The Galactic Empire is a fictional autocracy featured in the Star Wars franchise. It was first introduced in the 1977 film Star Wars and appears in its two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). It is the main antagonistic faction of the original trilogy. An oppressive, autocratic regime with a complicated bureaucracy, the Galactic Empire seeks to ensure singular rule and social control over every planet and civilisation within the galaxy.
At its peak, the Galactic Empire sprawls over much of the known Star Wars galaxy, which consists of millions of star systems and billions more fringe colonies, shipyards, fortress worlds, and outer territories. The Empire's origins are depicted in the prequel film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), where it replaces the Galactic Republic at the end of the Clone Wars orchestrated by the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine. Palpatine is also secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who masterminded the war in order to destroy the Jedi and restore the Sith to power.
Palpatine falsely accuses the Jedi of causing the Clone Wars, a secessionist war, to weaken the Republic and gain power. The Sith Lord manipulates the Galactic Senate into using clone troopers created during the conflict to purge the Jedi. After engineering these threats himself, Palpatine reorganises the Republic into a state that could "ensure the security and continuing stability, and [provide] a safe and secure society" – the first Galactic Empire with himself as its ruler. The Senate overwhelmingly supports this decision and lauds the newly-proclaimed Emperor's apparent resolve, bravery, and selflessness.
With Emperor Palpatine keeping mostly to the shadows, his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader maintains a more public presence and leads the Imperial forces, thus acting as a personification of the Galactic Empire's power. By the time of Episode IV – A New Hope, the faction has transformed into a fully autocratic regime, opposed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The completion of the Death Star, a doomsday weapon, allows Emperor Palpatine to instigate a self-coup and dissolve the Imperial Senate, granting more power to the likes of Grand Moff Tarkin. The Galactic Empire is described and portrayed in various Star Wars media as a brutal dictatorship, one based on "anthropocentrism, nationalisation, state terrorism, xenophobia, power projection, threat of lethal force, and, above all else, constant fear".
The Galactic Empire is defeated in Return of the Jedi, but the First Order is formed by Imperial remnants in the sequel trilogy, set 30 years later.
Appearances in the chronological order
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020) (Briefly) Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021–present) Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) Andor (2022–present) Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) (First appearance) Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) The Mandalorian (2019–present) (As several different rump states) Ahsoka (2023) (As an exiled remnant of Grand Admiral Thrawn) Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020) (As the "First Order") Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) (As the "First Order") Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) (As the "First Order") Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) (As the "First Order" and subsequently as the "Final Order")
Themes
Star Wars creator George Lucas sought to make the First Galactic Empire aesthetically and thematically similar to Nazi Germany and to appear to be fascist. Similar to Nazi Germany, the Galactic Empire is a dictatorship based on rigid control of society that dissolved a previous democracy and is led by an all-powerful supreme ruler. The Empire, like the Nazis, desires the creation of totalitarian order and utilizes excessive force and violence to achieve their ends. The title of the Empire's main soldiers, the stormtroopers, is somewhat similar to the name given to Adolf Hitler's (SA, "storm department") paramilitary bodyguards.