Dark Empire

The **Dark Empire**, also referred to as the **Empire Reborn**, was a restoration of the Galactic Empire secretly led by the reborn Emperor Palpatine following the Battle of Endor. The Dark Empire itself, consisting of Imperial loyalists, was the last step in Palpatine's Contingency after the Jakku Imperial remnants fled into the Unknown Regions. The new regime tried to reclaim the territory of the Old Empire after it had splintered into various factions.

Although this Empire itself was formed when Palpatine revived himself in a clone body in 5 ABY, it officially revealed itself around 7 ABY, when he became strong enough to resume conquest of his Empire, but instead he ruled not openly, but from afar, from the planet Exegol, which he traveled to in order to remain hidden from public view. It collapsed less than a year later around 8 ABY, after the *Eclipse* was destroyed near the Vanqor system, although remaining parts of the Dark Empire were scattered throughout different regions of the galaxy, thus rendering the resurgent Empire still at large despite the destruction of the *Eclipse*.

By 21 ABY, the Dark Empire had reformed into the military core of the First Order, a fascist military junta intent on destroying the New Republic.

## Organization

The Dark Empire utilized several portions of the Imperial Military to enforce the Emperor's will via a group of handpicked officers. Unlike the First Galactic Empire prior to 4 ABY, Sidious designed the Dark Empire to run on autopilot in the event that he was killed.

Vessels used by the Dark Empire included the *Eclipse*, Imperial-class Star Destroyers, Arquitens-class command cruisers, IGV-55 surveillance vessels, Gozanti-class Assault Carriers, Lambda-class T-4a shuttles, Sentinel-class landing crafts, Imperial transports, TIE/rp Reaper attack landers, at least one Interdictor-class, and a Gemini-class Star Destroyer. Starfighters included TIE/ln space superiority starfighters, TIE/sa bombers, TIE/IN interceptors, and at least one TIE Advanced x1. At least two TIE Fighter squadrons served in the naval forces of the Dark Empire. It also possessed the *Eclipse*'s superlaser and the Death Star III as superweapons. The standard infantry for the Dark Empire was the stormtroopers, scout troopers, and later T-Stormtroopers. Death troopers also served in the Dark Empire's ground forces. The ground vehicles were AT-ATs, AT-STs, K79-S80 Imperial Troop Transports, and Riot Control Walkers.

The duties of commander-in-chief of the forces within the Dark Empire were attributed to either the Supreme Commander or the Military Executor.

## History

Darth Sidious had planned to replace the Galactic Empire with the Dark Empire since prior to the Galactic Civil War, making it the last step of his Contingency.

After Sidious perished in 4 ABY at the hands of his former apprentice, the redeemed Anakin Skywalker, he, having prepared himself for Skywalker's betrayal and calling on all the power of the dark side of the Force, the Emperor transferred his consciousness far, far away as his empty body kept falling towards the battle station's reactor to his death. Sending his consciousness towards a cloned body of his own creation designed with Clone Wars era technology by the Sith Eternal, a secret cult of Sith loyalists who continued to follow the religious traditions of the Sith and sought to resurrect their order, Sidious took his first breath as he jolted to a new awareness, but it was one of pain, as he realized the vessel he settled in was temporary. This was at the Emperor's Citadel on Byss, which was planned to serve as the Dark Empire's main seat of power while Sidious ruled from afar at the Sith Citadel on Exegol. After conversing with several Imperial Officers who included General Veers about his plans, Sidious retreated to Exegol. He left Veers and several select officers leading the front for the Dark Empire's military forces. The flagship *Eclipse* served as the main battlestation and flagship of the Dark Empire.

The Empire officially revealed itself in around 7 ABY. The *Eclipse* led several assaults on New Republic fleets before it was destroyed around a year later near the Vanqor system by onboard saboteurs who were part of Rogue Squadron. Subsequently, the Dark Empire's forces fractured and scattered throughout the galaxy, remaining at large along with other Imperial remnants like the Restored Empire and the one led by Moff Gideon. General Veers subsequently declared himself the true leader of the Dark Empire. Sometime later, forces of the Dark Empire attempted to steal the *Black-Saber* data tape from Boba Fett at Scarif for their own purposes, but Fett foiled their attempts and was able to escape.

In 9 ABY, Veers sought to use the parts of various droids to create an army of Battle droids on Geonosis to attack the New Republic and restore the Galactic Empire. At some point the forces of the Dark Empire led by Veers came into conflict with the Restored Empire, an Imperial splinter faction whose leadership hoped to take down both the Empire and the New Republic.

Even as other factions of the Old Empire remained fairly at peace with or even opted to join the New Republic, the remnants of the Dark Empire refused to let what they believed to be the last true vestiges of the Empire die. They eventually relocated to the Unknown Regions, creating a new force away from the New Republic's prying eyes. While not fully regaining the strength that the Empire once had, the Dark Empire successfully laid the groundworks for a rebirth that would become the First Order.

## Trivia

* With this recanonizing of the Dark Empire, it is something reminiscent of what will become the First Order in around 21 ABY. The theory is that after the Dark Empire's fragmentation, its remains will eventually reform to become the First Order.
* The Dark Empire here is a reference to both the Dark Empire in *Star Wars* Legends and Veers' Imperial remnant in *LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales*.