Captain of the Line

The line rank of Senior Captain, formally known as Captain of the Line, existed within the Imperial Navy and was one of the two line ranks that together encompass the overall position of captain. It ranked above Senior Commander, and below Rear Admiral. The rank was the equivalent of Imperial Army and Starfighter Corps Colonel. A Captain of the Line commanded a tactical unit known as a line of battle. Lines were theoretically a unit of four starships but, in practice, it comprised between one ship (a single Star Destroyer was considered a line in itself in the Navy Order of Battle) to twenty. Senior Captains held a position of Captain when they commanded only one starship and a position of Commander when they were in charge of a small group, below the squadron level, of escort ships. Captains of the Line could often serve as the adjutant to an admiral.

Not long after the Battle of Yavin in 0 ABY, prior to his promotion to the flag rank, Thrawn held this rank in the months following the first Death Star's destruction while on a mission against Nuso Esva.

Text and facts from the “Captain of the Line/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.