Skirts in the Galactic Empire (revisited)

In many military organizations, skirts are sometimes worn as an alternative to trousers.  While Imperial uniforms usually sport pants, there are a few instances of skirts and dress-style jackets being worn instead.

In one Imperial Academy class, female academy graduates wear skirts, unlike their male counterparts (top left).[1]

Mahd Windcaller (top right) served on the Imperial Interim Ruling Council during the last days of the Empire.  Several council members wore the standard olive-colored uniform.  Windcaller's outfit, however, sported a long skirt.[2]

In Star Wars Galaxies it would seem wearing skirts in place of pants was a valid Imperial uniform choice in the game.  This group of four (bottom left) seem like standard Imperial officers.  It's quite possible your average Imperials had access to the garments.

The Empire's emigration officers (bottom center) were both members of their local police forces and the Imperial Security Bureau.  Officers on Corellia wore black skirts as part of their uniform.  The emigration personnel's outfits were influenced by the local police uniforms; therefore, it's likely emigration uniforms would exhibit regional variations.[3]

Lastly, a common uniform of the Republic Service Organization featured a black skirt (bottom right).[4]  We don't know if the RSO continued under the Empire, but considering the massive Imperial bureaucracy and perpetual war mindset, it wouldn't be surprising if an "Imperial Service Organization" existed.

Sources:
1. Heroes and Rogues
2. Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood
3. Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide
4. The Clone Wars: The Valsedian Operation

Decrypting Mace Windu's Systems Army

The Grand Army of the Republic was a massive force led into battle by the Jedi Order.  Most members of the Jedi High Council were tasked with leading one of the Republic's ten systems armies as high generals.[1]  Unfortunately, most of the armies have not been thoroughly explored.  High General Mace Windu's Systems Army Alpha, however, is one of the most well-documented of these formations.[2]  This post will attempt to explore this army even further and resolve some of its unique issues.

The Second Sector Army

Each systems army was composed of two sector armies, each led by a senior general.[1]  One of Systems Army Alpha's component sector armies was the 2nd Sector Army.  This unit was led by Sr. Gen. Ry-Gaul and was further divided into four corps.  Only one of these units is known: Gen. Secura's 327th Star Corps.  The only known legion of the 327th was the 7th Legion.  Smaller formations are known,[2] but this article is more concerned with High Gen. Windu's unit as a whole, and less about the minutiae of the 327th Star Corps.

The Ninety-First Mobile Reconnaissance Corps

Another unit under High Gen. Windu, the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps was far more confusing than its sister units.  The 91st was, at different times, led into battle by Mace Windu,[3] Adi Gallia[4] and Stass Allie.[5]  This would seem to be problematic, as all three Jedi were on the High Council, presumably making them all high generals.  This issue can be solved in three ways.

It's possible the 91st was transferred at least once between systems armies.  The corps could've started out under Systems Army Alpha, only to be moved to High Gen. Gallia's command later in the war.  Wether or not it was transferred again depends on if Stass Allie inherited Adi Gallia's command or not.  Since the two were cousins it's perfectly reasonable that Allie received Gallia's old systems army.

Alternatively, the 91st never actually changed hands.  Under this theory an instance of a contradictory leader would merely be the result of a temporary command.  However, we couldn't be certain who the 91st actually belonged to with this in mind.

Lastly, Gallia and Allie could have both been Windu's subordinates.  It may seem intuitive that all Council members were high generals, but this can't be the case.  The High Council contained 12 members while there were only 10 systems armies.  With two Jedi unaccounted for it would make the most sense for these Councilors to hold the second-highest rank.  Therefore, two High Council members would lead sector armies instead of systems armies.

Being one of the Order's most elite Jedi, it's certainly possible that another Councilor would be placed under Mace Windu's command.  Thus, Adi Gallia would lead the sector army containing the 91st under Windu's command (judging by the naming conventions, it would likely be the 1st Sector Army).  Eventually she would be replaced by Stass Allie.

The One-Eighty-Seventh Legion
One mysterious unit was the 187th Legion.  This unit served under High Gen. Windu, though we can't be sure where it was located in Systems Army Alpha.  This legion sported the exceptionally rare color of purple.[6]

One anonymous unit of purple-armored Clone Troopers served under General B'ink Utrila.[7]  Considering the tremendous amount of GAR units and the limited amount of colors visible to the human eye, it would make sense for each color to have clear associations.  Therefore, it would make sense for Gen. Utrila's troops to be in the same unit as the 187th, though we obviously can't be sure.

A Galactic Marine Regiment
The last mystery unit was a regiment of Galactic Marines, led by High Gen. Windu.  Next to nothing is known of these soldiers, but they sport nearly identical markings to the 187th.[8]  With the same paint job and leader it's very likely they were part of, or shared a common unit with, the 187th Legion.

It might seem like an issue, as the Galactic Marines were led by Ki-Adi Mundi.  However, Mundi's unit was officially known as the 21st Nova Corps.  "Galactic Marine" may be a more general term used by many different units.

Sources:
1. The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
2. Star Wars Insider 84 - Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic
3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Innocents of Ryloth
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Nomad Droids
5. Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
6. Star Wars Unleashed - 187th LEGION TROOPERS
7. The Clone Wars: Defenders of the Lost Temple
8. Order 66 - MACE WINDU & GALACTIC MARINE

Exploring the Uniforms of Republic Generals

The events of the Clone Wars have been extensively covered through a massive amount of media.  We've received lot's of information on the organization and inner workings of the Republic's military forces.  The generals of the Republic Army play a key role in the stories surrounding the conflict.  However, we have a very limited idea of what their uniforms actually look like.  From what information we have there is still a lot to learn.  The goal of this article is to paint as clear and accurate a picture as the sources will allow.

It should be noted that the ranks of the Republic's generals weren't exclusive to Jedi, but also included non-Jedi[1][2] and at least one Clone Trooper.[3]

Armor

Generals Swan and Kenobi, sporting Clone Trooper-style armor.

While many Jedi generals wore merely their traditional robes into battle, it wasn't an uncommon practice to wear varying degrees of armor.  Most Jedi armor was of the same design as their clone soldiers, usually painted white or a shade of grey.[4]  Some Jedi generals wore a unique chest plate/collar only seen among their ranks.[5][6]  You can occasionally see Jedi wearing armor unique to themselves; it may be assumed these costumes are not reflective of the official general's uniform.[7]

While there are clear commonalities shared by many Jedi generals' armor, it seems all Jedi wore their armor quite differently.  Indeed, Jedi were almost never seen wearing a full suit of armor.  These kits were most likely mixed and matched according to the individual's preference.  As members of a religious order, it seems the Jedi were not forced to adapt to military requirements.  

The only non-Jedi armor we see is that of General Cards, an ARC Trooper.  He wears the standard Advanced Recon Commando gear.[3]  We've seen many Special Operations Brigade officers and their armor is reflective of the SO BDE, not their infantry equivalents.  Thus, it's unlikely a standard general would wear this ARC-style gear.

It's likely a non-Jedi general would wear the conventional Army armor; not unlike the rare, fully-armored Jedi, minus the robes.  

Armor Color

General Cards, ARC Trooper.

For a large part of the war (and for some units, the entire war), Republic Army soldiers would wear certain rank-denoting colors.  All ranks from private to marshal commander had a designated color.[8][9]  Unfortunately, it remains unclear what color represented the Army's generals, if any.  

We've gotten a few lists spelling out the colors used by Army soldiers; all of them have ignored the issue of a color for generals.  However, just because it goes unmentioned doesn't mean no such color existed. 

The armor of Jedi generals never seem to feature the typical rank flashes of officers.  Where their colors would normally be, their armor is unmarked.  The generals' colors can't be white, because grey and black-armored generals don't wear white flashes.  Since many Jedi generals wear armor colors that don't match the troopers they lead, it's entirely possible the Jedi as a whole eschew the standard military color schemes.[4]

One last bit of evidence is the aforementioned Gen. Cards.  He wears an all black suit of armor, very rare amongst Republic Army soldiers.  It's certainly possible black represents generals, but context should be acknowledged in this case.  Cards appears in a spinoff of 2008's The Clone Wars.  In nearly all stories related to the series, a Clone Trooper's color represents his unit, rather than his rank.  However, it's certainly still a possibility, and our only real evidence of a reserved color for these ranks.[3]

Service Uniform

 
GAR trooper, possibly a corporal (left).  Adm. Yularen, Republic Navy (right).

We've never seen a proper General's uniform, but based off the standards of the era we can reasonably assume they share the same design as their subordinates.[6]  Republic Army uniforms seem to be the same as their Navy counterparts.  The only difference is some GAR uniforms feature shoulder patches;[10] it's possible that this is exclusive to lower ranks, as Commander Ponds' uniform lacks this detail.[11]

The colors of Army uniforms aren't completely clear.  Naval officers wear a few different colors and this practice seems to be shared with the Republic Army.[6]  One corporal wears a charcoal uniform.  In the same scene we see officers with lighter shades; we can't be certain all of these soldiers belong to the same branch, however.[10]  A higher-ranking clone, Ponds, wears a light grey suit.[11]

Rank Insignia

A general's rank indicator plaque has never been portrayed, but there are several comparable badges that can give us an idea of what it might look like.

One important factor is that Naval rank insignia are somewhat more explored.  It is important to consider the level of standardization between the Navy and Army.  It may be possible to approximate the badges of generals through their naval equivalents.  Indeed, The Clone Wars Campaign Guide seems to support admirals and generals being equivalents.  The admirals' insignia we see feature two rows of squares.[6]  All Republic Army badges we've seen feature one row (as far as I'm aware).[6][12]  While generals may sport the same rank plaques as admirals, it's equally possible that all Army insignia are one row only.  

Marshal commander may be the highest rank below general.  This rank features a 4x1 badge, and other high-ranking officers wear 4x1 badges.[13][14]  Considering that there are at least three levels of general, the differences between their rank plaques may be stark.[8]  There could be a 4x1, 5x1 and 6x1 for each tier, or they could all have the same dimensions with different colors.

One last thing to consider is the Director of Republic Intelligence, Armand Isard, wore a 6x1 insignia.[15]  At such a high position in the military, he may have been of equivalent rank to a High General.

In conclusion, there is little concrete evidence as to what the Republic generals' uniforms were, but there is enough evidence to come up with a few decent assumptions.  Hopefully we'll get more definitive information in the near future.  The Clone Wars continues to be a popular era in the mythos of Star Wars.

Sources:

1. Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison 1

2. Rough and Tundra

3. Clone Wars Adventures
4. Star Wars: Clone Wars
5. Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 22
6. Star Wars: The Clone Wars 
7. Republic 49: Sacrifice
8. The Clone Wars Campaign Guide 
9. The Essential Guide to Warfare
10. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Orders
11. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Innocents of Ryloth
12. Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
13. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Unknown
14. Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
15. Reversal of Fortune