Galactic Empire (Star Wars) followed by Imperial Remnant
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 civilization 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 reorganizes 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, nationalization, 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.