Coruscant. Former Grand Vizier Sate Pestage was technically Interim-Emperor, though he vied for control with the Imperial Ruling Council and Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard, among others. One of Pestage's acts was to sanction the establishment of the Church of the Dark Side on Coruscant; overseen by the Prophets of the Dark Side, it preached the renewal and regeneration of the Empire.

Like the hordes of spiritually-starved citizens on the Imperial capital, Syn took to the church fervently; no sooner than his Imperial religion had become untenable, a ready-made replacement had cropped up. In truth, the Church was a false headed by Imperial Intelligence impersonators, founded by Pestage and Lord Cronal in a desperate attempt to strengthen the former Vizier's weakening clutch on the Empire. Nevertheless, Syn was rejuvenated, and while he publicly supported Pestage's regime, his true loyalty lay with the Prophets. The Grand Admiral even attempted in vain to hearten his dispirited colleague Ishin-Il-Raz, lending him a copy of the sacred book Secrets of the Dark Side.

Demise
Syn operated out of Imperial-controlled Kashyyyk, the base of Prophetess Merili. Merili was one of the few genuine Prophets working within the Church of the Dark Side, and she became Syn's spiritual advisor. Entrenched in the church's doctrine, Syn vowed not to turn his back on another religion, and served the church's ends along with Fi and its crew. Eight months after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic embarked on an ambitious offensive into Imperial territory, led by the Mon Calamari Admiral Ackbar. Kashyyyk was targeted; Ackbar brought his New Republic Defense Force fleet to bear against Syn's in orbit over the planet.

The battle ultimately saw Syn locked in a one-on-one tactical confrontation with Ackbar; the Grand Admiral, fighting with his newfound spiritual resoluteness, did his best, with no concern for his personal well-being or that of his crew. Ultimately, the New Republic outfought their Imperial counterparts, and Ackbar won the tactical duel. Fi was vaporized, taking with it Syn, his crew, and Merili. The Church did not outlast the late Grand Admiral for long, and soon after wresting control of the Imperial remnants from Pestage, Ysanne Isard reinstated freedom of religion, legalizing the Sacred Way.

Personality and traits
Peccati Syn's life was marked by his single-minded devotion to whatever cause he joined. As a youth, he never strayed from the Sacred Way, and experienced his happiest and fondest times in life. When the time came to replace that religion with the New Order, however, he did so with similar devotion, serving with distinction, despite the fact that the Empire's ethos clashed strongly with that of the Sacred Way, which preached pacifism and divine retribution for sins. Syn, however, did not forget his roots, naming his flagship after a word used by the Sacred Way's clergymen when addressing laypeople. After the collapse of the Empire as known and cherished by Syn, he again found solace in another religion, this time the Church of the Dark Side. The church was a fake, though, and Syn himself was duped.

Unlike many of his peers, Syn did not join the Imperial Navy out of self-importance or barbarity, but rather out of a perceived necessity, in the absence of virtually any other religious organizations. He achieved his lofty rank not as a result of an aristocratic background or political maneuvering, but because of his tireless, dutiful work and skill. After Endor, even having lost faith in the Empire, Syn made no attempts to claim a personal fiefdom, and for the rest of his life remained ostensibly loyal to Coruscant.

Peccati Syn was far less morally bankrupt than many of his colleagues, who committed atrocities with the aim of gaining power or prestige, or to fulfill personal ambitions. Until his final engagement at Kashyyyk, he went into battle with concern for the well being of his subordinates, while he even attempted to coax Ishin-Il-Raz, an extremely unpopular fellow Grand Admiral, out of his depression; meanwhile, many of his Imperial peers were clashing over disputed territories and scheming in shadows.

Behind the scenes
"His first name "Peccatti" [sic] is Italian for "sins," so I suppose this Imperial is doubly sinful. No wonder Admiral Ackbar blows his arse away."

- Abel G. Peña

Grand Admiral Syn was created by Kevin J. Anderson and Daniel Wallace for The Essential Chronology (2000), where his defeat to Ackbar is briefly mentioned. He was briefly mentioned again in Wallace's The New Essential Guide to Characters (2002), before Wallace expanded upon the character's history with co-author Abel G. Peña in Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals, published in Star Wars Insider 66 (2003), wherein his first name is established. Who's Who was originally due to appear in Star Wars Gamer magazine, but after Gamer cancellation, it was moved to Star Wars Insider, sans gaming statistics. The move also necessitated the article to be condensed; as a result, some of the Grand Admirals' biographical information was cut, though Syn's remained mostly intact. The Grand Admiral has subsequently been referenced in Wallace's The New Essential Chronology (2005) and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008).

The Italian word "peccati" means "sins" in English, while "syn" bears similarity to "sin". This is an intentional pun on the part of Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals coauthor Abel G. Peña, who is conversant in Italian.

Cut content
Syn's future pointed to him becoming a "Pera" upon reaching adulthood, but after the Empire intervened and Syn was told to discard his beliefs, this dream was forgotten. Instead, he became a Grand Admiral, but in the course of his campaign rooting out Rebels during the Galactic Civil War, his conscience was tested. His guilt at abandoning his beliefs prompted him to turn a blind eye to atrocities being committed within the Empire in the name of religion, like in the case of the Yevetha or Dim-U. When the Empire began to crumble, Syn was reminded of morbid stories about Chaos from his childhood, and was quick to turn to the newly founded Church of the Dark Side. As a devotee of the Prophets, Syn regained his childhood happiness; he symbolically renamed his flagship Silooth, after a type of Sithspawn, to represent his new faith. During the Second Battle of Kashyyyk, Syn saw himself defending the church, not the Empire&mdash;he died a happy man, fighting for a cause he could believe in.