The Grand Council of the Golden Empire was an advisory body to the Empire's Sovereign, and was composed of all the executive agencies which carried out her will.
Rin Sakaros, the first Queen of the Empire, was a notorious micromanager, but after the Great Liberation ended in 102 ABY and the Empire more than doubled in size to over 150 systems as it acquired the territory of the defeated Tetrarchy of Mezlagob, Rin was forced to acknowledge that the Empire had grown beyond even her ability to personally oversee. The following year, she appointed a board of advisors to herself, bringing in three pre-existing agencies and creating nine more. The initial group was:
- The Chief Ambassador, head of the Ministry of Diplomacy
- The Chief Decurion, head of the Ministry of Finance
- The Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health
- The Council of Economic Advisors, which delegated one of its members to sit in Grand Council meetings
- The Minister of Education
- The Minister of Energy and Resources
- The Minister of Integration
- The Minister of Internal Affairs
- The Minister of Justice
- The Minister of Science and Technology
- The Prefect of the Order of Keltrayu
- The Prime Legate, commander of the Glorious Armada, though initially this was merely for reference, as Tariun Sakaros was both Prime Legate and Prefect.
Over time, Rin added the Ministries of Arts and Culture and Transportation, as well as combining Integration and Internal Affairs into a single ministry, thus raising the total membership on the Grand Council to thirteen, plus herself. Royal Executors sat in on Grand Council meetings when they were present, but were not considered members of the Council.
Officers of the Grand Council were empowered to carry out the duties of their departments while providing reports to Rin, thus freeing her of much of the day-to-day work of government. However, most managed their departments far-removed from the "front lines", as Rin liked to have them nearby and thus usually kept them on the Sith Star. Notable exceptions included the Chief Ambassador, who sometimes went personally to conduct diplomacy on potential member systems, and the Council of Economic Advisors, who regularly met with economic experts on various member systems. Owing to his position as a Royal Executor, Tariun Sakaros was also sometimes absent from the Sith Star when his sister sent him to the field to execute various commands.