Cede, whose pronunciation is /seed/, held the rank of admiral within the Republic Navy. His service extended from the period after the Jedi Civil War until at least 3951 BBY. During the Dark Wars, he was a member of Carth Onasi's fleet and fought in the Battle of Telos IV.
Indirectly, it was suggested that Cede also participated in both the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War.
Even though he is not officially depicted in the established storyline, which involves a female light side Surik who takes the place of the light side male Revan from the first game, he is still considered canon. This is due to his service in the Republic Navy and his participation in the battle of Telos, both of which occur in the non-canon narrative.
The file used for Cede's character design is labeled "rep_gen," which is believed to be short for "Republic General." This implies that the decision to name Cede happened relatively late in development. Despite his high rank, Cede is seen wearing the standard uniform of a Republic officer, rather than the specific uniform of an admiral. This is because the game lacked a male admiral uniform design, which is why even Carth is depicted wearing red armor.
In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Cede takes over Carth Onasi's role in the cutscenes if Revan's backstory is set to dark side. According to the dark side ending from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Carth either fled the Republic out of fear or was killed by Revan. Cede makes no appearance at all in the canonical storyline of Sith Lords.