The Empire

Founded: 19 BBY

The evil Galactic Empire ruled the galaxy for many years. Its Emperor was the Sith lord Darth Sidious. The Empire had a huge fleet of starships, a huge army of Imperial stormtroopers, and much more. In this post you will learn everything you need to know about the Empire.

The Beginning of the Empire

Before the Empire, the Galactic Republic was in power. A man named Palpatine rose through the ranks of the Republic, until he achieved the highest rank, Supreme Chancellor. But in reality, Palpatine was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

Palpatine in the Senate.

During the war with the Separatists, Palpatine was giving orders on both sides. During all this, Palpatine earned Anakin's trust. Anakin took on the name Darth Vader once he had given in to the Dark Side. Palpatine sent Anakin to finish off the Trade Federation leaders, because he then had no need for them.

Palpatine ordered all clone troopers to execute Order 66, "Destroy all Jedi". The clones had been trained to obey their master without question, and the order was carried out. In the Senate, Palpatine voted to turn the Republic into a Galactic Empire. Almost everyone agreed. That was the beginning of the Empire.

Stormtroopers

The Empire's troops were called stormtroopers. They wore the improved version of clone trooper armour. These troops were greatly feared throughout the galaxy. Their helmets held an emergency oxygen supply.

Snowtroopers

The Empire also had another sort of trooper, a snowtrooper. The snowtrooper had armour made to handle cold habitats.

Vehicles

The Empire had a huge fleet of starships and a massive army of ground-based vehicles. These are some of the most well known.

Star Destroyers

The Imperial 1-class Star Destroyers are dagger-like ships that are 1,600 m (5,250 ft) in length. Dotted with dozens of weapons, including 60 heavy turbolaser batteries, and with a fleet of 72 TIE fighters, they are a symbol of the Empire's military might. Just the sight of a Star Destroyer in orbit could restore order to an unruly planet.

TIE fighters

TIE fighters are named because of their engines. TIE stands for Twin Ion Engine. A TIE fighter is made up of a cockpit in the center and two vertical wings beside it. When a TIE fighter is coming straight toward you, it is very hard to shoot it down. But it's an easy shot when you're alongside it. The TIE fighter has no life-support systems, no shield generators, and no hyperdrive. The lack of this extra equipment makes the fighter highly manoeuvrable. Darth Vader's personnel fighter is the prototype for the next generation of TIE fighters.

Darth Vader's TIE fighter.

Super Star Destroyers

The Executor-class Star Dreadnought is a gargantuan Imperial ship, measuring around 12 miles long. It boasts a colossal array of weaponry, including hundreds of turbo lasers, ion cannons, and concussion missiles. Darth Vader's personnel Super Star Destroyer, the Executor, was about 19 miles long. It was destroyed during the battle of Endor, when a rebel A-wing crashed through its bridge.

The Death Star

A Death Star is a huge spherical space station as big as a small moon. It was designed by the Geonosians and has enough power to destroy a planet with one blast. Two Death Stars were made during the Emperor's reign. The first one was destroyed during the Battle of Yavin by Luke Skywalker. The second one was destroyed by the rebels during the Battle of Endor, which ultimately summoned the end of the Empire.

AT-AT

The All Terrain Armoured Transport is a four-legged walker used for the attack on Hoth in "The Empire Strikes Back". Its cockpit ("head") has about four blasters on it, and can carry many troops and a speeder. But this walker is not without its weaknesses. Its legs are unstable and can easily be tripped up by tow cables, and its neck is unarmored. Its underbelly also lacks armour, making it vulnerable to attacks from below.

AT-AT walkers attack the Rebel Alliance base on the planet Hoth.

AT-ST

The AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) is another walker, but much smaller. This walker is much faster than its lumbering cousin, the AT-AT. Its armaments include two chin-mounted blaster cannons and a concussion grenade launcher. During the Battle of Endor, these walkers are easily defeated by Ewoks, who use tripwires and rolling logs to trip them up.

The Imperial Guard

The Imperial Guard is the protector of Emperor Palpatine. Wearing red masks to hide their faces and carrying a number of extremely deadly weapons, these guards have a menacing appearance.