Galactic Empire

A state proclaimed by Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars in place of the Galactic Republic. The Senate was retained for some time, but real power was concentrated in the hands of the Emperor, the Moffs, and the military command, and later the representative body was dissolved altogether.

The mainstay of the regime was the Imperial armed forces: a fleet of Star Destroyers, stormtrooper units that grew out of the clone army, and the security service. The Empire pursued a policy of suppressing nonhuman species, used forced labor, and invested in superweapons, including the Death Star battle station. The surviving Jedi were hunted by Darth Vader and the Inquisitorius.

The brutality of its rule gave rise to the Rebel Alliance. After the defeats at Yavin and Endor, where the Emperor and Vader died, the Empire lost its unity; its remnants were defeated at Jakku, after which a peace treaty was signed with the New Republic.