The Emperor
The dark side of the Force manifested itself to the man who was so malevolently that he would almost destroy the entire galaxy in his search for power. The name of Emperor Palpatine would resonate through the rivers of galactic history, a deep current of darkness and despair. Palpatine's rise to power was a long one. The galaxy was ruled by the Old Republic for thousands of years, protected by benevolent order of Jedi Knights. In time, the Old Republic grew too large, too heavily burdened with its own bureaucracy. It began to become corrupt from within. Little by little, Old Republic senators began to be seduced by illegitimate powers and wealth. Some allied themselves with huge corporate interests, others tuned on their fellow senators, undermining, blaming, and corrupting. The Old Republic was falling, and the honest senators did not seem strong enough to shore it up. Senator Palpatine, an unassuming man whose record was largely unimpressive, began his bid for power. Over the years, he had turned down placement on important advisory boards and powerful committees. He had been q quiet observer, and had gained very few enemies. He seemed to have a lack of ambition, which worked in his favor. As the Old Republic and the Senate rotted and disintegrated, Palpatine moved forward, calling in favors and gaining support. A few in the Senate---Senior Senator Mon Mothma, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, and Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia---recognized Palpatine's machinations for what they were, and did their best to stop him. The best wasn't enough. Republic worlds were tired of the corruption and social injustices. They wanted a strong leader to pull them out of the quagmire. Supported by big businesses and the other power-hungry senators, Palpatine ascended to the head of the Senatorial Council, then was elected president of the Republic. Many Republic loyalists were taken in by Palpatine's astute political maneuverings believing they would be able to use him to bring back the glory days of the galaxy. Those who wanted the power thought they could use Palpatine as a figurehead while they themselves continued to plunder in the background. The consistent worlds of the galaxy, on the other hand, saw a new leader whom they hoped would start the wheels of government turning again. None of them had any clue as to what was to come. Once he was secure in his office and had established enough contacts, Palpatine introduced his New Order, and declared himself Emperor of the galaxy. He evoked almost mythic images of past empires and dynasties, promising to lead what was once the Old Republic to heights unparalleled in galactic history. The Empire was born [Episode Two: Rise of the Empire]. The New Order caught on very quickly often by force of arms. Senators who were too vocal or considered too dangerous were blackmailed or eliminated; termination orders were issued for Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis. Mothma escaped, as did Iblis, but his family was murdered. It is unclear when the Emperor began using the dark side of the Force, or when he was finally consumed by it. Palpatine was opposed by Jedi Knights, whose precepts decried his New Order. But the Jedi were few in number compared to the support he was amassing. His Imperial Army and Navy were growing, the young humans of the galaxy were volunteering or being forced into service in Palpatine's war machine. But the Jedi weren't the only threats to the Emperor's rule. Many of the senatorial dissidents who opposed him started a Rebel Alliance designed to bring back the Old Republic. Mon Mothma even dared send a Formal Declaration of Rebellion to Palpatine and the hypermedia. The Emperor wasn't terribly concerned with the underfunded and undermanned rebellion; in fact, he rather welcomed it. The threat of a rebellion would give him the excuse to wipe away most of the last remnants of the Old Republic... Palpatine eventually grew tired of the battles with the Jedi, who, with their light side Force powers, might actually somehow turn the tide against him. So he and the newest Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, instigated a great Jedi purge [Episode Three: Fall of the Jedi]. The men, women, and aliens who wielded the light side of the Force soon found that their lightsabers were no match for those who could turn the Force against them. The Jedi were all hunted and killed, as were the majority of the children of the Jedi. Palpatine set up a group of Force-sensitive candidates for training in different areas of the dark side. Some became the worriorlike Dark Siders, while others, such as Roganda Ismaren, became his companions. The beautiful young Mara Jade was shaped into an assassin and the perfect spy; as the mysterious "Emperor's Hand," Jade could travel the galaxy doing her Master's bidding. Palpatine could call to Jade anywhere in the know systems, and she could communicate with him using the dark side. Although he generally hated aliens, Palpatine did recognize that many of them had Force talents. He collected some of these Force adepts and took them to his citadel on Byss, where he initiated them in the powers of the dark side. All of those he thought, human or alien, were only taught enough to fulfill Palpatine's wishes. He didn't want any of them rising up against him. Bad enough that Vader was as powerful as he was, though Palpatine was certain of Vader's loyalty to the dark side. The Empire continued to grow as each new planet was subjugated and enslaved. High-ranking officers soon found that new, higher ranks were instituted, giving them new incentive. Admirals could become one of twelve Grand Admirals. World governors could become moffs of entire sectors of the galaxy, ruling many planets instead of one. Eventually, Palpatine instituted the rank of Grand Moff, granting control over a number of sectors, including priority sectors, to one person. That one person would report directly to Palpatine. The first Grand Moff was the ruthless and ambitious Grand Moff Tarkin, who was put in charge of Oversector Outer, which included almost all of the Outer Rim Territories. Tarkin crafted a brilliant document, extrapolating on the theories and practices of the Emperor. That document was implemented through the ranks of the Empire, and was officially known as the Tarkin Doctrine. The Tarkin Doctrine offered two important elements. The first was a cogent and important plan for the Empire's future: "Rule through the fear of force, rather than the force itself." The second was to establish and invulnerable and powerful superweapon, part dramatic symbol, part real threat. Tarkin himself was developing plans for the weapon and he had established a think thank of designers and scientists in a black-hole cluster called the Maw. The Grand Moff didn't think the Emperor yet knew of his secrets, and intended to present the plans for any weapons developed himself, taking all the credit. Palpatine did know, though, as he knew of Tarkin's ambitions. Palpatine effectively set up a system whereby the Empire couldn't function without him. Once that system was in place, he became more distant and reclusive, seen only by those who needed to see him. His leaders and commanders would present the public face for him, while Darth Vader would present a public threat. Along with the dark-side arcana that Palpatine continued to master, he studied much of the old knowledge put aside with the conquest of the Old Republic. Palpatine was fascinated with the Spaarti cloning cylinders, and hoped they might be used to clone his own bodies; he was old and frail already, and using the dark side was consuming him faster. Perhaps he could use the Force to transfer his spirit and mind into a younger, stronger clone, effectively giving him a fully sentient rebirth. He experimented, creating a clone of Jedi Master Jorus C'Boath, who had once been Palpatine's Jedi advisor in the Old Republic Senate. He soon found that clones that were brought to maturity too fast had mental instabilities. At the same time, C'Boath's clone had proven that clones did inherit sensitivity to the Force. The Emperor established a top-secret cloning facility on Byss, growing dozens of clones of his own body- slowly, so as not to corrupt them. He placed some of the remaining Spaarti cloning cylinders in a weapons depot called Mount Tantiss, on the hidden planet of Wayland. The Emperor had manipulated the galaxy like master gamesman would manipulate pieces on a holoboard. The light of the galaxy had gone out with the extermination of the Jedi. The Old Republic was gone, replaced by iron-fisted Imperial rule. The Rebellion was largely ineffective, its petty intrigues and hit-and-run missions no more than an annoyance. And finally, Tarkin's superweapon, the Death Star, was read to unleash on the galaxy.