Rebel command insignia / Legends Rebel command insignia , also known as Rebel Rank Insignia and simply command insignia , were badges of military rank used by officers of the Rebel Alliance military and the later New Republic military . The badges utilized by the Alliance members at the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth consisted of a series of colored pips that were raised from the surface of a square chrome plaque . These badges were usually worn over the right breast of the service uniform . Starfighter pilots were sometimes seen wearing metal or cloth badges of similar design on their shoulders instead . Parallel to these most distinctive Alliance rank insignias were a totally different style of chest and collar insignia . These insignia were grey , metallic and technical in appearance , and were seen worn by some Army and Special Forces officers . History . The Alliance was in its early years spread across the galaxy and consisted of more or less independent cells . This meant that uniforms , equipment and rank insignias were hard to standardize . Much of the equipment used by the Alliance was donated or by other means acquired from various civil and military organizations . The planet of Alderaan and the Royal House of Alderaan were notable contributors to the rebellion . Many Alliance officers and troopers could be seen wearing the distinct uniforms and rank insignias of Alderaanian forces , even though they were not commanded or lead by Alderaan . After the Destruction of Alderaan , or perhaps because of it , many units of the Alliance and later the New Republic seemed to favor Alderaanian style rank plaques . Seen across the galaxy and across units , some differences in design and color were present . Even the number of colored pips symbolizing a specific rank could vary from unit to unit . There were many consistencies though . Army and Starfighter officers mostly wore red or golden pips in their insignia , while fleet officers mostly wore blue pips . The general and admiral rank was also mostly shown by 5 pips . The commander rank was mostly shown with 3 pips . A captain could wear insignia with the number of pips ranging from 2 to 5 . It must be taken take into account that the Alliance , like many other militaries , had a wide range of ranks and functions that could be addressed , regardless of the true rank , as admiral / general , commander or captain . Rank Insignia displayed in the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook : Sleeve patches . Many of the Rebel soldiers stationed at Echo Base on Hoth wore cloth grid patterned patches on their right shoulders . These patches were colored differently from person to person , but the majority of the infantry troops as well as the indoor technicians wore the same patches . It is possible that these patches were a form of rank insignia . Mostly it was personnel of lower rank who wore this kind of insignia instead of the officers ’ normal metal chrome plaques . But as exceptions to the rule there were a few officers , even Commander Luke Skywalker , who wore them . Skywalker was the only officer who wore both the standard officer ’ s insignia in conjunction with the cloth sleeve patch . Behind the scenes . The primary G - canon ( George Lucas Canon ) sources for the " domino " style of Rebel insignia are and . The primary C - canon ( Expanded Universe / Continuity Canon ) sources that have shed light on the Rebel insignia system are the computer games " " , " " and the role - playing game sourcebook " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " . The MMORPG " Star Wars Galaxies " also implemented an item collection called ' Alliance Officer Rank Collection ' . This system appears to be consistent with the one given by " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " . It consisted of the following items : Alliance Lieutenant Rank , Alliance Captain Rank , Alliance Major Rank , Alliance Commander Rank , Alliance Colonel Rank and Alliance General Rank . In the first - person PC shooter game " " , an officer who is addressed as " commander " , wears an insignia with 9 red pips . The game is set in the year 10 ABY , which is well into the time age of the New Republic . It is unknown if this " commander " held a high military rank similar to sector commander , or if he was just address to as an officer commanding his forces .