Rank insignia plaque

Description

Overview

To designate military rank and role in the various martial and non-martial organizations of the Galactic Republic and the subsequent Galactic Empire, rank insignia plaques were used, which were metallic rectangular plates with colored square tiles that were attached to tunics and armor. Because Republic rank insignia plaques were not standardized, there were a lot of different versions. The Empire continued this system, using them for a while alongside new designs. The Empire tried to switch to a more standardized rank model gradually, which was shown by single and double row plaques. This resulted in a mix of markings that weren't uniform. Imperial rank plaques could also be made so that the colored tiles were more spaced out.

Within the Galactic Empire, the service branch, or occasionally civilian equivalents, was indicated by the color of the tiles. Code cylinders worn in shoulder pockets sometimes also served as indicators of rank or position. Commissioned Imperial officers frequently wore rank plaques on their uniforms, including fabric uniforms and battle armor. While it was theoretically feasible to incorporate a comlink into an Imperial rank plaque by emptying the tiles from the back, there wasn't enough space for all the encryption chips and a suitable battery for long-range communication. It was, however, feasible to incorporate a working beckon call into a rank plaque.

Galactic Republic

Army

Rank insignia plaques were used by non-clone and clone trooper officers of the Grand Army of the Republic to display their rank. Meebur Gascon, a colonel, had a tiny rank plaque with one multi-colored tile. The tile was red with a large blue vertical stripe running down the middle. On his Phase II clone trooper armor, Cody, the Clone Marshal Commander of the 7th Sky Corps, wore a modified rank plaque with a single row of one blue square, one orange square, and two more blue squares. A similar rank plaque was worn by Vaughn, a clone captain in the 332nd Division. Other officers frequently wore rank plaques with two red tiles and one blue tile arranged in a single row.

Navy

Republic rank insignia plaques were not standardized and contained a multitude of variations. However, a lot of Republic Navy officers had the same rank plaques. The rank plaque, consisting of three red tiles above two blue tiles, was used to indicate a variety of naval ranks, including the high ranks of adjutant general, fleet admiral, admiral, rear admiral, and a naval captain who served as the fleet commander.

Clone naval officers used a single row system to display their ranks. Plaques with two red tiles and one blue tile were worn by clone naval commanders, as well as clone naval captains. A plaque with one blue tile followed by two red tiles was worn by naval corporals, and it was a popular design throughout the Republic Starfleet. Other clone naval officers wore a rank plaque with three red tiles in a single row, while others wore three blue tiles instead. Another combination worn by clone naval officers consisted of three tiles, with one red tile in the middle of two blue ones. When army Clone Commanders served in a naval role, they wore plaques with two red tiles and one blue tile.

Other branches

Other groups within the Galactic Republic made use of rank insignia plaques. Orson Callan Krennic, a lieutenant commander in the Republic Special Weapons Group, wore a rank plaque.

Galactic Empire

Governance

Imperial governors, which included Grand Moffs, Moffs, and planetary governors, consistently used the double row rank insignia model to indicate their respective ranks. A rank plaque with six blue tiles on the top row and three red tiles followed by three yellow tiles on the bottom row was worn by Grand Moffs and Moffs. Moffs could also wear plaques with five blue tiles above three red tiles and two yellow tiles earlier in the Empire's reign to signify their rank and title. Grotton, the Imperial governor of the planet Desix, wore a rank plaque with two red tiles above two blue tiles that were more spaced apart.

Army

The Imperial Army used a variety of plaques to indicate their army ranks under the single row rank insignia system. A plaque with six red tiles was worn with the standard olive uniform to denote a general. Sotorus Ramda and Cassio Tagge were among these officers, though Trech Molock wore a light gray uniform instead. An Imperial Army colonel wore a plaque with three red tiles followed by three blue tiles, while a major wore three red tiles and two blue tiles. A Clone Commander was able to display his rank with a distinctive rank plaque inherited from Republic service, consisting of four small tiles: one blue, followed by a red tile, and then two more blue tiles. An army captain could wear either a single row plaque with four red tiles, such as Captain Bragg, or three red tiles and one blue tile, such as Tala Durith.

Furthermore, an army security captain, like Vanis Tigo, wore a rank plaque with three blue tiles on a black uniform, and four when he was given the title of Prefect. A lieutenant was given a rank plaque with three tiles, two red and one blue, on a standard uniform. Such plaques and uniforms were worn by army lieutenants such as Alayus Bolandin and Mytus Adema, and the rank of second lieutenant was represented in the same way. Army security lieutenants, such as Merzin Keysax, wore three blue tiles on their black uniform.

A grand general who served as supreme commander of the Imperial military wore three blue tiles and three yellow tiles on the top row, and three blue and three red tiles on the bottom row with a standard olive uniform under the double row rank insignia system, while other grand generals, such as Kenner Loring, wore five blue tiles above three red and two yellow tiles. Gollin, Valin Hess, and Maximilian Veers were among the generals who wore four red tiles above four blue tiles on their standard uniforms to indicate their rank. In some cases, the tiles were more spaced apart, as on General Veers' plaque, while in others, such as General Hess' plaque, the color tiles were less spaced apart. The rank plaques with four red tiles and four blue tiles were also used to represent colonels such as Barokki, Chief Architect Alva Brenne, and Gralm. However, Army Colonel Bryce wore four red tiles above another four red to indicate his rank. An army major using the double row model wore a rank insignia with four red tiles above four blue, similar to a colonel's but with one code cylinder instead of the two usually worn by colonels.

Army officers with the title of commander, such as Altadan Igar, wore three red tiles on the top row of their plaque and three blue tiles on the bottom row. Army captains like Punfor and Kosh also wore three red tiles above three blue tiles on their olive uniforms under the double row system.

However, a captain could also display their rank by wearing a rank plaque with two red tiles above two blue, such as Captain Tanch. Junior officers, such as army lieutenants, also wore two red tiles above two blue tiles under the double row plaque system, such as Lieutenant Sheckil.

COMPNOR

The Commission for the Preservation of the New Order and its subsidiary agencies, such as the Imperial Security Bureau and Coalition for Progress, also used the Imperial rank plaque system for their own ranks, despite not being martial departments. The Imperial Security Bureau used three red and three blue tiles to denote the rank of an ISB colonel under the single row system. As an additional symbol of status and rank, silver epaulets could be worn on the white ISB uniform. Wullf Yularen, an ISB officer, was one such colonel. A Senior Commander, such as Alecia Beck, wore a single row plaque with red tiles.

ISB commanders, such as Trey Trellen, used the inverse to indicate their rank: three blue tiles followed by three red. Despite this, ISB commanders could also use four blue tiles, such as Chief Supervisor Lank Denvik. Other ISB chief supervisors could use a single row plaque with one blue tile followed by three red tiles. Standard ISB supervisors, on the other hand, used a single row plaque with two blue tiles followed by two red tiles. Lio Partagaz and other ISB majors wore five blue tiles to display their ISB rank. Lagret, an ISB Supervisor, and other ISB captains wore four blue tiles. Dedra Meero, Blevin, and Lonni Jung, who were ISB lieutenants and supervisors, wore three blue tiles on their white uniforms, while other junior officers wore two blue tiles on their uniforms.

Bozeden Jeems, the Inspector General for the Imperial Center of Military Research on Scarif, wore a single row plaque with three red tiles and one blue tile. Loyalty officers such as Sid Uddra used the opposite, one blue tile followed by three red tiles. Alexsandr Kallus, an ISB field agent, wore two blue tiles followed by an empty space and then one red tile. When Agent Kallus was promoted to commander, his rank was indicated by three blue tiles and two yellow tiles on his combat armor. Thorn, and other agents, wore three blue tiles followed by a red tile on their white uniform. Heert and Corv, who were ISB Attendants, wore a rank plaque with two blue tiles on their gray uniforms.

Orson Callan Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research and Commander, wore an admiral rank plaque with six red tiles above six blue tiles on his white, caped uniform, using the double row rank plaque system. Earlier in his career, Director Krennic wore a single row plaque with six red tiles to indicate his rank of lieutenant commander. Garrick Versio and other ISB admirals also wore six red tiles above six blue tiles to indicate their flag rank, as did divisional ISB directors such as Sliro Barsha.

Early in the Empire's reign, an ISB major could simply wear a rank plaque with two red tiles above two blue tiles. Jordo and other ISB commanders also wore two red tiles above two blue under this system. ISB field agents wore plaques with three blue above three red tiles using the double row system. ISB officers could also wear a rank plaque with three red tiles above three blue tiles on a dark-colored uniform with a bandolier.

Other COMPNOR bureaus, such as the Coalition for Progress, used the rank plaque system. A captain in the Coalition for Progress, like Captain Okma, was given a rank insignia plaque with three red tiles above three blue tiles. Dasita Lyros, a COMPNOR art director, wore a single row rank plaque with six red tiles on her black uniform.

Navy

The Imperial Navy used six blue tiles on their standard olive uniforms to indicate the naval rank of admiral under the single row rank plaque system, which was dominant before the Battle of Yavin. Barton Coburn and Gorin were among the admirals who wore these rank plaques. Conan Antonio Motti, the Admiral of the Navy and Chief of the Imperial Navy aboard the DS-1 Death Star Mobile Battle Station, wore a single row plaque with two blue tiles followed by four red tiles. Edmon Rampart and other Navy vice admirals wore the same plaque. Almudin and other commodores wore a plaque with six tiles under this system: three blue followed by three red.

Shaef Corssin and the former captain of the Devastator were among the naval captains who wore three blue tiles followed by two red tiles on their standard olive uniform. However, the same rank plaque could be worn on a black uniform, such as Captain Elk's. Conversely, the rank of captain could be represented by four blue tiles early in the Empire's reign. These were carried over from the Republic's system, and the tiles were more spaced apart. Barrow Oicunn's rank plaque was one such example. Pasqual and other naval commanders wore three blue tiles followed by one red tile, which could also be worn on black uniforms. Other naval commanders wore plaques with four blue tiles that were more spaced apart. In the single row system, naval lieutenants wore two blue tiles and one red tile, while a junior lieutenant wore two blue tiles. Kronauer and other warrant officers wore a single row plaque with four blue tiles to represent their rank. Other junior officers wore a two-tiled single row rank plaque with one red and one blue tile.

Admirals, on the other hand, were given a variety of rank insignia plaques in the double row model used by the Imperial Navy. A grand admiral rank badge had three blue tiles and three yellow tiles in the top row, and three blue tiles followed by three red tiles. Individuals such as Kendal Ozzel wore six red tiles on the top row and six blue tiles on the bottom row to indicate the rank of fleet admiral. Kassius Konstantine and other officers with the rank of admiral also wore six red tiles above six blue tiles, as well as other rank plaques with four red tiles above four blue tiles. Admiral Mummert wore such a rank plaque. Another rank plaque that indicated the rank of admiral was three red tiles above three blue tiles, as worn by Admiral Ektol Traz. Rae Sloane and other individuals with the rank of vice admiral were also represented by six red tiles above six blue tiles, as was Chiraneau, who held the rank of rear admiral. Despite this, Sloane also wore a rank insignia plaque with five red tiles above five blue tiles during her time as a vice admiral.

The rank of commodore was also represented by different rank plaques under the double row plaque system. Rae Sloane wore five red tiles above five blue tiles in one style when she was a commodore. Another style was four red tiles above four blue tiles, such as the one worn by Commodore Idel, while a third version was a rank plaque with three red tiles above three blue tiles. Commodore Visler Korda wore the version with six total tiles. Terisa Kerrill of the ISD Overseer, Lennox of the Tyrant, and Slavin were among the capital ship captains who commonly wore rank plaques with three red tiles above three blue tiles to signify their rank of naval captain. Captain Brunson wore this rank plaque, but he wore a black uniform. Woldar and Ellian Zahra were among the commanders who wore rank insignia plaques with four red tiles above four blue tiles. Befa and Kai were among the other commanders who wore plaques with three red tiles and four blue tiles on the second row instead. In other cases, Nemet and other commanders wore rank plaques with two red tiles above two blue tiles to indicate their rank.

In the double row plaque system, the naval rank of lieutenant was also represented by plaques with two red tiles above two blue tiles, but some plaques had their colored tiles more spaced apart than others. Gorr, Cabbel, and Jyala Haydenn wore these rank plaques to indicate their ranks. Under the double row model, a junior lieutenant rank was indicated by two red tiles above two blue tiles. A rank insignia plaque with one red tile above one blue tile indicated the rank of ensign. Clone naval officers retained their rank plaques from the Republic Navy early in the Empire's reign. These included single row plaques with three blue tiles.

Science and Engineering Division and Operations

The Science and Engineering Division and military officers in operations wore single line rank insignia plaques to indicate their rank. Hurst Romodi and other operations generals were displayed by a single row rank plaque with six yellow tiles. Subsequently, Soden Petigar and other operations colonels wore rank plaques with five yellow tiles followed by one red tile. Galen Walton Erso, a Major in the Science and Engineering Division, wore a plaque with four yellow tiles and one red tile. An operations captain wore a plaque with four yellow tiles, and an operations lieutenant wore a rank plaque with three yellow tiles.

Stormtrooper Corps and security branches

Throughout its history, the Stormtrooper Corps and other security branches used both single row and double row rank insignia plaques. Generals and colonels were denoted by six blue tiles under the single row rank plaque system, while majors were represented by five blue tiles. Praji and other commanders wore four blue tiles followed by two amber tiles. Daine Jir and other commanders were given rank plaques with four blue tiles, which were identical to the rank plaques worn by captains. Lieutenants wore three blue tiles to indicate their rank. Stormtroopers could also display their rank with one blue tile and two red tiles. A stormtrooper captain wore a rank plaque with two red tiles above two blue tiles on their armor under the double row model. Sergeant majors wore rank insignias with blue tiles on their black uniforms.

Other branches

The Imperial Starfighter Corps, which is a division of the Imperial Navy, also made use of rank plaques. For instance, Shakara Nuress, a Colonel in the Starfighter Corps, displayed her rank on her olive-colored uniform with a double-row plaque featuring four red tiles above four blue ones. Similarly, Majors like Soran Keize utilized the same rank plaque design, although they wore it on a gray uniform. Furthermore, Imperial Navy Troopers within the Imperial Navy sometimes employed rank plaques. When they did, these plaques often consisted of a single row with either four blue tiles or four red tiles. The Inspectorate utilized both single and double-row rank plaques. An Inspectorate commander, for example, wore the standard plaque displaying four red tiles over four blue. The rank of Captain-Inspector was signified by a plaque with three red tiles followed by one blue tile, while an Inspector was identified by three red tiles above three blue, and a Lieutenant-Inspector used a plaque with multiple blue tiles.

Other rank plaques

Across the vast Galactic Empire, numerous individuals employed rank plaques. For example, Admiral Brom Titus wore a single-row rank plaque with four red tiles followed by two yellow tiles on his black uniform. After Titus was demoted to commander, his rank was indicated by a plaque with only two red tiles. Moradmin Bast, the Chief Manager of the Death Star, displayed his rank using a single-row plaque with four yellow tiles and two red tiles, which was also the same plaque used to represent the rank of Chief Siward Cass. Lieutenant Oon-ai, who served as an adjutant to Grand General Cassio Tagge, wore a single-row rank plaque featuring six blue tiles. The aide to Lieutenant Pol Treidum sported a black uniform adorned with two red tiles.

The rank of a commandant was indicated in several distinct ways: a single-row rank plaque featuring a combination of red and yellow tiles, a single-row plaque with four blue tiles and two red tiles attached to a modified uniform like the one worn by Jayhold Beehaz, or a double-row plaque displaying three red tiles over three blue tiles. A sergeant major holding the title of taskmaster used the same double-row plaque as a commandant. Crix Madine, an officer within Imperial Special Forces who eventually achieved the rank of general, at one point in his career, used a rank plaque consisting of a single row with two blue tiles followed by four red tiles.

Further rank plaque variations included a single row of six red tiles or five red tiles on a black uniform, a single row of three red tiles also used by officers wearing black uniforms, a single-row rank plaque with four yellow tiles and two red tiles on a black uniform, a single-row plaque with three red tiles followed by three yellow tiles on a gray uniform, and a single-row plaque with three blue tiles, followed by a red tile, and then another blue tile. Other individuals, such as Captain Edmos Khurgee, had a single-row rank plaque with six yellow tiles, or a single-row plaque with four blue tiles followed by two yellow tiles. Some officers wore standard uniforms with a single-row plaque consisting of five blue tiles.

Imperial interrogation officers might display their rank using a plaque featuring four red tiles on the top row and four blue tiles on the bottom row. The tiles on these plaques were spaced further apart compared to other plaques. Other interrogation officers used a single-row plaque with five red tiles. Subordinate lieutenants within a prison setting used rank plaques with at least two red tiles in a single row. Prosecutors within the Imperial justice system wore sand-brown uniforms accompanied by a single-row rank plaque featuring two yellow tiles followed by one red tile. Certain ranks of Imperial weapons technicians also used a single-row rank plaque, which consisted of four red tiles. An Imperial cadet holding the rank of Cadet First Class was given a single blue tile to represent their rank.

Other factions

Following the fragmentation of the Galactic Empire into various warring remnants, many of these remnants maintained the double-row rank insignia style, as seen among those on Morak and the remnant under the leadership of Moff Gideon. However, the Imperial remnant situated in the Anoat sector adopted a different color scheme for their double-row rank plaques. Officers wore double-row plaques featuring one red tile followed by two blue tiles on both the top and bottom rows.

These rank plaques were used to denote the ranks of Major Jaidra and Captain Thenn. Subordinates were issued plaques with one red tile and one blue tile on both the top and bottom rows. These plaques were accompanied by a black sash worn across the chest and torso.

History

Rank insignia plaques were introduced by the Galactic Republic at the onset of the Clone Wars to visually represent the military ranks of its officers. The rank insignia system was characterized by numerous variations, resulting in a non-standardized approach. When the Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire, these same rank insignias initially remained in use as the Empire inherited the Republic's system. Although new designs were created after the transition from the Republic, they were often sector-specific, leading to a diverse range of non-uniform markings.

In the time leading up to the Battle of Yavin, the Imperial rank insignia system was gradually transitioning towards a more standardized model. Single-line plaques were common at this time but were being replaced by double-line plaques, even though double-line plaques had been used to some extent since the Empire's inception. Following the Empire's collapse during the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Remnants continued to use the Empire's double-line plaques. Groups that salvaged Imperial armor and uniforms, such as the Warbird gang, employed the rank plaques as customizable elements.

Behind the scenes

Origins

The rank insignia plaque made its first appearance in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, although it was not named at the time. It was identified in the 2014 reference book Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide. Costume designer Glyn Dillon has shared an Imperial rank chart reconstructed by co-designer and military expert David Crossman for use on Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Inconsistencies and continuity

According to Pablo Hidalgo, the rank badges "only mean anything in Empire Strikes Back." The plaques in A New Hope look different from those in The Empire Strikes Back, even when worn by officers of the same rank. In Return of the Jedi, a costuming error resulted in all the plaques being mistakenly made as commander plaques, including those worn by Admiral Firmus Piett and Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod. However, in the scene where Darth Vader arrives on the Death Star II, some frames show the same officers wearing both two rows of three tiles and two rows of four tiles. Both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels feature both plaque styles.

In 2022, Pablo Hidalgo clarified that there are two eras for Imperial rank badges: pre-Death Star destruction and post-Death Star destruction. The pre-Death Star destruction era features the 'single row' template developed for Rogue One and also used in Kenobi and Andor. Pablo further stated that the rank plaques evolved over time and only apply to the film and series, with the 'double row' version being used in Rebels and the comics, and it took some time to incorporate it into other media. Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide later clarified that the Imperial Military inherited a varied system from the Republic and that the rank insignia plaques of the Empire were transitioning to a more standardized model. The Visual Guide established two in-universe eras per Pablo's previous reasoning: a pre-Yavin single-row system and a post-Yavin system. However, The Visual Guide contradicts information established in the TV series Andor, which dictates that ISB majors wore four blue tiles, captains wore three, and lieutenants wore two. The series, however, establishes that ISB majors wore five, captains wore four, and lieutenants wore three.

Lastly, Pablo clarified that it was a "safe assumption" that the 'Army Operations' in the single-row chart were equivalent to Battle Station Operations, comprising "basic non-combat ops, engineers, and whatnot." Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide later established that such plaques belonged to the Science and Engineering Division.

In Inspector Thanoth's debut issue, Darth Vader (2015) 8, he wore a rank insignia featuring three blue squares over three red squares. However, in all subsequent issues until his death in Darth Vader (2015) 20, he wore a plaque with three red over three blue. This article assumes the more recent and more numerous depiction of the plaque is correct. Throughout the Star Wars: Thrawn comic series, the colors on rank plaques are inverted, with blue on top and red on the bottom row. In "The Path of Anger," Gilad Pellaeon is shown wearing an Imperial Army captain rank plaque, despite being a naval officer. The character poster for Edmon Rampart in the third season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch depicts him with a commodore's rank plaque, despite wearing a naval captain's plaque in the series and Rampart impersonating a captain.