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The line rank of Senior Captain, formally known as Captain of the Line, existed within the Imperial Navy and was one of the two line ranks that together encompass the overall position of captain. It ranked above Senior Commander, and below Rear Admiral. The rank was the equivalent of Imperial Army and Starfighter Corps Colonel.[1] A Captain of the Line commanded a tactical unit known as a line of battle. Lines were theoretically a unit of four starships but, in practice, it comprised between one ship (a single Star Destroyer was considered a line in itself in the Navy Order of Battle) to twenty.[2] Senior Captains held a position of Captain when they commanded only one starship and a position of Commander when they were in charge of a small group, below the squadron level, of escort ships.[1] Captains of the Line could often serve as the adjutant to an admiral.[3]
Not long after the Battle of Yavin in 0 ABY, prior to his promotion to the flag rank, Thrawn held this rank in the months following the first Death Star's destruction while on a mission against Nuso Esva.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
The ranks of Captain of the Line was created in the Imperial Sourcebook released in 1989.[2] As Timothy Zahn introduced the Senior Captain rank in the 2011 novel Choices of One, which occurred during the writing of the 2012 reference book The Essential Guide to Warfare, Jason Fry was forced to change his Imperial Navy Rank Guide to include it.[5] The ranks of Senior Captain and Captain of the Line were eventually merged as a same rank.[1]
Appearances[]
- Choices of One (First appearance) ("Senior Captain")
- "Crisis of Faith" — Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition ("Senior Captain")
Sources[]
- Imperial Sourcebook (First mentioned) ("Captain of the Line")
- Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition ("Captain of the Line")
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 4 (OZZ2, Admiral Ozzel) ("Captain of the Line")
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- The Essential Reader's Companion ("Senior Captain")
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Essential Guide to Warfare, p. 120
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Imperial Sourcebook, p. 101
- ↑ Imperial Sourcebook, p. 103
- ↑ Choices of One
- ↑
Jason Fry's Dorkery — EG to Warfare: Endnotes Pt. 7 on Tumblr (backup link)