- "Aren't there still some Imperial strongholds in the Core Systems?"
"Sure are." - ―Jaina Solo and Han Solo
The Imperial Core was a term used by the New Republic to designate the remnants of the Galactic Empire active in the Core during the second half of the Galactic Civil War. The New Republic mentioned the Imperial Core as a single entity although it encompassed distinct Imperial forces that varied substantially over time, from Imperial loyalists to warlords constantly fighting each others.
History[]
- "One of Imperial Core's current primary goals is to not lose any further territory. The Empire once controlled, in one form or another, all of Known Space. Five years ago the Empire was in command of about one-third of the charted galaxy. Today the Imperial Core and other Imperial fragments make up less than one-quarter of Known Space, with the majority of that space in the heavily fortified Deep Core."
- ―Rear Admiral Kursk Mal'ia
The term "Imperial Core" was originally used to refer to the highly imperialized Core at the height of the Imperial Period.[5] The Imperial Core therefore encompassed all the star systems of the Core.[1]
After the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Empire began to collapse.[6] Nevertheless, the Empire remained powerful in the Core between 4 ABY and 6 ABY. The star systems of the Core Worlds and Colonies remained loyal to the Imperial Ruling Council while the Deep Core saw the arrival of Imperial warlord who established their picket empires in the region. The most notable were Lord High Admiral Blitzer Harrsk's Zero Command an Superior General Sander Delvardus' Eriadu Authority. In 6 ABY, the New Republic began its campaign to conquer the Core. After the liberation of the galactic capital of Coruscant in 7 ABY, the New Republic replaced the Empire as the dominant galactic government. The Core Worlds and Colonies systems massively joined the New Republic[6] though many refused to join the New Republic.[3]
In the next years, the whole ensemble of Deep Core warlords and few remaining Imperial loyalists in Core began to be referred altogether as the Imperial Core.[1][3] The space military of the Imperial Core was even known as the Imperial Core Navy.[1] Nevertheless, the forces of the Imperial Core remained divided, in particular the Deep Core warlords who struggled continuously against each other.[6] Imperial loyalists were enormously frustrated to see the warlords waste their considerable resources rather than targeting the New Republic.[3]
In 8 ABY, the New Republic captured two of the major remaining Imperial planets in the Core Worlds: Anaxes and Kuat. By 9 ABY, remaining Imperial star systems in the Core Worlds and Colonies included the Carida, Rendili, Chasin and Kelada systems. On the other hand, the warlords' picket empires in the Deep Core included, but not exclusively, Lord High Admiral Harrsk's Zero Command, Superior General Delvardus' Eriadu Authority, High Admiral Teradoc's Federated Teradoc Union and Moff Brill's Constitutional Protectorate of Prakith.[6]
In 10 ABY, the Imperial Core, including the Deep Core warlords, was unified by the reborn Emperor Palpatine along with other Imperial fores in the galaxy. Although this Imperial Coalition chased the New Republic out of the Core and reconquered Coruscant, the imperial alliance was short-lived and quickly disintegrated in a full-scale Imperial Civil War. After the defeat of the reborn Emperor Palpatine, the New Republic retook control of the Core and the warlords returned to the Deep Core.[6] The planet Carida remained one the last notable Imperial loyalist world in the Imperial Core[3] but was destroyed in 11 ABY.[7]
In 12 ABY, Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala assassinated thirteen Imperial warlords, including the powerful Deep Core warlords Harrsk, Delvardus, Teradoc and Yzu, during a conference at Tsoss Beacon.[8] Daala therefore reunified the warlords' forces in one single fleet. After the defeat of Daala during a brief and unsuccessful camping against the New Republic, Admiral Pellaeon took command of the United Warlord Fleets and made a junction with the Imperial loyalist systems in the Rim where he created the Imperial Remnant. Furthermore, Pellaeon salvaged the assassinated warlords' former holdings in the Deep Core from any useful material and vessel and relocated everything to the Imperial Remnant space.[2]
The Imperial presence in the Imperial Core was drastically reduced by the actions of Daala and Pellaeon. The few remaining Imperial warlords in the Deep Core, including Moffs Foga Brill and Jmanuel Tethys, would be known as the replacement warlords.[7] Although they still controlled a large military,[1] these Imperial warlords were considerably less powerful than the thirteen warlords executed by Admiral Daala.[7] In the next years, the primary goal of the Imperial Core was to not lose more territory. The Deep Core was heavily fortified and hundreds of starships were deployed to patrol the border between the Imperial Core and the New Republic, including IPV-1 System Patrol Crafts, TIE/rc starfighters, Interdictor-class heavy cruisers, Strike-class medium cruisers, Adz-class patrol destroyers and Imperial Patrol Frigates.[1] After the end of the Black Fleet Crisis in 17 ABY, surviving Imperial forces of Black Sword Command escaped the Koornacht Cluster and joined the Imperial Remnant and other Imperial forces.[7] Approximately 60 warships, the equivalent of ten superiority fleets including Interdictor-class heavy cruisers, Victory-class Star Destroyers, Imperial-class Star Destroyers and the Super Star Destroyer Intimidator joined the Imperial Core Navy.[1] Four Victory-class Star Destroyers joined the Deep Core warlords.[7]
In 17 ABY, Admiral Daala unified the Deep Core warlords under her command. The replacement warlords and the Council of Moffs of the Imperial Remnant then agreed to launch a joint campaign against the New Republic. The campaign was a disaster and forced the Imperial Remnant to negotiate a peace treaty with the New Republic two years later.[6] However, the few surviving replacement warlords rejected these accords.[9]
The Deep Core warlords later founded the Second Imperium. They pooled their resources to create the Shadow Academy, a training center for Dark Jedi.[9] The Second Imperium was eventually defeated by the New Republic and the New Jedi Order in 23 ABY.[7] In 25 ABY, the New Republic launched a successful campaign to eliminate the remnants of the Second Imperium[2] and the various Imperial warlords that rejected the peace treaty between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic.[10] By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War, all the remnants of the Imperial Core had finally been cleared out of the Deep Core.[11]
Appearances[]
- Jedi Search (First appearance)
- Dark Apprentice
- Champions of the Force
- Darksaber
- The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook (First identified as Imperial Core)
- Cracken's Threat Dossier
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Cracken's Threat Dossier
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Essential Guide to Warfare
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
- ↑ Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
- ↑
"Into the Core Worlds" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 7
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The New Essential Chronology
- ↑ Darksaber
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The New Essential Guide to Characters
- ↑ Starships of the Galaxy, Saga Edition
- ↑ The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way