Major Symes held the rank of major within the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire; he was a human officer. As the parent of Pandak Symes, and the spouse of Colonel Symes, he and his spouse held high hopes for their son, Pandak Symes, who was a student at the Academy for Young Imperials located on Lothal. Pandak anticipated his parents' disappointment when he inevitably failed to meet expectations, a failure that materialized when he proved unable to satisfy the demanding standards of basic training.