Commanding officer/Legends

"Yes, if you'll warn him about disrespecting Chiss command officers. Perhaps we should simply lock him up whenever one is on the base."

Within military organizations, the commanding officer (often abbreviated to C.O.) was the officer responsible for a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer held ultimate authority over the unit and was granted broad latitude within the limits of military law. Accordingly, commanding officers carried significant responsibilities, duties and powers.

A commanding officer could hold any rank of commissioned officer; there were usually more officers than available command positions, and time spent in command, known as seniority, was generally a key factor in promotion. As a result, the role of commanding officer was highly valued and, in theory, assigned only to the best officers.

In most militaries, the commanding officer was often assisted by an executive officer (also abbreviated as X.O.), whose role was to manage personnel and routine non-combat operations. Larger units, such as large capital-class warships, also hosted an entire collection of staff officers.