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Imperial Emblem.svg
Galactic Empire
Political information
Type of government
Founding document

Declaration of a New Order

Constitution

Imperial Charter

Head of State
  • Galactic Emperor (31 BBY11 ABY)
  • Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces (12 ABY)
Head of Government
  • Grand Vizier (31 BBY–4 ABY)
  • Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces
Commander-in-chief
  • Galactic Emperor (31 BBY–11 ABY)
  • Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces (19 BBY–4 ABY; 8 ABY—12 ABY)
  • Imperial Executor (10 ABY–11 ABY)
Executive branch
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
  • Imperial Supreme Court
  • Regional Courts
  • Procurator of Justice
Societal information
Capital
Official language
Currency

Imperial Dataries

State religious body
National holiday

Empire Day

Anthem

Imperial March

Historical information
Formed from

Galactic Republic

Date of establishment

By 50 BBY (16:5:23)

Date of reorganization

12 ABY, as New Galactic Empire

"Under the Empire's New Order, our most cherished beliefs will be safeguarded. We will defend our ideals by force of arms. We will give no ground to our enemies and will stand together against attacks from within or without. Let the enemies of the Empire take heed: those who challenge Imperial resolve will be crushed."
Emperor Cosimo Palpatine I[src]

The Galactic Empire, also known as the New Order, the Old Empire, the First Galactic Empire, Palpatine's New Order, the Second Imperium or simply the Empire, was the galactic government established to replace the Galactic Republic in c. 50 BBY.

The Republic, which had lasted in some form for at least 25,034 years, ended following a period of intense political turmoil and a devastating war. After Senator Cosimo Palpatine I became President of the Republic in 32 BBY, Palpatine proclaimed himself Emperor of the galaxy and reorganized the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire.

The Empire stood virtually unchallenged until numerous insurgent cells united to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Civil War commenced. In 0 BBY, the theft of the Death Star plans on Toprawa led to the destruction of the Empire's superweapon at the Battle of Yavin. The Empire redoubled their efforts to suppress the Rebellion, only to suffer a devastating defeat four years later at the Liberation of Had Abbadon in which Emperor Palpatine was slain at the hands of Darth Vader. With the loss of their capital, the Empire fractured into several remnant factions that were dominated by Moffs, admirals, generals, and warlords.

The Empire was reborn in 12 ABY when Admiral Gilad Pellaeon led the United Warlord Fleets—themselves formed when Admiral Natasi Daala killed thirteen squabbling warlords and unified their holdings—out of the galaxy's Deep Core and united them with surviving Imperial factions in the Outer and Mid Rims. With a well-defined stretch of territory and several Star Dreadnoughts in his fleet, Pellaeon was elected Supreme Commander by the Moffs of the Rim factions. The new Empire adhered to the tenets of the New Order; although slavery and anti-alien sentiment were abolished, the Imperial maintained a strong military and limited public expression.



History[]

Origin[]

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"Citizens of the civilized galaxy, on this day we mark a transition. For thousands of years, the Republic stood as the crowning achievement of civilized beings. But we stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for ten thousand years. An Empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body and a sovereign ruler chosen for life. An Empire ruled by the majority, ruled by a new constitution! By bringing the entire galaxy under one law, one language, and the enlightened guidance of one individual, the corruption that plagued the Republic in its later years will never take root."
Emperor Eixes Valorum, in his Imperial Inaugural Address[src]

The Empire can be said to have begun several centuries prior to it's establishment with the scheming aspiration of the Order of the Canted Circle, a secret society bent on galactic-domination.


businessman and Dark Lord Darth Plagueis of Mygeeto. A great manipulator of events, he, along with the rest of his secret society, the Order of the Canted Circle, furtively instigated the galaxy-wide Clone Wars. As a result of the War's, the power of the office of the Chancellor was greatly increased over time. In 31 BBY, Plagueis orchestrated to get his friend and fellow Canted Circle member, Senator Cosimo Palpatine I of Naboo, elected to the Presidency of the Republic so as to be controlled by Plagueis and the rest of the cabal.

Though little more than a puppet, Palpatine was an efficient and effective leader, and the Senate willingly furnished more and more executive powers to him under the guise of patriotism and security. After the Senate passed the Emergency Powers Act of 31 BBY, Palpatine soon transformed the Republic into an Empire, becoming its first Emperor for life.


powers to him. Eventually, the Senate lost most of its power and became little more than a symbolic power, a formality that Palpatine had to go through to pass his laws, controlling over thousands of Senators that he had brought into the web of corruption. Secure in his power and position over his first year in office, Palpatine issued the Declaration of a New Order and declared himself Emperor of the Galaxy in 30 BBY, replacing the Galactic Republic with the Galactic Empire.

origins of the conflict could be traced to the Galactic Senate during the final days of the Old Republic, sometime after the end of the Clone War, where dissenting and prominent Senators, such as Bail Organa, opposed the powers and authority.


Many people under the new Empire enthusiastically supported the vision outlined in the Declaration of a New Order, largely due to the violence that had plagued the galaxy for so long. Many Senators wholeheartedly supported the new government while a number of more cautious senators chose to watch and wait to see how the new government would handle the affairs of state. It promised to trade frailty for strength, chaos for order, and uncertainty for decisiveness. In retrospect, the foundation of the Empire had already been set down before Palpatine's chancellorship and all potential threats eliminated, therefore, the transition from Republic to Empire was relatively smooth.

It is important to note that not all of the Senators liked what they saw. In fact, the Petition of 2000 sought to bring the worries of these Senators to Palpatine. This petition was led by Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis. Palpatine's dismissal of their concerns was a factor that led Organa and Mothma to continuously recruit more members into their growing Rebel movement.

Imperialization[]

Main article: Imperialization
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―?[src]

With the rise of the Empire, all the institutions of the old Republic found themselves either dismantled or modified beyond recognition. There was a riot of renaming all things "Imperial" to glorify the new Emperor. Overnight, the Coruscant sector was also called the Imperial Sector, Coruscant itself was also called Imperial Center, and Galactic City was also called Imperial City. The Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate. The Republic Army became the Imperial Army and the Republic Navy became the Imperial Navy. The four decrepit intelligence agencies of the Republic were merged into Imperial Intelligence. The Palace of the Republic was rebuilt and expanded, becoming the Imperial Palace, eclipsing all other buildings on Imperial Center. The former Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR) was renamed the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR). Within days, there were few names left to remind the people that there had ever been a Galactic Republic.

During the course of the first decade of the Empire, the galaxy saw the single largest military buildup in history. A council of Moffs was established to more efficiently govern individual sectors and regions of the Empire. Popular support for the policies of Palpatine's administration was high.

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