Changes

When the Deathwatch was initially formed during the [[War of the Beast]], it was set up as a singular Chapter. At this time, the Watch Commander was effectively the [[Chapter Master]] of the Deathwatch, with the first Watch Commander being [[Asger Warfist]] of the [[Space Wolves]].{{Fn|2a}}{{Fn|2b}}

Over time, the Deathwatch became a far more decentralised body, being deployed across the [[galaxy]]. Now based out of [[Watch Fortress]]es largely independent from each other, the title of Watch Commander stopped being a singular rank used to denote an overall leader of the Deathwatch. In the modern [[Imperium]], the rank simply refers to the commanding officer of a particular Watch Fortress, generally a [[Watch Master]].{{Fn|1}} Notably, however, there is no hard rule that states that a Watch Commander need be an [[Astartes]] - on occasion Watch Fortresses have been overseen by a [[Lord Inquisitor]] of the [[Ordo Xenos]] instead.{{Fn|3}}

==Related ArticlesSee also==

*{{Endn|1}}: [[Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition)]], pg. 14 - — ''The Structure of the Shield''*2: [[The Last Son of Dorn (Novel)]]: