Gilad Pellaeon
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Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon is a fictional character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Pellaeon joined the Imperial Starfleet at a young age and was considered one of its most promising officers. Rising through the ranks, he was eventually promoted to the rank of Commander and assigned to the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Chimaera as its first officer. The Chimeara participated in the fleet action during the Battle of Endor, during which the vessel's captain was killed. In an attempt to salvage the situation, Pellaeon assumed command of the Chimaera and - following the death of Emperor Palpatine, Lord Darth Vader, and Admiral Piett - the remaining elements of the Imperial fleet at Endor and ordered a retreat.
In the years following the defeat at Endor, Pellaeon attempted to direct the resources of the Imperial Starfleet in order to maintain a united front against the Rebellion and its successor, the New Republic. However, he lacked the tactical brilliance or the legitimacy as commander to do so successfully; it was not until the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn from his tour of duty in the Unknown Regions of the galactic halo that the Empire ended its string of defeats. Choosing the Chimaera as his flagship, Thrawn began a brutally effective campaign against the New Republic, and it seemed that Pellaeon's dreams of restoring the honor and dignity of the Empire was within reach. Any dream of re-establishing the Galactic Empire was crudely shattered during the Battle of Bilbringi where, in a twisted parallel to the Battle of Endor, Grand Admiral Thrawn was assassinated during the battle by one of his bodyguards, forcing Pellaeon to again assume command and order a retreat.
Following Thrawn's death, Pellaeon retreated to the core and joined Admiral-cum-warlord Terradoc's fleet, and attained the rank of Vice Admiral. He did not agree with Terradoc's methods, however, and assisted Admiral Daala in assassinating him and 11 other warlords. They then began a losing war against the New Republic. After their mutual defeat, Daala retired from command, promoting Pellaeon to the rank of Admiral. He took the remains of his fleet back to the Imperial Remnant and was eventually recognized by the Council of Moffs as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces; it was in this capacity that he signed the peace accords with New Republic Chief of State Ponc Gavrisom aboard the Chimaera, thus ending the Galactic Civil War fifteen years after the Battle of Endor. Sometime later, the Moffs elevated him again, to the rank of Grand Admiral.
In the years following the cessation of hostilities between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic, Pellaeon remained the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Starfleet. As the highest military authority in the Empire, he was a chief advisor to the Moffs, the governing body of the remaining Empire. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, he drew upon his decades of experience as well as the lessons he learned from Thrawn, to lead the Starfleet into battle alongside its former enemies, convincing the Moffs that he would do so with or without their support and that the Imperial Fleet would follow him wherever he went.
Grand Admiral Pellaeon proved to be a worthy successor to his mentor, the legendary Grand Admiral Thrawn. Pellaeon managed to score victory after victory against the Yuuzhan Vong commander assigned to the invasion of the Empire, and went on to personally command the Imperial fleets dispatched to reinforce the Galactic Alliance (formerly the New Republic), eventually commanding the Imperial forces that assisted the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances in retaking Vong-occupied Coruscant. Together, the Empire and Galactic Alliance managed to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong invaders and bring a modicum of peace back to the war-torn galaxy.
Following the end of organized resistance by the Yuuzhan Vong, Gilad Pellaeon presented Han and Leia Organa Solo with one of the few remaining pieces of art from Grand Admiral Thrawn's private collection, Killik Twilight, an Alderaanian painting that the Solos had once attempted to acquire prior to Thrawn's nearly victorious offensive. While "The Old Man of the Empire" remains the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces at present, there is some question as to how much longer he will remain in command, being unpopular with the Moffs and a very old man. In addition, there is a lingering question regarding whether or not Pellaeon may have sired a family out of wedlock, as it was intimated that the late Commander Mynar Devis may have been Pellaeon's son.
Debatable Early Appearance
The Dark Horse graphic novel Clone Wars Volume 5 - The Best Blades depicts a Pellaeon as captain of a Republic Acclamator-class vessel during the Clone Wars. This Captain Pellaeon was in command of a Republic battle fleet during a battle over the world of Merson, a battle notable for being the one in which the Jedi Master Ronhar Kim and his Cerean padawan Tap-Nar-Pal were killed.
It is unknown whether this Pellaeon is the Gilad Pellaeon who later served under Grand Admiral Thrawn, as the rank of this character conflicts with Gilad Pellaeon's reported promotion to captaincy after the Battle of Endor.
However, his appearance and loyalty to those under his command would be consistent with the two actually being the same person.
Alternatively, this Captain Pellaeon could well be a relative of Gilad Pellaeon--possibly his father, which seems more likely given the charaters' apparently divergent ages.
External link
Star Wars: Databanks Gilad Pellaeon (http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/giladpellaeon/eu.html)