Terrinald Screed was an Imperial Admiral who prior to the rise of the Empire served as a captain in the Republic Navy. Despite being relatively unknown compared to other Imperial leaders like Veers and Thrawn, Screed was highly respected and important as he was in command of the Coruscant Defense Fleet during the Clone Wars. Through his life he would serve in the Battle of Anaxes, help lead the Western Reaches Superiority Force, and face off against merchant Mungo Baobab.
Screed’s story starts in the final decades of the Galactic Republic, where he attended the Caridan Military Academy and graduated to become a commander in the Republic Judicial Department. It was while serving as a Judicial that Screed would have one of his first battles, leading his fleet against Biskaran Pirates in 35 BBY. During the battle Screed would be injured leading him to have one of his eyes replaced with cybernetics.
As the Clone Wars approached Screed would begin to lean in favor of a new army to fight for the Republic, believing the Separatist to be an impending threat. He would also become one of Senator Palpatine’s close allies, fully supporting the Military Creation Act in 22 BBY. The Clone Wars would start soon after and Screed would become a Captain in the Republic Navy. During the war, in 20 BBY, the Techno Union, launched the Bulwark Fleet, filled with it's new Bulwark Mark I. Separatist leader Dua Ningo led the fleet against a Republic blockade led by Captain Jan Dodonna. Unable to stop the Separatists, the Republic was forced to yield and began working on plans for a new fleet fully comprised of it's new prototype Victory Class Star Destroyers. The Republic quickly created the Victory Fleet and it was put under the command of Captain Dodanna and Terrinald Screed. The two captains followed Ningo's Bulwark Fleet to Ixtlar and engaged in a brief battle. Victory Fleet had now pursued Bulwark Fleet to Alsakan then to Baselisk and again the CIS fleet continued to flee. Finally, Dodanna and Screed were able to stop Ningo at Anaxes. Dodanna's ships attacked the Bulwarks but the Separatists were gaining the upper hand. Screed launched his ship the Arlionne and engaged the Unrepentant. Screed was severely injured, but Dodanna was able to finish off the rest of Bulwark Fleet.
Screed was injured once again in the battle, making him get new cybernetics for his eye. The two captains were brought back to Coruscant and were awarded the Holt Cross for their bravery during the Battle of Anaxes. Dodonna then left to resume his duties, but Screed remained on Coruscant to further heal. While there Chancellor Palpatine promoted the Captain to Vice Admiral and gave him command over the Coruscant Defense Fleet. In 17 BBY after the rise of the Galactic Empire, Screed, along with other skilled Imperial leaders, would be personally chosen by Moff Tarkin to help command the Western Reaches Superiority Force. Their job was to eliminate the remaining groups of Separatists and their droid armies who had gone into hiding in the western sectors of the galaxy after the Clone Wars. The Imperials would successfully eliminate the remaining Separatist forces, strengthening the Empire.
The admiral would lay low for a few years and in 15 BBY set his own schemes into motion. That year the planet Biitu would be taken over by the Abominor, a giant sentient droid bent on taking over the galaxy. Screed would use this droid to help strip the planet’s ore mines raising his status in the Empire. His plans would be foiled though when C-3PO and R2-D2 arrived to help their new master Mungo Baobab of the Baobab Merchant Fleet and Baobab Archives. After some brief chaos, the Abominor was destroyed and the planet was freed of Screed’s reign. The Admiral would remain persistent though, and come up with another scheme. Screed would begin to search for worlds within the Cloak of the Sith to find powerful stones called Roonstones. He soon received a message from the self-proclaimed Governor Koong of Roon and the two would make a deal allowing Koong to become the Imperial Governor of Roon in exchange for him giving Roonstones to the Emperor. Unfortunately for the Admiral, Baobab and his droids would arrive to save the day and keep the Roonstones from falling into the Empire’s hands. After a failed attempt by Koong to have revenge on Baobab and his allies, Screed would decide the Roonstones were no longer worth it and left the planet Roon.
Screed would soon fall into obscurity within the Imperial Navy and eventually be killed by Admiral Zsinj. Admiral Screed is one of those characters like Greedo who is created for one simple role and fleshed out wonderfully later on. It's one of the things that makes the Expanded Universe special, everyone’s got their own story. It adds to the realism of the Star Wars universe. Screed was originally created for the 1980’s Droids cartoon and served as the main Imperial villain. Much of his story was later added upon by Jason Fry in The Essential Guide to Warfare.
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