Emperor of the Galaxy

His Highness, the Emperor of the First Circle of the Universe was the ruler of the galaxy. His imperial forces waged war against Count Zarth Arn and the League of the Dark Worlds.
== Biography ==
=== War with Zarth Arn ===
==== Intelligence Reports ====
Imperial spies in the League of the Dark Worlds reported that Count Zarth Arn had completed a weapon of limitless power. It was supposedly so large that it could only be concealed by a planet. In response to these reports, a mission ship was dispatched to the Haunted Worlds to located the device.These events occurred offscreen prior to the events of the film, as relayed to Stella Star and Akton by the Emperor. (FILM: Starcrash)
==== Disappearance of Prince Simon ====
The Emperor's son, Prince Simon, was serving as commanding officer aboard the Imperial Navy mission ship Murray Leinster in the Haunted Worlds when it was bombarded with red rays. Simon managed to escape in a launch before the ship careened out of control, and exploded above the planet. (FILM: Starcrash)
After the sentencing of smugglers Stella Star and Akton, the Emperor dispatched their capturers, Elle and Thor to secure their release. While Akton was released peacefully, Star had to be recaptured following her destruction of the penal colony. (FILM: Starcrash)
After the Imperial Police ship came starboard of the Imperial Battleship, the Emperor broadcast his holographic image to the smaller vessel, informing the two smugglers that they were the only ones who could save the empire. He related what he knew of the disappearance of the Murray Leinster and the intelligence reports to the four passengers, and dispatched them to the Haunted Stars to destroy Zarth Arn's weapon, and, once the mission was complete, to find his son. (FILM: Starcrash)
==== Flight to and from Diamondia ====
The Emperor's flagship arrived at Diamondia shortly after Count Zarth Arn's departure from the barren planet. The Emperor himself descended into the control room of the Diamondia device, flanked by his soldiers. The ecstatic Stella and Simon ran to greet him, and informed him that there was only 48 seconds to escape the planet before it would explode. The Emperor reassured his son of his great power and commanded the battleship to halt the flow of time. The Emperor explained that they would have three minutes to escape the planet. The group escaped to the flagship and were flown far enough away to escape the conflagration of the dying world. (FILM: Starcrash)
==== Final Battle ====
Having returned to his throne room, the Emperor speculated that Count Arn believed them dead, and the empire defenseless and leaderless. He estimated that Arn's overconfidence would blind him and sent word to his legions that they would converge upon Arn's headquarters before the Haunted World forces could reunite. (FILM: Starcrash)
A fleet of fighters departed from the battleship and flew to Arn's headquarters. While several fighters were destroyed, the ships did significant damage on Arn's space station. While the fighters engaged the space station, the Emperor's flagship crept up behind the station and fired boarding torpedoes at it. The Emperor's men quickly tied up Arn's men. After the first boarders successfully penetrated the station, the Emperor's starfighters were engaged by a squadron of Amazon air fighters. The air fighters were able to halt the flow of boarders by destroying them before they reached their target. Arn's reinforcements arrived from elsewhere on the station and killed the last of the Emperor's men, leaving him dismayed. (FILM: Starcrash)
As Arn prepared to launch the Doom Machine against the Emperor's Capital World, the Imperial Planet, Star pronounced the situation to be hopeless. The Emperor refuted that, revealing one possible solution the fourth-dimensional attack known as a Starcrash. The Emperor declared that they would use the Floating City as a surprise attack against Arn. He ordered Simon and Star to direct the city's course. (FILM: Starcrash)
Star and Elle successfully launched the Floating City on a collision course with Arn's station. Arn was killed in one of the violent explosions caused by the impact, that eventually consumed both the empty city and Arn's station. The Emperor looked on the destruction before him with regret. As Star and Elle were rescued from space by Simon, the Emperor made a short speech, thankful that his Empire was no longer threatened, and that peace could at last reign. (FILM: Starcrash)
== Weapons and Abilities ==
=== Technology ===
* Holographic image projection: The Emperor had access to technology to broadcast his image to neighbouring starships without the use of the other ship's receivers.Partially conjectural as while this is not stated outright in the film, the Emperor's holographic image is displayed onboard Thor's ship in the middle of the room with no projectors or other devices in sight. (FILM: Starcrash)
=== Vessels ===
* Imperial Battleship: An intergalactic warship. (FILM: Starcrash)
**Green Ray: A ray fired from the Battleship that could freeze every molecule on a planet in time for up to three minutes. (FILM: Starcrash)
== Notes ==
* The Emperor was portrayed by Canadian actor Christopher Plummer.Starcrash - IMDB - Retrieved 26 January 2021Christopher Plummer - IMDB - Retrieved 26 January 2021 Plummer only worked for several days on the project and made $10,000 a day.The cult movie Christopher Plummer chose to forget - Warren Clements - 16 September 2010 - The Globe and Mail - Retrieved 27 January 2021
*Plummer revealed in a 2013 interview that part of the reason he had done the film was because he could spend time in Rome. He said of the role itself, "I mean, how can you play the Emperor Of The Universe? What a wonderful part to play. It puts God in a very dicey moment, doesn’t it? He’s very insecure, God, when the Emperor’s around."Christopher Plummer on the greatest piece of direction he ever received - Will Harris - 7 October 2013 - The AV Club - Retrieved 27 January 2021 Plummer would later express incredulity at the thought that the film had become a cult classic.Christopher Plummer Is Proud to Be One of the Good Ones - Jordan Hoffman - 19 June 2018 - Vanity Fair - Retrieved 27 January 2021
*Author Michael Klossner lightly derided some of Plummer's dialogue.Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905-2004 - Michael Klossner - McFarland - Published 2006 - Page 263 - Retrieved 27 January 2021 Author Phil Hall praised Plummer's delivery of what he labelled anemic dialogue, and praised Plummer's acting overall, saying "Plummer seems to be in another movie with his impassioned and emotional acting." Hall also criticised the idea of David Hasselhoff's character being presented as the son of Plummer's.The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time - Phil Hall - BearManor Media - Published 2013 - Retrieved 27 January 2021 Jordan Hoffman also praised Plummer's performance against the weak script.My streaming gem: why you should watch Starcrash - Jordan Hoffman - 13 April 2020 - The Guardian - Retrieved 27 January 2021
== Appearances ==
* Starcrash (first and final appearance)
== References ==
Category:Humans
Category:Heroes
Category:Murderers
Category:Mass Murderers
Category:Interstellar rulers
Category:Emperors
Category:Film characters
Category:Characters played by Christopher Plummer
Category:Creator: Luigi Cozzi
Category:Creator: Nat Wachsberger
Category:Creator: R.A. Dillon
Category:Science fiction heroes
Category:Science fiction characters
Category:1978 debut