Galactic Emperor

"I hear a new apprentice, you have, Emperor. Or should I call you Darth Sidious?"

- Yoda, to Darth Sidious

The Galactic Emperor, commonly referred to as the Emperor, was the head of state of the Galactic Empire. The Emperor's seat of power was the Imperial Palace, formerly known as the Jedi Temple and located in the Federal District of Coruscant, the capital world of the Empire.

With the end of the Clone Wars and the fall of the Jedi Order in 19 BBY, the Galactic Republic was replaced by the Empire in accordance with the proclamation of the New Order, as outlined by Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine who named himself Emperor. In secret, Palpatine was the public persona of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whose rise to ultimate power fulfilled a thousand-year plot to establish Sith rule over the galaxy.

The Emperor's rule came to an end as a result of Sidious' death in 4 ABY, approximately two decades into the Empire's existence. While political and military officials&mdash;such as Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax&mdash;attempted to fill the vacuum of power, the Empire was ultimately forced to capitulate to the New Republic, resulting in the conclusion of both the Galactic Civil War and the Age of the Empire.

Sheev Palpatine
"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society."

- Sheev Palpatine, to the Galactic Senate

At the conclusion of the Clone Wars in the year 19 BBY, the Galactic Republic which had existed for a millennium was transformed into the Galactic Empire by proclamation of Sheev Palpatine, the last Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. In secret, Palpatine was Darth Sidious&mdash;the Dark Lord of the Sith who orchestrated the galaxy-wide civil war between the Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems, as well as the subsequent purge of the Jedi Order. Without the Jedi to oppose him, Sidious exercised his control over the Galactic Senate by supplanting a thousand years of democracy with the absolute rule of the Sith through himself as Galactic Emperor. Having attained ultimate power, the Emperor had no further use in cultivating two identities and although he would rule the galaxy through fear and tyranny as "Emperor Palpatine," he was henceforth Darth Sidious in thought and action.

Sidious remained relatively unchallenged as Emperor for two decades. In that time he consolidated his reign over the galaxy by eliminating rivals and directing the Imperial Military to conquer planets beyond the Republic's frontier. With the dissolution of the Imperial Senate in 0 BBY, the regional governors were free to directly administrate their territories on the Emperor's behalf. However, as a result of Sidious' efforts to subjugate the galaxy, the scattered cells of a growing rebellion gradually coalesced into the Rebel Alliance &mdash;a resistance movement determined to overthrow the Emperor and restore democracy.

Throughout most of the Galactic Civil War, Sidious directed his attention to destroying the rebellion that opposed his rule as Galactic Emperor. This goal culminated in a plot to lure the Alliance forces into a trap at Endor. The plan ultimately backfired however, resulting in the Emperor's death and the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. In the aftermath of the battle, the remnants of the Imperial Navy regrouped to determine the next Emperor. However, no clear chain of succession was evident, since Palpatine had no known family and was always supposed to remain in power.

Mas Amedda
"I am the head of the Galactic Empire. I am its pinnacle!"

- Mas Amedda, before realizing his lack of power in the Empire

As the Grand Vizier of the Imperial Ruling Council, Mas Amedda effectively succeeded Palpatine as Emperor in all but name in 4 ABY. Despite his claim to the throne however, he was a mere figurehead with limited power over the Empire beyond Coruscant where entire sectors of Imperial City rebelled against his reign, causing Amedda to become entrenched and trapped in government districts. His request for assistance was refused by the Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax who did not allow Grand Admiral Rae Sloane to send any reinforcements to the proxy "Emperor Amedda" as the throneworld had no place in his vision of a renewed Empire and had effectively took Amedda's powers and influence from him in 5 ABY.

In an act of despair and desperation, Amedda attempted to surrender himself into the custody of the New Republic during a secret meeting on Velusia, believing there was no greater target or prize than himself. However, his offer was declined by Chancellor Mon Mothma and Princess Leia Organa, both of whom regarded Amedda not as an Emperor but rather an administrator. As such, they demanded that he find a way to regain his power in order to sign the the Galactic Empire's full surrender. With his reign effectively over upon returning to Coruscant, Amedda considered suicide by jumping off of one of the Imperial Palace's balconies. Instead, he and Sloane forged an alliance to undermine Rax and his cult like ideas for the Empire by conducting an investigation into his past and preserving the New Order. By assisting the grand admiral, Amedda hoped to secure his place under Sloane's Empire.

Gallius Rax
"I only serve Palpatine." "Emperor Rax serves Palpatine, too."

- Yupe Tashu and Windom Traducier

In contrast to Amedda who had lost control over most of Coruscant after his request for reinforcements were denied, Gallius Rax grew in power and influence following Palpatine's demise and had planned his rise. However, according to the Imperial agent Windom Traducier, Rax still served the late Emperor. Instead of openly ruling the galaxy, Rax sought to govern the Empire as the head of a new ruling body, the Shadow Council, while supporting an official figurehead to succeed Palpatine.

Although Rax was Emperor in effect, according to Traducier who referred to him as "Emperor Rax," he rejected the title and&mdash;in keeping with his intention to rule the Empire as the power behind the throne&mdash;created the position of Counselor to the Empire for himself. In secret, he intended to eliminate the Shadow Council in the upcoming battle on Jakku with the exception of Commandant Brendol Hux, who was essential to his plans.

Style of office
"Your Majesty, this way."

- A clone trooper, to Palpatine

Majesty was an honorific style used by Sheev Palpatine during his reign as Galactic Emperor. In direct reference to the Emperor, it took on the form "Your Majesty." Another honorific style applied to the Emperor was Highness, or "Your Highness" when directly addressing him. In context of nonofficial, everyday conversations, Palpatine was generally referred to as just "the Emperor," even between Imperial officers. At the beginning of his reign, clone troopers referred to him as "Sir" and "My Lord."

Certain individuals had their own ways to address the Emperor. As the Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious, Palpatine's true identity, Darth Vader addressed his Sith Master as "my master," a sign of their master–disciple relation in the dark arts of the Force. Vader would also use the pronoun "thy" instead of the more common "your," when inquiring his Master's will.

List of emperors

 * Sheev Palpatine
 * Mas Amedda
 * Gallius Rax

Behind the scenes
The title of Emperor was first mentioned in the novelization of A New Hope, ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and published in 1976, but this version of the story of the film is now considered part of the continuity of Star Wars Legends and canon only to the degree that its events align with those depicted in the film. A number of additional Emperors were depicted in other now non-canon Legends material.

Non-canon appearances

 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
 * LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales Episodes I-III