Turk Brand was a male Human officer within the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic.
Brand was known for trusting his intuition, a trait that often resulted in the salvation of himself, his vessel, or those under his command. This characteristic earned him numerous accolades and the rank of commodore. However, it also gave him a reputation for unpredictability, which ultimately prevented him from advancing further in his career.
As a founding officer of the New Republic Fifth Battle Group, Commodore Brand served under the command of General Etahn A'baht during the events of the Black Fleet Crisis. He held the position of captain aboard the cruiser Indomitable, and led the eighteen vessels comprising Task Force Aster at Doornik-319. Later, he commanded the three-ship patrol group that secured the New Republic's victory in the Battle of ILC-905.
Eight years later, during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Brand served as a member of the Defense Force command staff. In contrast to some other members, Brand championed the strategic withdrawal of fleets to the Core Worlds to safeguard the crucial shipyards located there. This stance put him at odds with A'baht. Subsequently, Brand joined a group of Defense Force leaders in guiding the New Republic's military response to the Yuuzhan Vong. Brand was selected to persuade Senator Viqi Shesh, whose influential voice was needed to support the reactivation of Centerpoint Station for use against the Yuuzhan Vong. He spearheaded the combined New Republic and Hapan counteroffensive in the Battle of Fondor from aboard the cruiser Yald. Narrowly avoiding a court-martial, Brand continued to serve on the Galactic Alliance command staff. He voiced his disagreement with Borsk Fey'lya's decision to dismiss Sien Sovv during the Battle of Coruscant.
The rank of commodore is attributed to Brand in both The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy and The New Jedi Order novels. However, in the former, he functions primarily as a cruiser captain and, possibly on occasion, a squadron commander. In the NJO, he appears to be a senior commander and strategist within the New Republic Defense Force. It's plausible that, despite the consistent title, his actual rank varied significantly between these two periods. While no explicit explanation is given, the term "commodore" is used elsewhere in Star Wars canon to denote not only officers between the ranks of captain and Rear Admiral, but also higher-ranking commanders such as Imperial Systems Admirals.