Commander (Alien Rank)
Commanders hold the loftiest rank in the alien hierarchy. They can only be found in Alien Bases (Alien Colonies for TFTD), on Battleships (Dreadnoughts for TFTD) on an Alien Base mission, or on the alien's home planet of Mars (T'leth for TFTD). Capturing a commander is crucial in order to complete the game: only commanders are privy to the location of the Brain's stronghold on Cydonia.
Commanders have higher intelligence, armour, and other stats compared to other members of their race (although this is somewhat race dependent), although their "aggression" score is typically lower. Commanders often carry a Blaster Launcher (other ranks may carry them as well). They are probably the toughest opponents you will encounter on any given mission -- especially Sectoid Commanders, which can use Psionics to attack your men from their hiding place on the bridge.
Deployment
| UFO Type | Beg./Exp. | Vet./Gen. | Super. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Scout | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Medium Scout | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Large Scout | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abductor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harvester | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Supply Ship | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terror Ship | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Battleship | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Alien Base | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Captured Commanders
Interrogating a captured commander will allow research of The Martian Solution and then Cydonia or Bust. If the commander is a Sectoid or Ethereal it will also allow research of Psionics.