Commodore

The term commodore typically denoted senior Navy officers commanding groups of ships rather than individual vessels, but it was used in a number of different ways by various military hierarchies.

Most typically, the title "commodore" was associated with a distinct rank between captain and Rear Admiral; officers of this rank might serve as senior captains of important ships, or else could command flotillas, squadrons, or task forces, usually under superior flag officers.

This rank was in use in the Imperial Navy of the reconstituted Sith Empire during the Sith Wars.

This usage of the term was established in the Rebel Alliance rank hierarchies. In the Confederacy of Independent Systems the commodore was the commander of a "Squadron", leading 12-64 vessels. Yat-De Viedas was a Rebel commodore during the early years of the Alliance; later, the New Republic and Galactic Alliance used this title. For example, during the Swarm War (35-36 ABY), Gavin Darklighter commanded a task force in the Fifth Fleet with the rank of commodore. However, the New Republic also accorded a separate title of "commodore" to some very high-ranking officers, such as General Han Solo, who was so styled when he was appointed as commander of the entire Fifth Fleet in 17 ABY.

Under the Galactic Empire, in contrast, the rank between Line Captain and Rear Admiral had been commander, and the term "commodore" was used instead as an alternate title for a Systems Admiral, a mid-ranking command officer within the Navy hierarchy of a Sector Group, or an admiral for a standard fleet.

Other military forces used the term "commodore" in different ways; for instance, the Utapau Skyforce had a rank of Air Commodore, the Home Guard Commodore commanded the Sullustan Home Guard, and the head of the BloodScar pirates took the title.

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