 |  |
- "Even when given command of his own Super Star Destroyer, the Executor, and the vaunted Death Squadron task force, it still does not appear clear exactly what Vader's position within the military sphere was. There has been a tendency in the years since the Empire's fall to look at Vader's personal fleet and his presence at various battles and consider him to be the supreme commander of Imperial military forces. But I'm unsure if the evidence backs this assertion up."
- ―Beaumont Kin, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Supreme commander of the Imperial fleet was a position given to the leader of the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War. In being granted the rank, the Sith Lord Darth Vader in fact held control over the Imperial Military overall, supplanting the previous rank of Supreme Commander.
Powers[]
- "Given that Vader took little interest in orders passed down from anyone but the Emperor, his interactions with the joint chiefs were limited and he seemed content to let them organize things from behind the scenes as long as they did not encroach on his own plans. Vader cared little for administrative matters or, it seems, wider-scale strategy. The result was that Vader demanded operations to locate the rebel base be exponentially increased, but then passed the task of making his orders feasible to the joint chiefs and others in the upper echelons of command—with the implicit threat of what failure would mean. Because of this, while Vader pushed forward with a single-mindedness that bordered on the obsessive in his hunt for the Rebellion, the rest of the fleet found itself dragged along for the ride, forced to constantly react to whatever Vader was doing or commanding in any given situation. As probe droids scoured the Outer Rim for signs of the rebel base, Vader’s impatience and anger only grew."
- ―Beaumont Kin, on Vader's control over the Imperial Military
Darth Vader's role as supreme commander of the Imperial fleet brought focus to the Empire's war effort but also gave Vader the resources to pursue his own goals.
Darth Vader's new position of supreme commander of the Imperial fleet granted him full authority over the Imperial Navy, in addition to personal control over the vaunted Death Squadron task force and its flagship, the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor. Vader could also re-assign or recall naval assets as he deemed fit, which included bringing elements of the former 7th Fleet back into the fold. With his new role placing him in control of anti-Rebel operations, the Dark Lord of the Sith imposed a singular focus on the Imperial Navy's objectives and disjointed efforts to deal with insurgency. Vader's own relationships with the galaxy's kingpins removed the need for piracy disruption, since crime syndicates feared the consequences of preying on Imperial shipping. However, the Sith Lord cared little for day-to-day administrative matters that came with his new position and instead opted to let the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military organize things from behind the scenes, as long as they did not undermine his own strategy and plans.[1]
Historian Beaumont Kin noted in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire that he was unsure if Vader's position as supreme commander of the Imperial fleet was the same as that of the overall supreme commander of the Imperial military.[1] In theory, the position was created to be the same;[3] after Grand General Cassio Tagge had become Supreme Commander of the Empire[1] but lost the approval of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, Palpatine placed all of Tagge's authority in Vader's hands.[3] In any case, Kin remained unsure how to categorize Vader under his supreme commander title, pointing to his actual interactions with the Imperial Military; Vader was someone with his own goals and aims, which could at times run counter to the missions of the Imperial Armed Forces, while the Joint Chiefs also still stood as the overseers of command and strategy, although Kin did note that Vader had the power to overrule their decisions. All the while, Vader also maintained his own personal forces outside of the Joint Chiefs' oversight and could claim other officers' commands as his own whenever needed.[1]
History[]
Background[]
- "…Vader appears to have been an anomaly. He either operated in secret, presumably following direct orders from Palpatine, or, when in military roles, he seemingly had full jurisdiction over whatever he required. At times Vader's fortunes appear to have fluctuated and he may have fallen from favor with Palpatine following the debacle at the Battle of Yavin. But he fiercely guarded his own status relative to those around him. In short: the Emperor could challenge or criticize Vader, but he would not allow others to do so."
- ―Beaumont Kin, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Darth Vader's "position" in the Imperial Military was something of an open question, with the Sith Lord acting with the power of a Commander-in-Chief but not being vested with that power in any formal capacity.
During the Imperial Era, the Sith Lord Darth Vader did not need a formal military title[4] as he was directly empowered by the Galactic Emperor, his Sith Master Darth Sidious. As Sidious, in his public guise as Emperor Sheev Palpatine, made clear to the Imperial Officer Corps, any order from Vader was to be treated as if the Emperor himself had given it,[5] thereby making Vader the de facto Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military. With such power,[4] Vader's title amongst the Imperial Armed Forces was simply "lord."[6] He was also known as the Emperor's Fist.[7]
Vader's fortunes would change with the Battle of Yavin[8] of 0 BBY, however.[9] Blamed for the destruction of the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station by his master,[8] Vader was forced under the command of the newly-promoted Grand General Cassio Tagge,[10] who further acted as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military.[1] In that time, Vader also crossed paths with Doctor Cylo, who had groomed cyborg warriors he promised could replace the failed Vader. In the end, however,[11] Vader would best all of Cylo's agents[3] and learned that his master had grown distrustful of Cylo; needing the doctor to overstep and betray the Empire in order to be purged from the hierarchy without issue, Vader's frustration of Cylo's efforts drove the doctor into treason with the Shu-Torun War[11] and his attempted hijacking of the Super Star Destroyer Executor.[3]
Establishment[]
- "I have talked to Grand General Tagge and come to a decision… due to the obvious failings in his command, he is to be demoted. Starting immediately, he is to cede all control into your hands… the fleet will be yours. The Executor will be yours. I leave you to educate your subordinates about this brave new era."
- ―Emperor Sheev Palpatine elevates Darth Vader
With Cylo's defeat, Vader had proven himself as worthy to his master and successfully undermined confidence in Tagge,[1] who had already failed to notice the doctor's treason and stop his hijacking effort. Furthermore, hoping to save her own life by impressing the Emperor, Vader's agent Chelli Lona Aphra revealed to Palpatine that his apprentice was working undercover to build his own secret forces. However, that only further impressed Palpatine as, by acting out of anger and pride, Vader had been following Sith doctrine. Vader responded to Aphra's treason by throwing her out of an airlock,[3] a method of execution she had always feared.[12] In secret, however, she was able to survive.[3]
Darth Vader is rewarded with the power of supreme commander by Emperor Palpatine, much to the shock of the newly-demoted General Cassio Tagge.
In the wake of Tagge's failures and impressed by Vader, Palpatine stripped Tagge of his ranks of Grand General[3] and Supreme Commander.[1] Instead, Palpatine invested all of Tagge's control in Vader's hands,[3] naming Vader the supreme commander of the Imperial fleet in the process[1] and visibly surprising Tagge.[3] All the same, Vader still considered his rank to be "lord."[13] Nonetheless, with his power over Tagge[3] and the greater military confirmed, Vader's first action in his new role[1] was to Force-choke Tagge to death for his failures.[3] Beyond control over the Imperial Military at large, Vader assumed control over the Executor[1] at the direct request of the Emperor,[3] transforming the vessel into the Sith Lord's flagship.[14]
War effort[]
- "Vader's control of the Imperial military would cause some significant problems, but his new position did solve some as well. One significant benefit for overall military strategy was that Vader was utterly focused on finding the rebel base, though for very different reasons than the rest of the fleet. As a result, the need to chase down pirate threats became a much less pressing concern. Vader also had his own relationships with the various crime bosses and underworld kingpins who operated around the Empire and presumably made explicitly clear to them what the price for preying on Imperial shipping would mean. While other Imperial leaders may have been susceptible to bribes or blackmail, Darth Vader was clearly not among them, and fear of summary execution at his hands could be a powerful motivator."
- ―Beaumont Kin, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Darth Vader led the Imperial war machine to Hoth
Now in charge of the war effort against the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Emperor's Fist headed Death Squadron's search for the hidden Rebel base. Lord Vader's new position also allowed him to recall surviving ships and officers of the 7th Fleet, which had been effectively "exiled" to the Outer Rim by Grand General Tagge due to their past association with the controversial Grand Admiral Thrawn.[1]
Vader's tenure as supreme commander of the Imperial fleet would be marked by several victories, including the devastating assaults against the Alliance forces at Mako-Ta Space Docks and Hoth, but these victories were far from complete, either due to the blunders of his underlings, such as Admiral Kendal Ozzel, or to the obsession the Emperor's Fist had with Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker, who Vader had discovered was in fact his own son. Vader nonetheless continued to serve in this position up until his demise during the Battle of Endor[1] in 4 ABY,[9] in which he returned to the light side of the Force and killed Palpatine to save his son.[15]
Appearances[]
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire (First identified as supreme commander of the Imperial fleet)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire establishes Darth Vader was appointed supreme commander of the Imperial fleet during the events of Darth Vader (2015) 25, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 0 ABY.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Darth Vader (2015) 25
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars Bust Collection: Imperial Royal Guard Star Wars Universe: The Emperor's Inner Circle
- ↑ Darth Vader (2017) 12
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Age of Rebellion - Darth Vader 1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Darth Vader (2015) 1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ Darth Vader (2015) 2
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Darth Vader (2015) 20
- ↑ Darth Vader (2015) 3
- ↑ Doctor Aphra (2016) 35
- ↑
"Blade Squadron" — Star Wars Insider 149–150
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi