Corf Ferno

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"By the time of the Battle of Endor, Admirals Firmus Piett and Rae Sloane, Generals Veers and Falk, and Vice Admiral Corf Ferno had all appeared within the ranks of the joint chiefs."
―Historian and Resistance member Beaumont Kin, on Corf Ferno and the Joint Chiefs in his book, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[1]

Vice Admiral Corf Ferno was a member of the Imperial Navy during the Imperial Era. Serving as the commanding officer of the ISD Dark Omen with the military rank of captain by 2 BBY, Ferno operated under Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Seventh Fleet before Ferno himself led the remnants of the fleet following the Liberation of Lothal under Supreme Commander Grand General Cassio Tagge. Ferno was an experienced senior fleet commander, and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military following his appointment by Tagge.

Ferno was in the briefings with other high-ranking officers prior to the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, and later participated in the Defense of Kuat, where he was captured by the New Republic. During his imprisonment, Ferno was interrogated by the New Republic and eventually released, later writing his own memoir titled Fighting with the Galactic Empire. Ferno and details of his career were included in historian and Resistance paramilitary member Beaumont Kin's book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire in 35 ABY.

Biography

Captaincy and promotion

"While Captain Ferno would eventually be promoted through the ranks and escaped relatively unscathed, since his ship was not present at Lothal due to ongoing repairs, Captain Gilad Pellaeon–who survived the disastrous Lothal engagement–does not appear to have been immediately promoted in the same way, despite his obvious talents."
―Historian Beaumont Kin, in his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[1]
Corf Ferno and the Dark Omen lead an ISD squadron to Atollon.

Corf Ferno and the Dark Omen lead an ISD squadron to Atollon.

Corf Ferno was an individual who, by the time of the Battle of Atollon[2] in 2 BBY,[3] served as a Star Destroyer captain within Grand Admiral Thrawn's Seventh Fleet as the commanding officer of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Dark Omen. At the start of the battle, Ferno was in command of the initial attack, with the Dark Omen serving as the lead destroyer of a five-ship strong squadron,[2] though Admiral Kassius Konstantine had overall command until Thrawn's arrival.[4]

As Ferno was not present during the Liberation of Lothal[1] that took place in 1 BBY,[3] his career was relatively unscathed unlike his peers such as Captain Gilad Pellaeon due to the Imperial defeat and destruction of much of the Seventh Fleet. Following the Battle of Yavin[1] in 0 BBY,[5] Supreme Commander Grand General Cassio Tagge promoted Ferno to Vice Admiral and placed him in command of the remains of the Seventh Fleet, tasking him and the fleet to patrol the Outer Rim Territories. Tagge also appointed Ferno to the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military due to the vacuum left after Yavin and he participated in the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. In 3 ABY, Ferno's Dark Omen later participated in an ambush of a rebel convoy at Derra, which was a vital Imperial victory.[1]

War service and imprisonment

"Having now gained access to these previously sealed interrogation reports, I believe discrepancies such as this will need further additional examination and investigation. But regardless, his apparent weariness at the end of a war he believed had long been lost was not an unusual response. There were many others who seemingly felt the same."
―Beaumont Kin on Ferno's surrender in his book[1]
Ferno was present in briefings prior to the Battle of Endor

Ferno was present in briefings prior to the Battle of Endor

In 4 ABY,[3] Ferno was present at briefings shortly prior to the Battle of Endor with multiple Imperial officers, including Fleet Admiral Firmus Piett on the Star Dreadnought Executor,[1] Vice Admiral[6] Rae Sloane with the Vigilance, ISB Admiral Garrick Versio on the Eviscerator, Admiral Jhared Montferrat with the Devastator, and others. The battle ended in a defeat for the Empire, forcing Sloane to order a retreat.[1] In 5 ABY,[3] Grand Admiral Sloane deployed Ferno and reinforcements to Kuat,[1] a vital factory world in the Core Worlds,[7] to bolster Moff Pollus Maksim's Imperial forces during the Defense of Kuat, as the New Republic–formed from the Rebel Alliance–attacked the Kuat shipyards in an effort to blockade or capture them.[1]

Kuat's Imperial forces fell under the command of Moff Maksim, while control of the fleet fell to Ferno's Dark Omen. With the fighting lasting for weeks and becoming heavily attritional, communications between Maksim and the local fleet commanders occurred to discuss whether they should continue defending the shipyards or attempt to break out. Surviving vessels attempted to break through the New Republic forces, while Maksim decided to stay behind. As the breakout failed, communications between the Dark Omen and Maksim intensified, with Ferno suggesting Maksim to present a surrender. Eventually, the surrender was issued and the shipyards fell. As a result, Ferno was imprisoned by the New Republic.[1]

Ferno participated in the Defense of Kuat.

Ferno participated in the Defense of Kuat.

As one of the few senior fleet commanders that was captured alive by the New Republic, Ferno had a high level of importance to New Republic interrogators. Ferno's interrogation reports consisted of files #139-152 in the New Republic Archives, Section Imperial Prisoners. In one of the final interrogations, Ferno was asked why he advised Moff Maksim to present a surrender. Following Ferno's eventual release, Ferno wrote a memoir titled Fighting with the Galactic Empire which differed significantly from the interrogations he provided to the New Republic.[1]

Legacy

In 35 ABY,[8] the historian and Resistance paramilitary member Beaumont Kin mentioned Corf Ferno in several instances in[1] his[9] book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. The book included a citation to Ferno's interrogation reports from the New Republic Archives.[1]

Personality and traits

"I have fought enough wars and battles to know when one is lost. Why did I surrender? Because I'm tired and I want to go home."
―Corf Ferno, in an interrogation regarding his advice to surrender.[1]
Ferno was a loyalist of Grand Admiral Thrawn following the latter's disappearance.

Ferno was a loyalist of Grand Admiral Thrawn following the latter's disappearance.

Ferno was an Imperial officer capable of leading fleet formations and participating in combat. He also experienced many wars and battles to the point that he understood when one was lost. By the end of the Galactic Civil War, Ferno spoke on his tiredness and homesickness. Ferno was also a writer, penning his own memoir on his experiences with the Galactic Empire. Following Grand Admiral Thrawn's disappearance, Ferno was a Thrawn loyalist within the Imperial Navy.[1]

Skills and abilities

"Similarly, the initial attack on Atollon had been led by the tactically astute Captain Corf Ferno aboard the Dark Omen."
―Historian Beaumont Kin, in his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[1]

Corf Ferno was considered a shrewd tactician by historian Beaumont Kin, with Kin noting that an officer, who he believed to be Ferno, recounted Grand Admiral Thrawn's strategy during the Battle of Atollon shortly prior to the Battle of Endor.[1]

Equipment

"Admiral Sloane and the Vigilance were present, as were Admiral Versio's Eviscerator, Vice Admiral Ferno's Dark Omen, and Admiral Montferrat with the Devastator."
―Kin in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire regarding ships present at Endor[1]

Throughout his Imperial career, Ferno utilized the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Dark Omen as his flagship.[1]

Behind the scenes

Corf Ferno was first mentioned in Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy, a 2021 reference book.[2]

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars: Timelines
  4. ↑ Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Zero Hour"
  5. ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
  6. ↑ Star Wars Battlefront II
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
  8. ↑ Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire states that thirty years have passed since the end of the Galactic Civil War and months have passed since the Battle of Exegol. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the end of the war to 5 ABY and the Battle of Exegol to 35 ABY, the in-universe The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire must have been published in 35 ABY.
  9. ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
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