Gilad Pellaeon

SW Character


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name=Gilad Pellaeon
position=Imperial Admiral, Grand Admiral, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander
species=Human
gender=Male
planet=Corellia
affiliation=Galactic Empire/Imperial Navy, Imperial Remnant, Galactic Alliance
portrayer=N/A

Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon is a fictional character from the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe. Pellaeon was created by Timothy Zahn for The "Thrawn" trilogy of novels, but has appeared in several other Expanded Universe novels since. Because of the evolving nature of "Star Wars" canon following the publication of the "Thrawn" trilogy, primarily due to the release of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, some of the information regarding the character has been retconned.

Character history

Early life and pre-Endor career

Gilad Pellaeon was born on the world of Corellia and moved to Coruscant during his youth."Force Heretic 1". pg. 157] "The Imperial Grand Admirals"] He applied to join the military at age 15, lying about his age, and was accepted into the academy on Raithal (the Imperial Starfleet is named in fiction written before the prequel trilogy, the Old Republic's Judicial Forces in later fiction).

He served as an ensign without distinction, until he was given command of a convoy escort vessel, which he uses to outwit and destroy a pirate vessel over the world of Gavryn.StarWars.com Databank] Following this, he was given command of an "Acclamator-class" assault ship during the Clone Wars, and was present for the Galactic Republic's defeat at the Battle of Merton. ["Star Wars Republic" Issue 64: "Bloodlines". The appearance is brief, and there is fan opinion that this character (whose first name is not given) is a relative, but the author and the artist have both stated that the character is Gilad Pellaeon.]

At some point between the prequel and original trilogies, Pellaeon was transferred to Stalwart, an Imperial Class Star Destroyer under the command of then Vice-Admiral Thrawn. They served together on numerous campaigns including the capture of the traitorous Admiral Harkiss and the execution of Admiral Zaarin after his assassination attempt on Emperor Palpatine. Afterwards, Thrawn was put in charge of the defense of the Emperor's secret cloaking field research base and Pellaeon was promoted to the rank of Captain aboard the "Chimaera", an "Imperial"-class Star Destroyer.cite book |last=Slavicsek |first=Bill |coauthors=Trautmann, Bill |title=Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook |origyear=1996 |origmonth=June |publisher=West End Games |isbn=0-87431-280-9 |pages=pp. 64-65 |chapter=Remnants of the Empire] "Chimera" was present at the Battle of Endor, and following the destruction of the "Executor" and the second Death Star, and the death of his commanding officer, Pellaeon took command of "Chimaera" and ordered a retreat. Few Imperial vessels followed him, several more deserted after the retreat, and Pellaeon returned to Coruscant with the remainder, placing himself and the fleet under the command of Ysanne Isard.

Career post-Endor

Pellaeon served under Isard until her defeat by Rogue Squadron in the "" novel series. He again took command of the Imperial fleet, but was unable to regain the initiative against the New Republic and was forced to fight a continual rearguard action until Thrawn's arrival from the galactic halo. ["Heir to the Empire". pp. 7-8] Thrawn used Pellaeon's "Chimaera" as his flagship during his campaign against the Republic to restore the Empire. Pellaeon learned from and followed Thrawn until the Battle of Bilbringi where Thrawn was assassinated by his Noghri bodyguard, forcing Pellaeon to again assume command and order a retreat. ["The Last Command". pp. 462-463]

Following Thrawn's death, Pellaeon retreated to the Core, with himself and his crew serving under several leaders in the following years; the 'reborn' Palpatine, High Admiral Teradoc, and Admiral Daala. After Daala's defeat, she handed command of the fleet to Pellaeon, who was accepted by the Moffs of the Imperial Remnant as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces, and who accepted his advice that peace with the New Republic was the only way to survive."The Hand of Thrawn" duology (More specific cite needed)] The peace treaty was signed by Pellaeon and Chief of State Ponc Gavrisom in 19 ABY, aboard "Chimaera". At a point over the next six years, the Council of Moffs promoted Pellaeon from Admiral to Grand Admiral. ["Dark Tide II: Ruin". pg. 51 (he is described as wearing a Grand Admiral's uniform, but is referred to as an Admiral in the novel. Later materials such as "The New Jedi Order Sourcebook" make it clear that Pellaeon was a Grand Admiral at that point)]

Yuuzhan Vong invasion

Early in the extragalactic invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong, the New Republic contacted Pellaeon and requested his assistance in fighting the aliens."Dark Tide II: Ruin". pp. 51-53] He did so, assisting the Republic until the Battle of Ithor, after which he withdrew Imperial forces back to the Remnant ["Dark Tide II: Ruin". pp. 281-283] Pellaeon did not appear again in the novels until "Destiny's Way" in which he refused to provide military support to the failing New Republic, but provided hyperspace maps allowing the Republic to plan an ambush at Ebaq 9, resulting in a major defeat for the Yuuzhan Vong. ["Destiny's Way". pp. 142-146] Shortly following this, the Imperial Remnant was attacked by the Yuuzhan Vong, and only through the efforts of Luke Skywalker and Jacen Solo did Pellaeon survive the first battle against the Yuuzhan Vong, heal from his injuries, and prevent a takeover by one of the Moffs. ["Force Heretic I: Remnant"] Following this, Pellaeon led a successful campaign against the invaders, and orchestrated the Imperial Remnant's joining of the newly-formed Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. He participated in several major battles up until the end of the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, including the recapture of Coruscant.

Post-Yuuzhan Vong invasion

Pellaeon retired shortly after the end of the "New Jedi Order" series, but was asked to temporarily come out of retirement following the death of Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander Sien Sovv. ["The Swarm War"] Pellaeon was asked to serve as temporary Supreme Commander until a permanent one was found. He agreed, making "The Old Man Of The Empire" leader of the largest military force in the galaxy. Pellaeon became the permanent commander of the Galactic Alliance military after this, and was still serving at the start of the "Legacy of the Force" series. He resigned from the military after the first novel, over the establishment of the Galactic Alliance Guard, a secret police organization created following the insurrection on Corellia beginning in this series. Pellaeon is murdered by Darth Caedus' apprentice Tahiri Veila in the novel "Revelation".

In the "" comic series, set almost 100 years after the "Legacy of the Force" series, "Pellaeon"-class Star Destroyers are introduced as the most powerful vessels of the era. ["Star Wars: Legacy" comic series]

References

*"Heir to the Empire", 1st paperback edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-40471-7
*"Dark Force Rising", 1st edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-08574-3
*"The Last Command", 1st paperback edition, 1994. Timothy Zahn. ISBN 0-553-56492-7
*"Star Wars: Darksaber", 1st edition, 1995. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0-553-57611-9
*"Specter of the Past", 1st printing, 1997. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-29804-6
*"Vision of the Future", 1st printing, 1998. Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-10035-1
*"Tatooine Ghost", 1st edition, 2003. Troy Denning, ISBN 0-345-45669-6
*"Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals". Star Wars Insider #66, 2003. Pena, Abel G. and Daniel Wallace.
*"The Essential Chronology", 1st edition. Kevin J. Anderson, Daniel Wallace, ISBN 0-345-43439-0. p. 72
*"Star Wars, The New Essential Guide to Characters", 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, New York: Del Rey. ISBN 0-345-44900-2
*"RA2"
*"Force Heretic I: Remnant", 1st edition, 2003. Sean Williams and Shane Dix, ISBN 0-345-42870-6
*cite web |url=http://www.churchofbrad.com/jsarek/admirals.htm#Pellaeon |title=The Imperial Grand Admirals - Pellaeon |accessdate=2007-03-13 |last=Hazlett |first=John|date=2007-02-03
*cite web |url=http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/giladpellaeon/eu.html |title=Star Wars Databank - Pellaeon, Gilad |accessdate=2007-03-13

:"Note:" Where one of the references above has not been confirmed, the website "The Imperial Grand Admirals" has been cited (This mostly concerns dates and small details). This website has annotations concerning the sources and page numbers of information regarding Pellaeon's fictional history."

External links

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* [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Pellaeon-class_Star_Destroyer Wookieepedia page on the "Pellaeon"-class Star Destroyer]