The Galactic Empire (18 BBY-12 ABY) was a constitutional monarchy founded in 18 BBY by Emperor Palpatine that replaced the Galactic Republic. Palpatine led a self coup and dissolved the republic, rising from Chancellor to Emperor and forming the Imperial Senate to replace the Galactic Senate. The Imperial Army and Imperial Navy were heavily expanded and numerous star systems were conquered, with insurrections being crushed. In 2 BBY, numerous opponents to the empire united to form the Rebel Alliance, leading to the start of the Galactic Civil War, ending with the deaths of the Emperor and his enforcer Darth Vader in 4 ABY at the Battle of Endor and the transition of the Galactic Empire to the First Order by 34 ABY.
History[]
Foundation[]
Senator Palpatine
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine from Naboo was granted emergency powers at the behest of the Galactic Senate in 22 BBY when the Confederacy separatist movement began mass-producing battle droids to gain independence from the Galactic Republic, and Palpatine built armies of clone troopers from Kamino to help him in the war with the CIS. From 22 to 18 BBY, the Clone Wars raged and the CIS were combatted by the clones under Jedi Order command. However, Palpatine was also secretly leading the CIS, with Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation answering to Palpatine's Sith alter ego "Darth Sidious". He guided the two sides into a large war, and in 18 BBY he ordered the clones to execute Order 66, a protocol in which the Jedi were to be exterminated as traitors to the republic. Almost all of the Jedi in the galaxy were killed in the Great Jedi Purge, and Palpatine gained enough support in the senate to declare himself "Emperor". The Galactic Empire was born that year, and the CIS was crushed when Palpatine sent his pupil Darth Vader to massacre their ruling council on Mustafar.
Rise to power[]
The Death Star
The Galactic Empire vanquished both the old republic and the CIS, allowing for it to grow larger. It vastly increased the size of the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, and its forces conquered numerous systems and put down any uprisings against them. The Imperial Senate was the legislative body, giving some people the illusion that the empire was a constitutional monarchy when it was really a dictatorship. Palpatine's rule was popular with most senators, but some such as Garm Bel Iblis and Bail Organa were opposed to the sinister motives of the empire. Ever since the Empire was formed, there was resistance to its rule; in 2 BBY it was united as the Rebel Alliance after the signing of the Corellian Treaty. The Alliance now threatened the Empire, and although they suffered many defeats, they succeeded in stealing the plans to a new space station, the Death Star.
A group of stormtroopers
The Galactic Empire became stronger than ever with the Death Star, and their Imperial Starfleet was also massive; it included several star destroyers and a few super star destroyers. The Empire was able to subjugate most of the galaxy, and they ruled through fear; they would not hesistate to massacre innocent people.
In 0 BBY, the Death Star terminated the whole planet of Alderaan in a test of its capabilities, firing a ray of green light and destroying the system. Later, it was discovered that the Rebels were hiding on Yavin 4, but the rebels stole the plans to the station and planned an attack. Led by Garven Dreis, the rebels destroyed the space station despite heavy losses, and the empire suffered a serious setback. Over the next three years, the Empire won several victories against the rebels and drove them from Yavin 4 and Hoth, but the Rebels won a great victory at the Battle of Endor, where they destroyed the Death Star II, and Palpatine and his enforcer Darth Vader were both killed. This was largely seen as the end of the Empire, although they remained strong until the destruction of their starfleet at the Battle of Jakku. After that, they signed a treaty with the rebels that limited them to a small area of the galaxy. The Imperial Civil War lasted from 4 to 12 ABY as warlords competed for power, and it ended in the splintered fragments of the empire being absorbed into the New Republic and the fall of the central government of the empire. In 11 ABY, the Destructon of Byss led to the death of the clone of Emperor Palpatine (his final incarnation's death), the destruction of the Galaxy Gun and Eclipse II, and the end of the Empire.
The Empire did not get to finish its goals, so the First Order was founded by Imperial loyalists to fulfill the former Empire's destiny. Led by Supreme Leader Snoke and former Alliance leader Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa's estranged son Kylo Ren, the First Order would become very powerful and attempt to take over much of the galaxy from the New Republic. However, the First Order was eventually defeated by the New Republic and the Resistance.