Imperial Medal

THe Imperial Medal was a military decoration awarded by the Galactic Empire to soldiers cited for exceptional bravery and prowess. It was established by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in the early days of the Clone Wars as the Republic Medal, based on an older, similar decoration in use during the Old Sith Wars, and then carried over to the Imperial Service.

Classes
There were four classes of the Imperial Medal: The Imperial Medal, 2nd Class, the Imperial Medal, 1st Class, the Grand Imperial Medal and the most prestigious, the Corusca-Adorned Grand Imperial Medal, adorned with six Corusca Gems. The 2nd Class could be presented to anyone, although it was still fairly rare, while the 1st Class was usually reserved for high officers. This was even more true for the Grand Medal. The Corusca-Adorned Medal was only ever awarded twice; the first time, to Darth Vader by Emperor Palpatine after the Battle of Hoth; the second, to Grand Admiral Pellaeon by himself for his victory over the Yuuzhan Vong.