Imperial officer

Imperial officers were members of the Galactic Empire's military.

Overview
The officer was a high class soldier within the Empire's military who provided a commanding presence among the legions of stormtroopers that were deployed to fight the Emperor's enemies. Their leadership roles often inspired the troops in battle and were capable of summoning more troops onto the field.

The individuals of this class were divided into numerous special positions and placements. Despite these variations of the officer class, there was two common traits amongst them which were all individuals of this rank were ambitious. Ethnocentric humans who fully support the Emperor's policy of subjugating non-human races.

Security Officers
These officers were members of Imperial Intelligence and were responsible for monitoring as well as ferreting out signs of rebellious activity within the ranks of the Empire. Any such threats were first uncovered, arrested and eventually neutralized. This duty meant that such personnel were often known as "loyalty officers" by Imperial soldiers who were stationed at every installation; be it a remote outpost to a major facility in the Core. Their duties were the same regardless of their post and they proudly wore the gray uniform of Imperial Intelligence as well as openly admitted to their assignments. These security officers often explained the best interests of the Empire with their job requiring them to be both noticed and feared. Security officers powers allowed them to reprimand and report on individuals who were suspect with them being given broad discretion powers to ensure that an Imperial facility did not fall into rebel hands.

Whilst generally open about their stations, certain officers were often assigned undercover operations at various starships or facilities. Their duty was to observe their comrades and determine which one of them posed a legitimate threat to the New Order. The number of agents assigned to these posts were never truly known and the fear of discovery was an effective means of preventing sedition as Imperial personnel were never sure if their comrades were security officers undercover. Though their position meant that they needed to remain in hiding, these undercover security officers were allowed to intervene when necessary. This was in cases where the tenets of the New Order were not fulfilled leading to the suspect being either reported or neutralized if need be. Those agents on starships of the Imperial Navy had the overriding duty to ensure that the vessel did not fall into enemy hands. The constant fear of the presence of security agents at any Imperial facility created an atmosphere of fear where personnel were required to follow the principles of the New Order or be branded a traitor.

These duties meant that they were given extensive training for their role and had to learn counter-insurgency tactics, marksmanship, untraceable execution methods and even starship engineering. All of this was designed to ensure that the officer succeeded in their mission and were even told to commit suicide rather than reveal information to their captors.

Security officers were also present on Imperial starships and battle stations to control access areas. One example was Captain Khurgee on the first Death Star.

Star Destroyer Officers
Certain officers can end up within the mighty Imperial Star Destroyers which were the backbone of the Imperial Navy. Serving aboard such vessels was an honor for the crew and officers who were selected for their skill, loyalty and leadership abilities. However, a number of officers had attained the position through political connections despite their actual talent. Regardless of entry, an officer stationed onto a Star Destroyer received a boost in their career.

Life on a Star Destroyer for officers involved a constant state of competition due to the command structure being arranged in a manner that promoted such an atmosphere. Such individuals were often unsure of their place within their hierarchy which led to power struggles of every kind between various Star Destroyer officers. This environment was something that the higher ranking members within the Imperial Navy cultivated as they believed that it was a desirable trait for it reduced mistakes as well as induced more careful habits from such officers. Due to the fact that Star Destroyers were often placed on assignments far from the oversight of Imperial High Command, the management of these officers was often at the discretion of the ship commander who often took liberties with their orders. This equally meant that while such assignments were coveted by the ranks of such officers, they were also feared as failure for something beyond an individual's control meant that there were at times severe forms of punishment.

As such, they had the fastest promotion rate yet the worst service record and even the lowest life expectancy amongst the officer classes. This fact was well known amongst the ranks of the various officer ranks and even the military elite. These conditions meant that Star Destroyer officers were often nervous as well as insecure men who had little chance of a successful military career. Despite these problems within such assignments, the position onboard a Star Destroyer with its ruthless competition was often a beneficial placement for clever individuals. Ultimately, there was little room for mistakes or error and only those with keen minds as well as strong purpose prospered without which, an officer would be doomed.

Death Star Officers
These individuals were the most skilled amongst their comrades and were excellent in their assignments. Following the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, the power of the Imperial Military had risen with many new benefits being available to those that managed to reach such positions. Amongst those that showed the most promise as well as ability were later taken by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin to serve on his Death Star project. These young officers were devoted to the New Order and sought to rise through the chain of command.

Detention block guards
Some officers were given command of the various detention blocks of the Death Star. One in particular, Shann Childsen, supervised the prisoners and the stationed troops at detention block AA-23, due to his opportunistic upholding of Imperial ideals, including the policy of subjugating non-human races.