Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
| Galactic Empire | |
 | |
| Form of Government | Absolute monarchy de facto, constitutional monarchy de jure |
| Official language | Galactic Pyle |
| Capital | Coruscant (Imperial Center), Thyferra, Byss, Ord Cantrell, Bastion |
| Head of State | Palpatine (19 BBY-11 ABY), Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet (12 ABY—) |
| Supreme Commander | Galactic Emperor, Military Executor (19 BBY-4 ABY) (10-11 ABY), Supreme Commander (19 BBY—4 ABY, 8 ABY-) |
| Head of Government | Grand Vizier (19 BBY-4 ABY) (10-11 ABY), Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet (12 ABY—) |
| Executive Branch | Imperial Ruling Council (19 BBY-4 ABY), Central Committee of Grand Moffs (5 ABY), Imperial Ruling Council (11 ABY), Council of Moffs (12 ABY—) |
| Legislative Branch | Imperial Senate, Council of Moffs |
| Establishment | 19 BBY |
| Fragmentation | 4 ABY |
| Final dissolution | 11 ABY |
| Reorganized into | Imperial Remnant 19 ABY |
| Currency | Galactic Standard Credit (Imperial Dataries) |
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the Star Wars universe. It is a tyrannical, galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in A New Hope. The Empire also appears in The Empire Strikes Back, and in Return of the Jedi.
The Empire's origins are explained in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, where it replaces the Galactic Republic in the midst of a crisis orchestrated by Palpatine, then the Republic's Supreme Chancellor. In a scene towards the end of the film, Palpatine appoints himself Emperor in the presence of the Galactic Senate, afterwards the Imperial Senate. By the time of A New Hope, the Empire has transformed into a totalitarian regime, still struggling with the Rebel Alliance.
Films
Origins
The Galactic Empire is born out of the Old Republic. However, the seeds of change are planted during the Clone Wars, the epic war between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems depicted in Attack of the Clones.
When the extent of the Separatist threat becomes clear in Episode II, the Old Republic Senate, the legislature of the Republic, grants Palpatine emergency powers to deal with the crisis. This conflict allows Palpatine to remain in office long after his term as Chancellor officially expires. Palpatine promises to return his powers to the Senate once peace and order is restored to the galaxy. He takes advantage of the conflict to greatly increase the office's power until by Episode III, he is practically a dictator.
The Jedi begin to distrust the Chancellor's motives, fearing he has come under the influence of a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. Their concerns are shared by several Senators, who suspect Palpatine may not return his powers to the Senate as promised. Among them are two who had long supported Palpatine, Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa. Indeed, Palpatine has sent out governors to oversee the various worlds of the Republic, buttressed by detachments of clones. The film eventually reveals that Palpatine and Sidious are one and the same, and that he has been manipulating the Republic and the Separatists against each other.
When the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker discovers Palpatine's true identity, the Jedi try and fail to arrest him. The Sith Lord tries to dispatch Jedi Master Mace Windu by blasting him with Force lightning. However, Windu turns it back onto its source with his lightsaber, horribly scarring Palpatine's face. Anakin intervenes on the Palpatine's behalf by cutting off Windu's hand, allowing Palpatine to send Windu plunging to his death with a renewed blast of lightning. Palpatine then converts Anakin to the dark side of the Force, making him his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader.
Palpatine declares the Jedi to be traitors and enemies of the Republic. Secure in his power and position, Palpatine reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor for life. Shortly prior to this declaration, Palpatine issues Order 66, a secret order he implanted in the clones to kill their Jedi commanders. In a matter of hours, nearly all Jedi are wiped out across the galaxy.
The Senate enthusiastically supports Palpatine's "safe and secure society", although a few, like Padmé and Bail, realize that the "freedom" enshrined by the Republic is in serious jeopardy. A deleted scene in the film establishes that the two are among the main founders of the Rebel Alliance.
Two remaining Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, attempt to stop the Sith menace that is sweeping the galaxy. Yoda confronts Palpatine in an epic duel, and Obi-Wan duels his former apprentice. Even though Obi-Wan succeeds at defeating Vader, Yoda is unable to defeat the new Emperor.
Led by Darth Vader, the Emperor's Army of stormtroopers and Dark Jedi agents all but exterminate the Jedi Order. During the first years of the Empire, Coruscant is renamed the Imperial Center.
Organization of power
Emperor Palpatine rules the Empire with absolute power, with third-in-command Sate Pestage as Grand Vizier to run the Empire day to day. Vader is the Emperor's second-in-command as well as the Military Executor and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces.
Palpatine dissolves the Senate in A New Hope because the Empire discovers several seats in the Senate are actually taken by members of the Rebellion. However, the Senate had been a powerless advisory body for some time; real power is in the hands of sector governors ("moffs") such as Grand Moff Tarkin. Eventually, the regional governors are granted direct control over their territories after Palpatine disbands the Imperial Senate.
In A New Hope, Tarkin explains the Empire's philosophy as "rule through fear of force rather than force itself". The instrument of this power is the military, which includes the Imperial Stormtroopers, Scout Troopers, Sandtroopers, SCUBA Troopers, Snowtroopers, and a large fleet of intimidating war vehicles such as the Imperial Navy's Star Destroyers and the Imperial Army's All Terrain Armoured Transports (AT-ATs or imperial walkers) which are intended in part to spread fear as well as destroy the enemy. This policy reaches its zenith with the construction of the Death Star, a planet-sized superweapon. Plans for the Death Star first appear in Attack of the Clones; Construction begins at the end of Revenge of the Sith and would last aproximmately 20 years.
Resistance to Imperial rule
In Revenge of the Sith, four of the most influential senators - Bail Organa of Alderaan, Padmé Amidala of Naboo, Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia, and Mon Mothma of Chandrila - meet in secret to sign the Corellian Treaty, forming the Alliance to Restore the Republic, more commonly referred to as the Rebel Alliance. During the 19 years that take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the Rebellion is all but crushed by the Empire, and its leaders are constantly forced into hiding or killed.
The Death Star, a moon-sized space station (whose construction begins at the end of Episode III) with sufficient firepower to destroy a planet, is designed to be the supreme weapon of the Empire's power. Tarkin, the station's commander, demonstrates that power in A New Hope, when he destroys Alderaan merely as a show of force. In the film's climactic scene, however, the station is assaulted by a small force of Rebel starfighters; the battle ends with the Death Star's destruction at the hands of Luke Skywalker. The victory is the Rebel Alliance's first major success against the Empire.
The Empire is permanently defeated in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In the film's climactic battle, the Rebellion destroys the second Death Star and a great portion of the Imperial Navy's highest ranking officers. During this battle, Vader is redeemed, and as Anakin, throws his evil master to his death, but is himself mortally wounded by Force lightning intended for his son, Luke.
Expanded Universe
In the Expanded Universe, the Rebels, renamed the New Republic, fight to claim the galaxy from remnant Imperials styling themselves as independent warlords.
In the Jedi Prince series, a group of imposters calling themselves the prophets of the dark side install a three-eyed mutant named Trioculus as Emperor by claiming that he is Palpatine's son. By the end of the series, Palpatine's true son, Triclops, helps the Rebels defeat this new enemy.
In Dark Empire, Palpatine is reborn in a clone body and attempts to retake control of the galaxy. By the sequel, Empire's End, he is defeated and destroyed once and for all.
In the Jedi Academy trilogy, an Imperial admiral named Daala commandeers the remainder of the Imperial Navy and mounts a ferocious assault on the New Republic. She nearly succeeds in taking over the galaxy, but is foiled by New Republic pilots Wedge Antilles and Lando Calrissian in the final entry, Darksaber.
By the time of the New Jedi Order series, the remaining Imperial military factions sign a truce with the New Republic, becoming the Imperial Remnant.
Star Wars: Legacy, set 140 years after Return of the Jedi, explains that, during a civil war, the New Galactic Empire declares war on the Galactic Alliance. This conflict begins the Sith-Imperial War, which after three years leads to the eventual defeat of the Galactic Alliance and the Galactic Empire asserting its domination over the galaxy once again. Another split occurs as Darth Krayt usurps the throne and forcees Emperor Roan Fel to take refuge in the fortress planet of Bastion.
Imperial leaders
- Palpatine
- Sate Pestage
- Trioculus
- Kadann 5
- Ysanne Isard
- Thrawn
- Palpatine (reborn) 10 - 11 ABY (Note: Re-unified all Imperial factions, after they broke up again upon Thrawn's death)
- Carnor Jax
- Daala
- Gilad Pellaeon
- Roan Fel
- Darth Krayt
Allusions to reality
The Galactic Empire in Star Wars shows numerous similarities to non-fictitious historical empires. For example, the end of the Old Galactic Republic and the start of the Galactic Empire is similar to the transition between the Roman Republic of Ancient Rome and the beginning of the Roman Empire.
Further allusions include the totalitarian form of government of the Galactic Empire, similar to that of the Nazis in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s in Germany.
References
- "Vision of the Future", 1st paperback printing 1999, Timothy Zahn, ISBN 0-553-57879-0
Notes
See also
- Isaac Asimov's Galactic Empire
- Galactic Republic (Star Wars)
- Rebel Alliance
- New Republic (Star Wars)
- Galactic Alliance
- Imperium Of Man
- List of minor Star Wars Imperial characters
External links
- Domus Publica
- The Case for the Empire
- No Case for the Empire
- Galactic Empire Databank
- Galactic Empire on Wookieepedia, a Wikia wiki
Fan Societies / Clubs
- The Empire Reborn - Roleplaying & gaming society (PC Games)
- The Galactic Empire - Roleplaying game with strong emphasis on political and military training.
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Moff". Image Credit.
