Grand Vizier The Grand Vizier was the chief deputy of Emperor Sheev Palpatine , the absolute ruler of the Galactic Empire . In addition to serving as an intermediary between the Emperor and high - ranking officials such as military officers and political dignitaries , the Grand Vizier chaired the ruling committee known as the Imperial Ruling Council . Approximately five years after the proclamation of the New Order , the title of Grand Vizier was held by Mas Amedda , a Chagrian government official who previously served as vice chair of the Galactic Senate during Palpatine ' s tenure as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic . During the Emperor ' s absence on Coruscant , the galactic capital , Vizier Amedda administrated the Empire as a proxy emperor . In the aftermath of the Emperor ' s death at Battle of Endor in 4 ABY , Amedda made an unsuccessful attempt to unite the Empire under his leadership . Having failed to consolidate his authority both over Coruscant and the Empire at large , the Grand Vizier became a prisoner in the Imperial Palace on the order of Counselor Gallius Rax , who effectively usurped control of the Empire during the final months of the Galactic Civil War . Following Rax ' s defeat on Jakku , Vizier Amedda signed the Galactic Concordance in 5 ABY , an act that marked the end of both the Empire and its war with the New Republic . In return , Amedda was allowed to continue his rule on Coruscant . Republic overseers were sent to ensure that the former Grand Vizier became little more than the figurehead of a powerless provisional government . Role and powers . During the era of the Galactic Empire , the Grand Vizier was a position of high prestige . Mas Amedda , formerly the vice chair of the Galactic Senate , bore the title during his time as one of Emperor Sheev Palpatine ' s most influential servants . However , the office ' s authority was curtailed as a result of the Empire ' s decline and subsequent fall in 5 ABY . Consequently , the role of Grand Vizier was reduced to a figurehead . As Palpatine ' s chief deputy , the Grand Vizier acted as an intermediary between the Emperor and his subordinates . His authority and duties included the right to summon high - ranking military officials ; to receive visiting dignitaries such as governor s ; and to oversee the Empire ' s bureaucrat ic system as head of the Imperial Ruling Council . Additionally , the post wielded influence over the Imperial Security Bureau to the extent that ISB agent s deviated from their routine on Vizier Amedda ' s recommendation . The Vizier ' s office was located in the Imperial Palace , the Emperor ' s headquarters on Coruscant . History . Prior to the Age of the Empire , Mas Amedda served as Vice Chair of the Senate during the final years of the Galactic Republic . By the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY , Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine anointed himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire . Amedda would continue to serve Palpatine in the New Order , supplanting his title of Vice Chair with that of Grand Vizier . One of Amedda ' s earliest actions as Grand Vizier was to give a public demonstration on Coruscant , during which he trumpeted the end of the so - called tyranny of the Jedi Order and burned a collection of lightsaber s from fallen Jedi . In 14 BBY , Vizier Amedda informed Moff Wilhuff Tarkin that he would undertake a mission to Murkhana alongside the Sith Lord Darth Vader . Around the same time , a group of insurgents stole the " Carrion Spike " , Tarkin ' s personal starship , and used it to attack Galidraan Station . Believing that the Empire could not afford to risk leaving acts of dissidence unpunished , the Grand Vizier rejected the Imperial Security Bureau ' s recommendation to let the " Carrion Spike " escape . Prior to the Galactic Civil War , Governor Arihnda Pryce of Lothal traveled to Coruscant , the galactic capital , to discuss her homeworld ' s industrial and mining sectors . Her arrival on the city - wide planet was greeted by the Emperor ' s Grand Vizier . By 4 ABY the reign of Emperor Palpatine ended with his death at the Battle of Endor . In the Emperor ' s absence , Vizier Amedda tried to hold the Empire together as a proxy emperor . However , the resultant succession crisis and simultaneous rise of the New Republic served to further destabilize the Empire , causing multiple remnants and rump states to emerge while Coruscant descended into rioting and civil war under Amedda ' s leadership . Within a year following the Emperor ' s death , the Grand Vizier was all but powerless while Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax consolidated the Empire ' s military remnants under his leadership as Counselor to the Empire . At Counselor Rax ' s command , Amedda was imprisoned in the Imperial Palace and forced to broadcast propaganda speeches in support of his captor . Following Rax ' s death at the Battle of Jakku , the vizier was free to sign the Galactic Concordance . For his part in ending the war , the Republic allowed Amedda to resume his rule on Coruscant as the leader of a provisional government . However , to ensure that neither Amedda or his government posed a threat to the new democracy , Republic overseers were stationed on the former galactic capital .