Grand Admiral Grant
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Grand Admiral Grant (first name unknown) is one of the 12 original Imperial Grand Admirals in the fictional Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Appointed by The Emperor after the Battle of Yavin, nicknamed The Last Grand Admiral because at the time, the New Republic thought him to be the last living Grand Admiral (at the time, Grand Admiral Thrawn was still occupied in Wild Space, and unknown to the galaxy at large). Being from the Tapani ruling class, Grant was rabidly aristocratic, and deeply contemptuous of droids, aliens, politicians (a prejudice that would prove to be unfortunate; after Endor, he had no political powerbase), and those who received their rank due to merit. This was doubly so of aliens rewarded by the meritocracy of the Empire, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn. Domus Publica describes the Tapani as:
"Grant was a member of the aristocracy, being one of the so-called Lords of the Expanse of the noble families of the Tapani Sector (judging by his lofty rank, Grant is probably a scion of the heavily pro-Imperial House Melantha, which family the Lords of the Expanse Gamemaster Guide (West End Games, 1997) mentions as having produced "several dozen moffs and governors," "three Melanthan Dark Adepts," "hundreds of lesser officials {who} serve in the government and military as bureau chiefs, ministers, Navy captains, and so on," and even a Privy Counsellor: the High Lord of House Melantha himself, Lord Bal Jaset."
Grant was renowned for his many successes and victories against the Rebellion.
He was not blinded by his beliefs, recognizing full well that while he deserved to rule, having been born of the upper classes, he had not the power to effectively take over the Empire. So, while his fellow Grand Admirals attempted to rule and were being slaughtered, and slaughtering each other, he lurked in the Pentastar Alignment in the Outer Rim, biding his time. Unfortunately, the Empire's decline was not reversed in that period, and his fleet continued to melt away; with the Pentastar Aligment and his host, the Grand Moff Ardus Kaine, increasingly unstable, Grant petitioned the New Republic two years after Endor to be allowed to defect. They accepted his two conditions — of immunity from prosecution for any actions he might have taken while an Imperial officer and a peaceful retirement to the planet Rathalay — in exchange for his revealing a number of Imperial military secrets. He would seek to come out of retirement during the Thrawn Crisis, desiring to best the alien. Suspicious of his loyalties, the New Republic never employed his services.
Unpublished information from SWI#66 co-author Dan Wallace suggests that Grant's personal Star Destroyer was named the Oriflamme. See here.
[edit] References
- "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
