Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire

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"So much of how we think about Star Wars is based around what we see of the rebels. But that leaves a big empty space for the Empire. What was their experience of ruling the galaxy and fighting the war? What would people think about the Empire once it was gone? I’ve always found the Empire utterly fascinating both as a fan and then as a historian. Working on Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy helped me think really long and hard about what in-universe historians might say about the Empire, but it only gave me a taste. I — much like Anakin — wanted more! That’s what this book has been for me and Beaumont Kin. The chance to fully and deeply explore the realities of the Empire and to show all of you what it looks like up close."

―Chris Kempshall^[4]

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is a reference book authored by Dr. Chris Kempshall and published by Dorling Kindersley on July 4, 2024 in the United Kingdom^[5] and on July 9 in the United States.^[1] The book is written from the in-universe perspective of historian Beaumont Kin.^[6]

Publisher's summary[]

A history of the dark times.

"So this is how liberty dies—with thunderous applause." —Senator Padmé Amidala

When Palpatine declared the birth of his new Empire, he expected it would stand for millennia. Instead, it lasted only 24 years. This is the story of how a tyrannical regime rose from the ashes of democracy, ruled the galaxy with an iron fist, and then collapsed into dust.

It is a story of war and heroes, of the power of propaganda and the dangers of complacency. But most of all, it is a story of normal people trying to live their lives in the face of a brutal dictatorship.

From the ruthlessness of Darth Vader's campaigns to the horrors of the Tarkin Initiative, this book offers fresh new insights into the dark entity at the core of Star Wars.^[1]

Contents[]

Overview[]

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is written as an eponymous in-universe book by Beaumont Kin, a former lecturer at the Lerct Historical Institute and a captain in the Resistance's Intelligence Division. It was written by Kin in the aftermath of the Battle of Exegol while he was leading the excavation of the Sith temple on Exegol. The book uses the 'ABY-BBY' dating system on the rationale that the Battle of Yavin marked a pivotal turning point in the history of the Galactic Empire.

Rise and Fall is divided into four parts, with 25 chapters. The first part looks at the rise and consolidation of the Empire across the galaxy while the second part focuses on the expansion of Imperial rule across the galaxy. The third part focuses on the battle and campaigns of the Galactic Civil War while the fourth part explores the fall of the Galactic Empire and its continuation via the First Order.

Part One: Rise and Consolidation[]

The first chapter is a biographical sketch of Emperor Palpatine. The chapter covers his senatorial career, rise to Supreme Chancellor and Emperor, and his secret identity as a Sith Lord. The second chapter explores how Palpatine engineered the Clone Wars as a means of building a large military and eliminating threats to his rule, particular the Jedi. The third chapter discusses the consolidation of Imperial control over the Imperial Senate, which had become a rubber stamp by the time of its dissolution following the Battle of Scarif.

The fourth chapter looks at the machinery of the Imperial bureaucracy, focusing on COMPNOR, the Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial Intelligence. The fifth chapter discusses Imperial society, focusing on how the Empire favored the Core Worlds over the other regions, Loyalist worlds over Separatist worlds, and pursuing extractive economic policies aimed at expanding the Imperial Military. The sixth chapter examines the Empire's economic and industrial policies, discussing how the Empire channeled vast resources into its military and the two Death Star superweapons at the expense of plundering numerous worlds and their populations including Cynda, Lothal and Ilum. Kin also explores how certain companies such as Kuat Drive Yards and Sienar Fleet Systems benefitted from Imperial rule.

Part Two: Expansion and Oppression[]

The second part looks at how the Empire expanded its rule across the galaxy and perpetrated oppressive policies including anti-alien xenophobia, atrocities, and genocide. The seventh chapter discusses the Empire's expansion strategies which included stripping worlds of their legacy status on the grounds they collaborated with the Separatists, forced deportations to facilitate the resource exploitations of worlds, and military interventions on worlds such as Ryloth and Mimban. The eighth chapter discusses the structure and machinery of the Imperial Military. Key topics covered in the chapter include the Imperial Navy, Imperial Army, Imperial Starfighter Corps, Stormtroopers and Imperial Academy system, which originated in the institutions of the Galactic Republic.

The ninth chapter profiles several prominent Imperial political and military figures including Darth Vader, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, Sly Moore, the Imperial Ruling Council, Grand Moff Tarkin, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand General Cassio Tagge, Admirals Kendal Ozzel and Firmus Piett, General Maximilian Veers and Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod. Vader is identified as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and the father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. The chapter also discusses a clash between the Tarkin Doctrine which favored developing weapons with "great firepower" such as the Death Star and Star Destroyers over Thrawn's doctrine which favored the development of advanced starfighters. While recognizing Thawn's skills as a military tactician, Kin criticizes his targeting of civilians at Batonn and Lothal.

The tenth chapter discusses Emperor Palpatine efforts to eradicate the Jedi and their legacy. These policies included the destruction of Jedi-themed toys and paraphernalia, propaganda films such as The Last Betrayal and Disorders of Magnitude and the creation of a secretive force of Jedi hunters known as the Inquisitorius. Kin attempts to shed light on the Inquisitors based on Imperial records and the accounts of Princess Organa and the Spectres rebel cell. Kin observes that the Inquisitors shifted to kidnapping Force-sensitive children after the number of Jedi declined. He also ponders whether the sighting of an Inquisitor on Corellia suggests the survival of the Inquisitorius following the Empire's fall.

The eleventh chapter discusses the Imperial legal system, with Kin arguing that it served the interests of the state rather than Imperial citizens. Kin looks at the Imperial Legal Code, which graded crimes from Class Five infractions such as property damage to Class One infractions such as rebellion, sedition, assassinating Imperial officials and piracy. Kin also argues that the Imperial penal system served as pool of forced labor for Imperial industry and the war machine. Kin also briefly mentions Vader's use of bounty hunters and mercenaries and the Empire's tolerance of crime syndicates on the condition that they did not get in their way.

The twelfth chapter looks at prejudice and discrimination in the Empire, focusing on anti-alien xenophobia with some references to anti-droid sentiment and misogyny. Kin argues that the Empire exploited existing tensions between humans and aliens, and anti-droid sentiment that arose from the Clone Wars as a means of "divide and conquer." He also argues that the Empire promoted the notion that humans were the greatest species in the galaxy. Kin discusses a few case studies of Imperial xenophobic policies including the creation of several non-human control zones on Coruscant, the imposition of Galactic Basic Standard on Talus' education system at the expense of aliens, and the enslavement of the Wookiees of Kashyyyk on the grounds that the latter supported the Jedi. Kin observes that the reptilian Trandoshans experienced discrimination but were unsympathetic to the plight of the Wookiees due to the long-standing rivalry between the two species. Kin also discusses how anti-alien educational and job discrimination led many aliens to pursue careers as criminals and bounty hunters, perpetuating negative media stereotypes in the Empire.

The thirteenth chapter discusses the Imperial use of atrocities and genocide as a means of suppressing resistance and acquiring the resources of worlds and their inhabitants. Kin discusses several case studies of violent Imperial suppression including Lothal, Aldhani, Kamino, Kashyyyk, Wobani, Lasan, Ghorman, Mandalore and Alderaan. Kin describes the destruction of Alderaan as the culmination of the Empire's intolerance of resistance and disregard of sentient life. Kin ends by discussing efforts by various survivors and scholars including J0-8O, Pri'am Q'asl, Xugg Twam, and Froh Loeaw to preserve the memory of Imperial atrocities, as well as efforts by the inhabitants of Bosph to "dis-remember" the Galactic Empire.

Part Three: The Galactic Civil War[]

The fourteenth chapter discusses the opening skirmishes of the Galactic Civil War. While the official history regards Senator Mon Mothma's denunciation of the Emperor and call to Rebellion as the foundation of the Rebel Alliance, Kin seeks to highlight the role of other early rebel figures and movements such as Luthen Rael, neo-Separatist Anto Kreegyr and Saw Gerrera's Partisans. Kin also argues that heavy-handed Imperial actions on Ivera X, Arieli and Dinwa Prime bolstered resistance.

The fifteenth chapter discusses Imperial fleet and starfighter tactics during the conflict. Kin focuses on the conflict between the "firepower" lobby and critics like Thrawn, who advocated greater investment in the Empire's starfighter capabilities, culminating in the TIE Defender programme. He argues that the destruction of the TIE defender factory on Lothal and the resultant loss of funding undermined Thrawn's vision of a more flexible Imperial Navy capable of precision operations. This development allowed the "firepower" lobby to dominate Imperial naval strategy. Kin also critically analyzes Thrawn's tactics during the Battle of Atollon, criticizing Thrawn's decision to appoint Admiral Kassius Konstantine and Governor Arihnda Pryce to command positions.

The sixteenth chapter covers the Tarkin Doctrine, the first Death Star and the rebel plot to steal the Death Star plans. According to Kin, the Tarkin Doctrine was predicated on "ruling through the fear of force rather than force itself." The Death Star was the culmination of the Tarkin Doctrine but its destruction of Alderaan and the Battle of Yavin undermined its purpose and emboldened the Rebellion.

The seventeenth chapter covers Imperial military operations following the Battle of Yavin. Kin discusses the rivalry between Grand General Cassio Tagge and Darth Vader for leadership of the Imperial Military, which culminated in the latter's triumph. Kin also discusses Vader's obsession with finding his son Luke Skywalker and recruiting him to the dark side. Kin also covers the fate of the remnants of Thrawn's Seventh Fleet particularly Vice Admiral Corf Ferno and the development of Imperial special forces units particularly Admiral Garrick Versio's Inferno Squad, which eliminated the Dreamers, an offshoot of the Partisans.

The eighteenth chapter focuses on the Battle of Hoth and its impact on Imperial morale. In the years leading up to Hoth, the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military had sought to disrupt the Rebel Alliance's ability to supply and sustain its own military war efforts. This had led to a successful Imperial military operation to disrupt Rebel supply lines through the Derra system in the Outer Rim, stripping the Rebellion of their manufacturing abilities. While the Rebel Alliances suffered significant casualties during the Battle of Hoth, Kin argues that Darth Vader's decision to pursue the Millennium Falcon (due to the mistaken belief that his son Skywalker was aboard the ship) prevented the Empire from hunting down the rest of the rebel fleet. Kin concludes that the failure to destroy the Rebellion undermined Imperial military morale and prolonged the war.

The nineteenth chapter focuses on the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate's attempt to destroy the Sith. Drawing upon The Archivist's research, Kin argues that Crimson Dawn's leader Qi'ra was continuing her predecessor and former Sith apprentice Maul's conflict with the Sith. Qi'ra's plot involved creating a loose alliance of criminals and recruiting Imperial personnel as sleeper agents. Putting her plans into action, the Crimson Dawn stirred up trouble in the galactic criminal underworld and activated its Imperial sleeper agents to wage war on multiple fronts. This conflict culminated in a showdown between Crimson Dawn's forces and the two Sith Lords Palpatine and Vader, which ended with the decimation of Crimson Dawn. Qi'ra vanished from the historical records. Following Crimson Dawn's defeat, the Empire initiated a purge of its armed forces, which robbed the Empire of many experienced soldiers, officers and pilots. This had the effect of reducing morale and encouraging defections to the Rebellion.

The twentieth chapter focuses on the Battle of Endor. Kin argues that the Empire engineered the Battle of Endor in order to break a stalemate in the Galactic Civil War. The Imperial plan involved using a visit by the Emperor to the second Death Star to lure the Rebel fleet into a trap consisting of the operational superweapon and elements of the Imperial fleet. Drawing upon Imperial military records and the unpublished memoir Hero of the Empire, Kin found there was significant disagreement among Imperial military commanders including Admirals Piett, Jhared Montferrat, Versio and Vice-Admiral Ferno over tactics. Kin credits the Rebel victory at Endor to the second Death Star's failure to destroy the Rebel flagship Home One, Imperial ground forces underestimating the threat posed by the native Ewoks, the destruction of the Imperial flagship Executor, and the Emperor restraining his own military forces due to his obsession with converting Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Ultimately, the Emperor's gambit failed and led to his first death and the beginning of the end for the Empire.

Part Four: Fall and Continuation[]

The twenty-first chapter deals with the fragmentation of the Empire that occurred after the Battle of Endor and Operation: Cinder. Several Imperial officials such as Governor Ecressys, Moff Ubrik Adelhard established fiefdoms. Other individuals such as Grand Moff Plorest and Admiral Rolas proclaimed themselves as Emperor but failed to rally the Empire. Several individuals including Ederlatth Nataasias Pallopides also claimed to be related to the Emperor. Kin also discusses several worlds targeted by Operation Cinder including Naboo, Vardos, Nacronis, Burnin Konn and Mon Cala. Apart from Mon Cala, most of these targeted worlds were Imperial loyalist worlds. Kin theorizes that the Emperor had no intention of abdicating and had come up with a posthumous to punish "disloyal" citizens as a means of purging the Empire of "weakness." Kin speculates that the Emperor wanted a tougher and more ruthless Empire to arise from the ashes of the "Old Empire."

The twenty-second chapter focuses on the events leading up to the pivotal Battle of Jakku including the emergence of Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and the enigmatic shadow master Gallius Rax, the New Republic's Project Starhawk, the Battle for Kuat Drive Yards, the Akiva Summit and the attack on Chandrila. Possessing the Empire's last known remaining Super Star Destroyer Ravager, Sloane and Rax were able to gain command of most of the Imperial forces. While Grand Vizier Amedda was officially the Emperor's second-in-line, he was merely a powerless figurehead. Feigning peace talks with the New Republic on Chandrila, Rax sent Sloane to meet with Chancellor Mon Mothma during Liberation Day. However, the peace talks were disrupted by several liberated Imperial prisoners, who had been secretly reprogrammed into assassins. Based on his research, Kin is unsure about Sloane's knowledge of the attempted assassination but concedes that she was not in command of the Empire on Chandrila and Jakku.

Kin also covers the Battle of Jakku; covering Rax's military leadership, the space and ground battles between the New Republic and Empire, and New Republic pilot Norra Wexley and Sloane's showdown with Rax. While Rax's motives are unclear, Kin theorizes that the warlord had engineered a showdown on Jakku in order to destroy the assembled Imperial and New Republic forces by using technology within an Imperial facility known as the Jakku Observatory to disrupt Jakku's core and destroy the planet. Kin speculates that Sloane and other Imperial personnel and forces who vanished following the Battle of Jakku fled into the unknown Regions. Following the Imperial defeat on Jakku, Amedda signed the Galactic Concordance with the New Republic; ending the Galactic Civil War and ushering New Republic rule over the galaxy.

The twenty-third chapter "Truth and Reconciliation" examines New Republic policies aimed at rebuilding galactic society following the Civil War. Key priorities included delivering justice for victims of Imperial crimes, prosecuting Imperial war criminals, overhauling Imperial legislation to ensure fairness, and placing curbs on executive power to prevent a repeat of the circumstances that led to the rise of the Galactic Empire. Besides helping former prisoners who were liberated from Imperial prison, labor and concentration camps, the New Republic government was faced with the challenge of managing countless former Imperial officials and military personnel. New Republic Intelligence developed a system for classifying ex-Imperials on the basis of their value and risk. To aid with reintegration, the New Republic Amnesty Program was established on Coruscant to help reprogram ex-Imperials.

The twenty-fourth chapter "Complacency and Appeasement" discusses the interwar period between the Galactic Civil War and the First Order-Resistance War. Within the New Republic government, a split emerged between the combatants of the Rebel Alliance and politicians who had not been involved in the Civil War, which evolved into the Populists and Centrists. The former believed that the best way to maintain peace was through vigilance and were suspicious of ex-Imperials in positions of government. The latter regarded the ex-rebel faction as paranoid warmongers who were unable to abandon their military past.

Kin also critiques the effectiveness of the New Republic's ex-Imperial reintegration programme, pointing out that several "rehabilitated" former Imperials were secretly colluding with Imperial Remnants such as the First Order. The Centrists acted as proxy agents for the First Order, working to undermine the New Republic government. Kin also criticized Mon Mothma's Military Disarmament Act for leaving the New Republic unprepared for the First Order. Kin describes the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn as turning point in the balance of power between neo-Imperial forces and New Republic elements urging vigilance. He mentions that University of Coruscant historian Chalm Plesk's work on the military campaign waged against Thrawn's forces was still classified by the time of the Hosnian Cataclysm.

The twenty-fifth chapter focuses on the history of the First Order and Final Order, the two main successor states to the Galactic Empire. Kin discusses the leadership of the First Order including Grand Admiral Sloane, Commandant Brendol Hux, Captain Enric Pryde and General Armitage Hux but admits that the source material is scarce. Kin also identifies Supreme Leader Snoke as a proxy for the resurgent Palpatine and the product of cloning experiments. With the financial support of Centrist worlds and the Corporate Sector Authority, the First Order amassed significant manufacturing and military resources. Kin believes that the First Order's military doctrine was influenced by the Old Empire's "firepower" lobby. Kin also discusses the return of Emperor Palpatine and the events leading to his defeat during the Battle of Exegol, which culminated in the collapse of both the Final and First Orders.

Kin concludes his book by sharing his personal experiences during the First Order-Resistance War and exhorting readers to continue resisting authoritarian and totalitarian regimes such as the Galactic Empire and First Order. He ends by sharing the story of Maarva Andor urging the people of Ferrix to fight the Empire.

Development[]

Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire was written by Doctor Chris Kempshall.^[1] The book was edited by David Fentiman, and Kempshall received guidance from Brett Rector and the Story Group at Lucasfilm, with additional support from various loved ones and Star Wars authors,^[7] such as Kristin Baver, Amy Richau, Amy Ratcliffe, Clayton Sandell, Adam Christopher, Jason Fry, and Cole Horton.^[8] Kempshall said that his work was inspired by William L. Shirer's seminal 1960 book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a small bust of Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine, and Kristin Baver's 2021 book Skywalker: A Family at War.^[9] According to Kempshall, Rise and Fall would not have existed without Skywalker: A Family at War,^[10] and author Kristin Baver is referenced in Rise and Fall as an in-universe Skywalker family biographer named Kitrin Braves.^[11] After the contract for the book was signed, Kempshall had a conversation with Michael Siglain of Disney–Lucasfilm Press at Star Wars Celebration in London discussing topics such as the book's structure and a sample chapter Siglain had recently read.^[12]

Rise and Fall also ended up connecting well with^[13] the then yet-to-be announced Star Wars: Reign of the Empire trilogy^[14] according to editor Tom Hoeler.^[13] Furthermore, Hoeler noticed details in Rise and Fall that he realized would work well with Reign of the Empire Book Two, promising Kempshall that Rise and Fall content had been brought up as ideas to be fleshed out in that novel,^[15] much to Kempshall's joy.^[16]

Continuity[]

As the conceit of Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is that it is an in-universe text written by Beaumont Kin, many continuity errors can be explained away as Kin possessing inaccurate information. For example, Kin makes reference to Grand Admiral Thrawn's significant civilian casualties at the battle of Batonn. The 2017 novel Thrawn established that the casualties were actually the result of actions taken by Arihnda Pryce, but the pair conspired to give public credit to Thrawn.^[17] As Kin reports the commonly believed inaccurate version of events, this indicates that Pryce's actions at Batonn did not become public knowledge, even after the fall of the First Order.

The book states that General Hurst Romodi died during the Battle of Yavin, when he in fact participated in the Battle of Endor per "To the Last" short story in From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi.
The book states that Pitina Mar-Mas Voor made her final broadcast and was executed by Darth Vader in 2 BBY. These events actually take place in 2 ABY, per the Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comics.
The book mistakenly calls The Grand Inquisitor an Umbaran, when his species is, in fact, Pau'an.
The book states that the ambush of a rebel convoy at Derra before the Battle of Hoth involved Vice Admiral Rae Sloane in command of the Vigilance and ended with her promotion to admiral. However, the short stories "The Final Order"^[18] and "Lord Vader Will See You Now" establish she was still a commodore in the aftermath of Hoth. "Lord Vader Will See You Now" also ends with her being given command of the Vigilance in the post-Hoth period,^[19] although the video game Star Wars: Squadrons had established she already had a history commanding the vessel to a certain degree by that point.^[20] Additionally, she was still a Vice Admiral during the Battle of Endor per Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down.
The book misspells Morgan Elsbeth's name as "Morgan Elspeth" on one occasion, although subsequent references are spelled correctly.