The most prestigious accolade that could be bestowed upon members of the Imperial forces was the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor. For her act of self-sacrifice during the Battle of Jakku, Captain Ciena Ree was put forward for this honor by Commander Nash Windrider and fellow officers, as she supposedly destroyed her Star Destroyer, the Inflictor, to prevent its capture. Little did they know, Ree had actually been saved by her beloved Thane Kyrell and was being held as a prisoner by the New Republic. To prevent any perception of partiality, Lieutenant [Dalven Kyrell](/article/dalven_kyrell], Thane's sibling, suggested that she instead receive the Medal of Honor. Windrider, however, countered this suggestion, emphasizing that Ree had seemingly died in her attempt to keep the Inflictor out of the New Republic's hands.
Claudia Gray's canon novel Lost Stars, released in 2015, marked the initial reference to the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor.