Gilad Pellaeon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Star Wars character | |
| Gilad Pellaeon | |
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| Position | Imperial Admiral, Grand Admiral, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander |
| Homeworld | Corellia |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 1.7 meters |
| Affiliation | Galactic Empire/Imperial Navy, Imperial Remnant, Galactic Alliance |
| Portrayed by | N/A |
Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon is a fictional character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. He is an Imperial naval officer who has attained to the rank of Grand Admiral, making him the 14th and last known Grand Admiral. He is unique among Grand Admirals in that he was raised to that rank after the Emperor's death.
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[edit] Career in the Empire
Lying about his age, Pellaeon joined the Imperial Starfleet and was considered one of its most promising officers. In his youth, he aspired to locate the lost Katana fleet, but he would not realize this ambition until much later. Rising through the ranks, he was eventually promoted to the rank of Commander and assigned to the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Chimaera as a member of her command crew, eventually being promoted to captain and the ship's second in command. The Chimeara participated in the fleet action during the Battle of Endor, during which the vessel's captain was killed. In an attempt to salvage the situation, Pellaeon assumed command of the Chimaera and - following the death of Emperor Palpatine, Lord Darth Vader, and Admiral Piett - the remaining elements of the Imperial fleet at Endor and ordered a retreat.
In the years following the defeat at Endor, Pellaeon attempted to direct the resources of the Imperial Navy in order to maintain a united front against the Rebellion and its successor, the New Republic. However, he lacked the tactical brilliance or the legitimacy as commander to do so successfully; it was not until the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn from his tour of duty in the Unknown Regions of the galactic halo that the Empire ended its string of defeats. Choosing the Chimaera as his flagship, Thrawn began a brutally effective campaign against the New Republic, and it seemed that Pellaeon's dreams of restoring the honor and dignity of the Empire was within reach. But his dream of re-establishing the Galactic Empire was cruelly shattered during the Battle of Bilbringi where, in a twisted parallel to the Battle of Endor, Grand Admiral Thrawn was assassinated during the battle by his Noghri bodyguard Rukh, forcing Pellaeon to again assume command and order a retreat.
Following Thrawn's death, Pellaeon retreated to the Core and joined Admiral-turned-warlord Teradoc's fleet, and attained the rank of Vice Admiral. He did not agree with Teradoc's methods, however, and assisted Admiral Daala in assassinating him and 11 other warlords. They then began a losing war against the New Republic. After their mutual defeat, Daala retired from command, promoting Pellaeon to the rank of Admiral. He took the remains of his fleet back to the Imperial Remnant and was eventually recognized by the Council of Moffs as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces; it was in this capacity that he signed the peace accords with New Republic Chief of State Ponc Gavrisom aboard the Chimaera, thus ending the Galactic Civil War fifteen years after the Battle of Endor. Sometime later, the Moffs elevated him again, to the rank of Grand Admiral.
In the years following the cessation of hostilities between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic, Pellaeon remained the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Starfleet. As the highest military authority in the Empire, he was a chief advisor to the Moffs, the governing body of the remaining Empire. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, he drew upon his decades of experience as well as the lessons he learned from Thrawn, to lead the Starfleet into battle alongside its former enemies, convincing the Moffs that he would do so with or without their support and that the Imperial Fleet would follow him wherever he went.
Grand Admiral Pellaeon proved to be a worthy successor to his mentor, the legendary Grand Admiral Thrawn. Pellaeon managed to score victory after victory against the Yuuzhan Vong commander assigned to the invasion of the Empire, and went on to personally command the Imperial fleets dispatched to reinforce the Galactic Alliance (formerly the New Republic), eventually commanding the Imperial forces that assisted the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances in retaking Vong-occupied Coruscant. Together, the Empire and Galactic Alliance managed to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong invaders and bring a modicum of peace back to the war-torn galaxy.
Following the end of organized resistance by the Yuuzhan Vong, Gilad Pellaeon presented Han and Leia Organa Solo with one of the few remaining pieces of art from Grand Admiral Thrawn's private collection, Killik Twilight, an Alderaanian painting that the Solos had once attempted to acquire prior to Thrawn's nearly victorious offensive. He retired shortly thereafter, but when Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander Sien Sovv was assassinated, Pellaeon was asked to serve as temporary Supreme Commander until a permanent one was found. He agreed, making "The Old Man Of The Empire" leader of the largest military force in the galaxy.
In addition, there is a lingering question regarding whether or not Pellaeon may have sired a family out of wedlock, as it has been intimated that the late Commander Mynar Devis may have been Pellaeon's son.
[edit] Possible Early Appearance
The Dark Horse graphic novel Clone Wars Volume 5 - The Best Blades depicts a Pellaeon as captain of a Republic Acclamator-class vessel during the Clone Wars. This Captain Pellaeon was in command of a Republic battle fleet during a battle over the world of Merson, a battle notable for being the one in which the Jedi Master Ronhar Kim and his Cerean padawan Tap-Nar-Pal were killed.
The rank of this Pellaeon conflicts with Gilad Pellaeon's reported promotion to captaincy after the Battle of Endor. This Pellaeon most likely held a lower rank, and was addressed as 'captain' in accordance with naval tradition. In addition to this, his appearance and loyalty to those under his command would be consistent with the two actually being the same person. However, it was stated during the New Jedi Order that Gilad Pellaeon was born after the Imperial Rule and Anti Non-human sentiment spread by Emperor Palpatine (which would make him considerably younger than previously implied); this Pellaeon could be a relative of Gilad Pellaeon, possibly his father.
[edit] External links
- Star Wars: Databank article
- The Imperial Grand Admirals
- Sic Transit Gloria: The Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire Part II: From the Rise of Isard to the Fall of Coruscant
[edit] References
- Heir to the Empire, 1st paperback edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-40471-7
- Dark Force Rising, 1st edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-08574-3
- The Last Command, 1st paperback edition, 1994. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-56492-7
- Star Wars: Darksaber, 1st edition, 1995. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0-553-57611-9
- Specter of the Past, 1st printing, 1997. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-29804-6
- Vision of the Future, 1st printing, 1998. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-10035-1
- Tatooine Ghost, 1st edition, 2003. Troy Denning, ISBN 0-345-45669-6
- "Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals". Star Wars Insider #66, 2003. Pena, Abel G. and Daniel Wallace.
- The Essential Chronology, 1st edition. Kevin J. Anderson, Daniel Wallace, ISBN 034-543439-0. p. 72
- Star Wars, The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, New York: Del Rey. ISBN 034-544900-2
- RA2
