Octavian Grant Octavian Grant was one of the twelve original Imperial Grand Admirals appointed by Emperor Palpatine two years before the Battle of Yavin . A Tapani lord of House Mecetti , Grant saw himself as superior to those who were not members of the nobility , and held a particular dislike for droids and other species . His Humanocentric beliefs stood firm after he joined the ranks of the Galactic Empire , and he proved himself to be an expert military strategist . Due to his military talents , he was appointed as one of the twelve Grand Admirals created by Palpatine in 2 BBY , though he was one of the least popular Grand Admirals , and did not attempt to curry favor with the Imperial moffs . After leading several successful campaigns during the Galactic Civil War , Grant was left virtually alone after the Emperor ' s death over Endor , as he had not built up a sturdy following as the other Grand Admirals had . Grant boded his time , laying low in the Pentastar Alignment while his fellow Grand Admirals were hunted down by the New Republic . Eventually , with the other Grand Admirals all dead or hiding in secret , Grant defected to the New Republic , providing key Imperial secrets in exchange for immunity from charges of war crimes . He was relocated to the luxury of the planet Rathalay and was later tempted to come out of retirement to fight the alien Grand Admiral Thrawn , though was prevented from doing so due to continued Republic suspicion of his motives . However , Grant later aided the Republic after a revived Palpatine returned to activity in 10 ABY and reunited the disparate Imperial factions , by helping Republic forces to take down his former ally Grand Moff Ardus Kaine . Grant lived the rest of his days on Rathalay under close New Republic supervision . Biography . Tapani Noble . Octavian Grant was born into nobility in the Tapani sector , a wealthy sector located in the Colonies region of the galaxy . A lord of House Mecetti , Grant showed aristocratic tendencies , and was deeply contemptuous of those he felt were lesser beings compared to Humans like himself and his fellow Tapani nobles . He referred to them as the " working class , " and he held a particular contempt for droids and alien species , as well as politicians . He was also very contemptuous of those who flaunted the trappings of Tapani nobility that weren ' t nobles themselves , such as the pirate Reginald Barkbone , who sported a stolen lightfoil . Following a successful stint in the Tapani Home Defense Fleet , Grant joined the Republic Navy and proved to be a brilliant tactician late in the Clone Wars . Imperial service . Transitioning into the service of the Galactic Empire , Grant led a fleet against the Trade Federation resistance in the Outer Rim Territories in 19 BBY . Grant pursued remnants of the Trade Federation , led by Customs Vizier Marath Vooro . After a confrontation at Farstine , Grant hunted Vooro down the Five Veils Route and captured him at the Hook Nebula . Grant ' s exploits , along with other early victories against Separatist holdouts by well - known Imperial leaders like Terrinald Screed and Hurst Romodi , were cause for celebration in the Core Worlds , and Grant rose to a prominent position in the Empire . Grand Admiral . Two years prior to the Battle of Yavin , Emperor Palpatine created a new flag rank for the Imperial Navy : the rank of Grand Admiral . Palpatine decreed that only twelve could ever hold the rank of Grand Admiral at one time ; among them was Grant . The man from Tapani joined Palpatine ' s " circle of twelve " alongside such notable officers as Josef Grunger , Rufaan Tigellinus and Demetrius Zaarin . Outside the Tapani sector , Grant did not develop the kind of popular following that other Grand Admirals cultivated . Within his home sector , however , Grant generated media attention with everything he did . There were journalists whose only duty was to follow his movements , and both his professional achievements and social life were reported on in great detail . Of the twelve Grand Admirals , only Grant , Grunger , Tigellinus , and Peccati Syn continued to perform regular naval duties . The others were assigned special projects or missions . Grant did not participate in politics or socialize with moffs and other politicians as many other Grand Admirals did , considering it to be lowering himself ; he simply carried out the duties assigned to him by the Emperor . Secretly , however , he wondered if even Palpatine was beneath him , as the Emperor was neither Tapani nor did Grant believe he was a true noble ( though in fact the Emperor was a member of the noble House Palpatine of Naboo ) . Although the Emperor had stated that there would only ever be twelve , Palpatine privately broke his own rule when he appointed Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo as the thirteenth Grand Admiral in a secret ceremony . Grant was contemptuous of any aliens rewarded by the meritocracy of the Empire , so he loathed the Chiss Grand Admiral and his achievement . Grant did not act on this , though , and when the Galactic Civil War began , the Tapani aristocrat proved that he was talented , emerging victorious in a series of battles against the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Post - Endor . The Empire descended into chaotic infighting after the death of the Emperor and his enforcer , Darth Vader , during the Battle of Endor , four years after the initial Death Star had been destroyed . Grant was not blinded by his beliefs , recognizing full well that while he believed he deserved to rule , having been born of the upper classes , he lacked the power to effectively take over the Empire . This was largely due to the fact that he had not attempted to befriend any of the moffs , and his anti - politician feelings won him no favors either . For these reasons , he was singled out by his fellow Grand Admirals to be the first of them to perish in the bloodbath that followed the debacle at Endor . Grant , however , displayed patience not shown by his peers . While many of the other Grand Admirals turned warlord and began fighting with each other , Grant and his personal Star Destroyer " Oriflamme " found sanctuary in the Pentastar Alignment — a mini - Imperial breakaway kingdom , ruled by Grand Moff Ardus Kaine , in the Outer Rim — biding his time . He watched as the remainder of the Grand Admirals were either captured and subsequently executed by the New Republic , or were killed during battle with other Imperial factions . Eventually , after the deaths of Grand Admirals Martio Batch and Afsheen Makati two years after the failure at Endor , Grant was the only remaining Grand Admiral known to the New Republic ; Thrawn was still on his excursion in the Unknown Regions , with no knowledge of the deaths of Vader and Palpatine , and so the New Republic remained unaware that a thirteenth Grand Admiral had been named . But while this made an opportune moment for Grant to lay claim to the remnants of the Empire , the Pentastar Alignment was growing increasingly unstable , and the New Republic were baying for the blood of Grant , whom they erroneously thought was the last Grand Admiral . Grant petitioned the New Republic two years after Endor to be allowed to defect . They accepted his dual conditions of immunity from prosecution for any actions he might have taken while an Imperial officer and a peaceful retirement to the planet Rathalay in return for valuable Imperial military secrets . He would seek to come out of retirement during the Thrawn campaign , desiring to best the alien , but suspicion of his loyalties prevented the New Republic from employing his services , and no opportunity to escape their grasp ever presented itself to Grant . The New Republic kept close tabs on Grant , with several agents following his every move , among them Jan Ors . In 10 ABY , Palpatine re - emerged from the Deep Core , having survived his death at Endor by inhabiting a clone body , and he united the disparate Imperial splinter factions to launch a series of military campaigns against the New Republic . Ardus Kaine joined Palpatine ' s cause , and Grant was enlisted by the Republic to help bring down his former ally . After convincing Kaine that he sought to return to the Alignment to fight for the Empire once more , Grant lured Kaine into venturing to the Palanhi system in his personal shuttle , where Republic E - wing starfighters ambushed and killed the Grand Moff . Even after his retirement from military service , Grant remained a celebrity in the Tapani sector . Whenever he hosted an event at his home on Rathalay , it was reported on in the society section of news programming . Ultimately , Grand Admiral Grant survived longer than his peers had ever expected , outliving every single one of them . For this , he was dubbed " the last Grand Admiral . " Personality and traits . Grant put great emphasis on rank and nobility throughout his life , a trait which would lead to his bias against common citizens . He felt that , because he held higher status due to his species and his noble parentage , he had a right to extra privileges that those without such status should not be allowed to gain . When others managed to get into positions as high as his own , he was deeply unhappy . He was also loath to have an alien among the ranks of the Grand Admirals , such as Thrawn , though he never attempted to defy Palpatine . Grant was not afraid to cut his losses , displaying what others might have seen as cowardice . He preferred to stay out of the limelight and operate from the shadows , while many of his peers took a far more direct approach . His style of operating ultimately saw him outlive all those who doubted him , though at the expense of his total freedom . An astute bargainer , Grant was able to coax generous conditions from the New Republic in addition to keeping his life while the former Rebels killed several of the other Grand Admirals . He was loyal to the Empire only to a point ; he would happily compromise the Empire to further his own means . His prejudice against aliens later nearly caused him to oppose the only lifeline the Imperial remnant had to regain their former glory . Behind the scenes . Grand Admiral Grant was created by " Star Wars " authors Kevin J . Anderson and Daniel Wallace for " The Essential Chronology " in the year 2000 . Wallace , along with fellow author Abel G . Peña , expanded on his backstory in the " Star Wars Insider 66 " article " " ; Peña later included brief mentions of Grant in " " , and " The Dark Forces Saga " . Originally , Grant was the only Grand Admiral not given a first name , though Wallace has said that this was unintentional . Wallace has also stated that Grant is among his favorite of the Grand Admirals he has created . Grant was later provided a first name , " Octavian , " in the 2010 sourcebook " Galaxy of Intrigue " , and his House affiliation was finally specified . The 2012 reference book " The Essential Guide to Warfare " by Jason Fry and Paul R . Urquhart provided more detail to Grant ' s career leading up to his promotion to Grand Admiral . The book also made a reference to a " Moff Grant " commanding the Emerald Banner Command in the Tapani Sector through the end of the Clone Wars , but the text does not explicitly name this as Octavian Grant , and no other source identifies Octavian Grant as a moff . Urquhart has stated that the intention was to make this Octavian Grant , but it is not certain whether this was definitively established as canon ical . " Who ' s Who : Imperial Grand Admirals " co - author Daniel Wallace unofficially suggested in 2003 that Grant ' s personal Star Destroyer was named " Oriflamme " , and this was later canonized in the 2013 blog " " by Wallace and Peña . The " Who ' s Who : Imperial Grand Admirals " article appearing in " Insider 66 " was originally slated to appear in " Star Wars Gamer " , though when the magazine was discontinued , it instead appeared in " Insider " . The original " Gamer " article , titled " Dirty Dozen : Imperial Grand Admirals " , contained more information and was longer than the version appearing in " Insider " . Some of the cut content can be seen in the section below . Cut content . Grant was viewed by many as very detached and aloof in manner , which the other Grand Admirals erroneously saw as weakness . He viewed both his enemies and allies with curiosity , rarely showing what he was truly thinking , though he never feuded with the other admirals , despite their low opinions of him . Grant also had great respect for his enemies ; he thought highly of both the Old Republic and the Rebel Alliance , though he knew that the Empire was far less flawed than either of the other two factions . Grant preferred a traditional approach in relation to military tactics , with a particular interest in siege warfare . Grant had great respect for Imperial General Jan Dodonna , who was noted for his insights and tactics on siege warfare . When Dodonna defected to the Rebel Alliance , Grant was extremely surprised , though he had no intention of defecting alongside his role model . Grant respected the Rebels ' fighting spirit , though he thought that the Empire was far more effective in war , and had little doubt it would eventually defeat its opponents . He had a high opinion of himself , as well as his peers , despite their personal dislike for the Tapani noble . Grant felt that with geniuses such as himself at the helm of the Imperial war machine , none would be able to stop them . Some time during the Galactic Civil War , Grant clashed with General Dodonna in the atmosphere of Galboron . Grant was able to outmaneuver and subsequently defeat his opposite number , though he maintained the reverence he held for Dodonna . Grant dutifully reported to Sate Pestage on Imperial Center after the Battle of Endor , knowing he had little chance of survival if he engaged in any conflict with his fellow Grand Admirals . He stayed with Pestage on Imperial Center for a time , though the former Grand Vizier was growing increasingly paranoid , and openly revealed his suspicions of Grant . Fearing a possible assassination attempt , Grant fled Imperial Center before Pestage could strike against him . After making accords with the New Republic , Grant was relocated to and spent many years on Rathalay , eventually befriending a reformed bandit named Kaerobani , an eccentric man who lived locally . The two grew close , with Grant spending much time in Kaerobani ' s lush palace . Grant was in Kaerobani ' s home when the Yuuzhan Vong launched their attack on Rathalay , devastating the planet . Aided by the droid 8t88 , Grant came out of his early retirement to deal with a Yuuzhan Vong warrior who had attacked Rathalay . Whether or not he succeeded in repelling the Yuuzhan Vong threat is unknown .