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Gilad Pellaeon is a fictional character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Pellaeon joined the Imperial Starfleet at a young age and was considered one of its most promising officers. Rising through the ranks, he was eventually promoted to the rank of Commander and assigned to the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Chimaera as its first officer. The Chimeara participated in the fleet action during the Battle of Endor, during which the vessel's captain was killed. In an attempt to salvage the situation, Pellaeon assumed command of the Chimaera and - following the death of Emperor Palpatine, Lord Darth Vader, and Admiral Piett - the remaining elements of the Imperial fleet at Endor and ordered a retreat.
In the years following the defeat at Endor, Pellaeon attempted to direct the resources of the Imperial Starfleet in order to maintain a united front against the Rebellion and its successor, the New Republic. However, he lacked the tactical brilliance or the legitimacy as commander to do so successfully; it was not until the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn from his tour of duty in the Unknown Regions of the galactic halo that the Empire ended its string of defeats. Choosing the Chimaera as his flagship, Thrawn began a brutally effective campaign against the New Republic, and it seemed that Pellaeon's dreams of restoring the honor and dignity of the Empire was within reach. Any dream of re-establishing the Galactic Empire was crudely shattered during the Battle of Bilbringi where, in a twisted parallel to the Battle of Endor, Grand Admiral Thrawn was assassinated during the battle by one of his bodyguards, forcing Pellaeon to again assume command and order a retreat.
Following Thrawn's death, Pellaeon attained the rank of vice admiral (after being promoted under duress by Admiral-cum-warlord Terradoc) and directed the resources of the Fleet - save for a brief period of time during which he ceded command to the incompetent Admiral Daala - in a losing war against the New Republic. He was eventually recognized by the council of Moffs as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Starfleet and elevated to the rank of admiral; it was in this capacity that he signed the peace accords with New Republic Chief of State Ponc Gavrisom aboard the Chimaera, thus ending the Galactic Civil War fifteen years after the Battle of Endor. Sometime later, the Moffs elevated him again, to the rank of Grand Admiral.
In the years following the cessation of hostilities between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic, Pellaeon remained the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Starfleet, and for all intents and purposes, ruler of the Empire, although the Council of Moffs was still technically the governing body of the Imperial Remnant. At some point following the end of the Galactic Civil War, Gilad Pellaeon was promoted by the Council of Moffs to the illustrious rank of grand admiral. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, he drew upon his decades of experience as well as the lessons he learned from Thrawn, to lead the Starfleet into battle alongside its former enemies against the extragalactic invaders. Grand Admiral Pellaeon proved to be a worthy successor to his mentor, the legendary Grand Admiral Thrawn. Pelleaon managed to score victory after victory against the Yuuzhan Vong commander assigned to the invasion of the Empire, and went on to personally command the Imperial fleets dispatched to reinforce the Galactic Alliance (formerly the New Republic), eventually commanding the Imperial forces that assisted the Galactic Alliance in retaking Vong-occupied Coruscant. Together, the Empire and Galactic Alliance managed to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong invaders and bring a modicum of peace back to the war-torn galaxy.
Following the end of organized resistance by the Yuuzhan Vong, Gilad Pellaeon presented Han and Leia Organa Solo with one of the few remaining pieces of art from Grand Admiral Thrawn's private collection, Killik Twilight, an Alderaanian painting that the Solos had once attempted to acquire prior to Thrawn's nearly victorious offensive. While "The Old Man of the Empire" remains the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces at present, there is some question as to how much longer he will remain in command. In addition, there is a lingering question regarding whether or not Pellaeon may have sired a family out of wedlock, as it was intimated that the late Commander Mynar Devis may have been Pellaeon's son.
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