Reflect and Parry have an increasing effect based on the ranks that the character has.

Does having Improved Parry count as a rank of Parry or do you only count ranks in the actual Parry talent itself? The same goes for Reflect, do Improved Reflect and Supreme Reflect count as ranks in Reflect?

No it does not. Improved parry just allows you to riposte.

The most recent* Order 66 Podcast dealt (quite humorously) with a similar question. To paraphrase...

"You know what counts as ranks in Parry and Reflect...?

Ranks in Parry and Reflect!"

Improved and Supreme Parry/Reflect are their own, unranked, talents, and only count as themselves same goes for every talent out there.

*make that second-most recent...

One guy one here said that his table they called it parry and riposte instead of improved parry. They also called it Deflect and Reflect by similar conventions. Don't remember if he had names for the superior versions of those talents or not. I think if FFG had put a little more thought into the naming conventions of the talents, it would solve a lot of these sorts of questions.

Thanks everyone. This was what I had expected and nice to have it confirmed.

One guy one here said that his table they called it parry and riposte instead of improved parry. They also called it Deflect and Reflect by similar conventions. Don't remember if he had names for the superior versions of those talents or not. I think if FFG had put a little more thought into the naming conventions of the talents, it would solve a lot of these sorts of questions.

I like the Improved/Supreme line. It's simple. It makes it way easier to remember the name, and also remember what each effect does, instead of having random names for each effect and getting them confused with each other. It's hard enough with people around here inserting old Saga Edition (and older) terms into the mix :-D

Yeah, any time an Improved Version of a talent counts towards the ranked base version, it's been noted as such. Since Improved Parry and Reflect don't have that notation, all they do is provide the character with some new options on what do with the Threats and/or Despair their attacker rolled on that successful combat check.