Counselor to the Empire

The Counselor to the Empire, also known simply as the Counselor or Regent, was a regency title of the Galactic Empire held by Gallius Rax during the last days of the Galactic Civil War. Officially, the Counselor to the Empire was only a purportedly advisory role that advised the Shadow Council but, in effect, ruled as Galactic Emperor in all but name. Having ousted Grand Admiral Rae Sloane as de facto leader of the Imperial Navy and reduced Grand Vizier Mas Amedda to a figurehead, Fleet Admiral Rax effectively seized control of the Empire.

By his will, Rax rallied the remaining Imperial Military under his banner and brought them to his homeworld of Jakku as the conflict drew to an end. Unknown to the soldiers under Rax's command, he conspired to destroy the Imperial regime in accordance with the Contingency—Emperor Palpatine's final order condemning the Empire, which he held responsible for his death. After the Counselor was killed in the Battle of Jakku, Amedda regained the political authority that he needed in order to surrender the Empire to the New Republic and end the war.

Text and facts from the “Counselor to the Empire” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.