Josef Grunger Josef Grunger was a Human male serving in the Navy of the Galactic Empire . A Grand Admiral , Grunger was one of the twelve original beings elevated to the rank by Emperor Palpatine two years before the Battle of Yavin . Neither subtle nor loyal by nature , Grunger nonetheless remained devoted to Palpatine until 4 ABY , when the Emperor was killed at the Battle of Endor . The Grand Admiral , having been busy patrolling space near the planet Gargon , seized the world when he received the news of the defeat at Endor . Almost immediately , he set himself up as a warlord and declared that he was the new Emperor . By 5 ABY , Grunger had amassed a sizable armada of Star Destroyers and smaller cruisers , using the Super Star Destroyer " Aggressor " as his command ship . News of Grunger ' s claim to the vacant throne came to the Central Committee of Grand Moffs on Kessel . Their leader , the mutant Slavelord Trioculus , vowed to deal with Grunger after receiving the dark blessing of the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side Kadann , which the slavelord required to be named Emperor . Grunger doubted Trioculus ' claims but nonetheless vowed to follow the mutant if he received Kadann ' s approval . Trioculus died not long after obtaining the blessing , however , and Grunger — having retained full control of his armada — became a warlord once more . Plotting a strike at the Imperial capital of Imperial Center , the Grand Admiral moved his forces into the Corellian sector . Above the planet Tralus in the Corellian system , Grunger ' s fleet was confronted by Grand Admiral Danetta Pitta , who took command of a Torpedo Sphere and used it to annihilate his opponent ' s armada . Faced with defeat , Grunger rammed the " Aggressor " into the Torpedo Sphere , obliterating both warships and killing both Grand Admirals . Biography . Grand Admiral . Josef Grunger was a Human male who served as an admiral in the navy of the Galactic Empire . Over the course of his career , he became a highly - regarded strategist . In 2 BBY , during a New Year ' s Fete Week celebration on Coruscant , he was one of twelve naval officers elevated to the rank of Grand Admiral by Emperor Palpatine . In 4 ABY , while fellow Grand Admiral Miltin Takel traveled to the second Death Star to witness what was supposed to be the destruction of the Rebel Alliance , Grunger was assisting Takel ' s second - in - command in patrolling the Mandalore sector — specifically space near the spice - producing planet Gargon — due to reports of " albino - skinned marauders . " When word reached Grunger of the Imperial defeat at Endor and the Emperor ' s death , the Grand Admiral had his ship open fire on the vessel of Takel ' s lieutenant , disabling it . Grunger seized Gargon and quickly set himself up as one of the first Imperial warlords . Before long , he announced that he was the new Emperor . Imperial warlord . The Grand Admiral , using his rank to bully Imperial officers in the Outer Rim into submission , quickly amassed a large armada of warships . By 5 ABY , Grunger was in possession of thirty " Imperial " - class and " Victory " - class Star Destroyers , one hundred " Carrack " - class cruisers , and sixty " Strike " - class cruisers , among other craft . Grunger led this fleet from the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought " Aggressor " , his flagship . Having been ousted from his homeworld of Gargon , Grand Admiral Takel eventually allied himself with the Central Committee of Grand Moffs , hoping that they would be able to deal with Grunger . Meanwhile , a member of the Imperial Royal Guard , having been to Gargon , brought news of Grunger ' s claim to the throne to the Central Committee on Kessel . During an assembly in Kessendra Stadium in which Grand Moff Bertroff Hissa announced the mutant Slavelord Trioculus to be Palpatine ' s son and heir , the Royal Guard questioned the validity of Trioculus ' claim over Grunger ' s , noting that the Grand Admiral had amassed a sizable force of Star Destroyers . The slavelord declared that he would deal with Grunger in time . In a committee meeting that followed , Trioculus demanded that the glove of Darth Vader be found , which would entitle him to the dark blessing of Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side Kadann — something he needed in order to secure the vacant throne . Takel feared that Grunger would retrieve the glove first and therefore make good on his claim to the throne , but Takel was quickly executed by Hissa for questioning Trioculus ' plans . Hissa later brought news to Trioculus that Grunger , doubting the mutant ' s claim of being Palpatine ' s son , would only be willing to support Trioculus after he received the dark blessing from Kadann , who was in truth an imposter posing as the true Supreme Prophet . At that point , Grunger promised to turn over command of his fleet to Trioculus . Though Trioculus did receive the dark blessing from the false Supreme Prophet , his reign as Emperor was short - lived ; he died not long after taking the title . Grunger , meanwhile , had avoided any permanent ties with the Central Committee and retained control of his armada . In 5 ABY , following the New Republic ' s execution of Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik a year earlier , Grunger prepared to strike at Imperial Center . To do so , Grunger moved his armada into the Corellian sector . However , Grand Admiral Danetta Pitta had bribed the Corellian leader into relinquishing control of the sector , and Pitta quickly assumed command . When Grunger ' s fleet , led by the " Aggressor " , emerged from hyperspace in the Corellian system near the planet Tralus , Pitta took control of a Torpedo Sphere and began to annihilate his rival ' s forces . Faced with defeat and the loss of his pride , Grunger had his command ship ram the Torpedo Sphere . The resulting collision destroyed both vessels , and both Grunger and his opponent perished . Personality and traits . Grunger was neither a loyal nor a subtle man , turning warlord almost immediately after receiving news of the Emperor ' s death at the Battle of Endor . Swiftly seizing Gargon , Grunger sought to amass a large armada , and the Grand Admiral effectively employed deception and outright attacks on fellow Imperials to accomplish this goal . Before long , he had obtained a sizable fleet of Star Destroyers and declared himself the new Emperor . Despite his claim to the throne , Grunger declared that he would fully support the Slavelord Trioculus , backed by the Central Committee of Grand Moffs , if the mutant obtained both the glove of Darth Vader and the dark blessing of the Supreme Prophet Kadann . Trioculus received both , but Grunger avoided any permanent alliance with the Central Committee and retained command of his fleet following the mutant ' s death . Ultimately , Grunger ' s pride led to his death ; when faced with defeat at the Battle of Tralus , he opted to ram Pitta ' s Torpedo Sphere — a move that killed them both — rather than lose to his opponent . Behind the scenes . Grand Admiral Josef Grunger was first mentioned in the 1992 young adult novel " The Glove of Darth Vader " , written by Paul and Hollace Davids . The Grand Admiral would again be mentioned in the first of the book ' s sequels , " The Lost City of the Jedi " . In 2003 ' s " Star Wars Insider " 66 , more details on Grunger were revealed in the article " " , written by Daniel Wallace and Abel G . Peña . Grunger has also been mentioned in reference books like " The Essential Chronology " and its updated edition , " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , and the article " " on StarWars . com ' s . " Who ' s Who : Imperial Grand Admirals " was originally intended for inclusion in " Star Wars Gamer " magazine , before it was canceled , under the title " " Dirty Dozen : The Imperial Grand Admirals . " " When the article was reused in " Star Wars Insider " , several details on the Grand Admirals were excluded . Grunger ' s section of the article remained relatively intact , though a few details were omitted . Cut content . Before the Galactic Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire , Josef Grunger served as a Republic marine and weapons specialist . As such , he was proficient with many types of hand - held weapons , ranging from blaster rifles to vibroblades . He wielded a riot gun and possessed a code cylinder and a comlink . Following the Battle of Endor , and before Captain Gilad Pellaeon had finished transmitting the news of the Emperor ' s death , Grunger had ordered his weapons officer to disable the ship of Grand Admiral Takel ' s subordinate using ion cannons . Grunger quickly amassed a large armada , at first utilizing the communications disruption in the Outer Rim to dupe Imperial commanders into turning over their vessels to him . After establishing his reputation as a warlord , Grunger no longer required such deceptive moves to seize ships , merely taking whatever he wanted .