Ishin - Il - Raz A fanatical supporter of the New Order and its core precepts , Ishin - Il - Raz was one of the original twelve Grand Admirals of the Imperial Navy appointed by Emperor Palpatine two years before the Battle of Yavin . Early in his life , Il - Raz helped found the Commission for the Protection of the Republic , and when it was re - formed in 19 BBY , he became the leader of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order , and was a key figure in the development of its Humanocentric ideas and concepts . His efforts eventually came to the attention of Palpatine , who gave him the rank of Grand Admiral , despite Il - Raz ' s complete lack of military experience . This appointment was met with much criticism , and Il - Raz knew that his appointment was purely a political one . Il - Raz began to idolize Palpatine , and initiated a series of bloody massacres in an attempt to win favor with the Emperor . These atrocities , however , did nothing more than reduce public opinion of him , and when Palpatine was killed at Endor in 4 ABY , Il - Raz was largely forgotten by his fellow Grand Admirals , who turned warlord and fought with each other . Distraught at Palpatine ' s death , Il - Raz began to contemplate suicide , and eight months after Endor , he plunged his Star Destroyer into the Denarii Nova , killing himself and thousands of others . Biography . COMPNOR . Ishin - Il - Raz ' s beginnings were largely unknown , though he eventually became a key figure in the Commission for the Protection of the Republic . Il - Raz proved a formidable public speaker , and became COMPOR ' s chief spokesman at a relatively young age . Established midway through the devastating Clone Wars , the Commission for the Protection of the Republic was a body of volunteers who offered their support to Chancellor Palpatine in whatever ways it could , including various types of rallies and resource drives , as well as lucrative schemes . Fiercely patriotic , Il - Raz was unperturbed when Chancellor Palpatine dissolved the Republic and formed the first Galactic Empire , naming himself the Galactic Emperor . COMPOR was reformed and renamed as the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order , which aimed to institutionalize discrimination and Human High Culture , mostly through means of propaganda . Il - Raz was heavily involved in the establishment of COMPNOR , and was the driving force behind many of their core concepts . Il - Raz was the key speaker at the inaugural rally of COMPNOR on Imperial Center some time after the formation of the Galactic Empire . He told the masses who had congregated at the Glitannai Esplanade that COMPNOR would lead the Empire into a millennia - long era of prosperity , and urged his fellow Imperial citizens to volunteer and join the Commission , telling them that if they did not , they would be outcast by their peers . Although Palpatine did not attend the rally personally , he sent one of his advisors , Crueya Vandron , to view the proceedings . The Emperor was impressed by Il - Raz ' s devotion and faithfulness to the New Order , and would continue to watch him for several years . Grand Admiral . Il - Raz became the head of COMPNOR ' s Select Committee , and was influential in the hundreds of recruitment drives that followed COMPNOR ' s founding . He continued to serve COMPNOR , gaining a reputation as a fanatical supporter of Palpatine and the Empire . His political progress came to the attention of Palpatine , and despite Il - Raz ' s complete and utter lack of any form of military experience , he was among the twelve Grand Admirals named by Palpatine two years before the Battle of Yavin . The rank was a completely new one , created by Palpatine to reward some of his most loyal servants ; others included in the " circle of twelve " were Josef Grunger , Octavian Grant , Rufaan Tigellinus and Demetrius Zaarin . Because he was not appointed for any military or strategic ability — indeed , he was wholly lacking in any martial talents — he was left somewhat isolated among his peers , who were far more capable than he . However , Il - Raz ' s appointment , as well as several of the other Grand Admiral ' s , was heavily criticized in the wake of the creation of the rank . Many argued that Palpatine was not a military - minded man , and appointments of such importance should have been left to those who were truly experienced in warfare . Palpatine ' s critics always looked to Ishin - Il - Raz when arguing this point ; the man was , in the eyes of most , the weakest and least talented of the Grand Admirals appointed . None , however , were outspoken enough to openly criticize the Emperor , and Il - Raz kept his post unchallenged , though he knew full well that his had been a political appointment , made only because of his work with COMPNOR . Il - Raz knew of the motivations behind his appointment as a Grand Admiral , though he sought to at least show Palpatine that he was capable for such a lofty position . Palpatine became an idol to Ishin , and all of his military exploits were designed to gain him favor in the Emperor ' s eyes . To this end he perpetrated various atrocities such as the massacre of Myomar and the bombardment of the planet Shalam . However , while these genocides did earn him respect in the eyes of many , he was often grouped among the likes of lowly criminals , such as the Devaronian war criminal Kardue ' sai ' Malloc . Nevertheless , Il - Raz ' s position was never seriously threatened , despite his being one of the least popular of Palpatine ' s Grand Admirals , and he kept his post until the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . Post - Endor . The Battle of Endor proved disastrous for the Empire ; Palpatine and his enforcer , Darth Vader , were killed aboard the second Death Star , throwing the Empire into a state of chaos . The Death Star was destroyed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic , taking many of the Empire ' s highest ranked individuals , among them several of Il - Raz ' s fellow Grand Admirals , with it to the grave . While many of his colleagues turned warlord and battled over territorial disputes , Ishin - Il - Raz became depressed , knowing that the only reason he achieved such a lofty position , Emperor Palpatine , was gone ; he knew that his career was in shambles , and that he would be unable to hold his own if he entered battle with any of the other Grand Admirals . Il - Raz was visibly distressed and upset about the death of his idol , and his mental state began to deteriorate , resulting in him leading a series of attacks on random Outer Rim worlds . Most ignored him , thinking he was not a threat to their efforts to claim a stake of the Empire , though at least one of his fellow Grand Admirals , Peccati Syn , let Il - Raz borrow his copy of the Church of the Dark Side ' s sacred text , " Secrets of the Dark Side " , in the hopes that it would heal his wounds and coax him out of his depression . Syn ' s efforts failed , and Il - Raz slowly became more and more unstable , until he found the only viable solution to his predicament : suicide . Eight months after Palpatine ' s death , Ishin - Il - Raz took command of his Star Destroyer , " Emperor ' s Disciple " , and plunged it into the Denarii Nova , killing the entire crew , as well as many others . Ultimately , over thirty - seven thousand lives were lost in addition to his own . Ishin - Il - Raz died while chanting the ideas and precepts of the Select Committee , which he had devoted his life to . Personality and traits . Il - Raz was extremely devoted to the Imperial cause , and served his superiors as loyally as he was able . His devotion to the Emperor ran so deep that when Palpatine perished aboard the second Death Star , Il - Raz found little purpose in continuing his own life . Il - Raz was also intelligent , and did not harbor any false ideas about his lofty rank in the Empire , knowing that he was no match in terms of tactical awareness and skills in comparison to his peers , who had achieved their rank because of their ability . Early in his life , Il - Raz was a strong leader , and a talented public speaker , known for the ferocity of his politics . However , after his unprecedented appointment in 1 BBY , he was seen as more of an outcast than a leader . Il - Raz was happy to perform mass killings of others to further his own means , and cared little for the lives of others , particularly those of non - Human origin . On his orders , thousands of people were killed , for no purpose other than to attempt to make Il - Raz look good in Palpatine ' s eyes . During his COMPNOR days , Ishin was not adverse to the use of propaganda and fear - mongering in order to keep the population loyal to the Empire . Also , Il - Raz became mentally and emotionally unstable after the battle of Endor , and unlike virtually all of Palpatine ' s greatest admirers , was unable to deal with his death . His ultimate solution was to kill himself , though the ideals of his beloved Empire stayed with him until the end . Behind the scenes . Ishin - Il - Raz was created by author Daniel Wallace for " The Essential Chronology " . Wallace later expanded Il - Raz ' s backstory in " " , with co - writer Abel G . Peña making only minor adjustments . Il - Raz later appeared in appearing in " Star Wars Insider 84 " , written again by Daniel Wallace , this time with Pablo Hidalgo . He was given a brief mention in the " Death Star " novel , written by Steve Perry and Michael Reaves , and the " Rebellion Era Sourcebook " . Ishin - Il - Raz was illustrated by Joe Corroney in " Star Wars Insider 66 " and 84 , the only two illustrations of him to date . Both renderings were based on Maikel Das , a regular contributor for the Official German Star Wars Fan Club magazine . 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 " , established that after realizing he was loathed among his peers , Il - Raz began to study naval tactics , making him slightly more competent in that department . Unlike many of the other Grand Admirals , Il - Raz ' s biography published in " Insider " differed little from the original version slated to appear in " Gamer " .