The officers serving in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Officer Corps had a diverse range of military uniforms. The specific uniform worn depended on the branch of the Empire they were part of and their current assignment. In general, color indicated the branch. For example, the Imperial Army and Navy officers typically wore gray-green uniforms. Those in the Stormtrooper Corps were often seen in black uniforms, while Imperial Intelligence officers wore white. The design of these uniforms prioritized functionality over elaborate aesthetics.
The standard dress uniform was the most commonly seen attire for an Imperial officer. This ensemble included a gaberwool tunic, trousers, leather boots, and a utility belt. Some officers opted for an Imperial kepi, while others did not wear a hat. Code cylinders and a rank insignia plaque were displayed on the tunic's breast to indicate rank. Additionally, officer's disks on the belt and hat contained personal information. In combat zones, officers sometimes wore armor over their dress uniform; stormtrooper officers, for instance, would don full stormtrooper armor for battle. Various other uniform styles existed, including different types of overcoats.
Technical officer's uniforms differed from their military counterparts. They often wore the same light gray bodysuit as technical crew members, but still included the officer's kepi, belt, and boots.
Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin designed the military uniforms for the Galactic Empire's Imperial Officer Corps with practicality in mind, eschewing elaborate designs. Tarkin was a firm believer that medals and ribbons were inappropriate for a military uniform or the Imperial Military as a whole. Consequently, even ambitious officers like Governor Arihnda Pryce refrained from wearing them to maintain the uniform's streamlined appearance. The few elements that did denote rank included the officer's disks on belt buckles and headwear, code cylinders in breast pockets, and the rank insignia plaque on the chest.
Across the Empire's various branches, the dress uniforms for most command staff officers shared common components, with color serving as the primary means of differentiation. The standard uniform consisted of an Imperial officer's tunic, flared trousers, a black utility belt, and black durasteel-toed boots. An Imperial kepi hat and black leather gloves were also part of the standard issue, although many officers often chose not to wear them.
The uniforms of support staff exhibited greater variability, both within and between branches. The same held true for officers assigned to combat or security duties, although many of these variations incorporated elements from the command staff dress uniform.
The command staff officer uniform in the Imperial Navy aligned with the standard command staff uniform, generally featuring a gray-green color. However, some Naval officers, such as Captain Elk and Admiral Brom Titus, opted for black uniforms. Support staff officers in the Navy included both technical and service personnel. Communications officers, for example, wore light gray jumpsuits paired with a black Imperial kepi, a black utility belt, and black boots. Shield relay system operators wore a similar outfit, but with a black jumpsuit instead of gray.
Imperial Navy Trooper officers wore plastoid blast helmets along with black officer's tunics, black gauntlets, utility belts equipped with a holster, black trousers, and black boots. Some also wore black chestplates over their tunics. Officers in the Imperial Starfighter Corps wore TIE fighter pilot uniforms while on duty, including a reinforced flight helmet, a vacuum g-suit made of energy-shielded fabric, a utility belt with an officer's disk, and black boots. When not on combat duty, they either remained in their flight suit or wore the standard Imperial officer's uniform in gray, but without rank plaques or code cylinders.
Within the regular Imperial infantry, the uniforms of high-ranking officers, such as commanders, majors, and captains, differed from those of the soldiers and lower-ranking officers they commanded. This included wearing fitted, waterproof greatcoats over their armor and unarmored Imperial kepis instead of blast helmets, as these officers rarely left the trenches. Both officers and troopers wore utility belts and black boots.
Outside of combat and security roles, stormtrooper officers wore distinctive black caps, boots, and dress tunics. Their code cylinders, rank plaques, officer's disks, and uniform style adhered to the Imperial Navy's standards.