Kassius Konstantine

During the waning twilight of the Galactic Republic, Kassius Konstantine's birth occurred on Coruscant. He pursued his education at the esteemed Anaxes War College located on Anaxes, graduating shortly after the conclusion of the Clone Wars and receiving a commission within the Imperial Navy. As a member of the pioneering generation of naval officers serving the newly formed Empire, he, along with his peers, played a crucial role in establishing the operational standards and cultural norms of the Imperial fleet.

In the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin, Kassius Konstantine held command over the Lothal sector fleet, operating from his flagship, the Imperial Star Destroyer Relentless. While primarily tasked with combating smuggling activities, the fleet was compelled to address a notable increase in insurgent actions within the sector. Konstantine focused his efforts on capturing the Ghost, a starship crewed by rebels known as the Spectres. To achieve this, he collaborated with the Inquisitorius, who were specifically tasked with neutralizing the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. Following the Spectres' rescue of Tseebo, a Rodian staffer from the Imperial Information Office, and their breach of the Imperial security perimeter surrounding Lothal's [Capital City](/article/capital_city], Konstantine directed the Relentless in pursuit of the rebels. With Tseebo's assistance, the rebels successfully escaped into hyperspace. Although Konstantine contemplated shifting the blame for the rebels' escape onto the Grand Inquisitor, he ultimately decided against it, as the Emperor's agent had managed to attach a tracking device to the Ghost's hull.

Upon receiving a signal from the tracker, Admiral Konstantine reported this to the Inquisitor, who disregarded his presence and instead declared his ability to sense Jarrus and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. In response to the Inquisitor's statement, Konstantine suppressed a laugh, believing that the Empire had eradicated the Jedi during the Great Jedi Purge years prior. He harbored personal doubts regarding reports that the rebel cell's leader was a Jedi. However, the Inquisitor perceived his skepticism and glared at the Admiral. Fearing that his extensive career would be jeopardized if he failed to capture the rebels, he vowed to achieve success.

Meanwhile, the Spectres discovered the presence of a tracking device attached to the Ghost's auxiliary vessel, the Phantom. To prevent the Imperials from capturing Tseebo, Kanan and Ezra detached from the Ghost and piloted the Phantom to an outpost located on the planetoid PM-1203—a remnant of the destroyed planet Anaxes, where Konstantine had previously studied. As anticipated, Konstantine took the bait and initially ordered the deployment of a full battalion, only to be overruled by the Inquisitor, who personally led a small contingent of stormtroopers to the surface. Despite the contingent and the Inquisitor's proficiency with a lightsaber, Kanan and Ezra managed to escape with assistance from the native fyrnocks, leaving both the Inquisitor and Admiral Konstantine without their target.

Returning to Lothal aboard the Relentless, Konstantine once again encountered the Ghost as it attempted to smuggle Lando Calrissian, a "galactic entrepreneur," and his puffer pig onto the planet for an illicit mining operation. This situation arose because Orrelios had wagered Chopper in a Sabacc game against Calrissian, initially winning but ultimately losing due to Calrissian's use of an Idiot's Array, compelling the rebels to transport the smuggler. Shortly after, the rebels arrived at Azmorigan's ship, where Azmorigan offered what the smuggler had requested in exchange for Syndulla. Despite Jarrus's objections, Syndulla accepted her new "master," who agreed to the trade for the puffer pig. Subsequently, Calrissian transported the pig to the Ghost's cargo bay, instructing Orrelios and Bridger to keep it calm. Meanwhile, Syndulla persuaded Azmorigan to have a private dinner, during which she stunned him using a plate after all guards had left the room. She then escaped via an escape pod and docked onto the Ghost. Utilizing a signature modulator, the rebels disguised the Ghost as the Tontine, a legitimate corellian freighter en route from Boz Pity. A sensors officer informed Konstantine of the freighter's purpose, noting its resemblance to the Ghost, but Konstantine dismissed this and allowed the rebels to escape. However, the rebels inadvertently deactivated the modulator when the puffer pig caused Orrelios to fall into the ship's control panels, exposing the Ghost to Imperial authorities. The sensor officer alerted the Admiral, who dispatched four TIE/ln space superiority starfighters in pursuit, but the rebels evaded them in Lothal's cloudy skies, escaping to the surface and engaging in a skirmish against Azmorigan's troops.

Following the Inquisitor's capture of Kanan Jarrus, Konstantine was temporarily reassigned to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's flagship, the Sovereign, above Mustafar. Jarrus escaped with the help of Phoenix Squadron, a rebel cell of RZ-1 A-wing interceptors. During a lightsaber duel against the Grand Inquisitor, Jarrus and the Spectres destroyed the Sovereign. Tarkin and Konstantine survived and participated in the blockade of Lothal, aiming to trap the Spectres and their allies in the broader rebellion.

Despite Konstantine's blockade, the Spectres evaded capture again, using masking transponders to emit false signals. Nonetheless, Konstantine and the Relentless launched a surprise attack on the Phoenix Cell, led by Darth Vader, a Sith Lord piloting a TIE Advanced x1 starfighter. As the Ghost escaped, Konstantine activated his Destroyer's tractor beam to capture them, inadvertently catching Vader instead as the rebels jumped to hyperspace. Fearing for his life, Konstantine blamed the failure on a subordinate bridge officer.

Admiral Konstantine retained command of the Relentless, hunting Phoenix Squadron with Alexsandr Kallus, an Imperial Security Bureau agent familiar with the Spectres. Following instructions from Ahsoka Tano, a Fulcrum agent associated with Phoenix Cell, the Spectres traveled to Seelos in the Kwymar sector to recruit retired Clone troopers—Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor. Wolffe, distrusting the rebels, secretly sent a coded transmission picked up by the Relentless. A probe droid confirmed the rebel presence on Seelos. While Agent Kallus led a ground assault with three AT-AT walkers, Admiral Konstantine remained aboard the Relentless to provide air support. However, the clones and rebels fiercely resisted, immobilizing Kallus's AT-AT walkers. The Admiral couldn't provide air support because Darth Vader ordered him to rendezvous the Relentless with his shuttle in space.

Instead of meeting Vader, Admiral Konstantine received another Inquisitor known as the Fifth Brother, who became his new superior. When Konstantine expressed concerns that the diversion might have compromised Agent Kallus's mission, the Inquisitor dismissed them and vowed to stop the rebels himself.

Later, the Relentless detected an energy surge at an abandoned medical station, triggered by Spectres. The Fifth Brother informed the Admiral and Kallus that he would investigate alone. There, the Fifth Brother and another Inquisitor, the Seventh Sister, nearly captured Chopper, Bridger, and Sabine Wren. However, Garazeb Orrelios's quick thinking allowed the rebels to escape.

Despite Konstantine's frustration with the Inquisitors, the partnership proved fruitful when they discovered on Takobo that Phoenix Cell was hiding on Garel, a shipping world in the Lothal sector. Under Kallus's direction, Konstantine and the Inquisitors prepared to strike the world.

The Imperial flotilla quickly gained aerial superiority, shooting down a rebel Taylander shuttle. Despite this, several rebel ships, including the Ghost and Jun Sato's CR90 corvette, escaped into the skies above Garel City, forcing the Relentless to deploy its tractor beam projector to trap Sato's corvette. However, Hera Syndulla, as Phoenix Leader, rammed the projector with the Ghost, disabling it and a TIE fighter that collided with the debris. This allowed the Phoenix rebel fleet to jump into hyperspace. When Agent Kallus demanded an update on the rebel fleet's location, a frustrated Admiral Konstantine reported that he and his men were also wondering the same thing, having failed to crush Phoenix Cell despite flushing them out.

Admiral Konstantine and Agent Kallus again encountered the Ghost above Nixus, but the Spectres evaded their Arquitens-class command cruiser. With the help of Hondo Ohnaka, a Weequay pirate, the Imperials tracked the Ghost to a collapsed star cluster in [Wild Space](/article/wild_space], where they were searching for the Lasat homeworld of Lira San. The Imperials pursued but retreated due to the cluster's gravitational pull.

The Relentless again located and engaged Phoenix Squadron, trying to prevent them from replenishing fuel and escaping to a new base. When a subordinate reported the Ghost exiting hyperspace with stolen fuel from Horizon Base, Konstantine ordered his TIE fighters to prevent the ship from docking with the rebel flagship Phoenix Nest, a former Imperial Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier stolen on Ryloth. Despite their efforts, Konstantine's TIE fighters were chased away by Ketsu Onyo's starship Shadow Caster. Later, the rebel fleet escaped to Atollon with help from AP-5, a former Imperial inventory droid who informed the rebels of an Imperial trap in the Yost system.

Governor Arihnda Pryce, dissatisfied with Admiral Konstantine's handling of the rebellion in the Lothal sector, secured the services of Thrawn, the newly appointed Grand Admiral, and his Seventh Fleet through Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Later, Konstantine, on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, told Tarkin that Pryce overestimated the Phoenix rebels, dismissing them as a localized insurgency. Thrawn interjected, expressing his hope that it would remain so. Konstantine was present when Thrawn theorized the rebels planned to raid Reklam Station on Yarma. Later, Konstantine, Pryce, and Kallus commanded a Star Destroyer that intercepted the rebels and their stolen Y-wing starfighters. He was surprised when Thrawn ordered the Imperials to let the rebels escape with their "meager reward," but Pryce reassured him that Thrawn's objective was larger than capturing a single rebel cell.

Later, Admiral Konstantine, Governor Pryce, and Agent Kallus were on an Imperial Star Destroyer's bridge. He informed Pryce that his crew detected an encrypted distress signal from Agamar. Pryce dispatched Imperial forces to investigate, leading to conflict with Phoenix Squadron and a Separatist holdout led by Kalani, a super tactical droid. However, his forces again failed to capture the rebels.

Grand Admiral Thrawn tasked Konstantine with eliminating the Iron Squadron rebel cell on Mykapo. Despite Konstantine's protests, Thrawn dispatched him with a single Arquitens-class light cruiser and two Gozanti-class cruisers, stating Konstantine's talent should suffice even with one light cruiser. By Konstantine's arrival, Phoenix Group had evacuated rebel sympathizers.

Upon arriving, Konstantine's subordinate sighted a single YT-2400 light freighter. Despite his previous caution, the Admiral now believed Thrawn overestimated the threat and dispatched fighters to attack. The freighter's inexperienced captain, Mart Mattin, attacked the light cruiser and released explosives, which Konstantine neutralized with forward batteries. Mart attempted to flee, but Konstantine's TIE fighters disabled his engines. However, Konstantine's forces couldn't stop Mart's crew, along with Spectres Bridger, Wren, and C1-10P, from escaping the system aboard the Phantom II shuttle. To lure the Spectres back into a trap, Konstantine allowed Mattin to send a distress signal while TIE bombers attached a magno-mine to the hull of Sato's Hammer.

When the Spectres returned aboard the Ghost, Konstantine ordered his subordinate to await his command to trigger the mine, intending to destroy both rebel ships. However, rebel astromech droids C1-10P and R3-A3 stealthily detached the magno-mine and planted it on one of the YT-2400's cargo boxes. The plan was complicated by Phoenix Squadron's arrival under Commander Sato (Mattin's uncle). Sato's reinforcements destroyed one of Konstantine's Gozanti cruisers and several TIEs, causing Konstantine to panic and call Thrawn for reinforcements. In the chaos, the rebel ships flew over Konstantine's cruiser, dislodging the cargo box with the mine attached as Konstantine ordered the mine triggered. The resulting explosion badly damaged Konstantine's ship. Konstantine and his crew survived, but their ship was heavily damaged.

At that moment, Thrawn's ship entered the system. After a short discussion with Commander Sato, Thrawn permitted the rebels to leave. Subsequently, Thrawn established communication with Konstantine through a hologram. Thrawn inquired if Konstantine had requested his presence for assistance; Konstantine, attempting to conceal his failure, stated he had contacted Thrawn to report the rebels' expulsion from the system. However, Thrawn discerned Konstantine's deception, replying that he had surmised the rebels and their allies had managed to escape. Konstantine lowered his head, feeling ashamed.

During Thrawn's investigation of the rebel spy known as Fulcrum, Admiral Konstantine found himself stationed aboard the Grand Admiral's Imperial Star Destroyer, the Chimaera. He presented Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Yogar Lyste to Thrawn and the Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen. Konstantine was present when Thrawn briefed the group about Fulcrum, a traitor within their ranks who had been secretly aiding Phoenix Squadron by acting as a spy and saboteur. Thrawn attributed recent Imperial setbacks and Rebel successes to Fulcrum's actions. Thrawn then outlined his strategy to screen the Lothal Sector's Command staff for any Rebel affiliations. Konstantine was also informed of Thrawn's plan to locate Phoenix Squadron's base within the Lothal sector. When Konstantine questioned Thrawn about his methods, the Grand Admiral explained that he had calculated the probable locations of the rebel bases based on their nearness to attacks on Imperial ships and installations, and the planet Lothal. After Kallus arrested Lyste, accusing him of being the Rebel spy, Konstantine was present at a meeting with Governor Pryce, Colonel Yularen, Thrawn and Kallus. At the meeting, he congratulated Kallus for catching the spy.

Later on, Admiral Konstantine was in attendance at a briefing with Governor Pryce and Grand Admiral Thrawn, where they discussed strategies for capturing the fugitive former Senator Mon Mothma. Mothma had angered the Emperor by publicly denouncing the Ghorman Massacre and calling the Emperor a "lying executioner." During the briefing, both Konstantine and Pryce expressed their skepticism when Thrawn suggested that Syndulla would attempt to smuggle Mothma out of the sector through the perilous Archeon pass. When Pryce volunteered for the "honor" of silencing the rogue Senator, Thrawn assigned both Konstantine and Pryce the task of intercepting the rebel ships outside the Archeon Nebula. Thrawn's strategy involved using his prototype TIE Defender and two TIE Interceptors to force the rebels out of the nebula, where Konstantine and Pryce could then capture them. Konstantine and Pryce each commanded an Imperial Star Destroyer for this mission.

As the rebel ship Ghost emerged from the Archeon Nebula, Konstantine informed Pryce that the rebel vessel had sustained damage to its core systems. After Pryce refused Mon Mothma's demands, she instructed Konstantine to activate the ship's tractor beam. When the surviving rebel Y-wings, piloted by Ezra and Gold Leader Jon Vander, exited the nebula, Konstantine gave the order for his gunners to target and destroy the rebel fighters. Despite believing the rebel fighters had arrived "too little, too late," Hera outmaneuvered the Imperials by convincing Ezra and Vander to fire their proton torpedoes into the Archeon Nebula. This action caused the nebula's gases to ignite, inflicting severe damage to both Konstantine's and Pryce's Star Destroyers in the resulting conflagration. With the tractor beam disabled, the rebel ships managed to escape to Dantooine.

At a later time, Konstantine was present at a meeting between Thrawn, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Governor Ahrinda Pryce, where Thrawn revealed his knowledge of Phoenix Squadron's impending major military operation against the Empire. Shortly thereafter, Thrawn successfully identified the location of Phoenix Squadron's base on Atollon. He uncovered it using the trajectory of General Dodonna's fleet and revealing the identity of Fulcrum, Agent Kallus, who had sent a transmission to the rebels warning them that Thrawn was aware of the attack on Lothal. By tracing the path of Dodonna's fleet and Kallus's transmission, (and art of the sector) Thrawn was able to locate the planet Atollon, which was absent from Imperial charts, and thus the location of Chopper base.

He ordered Konstantine to deploy the Seventh Fleet to the system. Placed in command of an Interdictor ship, Konstantine was tasked with preventing the rebels from escaping the system. When a Nebulon-B2 frigate attempted to flee the system, Konstantine's Interdictor pulled it out of hyperspace and subsequently destroyed it using the Interdictor's turbolasers. When Commander Sato attempted a Danan tactic, Thrawn instructed Konstantine to remain in position until further orders. Annoyed, Konstantine voiced his opposition, expressing his desire to use overwhelming force. Thrawn reminded Konstantine that he had studied the rebels and was well-versed in their frequent use of unconventional tactics.

When Commander Sato directed the Phoenix Nest toward the center of the Imperial formation, Konstantine maneuvered his Interdictor to intercept Sato. Thrawn commanded him to return to his designated coordinates, but Konstantine, driven by a desire for personal glory, expressed his weariness with Thrawn's "games." Sato's maneuver proved to be a trap, as he initiated a suicide run once his Interdictor was out of position. Upon being informed by a deck officer of the move, Konstantine realized his mistake too late and frantically ordered evasive maneuvers. Konstantine's rash insubordination would prove costly for the Empire, as the destruction of his vessel allowed Ezra and Chopper to escape into hyperspace to find reinforcements, doing so in the form of Clan Wren warriors, which destroyed the other Interdictor. The destruction of both Interdictors allowed the remaining rebels to escape, preventing Thrawn from crushing the rebellion in a single sweep and ultimately contributing to the Empire's downfall years later.

Admiral Konstantine was known as a strict and conventional military leader. He displayed a lack of consideration for his fellow Imperials, and at times, he demonstrated a self-serving nature, even being willing to sacrifice his own men to protect himself. When faced with failure, Konstantine would attempt to safeguard his career by shifting blame or distorting the truth, although this did not deceive perceptive individuals like Grand Admiral Thrawn. Furthermore, he did not regard his colleagues as friends, even Agent Kallus; his cold and unsympathetic reaction towards Kallus after a near-death experience on Bahryn contrasted sharply with the warmth and surprising friendship that the ISB had been shown his rebel opponent Garazeb Orrelios.

Governor Arihnda Pryce did not hold the Admiral's tactical abilities in high regard, viewing him as a self-serving politician rather than a soldier. In fact, he preferred meetings and committees to direct action, often delegating much of his fleet's operations to his subordinates. Despite his role in shaping the Imperial Navy's fleet culture, he was known to rigidly adhere to the Imperial Navy Handbook. Underestimating the rebel threat, Konstantine viewed them as a localized insurgency rather than a galaxy-wide rebellion. He lacked Grand Admiral Thrawn's strategic vision for defeating the entire rebellion. Instead, he seemed to favor overwhelming military force, believing that a single Arquitens-class cruiser was insufficient firepower against Iron Squadron's YT-2400 freighter. He also underestimated the ingenuity and resourcefulness of his numerically and militarily inferior adversaries, and he tended to panic when confronted with unexpected enemy forces. He lacked imagination, expressing disbelief when Grand Admiral Thrawn predicted that the rebel Hera Syndulla would be risky enough to ferry Mon Mothma through the dangerous Archeon pass.

Konstantine also frequently clashed with his colleagues and superiors. He voiced his aversion to working with "mystics"—Force-users such as the Inquisitor or Darth Vader—and was initially doubtful that any Jedi had survived the Great Jedi Purge. His professional relationship with the alien Grand Admiral Thrawn was also strained, with his jealousy eventually turning into outright insubordination. During the Battle of Atollon, Konstantine disobeyed Grand Admiral Thrawn's orders and attempted to intercept the Rebel command ship Phoenix Nest in pursuit of personal glory. This tactical error allowed Commander Sato, the captain of the rebel ship, to ram Konstantine's cruiser; Konstatine was killed, and the rebels were able to escape. A human [male](/article/gender], Konstantine had light skin, brown hair, and blue eyes.

Kassius Konstantine is a character featured in Star Wars Rebels, making his debut in the first-season episode "Gathering Forces." His voice is provided by Dee Bradley Baker, a veteran of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.