Royal honors system

The Royal honors system was the means by which the Sovereign of the Golden Empire could formally recognize significant contributions to the Empire's government and military service, culture, and society.

Order of precedence
The Royal honors system was structured to place higher emphasis on military achievement than anything other form of service.

Royalty and nobility
Membership in the Royal Family of the Golden Empire was the most prestigious standing in the Empire. Members of the Royal Family were ineligible for any other decorations, as royalty was considered "above" decoration. Though the vast majority of the Royal Family was composed of blood relatives of the Sovereign, in theory anyone could be "adopted" into the Royal Family. Early examples included Andromeda Keane, a distant relative of Rin Sakaros, and Breek Zagrev, who became a Princess after marrying Phoenix Prince Tariun Sakaros.

The rank of Viscount was created to recognize "unparalleled contributions to the defense or society of the Golden Empire". It was the Empire's only rank of nobility at its inception. Unlike royalty, Viscounts were eligible for lower awards as well. All Viscounties were life peerages, and thus not inherited when the original recipient died.

The Crown of Deliverance
The Crown of Deliverance was the highest decoration available below nobility, and was open to any citizen who, through his own actions above and beyond the call of duty, saved an entire army or fleet from destruction. It was the Empire's only coronal order.

Military orders and decorations
The following decorations were awarded only to military personnel.

Civilian orders and decorations
The following awards were issued for civilian service to various aspects of the Empire's society. Tariun and Rin Sakaros deliberately associated the title "Knight" only with non-military awards to divorce it from any sense of martial ability in the minds of civilians, in order to create an inherent lack of military respect for Jedi Knights among the Empire's citizens. Civilians honored with a certain grade of an award could be upgraded to a higher grade.

Investiture
All new members of the Royal Family were crowned personally by the Sovereign, and new nobles were invested by the Sovereign or a Royal Executor acting on her behalf.

Military decorations were approved by the various High Commands of the Glorious Armada, with the exception of the Hero of the Golden Empire (which required the approval of the Prime Legate) and the Crown of Deliverance (which could only be approved by the Sovereign). Most awards were delivered by high-ranking commanders, again with the exceptions of the Hero and the Crown; the Prime Legate, a Royal Executor, or the Sovereign had to award the Hero of the Golden Empire, and only the Sovereign personally could award the Crown of Deliverance.

All civilian orders were issued in the name of and with the approval of the Sovereign, but she rarely presented them herself. The majority were presented on her behalf by Consuls, though Rin Sakaros occasionally delegated the responsibility to other members of the Royal Family. Receiving even the Superior of the Order of the Phoenix from the Sovereign herself was regarded by citizens as a prestigious honor.

Styles
Members of the Royal Family who were not blood relatives of the Sovereign were addressed "Your Highness". Viscounts and Viscountesses could be addressed by title or as "Lord" or "Lady".

Recipients of the Crown of Deliverance were styled "Lord" or "Lady". Heroes of the Golden Empire were addressed as "Hero". Recipients of all other military decorations were not styled, except those who received the Sovereign's Order. They and all recipients of civilian orders were styled "Sir" or "Lady".

Beings without male or female sexes defaulted to masculine forms of address.