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This article covers the Canon version of this subject.  Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Legends version of this subject. 
For other uses, see Gilad.

"Pellaeon is completely loyal."
"I agree. But his loyalty is to the Empire, not you."
―Grand Admirals Balanhai Savit and Thrawn — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]

Gilad Pellaeon was a human male who served as a captain in the naval forces of the Galactic Empire, commanding the Imperial Star Destroyer Harbinger as part of Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit's Third Fleet. When Savit was exposed as a traitor who was stealing components from Project Stardust, Pellaeon sided with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Commodore Karyn Faro and helped them arrest his superior.

After Savit was relieved of his duty, Pellaeon and the Harbinger were reassigned to assist Thrawn's Seventh Fleet. Together with Thrawn, Pellaeon participated in the Imperial blockade of the planet Lothal until it was liberated by the rebel Spectres and their allies in 1 BBY. During the liberation, all Imperial starships present were destroyed by flocks of the spacefaring purrgil, and Pellaeon's communication with the Grand Admiral was quickly cut off. Although the captain survived the battle, Thrawn disappeared into the unknown when the creatures pulled his flagship, the Chimaera, into hyperspace.

Pellaeon outlived the Empire itself, which was defeated by the Rebel Alliance in the Galactic Civil War. While the Alliance reorganized itself as the New Republic, the Empire fractured into various holdouts. Alongside other Imperial Remnant warlords, such as Moff Gideon and Commandant Brendol Hux, Pellaeon joined the Shadow Council to secretly coordinate their efforts to restore the Empire. Representing his own delegation in the Council, the captain believed that Thrawn's return and leadership would allow the resurgence of the Imperial Military, though he was faced with skepticism by Gideon. In a Council meeting held around 9 ABY, Pellaeon and Hux agreed to send reinforcements for Gideon's forces to foil the Mandalorians' plan to retake their homeworld Mandalore, albeit without success.

Biography[]

Serving the Third Fleet[]

"This is Captain Gilad Pellaeon, commanding the ISD Harbinger. I've reviewed the data sent by the Chimaera, and have concluded that the evidence is sufficient to justify an official inquiry. Accordingly, I am placing the Harbinger under the authority of Commodore Faro and calling on Grand Admiral Savit to surrender his command. I also call on Captains Lochry and Rasdel to join me—"
―Captain Pellaeon turns against Grand Admiral Savit — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]
Thrawn-ToL

Following the arrest of the traitorous Grand Admiral Savit, Pellaeon was assigned to Grand Admiral Thrawn's (pictured) Seventh Fleet.

During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Gilad Pellaeon was an Imperial officer who held the rank of captain during his deployment with the Imperial Navy. He served as the commanding officer of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Harbinger in Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit's Third Fleet, though the Grand Admiral was not satisfied with the degree of Pellaeon's personal loyalty to him. During the fleet's anti-piracy campaign in the Esaga sector[3] in 1 BBY,[4] Savit ordered Pellaeon and the latter's first officer to meet him to discuss a pirate-hunting mission. However, unbeknownst to Pellaeon, the Grand Admiral himself had hired the pirates in order to steal components from Project Stardust, which saw the construction of the Death Star superweapon.[3]

Not long after, Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Seventh Fleet, who aimed to remove Savit from command by exposing his treachery, asked Savit to turn over the captive Assistant Director Brierly Ronan to him and sent coordinates for a rendezvous. Savit traveled to the prearranged star system with four Star Destroyers, including Pellaeon's Harbinger, and met with Thrawn's flagship, the Star Destroyer Chimaera, commanded by Commodore Karyn Faro. Suspecting an ambush, Savit sent the Harbinger to sweep a nearby space station, which was actually used by Savit's pirates, as a precaution to keep Pellaeon away from a possible conflict. Savit also gave Pellaeon permission to send over boarding parties if he wished, which the captain benefited from by dispatching an advance survey team to the station, even though the Grand Admiral would later ignore Pellaeon's report on the matter. Meanwhile, Faro transmitted evidence of Savit's complicity with the pirates to the Third Fleet personnel.[3]

Shortly after, Savit's three remaining Star Destroyers engaged in a skirmish against the Chimaera. During the battle, Pellaeon reviewed the evidence against Savit and concluded that an official inquiry against the Grand Admiral was justified. Pellaeon then called for Savit to surrender his command, as well as calling on fellow Captains Lochry and Rasdel to join him. Pellaeon further placed the Harbinger under the command of Faro. Following Savit's arrest, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin reassigned Pellaeon and the Harbinger to the Seventh Fleet, believing he might prove useful to Thrawn's ongoing struggle against the Lothalite insurgents. On the Grand Admiral's order, Faro contacted the reassigned captain and arranged a rendezvous of the Harbinger with Thrawn's fleet at the planet Lothal.[3]

Imperial blockade of Lothal[]

"Get Captain Pellaeon."
"Sir, they came out of hyperspace! I've never seen…"
―Grand Admiral Thrawn and Pellaeon encounter the purrgil over Lothal — (audio) Listen (file info)[5]
Lothal Blockade

Captain Pellaeon participated in Thrawn's blockade of the planet Lothal.

Later in 1 BBY,[4] Pellaeon took part in the Empire's orbital blockade around Lothal as part of Thrawn's fleet. However, the blockade failed to stop a band of rebels, led by Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger of the Spectres, from launching an attack that liberated the planet from its Imperial occupation.[5]

While Thrawn was dealing with the rebels on the planet's surface, he learned that the entire blockade was destroyed by several objects not identifiable to the Imperials. The Grand Admiral subsequently contacted Pellaeon to inquire about the situation, and the captain reported that their attackers had come out of hyperspace before their communication was quickly severed. Moments later, Thrawn discovered that the Imperial vessels were destroyed by flocks of purrgil[5]—massive, whalelike creatures that were naturally capable of traveling through hyperspace—as part of Bridger's attack.[6] Although Pellaeon survived the battle,[1] Thrawn and Bridger went missing in action as both were aboard the Chimaera when the ship was carried into hyperspace by the purrgil. Having lost the liberated planet to the rebels, the Empire never again returned to Lothal.[5]

New Republic Era[]

"Captain Pellaeon, you always speak with much authority, and yet, I see, once again, that Grand Admiral Thrawn is missing from your delegation. Any word on when he will be able to participate in the Shadow Council?"
"With respect, our one hope for success relies upon the secrecy of his return."
―Moff Gideon and Captain Pellaeon in a Shadow Council meeting — (audio) Listen (file info)[1]
MandoShadowCouncil

Pellaeon, along with other members of the fallen Galactic Empire, formed part of the Shadow Council.

Years after the Liberation of Lothal, the Empire lost the Galactic Civil War against the Rebel Alliance, which restyled itself as the New Republic. With the apparent death of Emperor Sheev Palpatine at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Empire shattered into various remnant factions.[4] Despite the Empire's fall, Pellaeon remained an Imperial loyalist and joined the secret Shadow Council, which consisted of remnant Imperial warlords wanted by the Republic, in hopes of restoring the Empire to its former glory. The captain represented his own delegation in the Council, whose members each operated in a particular sector of the galaxy. Along with fellow council member Commandant Brendol Hux, Pellaeon held a considerable amount of resources and equipment at his disposal.[1]

Around 9 ABY,[7] Pellaeon attended a meeting of the Shadow Council via hologram, during which he warned an Imperial warlord about the latter's hit-and-run operations to plunder the hyperspace lanes, believing they were gaining too much New Republic attention. While other council members voiced their opinions in favor of a demonstration of power for citizens of the galaxy, Pellaeon advised the group to be cautious about revealing their true strength until the imminent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, which, in his opinion, would bring forth the reemergence of the Imperial Military, while proving sufficient time for the completion of Project Necromancer supervised by Hux.[1]

PellaeonWarlord2-TheSpies

Unlike some of his colleagues, Pellaeon believed the Shadow Council should refrain from gaining the New Republic's attention.

Moff Gideon, another member of the Shadow Council, was skeptical about Pellaeon's claims and openly criticized the captain for speaking with much confidence despite the lack of evidence of Thrawn's return. Although Pellaeon tried to assure him by stating that it was kept secret, Gideon suggested to the Council that perhaps a new leader should be sought, a proposition that saw support by some of the warlords, much to the displeasure of Pellaeon. During the meeting, Hux and Pellaeon also reviewed the Moff's request for reinforcements for his forces, including three Praetorian Guards, TIE interceptors, and TIE bombers.[1]

Although Pellaeon mocked Gideon's request for guards at first, he was concerned to hear the Moff was up against Mandalorians,[1] an ancient society of legendary warriors,[6] who were preparing to reclaim their homeworld of Mandalore. Fearing that a Mandalorian resurgence would hinder the Council's designs, Pellaeon, alongside Hux, approved Gideon's request. With the his promise of victory against the Mandalorians, the Moff uttered the phrase "Long live the Empire," which was echoed by the other council members in unison.[1] Despite the Shadow Council's support, Gideon ultimately failed to stop the Mandalorians from retaking their homeworld, which cost him his life.[8]

Personality and traits[]

"Captain Pellaeon's not a blind follower, and Savit knows it."
―Commodore Karyn Faro — (audio) Listen (file info)[3]
Purrgil attack

Pellaeon was surprised to see the purrgil's attack on the Imperial blockade.

Gilad Pellaeon was a human[1] male[2] who possessed blue eyes, light skin, and gray hair with a mustache. He was fluent in the Galactic Basic Standard language.[1] A competent Imperial officer, Pellaeon's loyalty lay with the Empire itself instead of blindly following any individual commander. After receiving evidence suggesting his commanding officer, Grand Admiral Savit, had committed treason, Pellaeon turned against Savit and demanded his surrender.[3]

During the Liberation of Lothal, Captain Pellaeon was astonished upon witnessing the purrgil swarm coming out of hyperspace and attacking the blockade of Imperial starships over the planet.[5] After the Empire's fall, Pellaeon's loyalty to the organization endured as he continued to work for the Imperial remnants. While he found the New Republic to be vulnerable, Pellaeon believed the remaining Imperial forces must not waste their strength and should operate discreetly without revealing the coordination between the remnant factions. The captain coveted Thrawn's leadership for the remains of the Empire and saw the Grand Admiral's return as their only hope for success.[1]

Equipment[]

Pellaeon wore a gray Imperial officer's uniform along with an Imperial kepi, a pair of black gloves, and a black belt. Both his kepi and belt buckle featured an officer's disk on the front. The captain's tunic was adorned by code cylinders in small pockets near the shoulders, a rank insignia plaque with three red squares over three blue squares on the top left torso, and the emblem of the Seventh Fleet on the left shoulder.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Reintroduction into Star Wars canon[]

"I just wanted to mention the name so it gets in there, so it's something people can use. And sometimes that's what I can do for things that come out of Legends. I could create just another Captain with some name there or I could put someone like Pellaeon in play. And then maybe he gets picked up in comics or novels, I don't know. But I think that would be kind of fun to do, and it's a way to get that idea rolling."
―Dave Filoni, on the inclusion of Pellaeon in Star Wars Rebels[9]
XanderBerkeley

Actor Xander Berkeley portrays Gilad Pellaeon in The Mandalorian.

Gilad Pellaeon was reintroduced into Star Wars canon in the Star Wars Rebels animated series finale, "Family Reunion – and Farewell," which was written by executive producer Dave Filoni and his team[5] and first aired on March 5, 2018.[10] The character was voiced by Jim Cummings, who was also the voice of Hondo Ohnaka in the series.[5] Although author Timothy Zahn, the character's original creator in Star Wars Legends, was not informed of Pellaeon's inclusion in Star Wars Rebels beforehand,[11] he later used the character in his 2019 novel Thrawn: Treason, which reintroduced the character's first name, "Gilad," into canon.[3]

Pellaeon was first pictured, albeit in hologram form, via the character's live-action debut in "Chapter 23: The Spies,"[1] the seventh episode of the Disney+ original series The Mandalorian's third season, which was written by Filoni and Jon Favreau and premiered on April 12, 2023.[12] In the episode, Pellaeon was played by actor Xander Berkeley,[1] whose portrayal of the character was praised by Zahn.[13] Berkeley had to shave his beard but keep his mustache to bring Pellaeon to life[14] based on the character's depiction in Star Wars Legends media.[15]

Filoni described bringing back Legends characters like Pellaeon into canon as being one of his favorite parts of the job. He said that bringing in Pellaeon in Star Wars Rebels serves as an opportunity for other authors to explore new stories for the character in canon, which creating a new character with a new name would not necessarily allow for. Filoni also indicated that, in his opinion, Pellaeon survived the events of the Star Wars Rebels finale and expressed hope that other authors would continue the character's story.[9] The character's survival would later be confirmed in The Mandalorian.[1] A trivia quiz published in Titan Magazines' Star Wars Insider 222 as part of the magazine's recurring "Jedi Master's Quiz" department[16] on October 31, 2023[17] describes Pellaeon as an admiral in a wrong answer for one of the questions.[16]

Stories in Star Wars Legends[]

"Pellaeon, by the way, was named after Pelleas, an idealistic young knight in the King Arthur mythos."
―Timothy Zahn — (audio) Listen (file info)[18]
AdmiralAlienAndCaptainMustache

Captain Pellaeon was Grand Admiral Thrawn's second-in-command in Star Wars Legends.

The character of Gilad Pellaeon originally appeared in the 1991 Star Wars Legends novel Heir to the Empire, the first volume in The Thrawn Trilogy by author Timothy Zahn.[19] Zahn named the character after Pelleas, a knight from the King Arthur legend,[18] while the 1995 reference book The Essential Guide to Characters, written by Andy Mangels, introduced his first name, "Gilad."[20]

In these stories, Captain Pellaeon was a prominent military officer who served as Grand Admiral Thrawn's right-hand man during the latter's campaign against the New Republic following the Battle of Endor.[21] Pellaeon also played a significant role in numerous other Legends stories, acting as the founding leader of the Imperial Remnant[22] and signing a peace treaty with the New Republic that ended the Galactic Civil War.[23] Through his many appearances over two decades,[19] Pellaeon became a fan-favorite Legends character.[9]

Appearances[]

This article has an associated index page with page numbers and/or timestamps.

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

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  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 The-Mandalorian-logo The Mandalorian — "Chapter 23: The Spies"
  2. 2.0 2.1 The-Mandalorian-logo The Mandalorian — "Chapter 23: The Spies" (Subtitles from Disney+)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Thrawn: Treason
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Star Wars: Timelines
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Family Reunion – and Farewell"
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Star Wars Book
  7. Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of The Book of Boba Fett to 9 ABY. As the events of The Mandalorian Season Three, which includes "Chapter 23: The Spies," directly follow those of The Book of Boba Fett, the former must also take place around that year.
  8. The-Mandalorian-logo The Mandalorian — "Chapter 24: The Return"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 That Fan Favorite EU Character Name Dropped on Star Wars Rebels Is Alive and Well by Lussier, Germain on io9 (March 7, 2018) (archived from the original on September 24, 2021)
  10. StarWars The Final Episodes of Star Wars Rebels Begin February 19 on Disney XD on StarWars.com (January 19, 2018) (backup link)
  11. YouTube Timothy Zahn Full Interview – Dragon Con 2018 on the Star Wars Explained YouTube channel (September 8, 2018) (backup link)
  12. SWInsider "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season Three Companion" — Star Wars Insider 222
  13. YouTube INTERVIEW AVEC TIMOTHY ZAHN - La Tribune de Coruscant on the La Tribune de Coruscant YouTube channel (May 4, 2023) (backup link)
  14. TwitterLogo Xander Berkeley (@xanderberkeley) on Twitter (April 12, 2023): "Hmmm… I wonder what pop culture genre classic I'll pop up in today? Hint: I had to shave the beard but keep the tashe. (My new oeuvre appears to be basing my look on a comic book) I mean Graphic Novel! 😅" (content now obsolete; backup link)
  15. The New Essential Guide to Characters
  16. 16.0 16.1 SWInsider "Jedi Master's Quiz" — Star Wars Insider 222
  17. RedTitanThingy Star Wars Insider #222 on Titan Comics' official website (backup link)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition
  19. 19.0 19.1 The Essential Reader's Companion
  20. The Essential Guide to Characters
  21. Heir to the Empire
  22. Specter of the Past
  23. Vision of the Future
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