Lit What rank is Orson Krennic in Rogue One?

Some kinda admiral or equivalent as stated I think, least following the bar codes,lol .


I can see the confusion.

Everything surrounding him is odd. Like he belongs to some secret government shadow agency and wearing ranks and stuff just handed to him for cover. He never displays any real leadership on the field or otherwise, one wonders what his expertise was in, aside from being a dick. His position seems more akin to the ISB in universe for those of that follow SW routinely, since the white uniform and the black cap. In the film they seem to go out've their way to have made him some kinda secret government director , in real life is normally used for government agencies heads like the CIA or whatever. Or he's like a Director-General. Or simply a director of the science division. The Death Troopers also support this, since they're connected to the Tarkin Initiative and all its affiliates, including Thrawn.

In SW they use Moff as a non-military supposedly, yet that rank holds great control and wears a military uniform . The ranks in SW have pretty much always been weird.

I don't think Krennic made sense in the story, since Tarkin was overseeing the DS since the beginning ROTS, and that was something he inherited from Sidious via Tyranus via the Geonosians. So why the introduction of the character, especially as he's little more than sniveling worm seeking an audience with the Emperor which basically means he wants to be among those that have power(within the Empire's class based system) rather than anyone really important or someone that either Tarkin or Vader respects or likes even. There was just always the bigger fish theme, or the bigger evil with Krennic on the bottom. His whole thing seems to be science division but they portray him as little more than a bully in a uniform, so why is he leading such a program. if he was in charge of the laser only because of his slave scientists and not because of his own genius ect, then why does he believe he was in charge of the entire Death Star.

Overall, I more got the impression they were going for Schutzstaffel and the affiliated Ahnenerbe, but more a sci-fi or hollywooded up. But instead of race and or like the religious artifacts of Indiana Jones , they were searching for Kyber crystals and looking holy cities and wiping out religion and holy relics and places of worship. I think certain themes were cut or eliminated for whatever reasons and the DS became the entire focus and Jedha and Kyber crystals less. Was also interesting that originally Jyn's mother was gonna be a former Jedi. Geonosians seemed left to Rebels to attempt to explain away, and probably explain why only human scientists were working on the DS and following the Empire's Humanocentrism without going into great details or elaborations.

 

To be honest, the confusion over Moffs and their relationship to the military is only confusing to those who attempt to ascribe American separation of military and civilian ideals to it. There's a reason plenty of RL dictators wore military uniforms draped in citations. Moffs are the military governors of territories. Not civilians at all. Weirdly, i think the best example is Nom Anor from the Vong as he's a member of the bureaucracy but still holds military power and position.

In Krennic's case, I see him as a bureaucrat in the military but not someone who would ever be on the front line's. He's an Engineer of a Van Braun style and probably a COMPNOR member too but he's never served in a traditional manner.

He wears the uniform for power and authority. Isard, similarly, wore a red Grand Admiral's uniform which the Imperial Intelligence Director presumably is the equivalent.

 

Which would be a valid argument were not for the Tarkin is military commander of the Death Star and ordering it to fire.

 

Moffs are foremost Political Officers and Pablo Hildalgo has stated that military officers will outrank them in certain military situations Such as:

Spoiler

ie Grand Admiral Thrawn taking control over the hunt of phoenix squadron from Grand Moff Tarkin (It was a military matter). Yet, later on Tarkin gives orders to Thrawn to take prisoners instead of wiping all the rebels out (A political action for them to be held accountable to the empire)

It depends on the situation on when a moff or grand moff outranks a admiral, general, director (admiral according to his rank plague) or grand admiral or grand general

 

The President is Supreme Commander of the United States military for a reason.

They also have rank cylinders.

I'm just saying.

 

The rank of Moff is inherently a civilian rank. However it is very common for a Moff to also hold a military rank, High Admiral I believe. This is not a requirement though many Moffs choose military positions, hence the confusion.

 

Tarkin was an Admiral in the Old Republic era though. Pryce wears what WEG called the "Priority Sector High Commander" insignia like Tarkin - but is a Sector Governor.

 

I presume that Moffs in general are somewhat like Governors, in that they can call for military support (in 'real' terms this would be say the national guard or equivalent in a state of emergency) and give them instruction as to what needs doing - but it's the ranking military officer who has operational authority and decides exactly how to go about it (the Moffs might get to sit in on tactical/strategic briefings for political perspective but don't get to call the shots.)

As this applies to Krennic, he clearly does have some sort of military authority, at least inasmuch as he has the Death Trooper squad/battalion/what-have-you who apparently answer solely to him, and on Scarif it was he who ordered military action taken when the Rebels first struck. Presumably he would have overall command of any military forces dedicated to guarding the project but again not necessarily field command status.

Tarkin having status of GRAND Moff probably puts him on a level above pretty much everyone short of the Big Two and possibly Grand Admirals. There is also the fact that Tarkin is a forceful and manipulative kind of guy - he tends to end up running things regardless of such little trivialities as rank, even in the few situations where someone could technically outrank him.

 

The Old Imperial Sourcebook clarified for the purposes of military command that Moffs held the ranks of High Admiral and High General for dealing with their subordinates, meaning that they were the supreme military official in their Sector Armies and Navies.



Obviously it's non-canon now but notable.

 

I'd argue them being civilians because they seem to tank over command from generals and admirals a lot ie Governor Pryce and Admiral Konstantine
But do we know if Pryce is just a governor or a moff? because her plaque says she's in control of an over sector meaning grand moff?
Yet again the titles Moff's and Grand Moff are never vocally stated... they're always called governors no matter the rank

 

I'd say she's a Moff since she's subordinate to Grand Moff Tarkin.

 

She might just be a Governor - given command over Lothal Sector as a "priority sector" (because of its kyber crystals and whatnot) but still controlling less territory than the average Moff.

 

Governor Pryce holds the same rank plaque as Tarkin, but only two rank cylinders. Tarkin is Grand Moff of the entire Outer Rim and carries a combined four rank cylinders. Perhaps there is no distinction between the rank plaques of Moff and Grand Moff...only the difference in the number of code cylinders?


Thrawn also holds four rank cylinders with his plaque looking more similar to a Grand Moffs than a Fleet Admirals. So, perhaps Pryce is indeed merely a Moff while the ranks of Grand Admiral and Grand Moff are more vaguely equatable when overlap occurs? But with a Grand Moff having the final word?


Tarkin seems to be able to command Thrawn and the Seventh Fleet to Lothal, whether by mutual respect as it was with Vader aboard the Death Star, or by sheer force of his rank. Tarkin even goes as far as ordering Thrawn to take high level prisoners in the Battle of Atollon. Thrawn seems to want their utter destruction, but keeps Tarkin's command in mind when his Star Destroyers open fire initially. Thrawn even comments that Dodonna would not be aboard the first ship to escape Atollon and that its crew is irrelevant.

And let's not forget Tarkin's place as the third member of the ruling triumvirate of the Empire. It would seem the Emperor's favor extends Tarkin's reach indefinitely, with the destruction of Alderaan being far outside his purview in the Outer Rim. The Emperor even says to Tarkin upon his elevation that he oversees the entirety of the Outer Rim and he can rule it, change it, or administer it in any way he sees fit.

 

He was still a moff in Catalyst though.

 

We should not overlook the fact that he was also the Empire's first Grand Moff, elevated personally, and in private by the Emperor. Governor among many, yes. But preeminence was his. The Emperor implies as much when hands command of the Outer Rim to him as well as the Death Star. Saying that once it's complete he will control the ultimate power in the galaxy. Which Tarkin kindly dismisses. And the book even goes as far as to use "triumvirate",


“THE EMPEROR, Vader, and Tarkin—the Empire’s newly formed dark triumvirate—met in private in the pinnacle chamber of the spire.”

So, a true triumvirate? Most likely not. But at the time, you cannot deny Tarkin had more "real" power than anyone else in the Empire by that time aside from Vader and the Emperor. And I would hardly call Amedda's "chastising" him anything other than bluster. Catalyst and Tarkin both show us that the two have a tenuous relationship with each other. In Tarkin, Amedda tries to order him to Coruscant and Tarkin flat out refuses. But when Amedda has to fall back on the fact it was the Emperor's request, Tarkin relents immediately and calls out Amedda for not making the fact known immediately. It's nothing more than Amedda trying to use his position more powerfully, knowing it carries no weight without Palpatine's backing.

Tarkin speaks to Amedda with as much respect as Amedda does to Tarkin, which isn't much. They both try to wrestle the conversation to their own advantage in Catalyst. It doesn't sound like a superior speaking to an inferior. It sounds like a blowhard trying to throw his weight around and being knocked down by a real power in the Empire. Amedda knows he has no real power to order Tarkin to do anything without the Emperor's command giving it power first and foremost.

 

In the EU, I always felt Grand Moffs should have had as much power as Grand Admirals as Grand Moff of the Outer Rim territories is a fifth of the galaxy.

However, I think the Jedi Prince series made them a joke.

Ironically, the only Grand Moffs who had any respect in Legends were Kaine (known only to WEG fans) and Zsinj (only a Grand Moff via retcon)

 

My view on the subject is the title of Grand Moff was meant to be Tarkin's alone but when he died, the Emperor diluted its power to make sure no one ever rose again to challenge his position. Hence why the Emperor passed the title to the gaggle of idiots in the Central Committee and made showy but pointless appointments like designating Coruscant itself an Oversector.

 

Kinda late to the party on this one but in Catalyst, Krennic starts out as a Lieutenant Commander, is promoted to Commander, but throughout the whole book is dreaming of becoming a Rear Admiral. I don't believe the book ends at the beginning of Rogue One, it may have taken Krennic several months/years to find the Erso's on Lah'mu, during which time he may have been promoted to Rear Admiral. And we know during Rogue One his position was the Director of the Advanced Weapons Research Division of the Imperial Military.