Officers were high-class soldiers who held various positions of responsibility, authority, and duty within the various branches of Galactic Empire‘s military. Common traits among those officers were ambition, ruthlessness, and strong approval of Emperor Palpatine’s plans to destroy the rebellion.

The upper echelons of the Empire included those whose influential families afforded them preferred treatment and advancement. Officers were put through one of several prestigious academies across the galaxy that raised ambitious men and women who would perfectly echo the Imperial mantra of control through authority. As the line between the Imperial political machine and Imperial war machine became more blurred, the Empire so gradually transformed into stratocracy that many in the galaxy simply took no notice.

Since the Empire favored humans at the expense of aliens, the ranks of its officers were dominated by the former. Additionally, most of those holding high ranks were males. One notable exception to the Empire’s humanocentrism was Thrawn, a Chiss who held the title of Grand Admiral.

Imperial officers wore a uniform that consisted of a double-breasted tunic with matching trousers, a pair of black boots, a belt and a command cap. There were regulations that made sure all officers maintained a neatly groomed appearance while wearing their uniforms. Although officers often cut their hair short for optimal efficiency, all were permitted to keep it long on the condition that they wore it pinned back in tight braids. This allowed Nash Windrider, a male officer from Alderaan, to retain a traditional hairstyle from his homeworld.

In addition to those officers who exerted command in the Navy or the Army, there were other specializations. Loyalty officers, also known as Security Officers, were tasked with identifying and culling any seditious individual within the Empire’s own ranks.

The Galactic Empire made an effort to identify recruits in its Imperial Academies who were potential officer material. Recruits identified to potentially have such talent were sometimes sent to specialized officer academies, such as the academy on Arkanis.