Summary
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Palpatiine’s death led to Operation: Cinder, which devastated the galaxy and reduced the Imperial Remnant to a fanatic state.
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These fanatics were able to resurrect the Emperor using cloning technology.
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The Emperor then set his plans into motion, causing the rise of the First Order and the fall of Ben Solo.
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Emperor Palpatine died in Return of the Jedi but somehow he came back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkercreating a significant gap in the Star Wars timeline. Between the end of the Galactic Civil War and the rise of the First Order, Palpatine had 30 years to plan his revenge, but most of this history was ignored in the films. From The Rise of Skywalkerthe liberation, the Star Wars The books, comics, and video games have revealed more about Palpatine’s actions after the original trilogy.
These stories explain how Palpatine survived his defeat in Return of the Jedi and how he was the mastermind behind the First Order. He creates a fascinating account of the Emperor’s return to power among the Star Wars trilogies that can be explored further. Although there are more details to be developed, Star Wars has revealed quite a bit about what Palpatine did between Return of the Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
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8 Palpatine’s Unleashed Operation “Death”: Cinder
The Empire launched devastating attacks across the galaxy.
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said in
Star Wars: Battlefront II
and Chuck Wendig’s “Aftermath” trilogy
With the “death” of Palpatine and the Rebellion’s victory at the Battle of Endor, the Empire began to crumble as worlds rebelled across the galaxy. However, Palpatine’s protégé, Gallius Rax, initiated the Contingency, which was designed to destroy the Empire for failing to protect its Emperor. The Contingency began with Palpatine’s Operation Cinder, which burned the surface of countless worlds, both rebel and Imperial.
Operation: Cinder came to a head in the Battle of Jakku, a planet that the Emperor had secretly turned into a gigantic bomb. Palpatine, who had always planned to be resurrected, wanted this to eliminate any potential opposition, whether from rebels or rival Imperial warlords. New Republic forces successfully prevented the detonation of Jakku and the Empire was defeated. Imperial Remnant forces under the leadership of Grand Admiral Rae Slone fled to the Unknown Regions.
Like many of Palpatine’s plans, Operation Cinder had many aspects. The target worlds of Palpatine’s forces included those on which he had located some of his most valuable facilities, and he hoped to ensure that his enemies could not obtain information from them. Meanwhile, the various acts of genocide meant that the remaining Imperials were the most fanatical and inhumane, and the most dedicated to Palpatine’s return.
7 Palpatine’s spirit was transferred into a clone body
Palpatine’s resurrection before Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Near
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Currently under exploration in
The Mandalorian
was
As seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine’s spirit was transferred to a clone body. It was initially believed that he did this immediately after the events of Return of the Jedi, but the truth has been revealed little by little; The cloning project had stalled during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, and the so-called Necromancer Project was resumed after Palpatine’s death. The Emperor was resurrected more than five years after his death, and the experiment was only partially successful, leaving Palpatine stranded in a weak clone body and dependent on constant life support.
This was also how Palpatine survived in the Legends continuity, as seen in Star Wars: Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy.
Palpatiine had always envisioned Exegol as his ultimate base of operations, but the failed cloning meant he was stranded in the former Sith stronghold. He was forced to resort to more complicated plans to control the remnants of the Empire from him, playing the long game. However, all the time he would always be looking for another possible host body for his spirit.
6 Palpatine oversaw the construction of the final order fleet on Exegol
The Final Order fleet would be revealed in The Rise of Skywalker
Near
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said in
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
As the First Order prepared to one day claim the galaxy, Palpatine oversaw the construction of his own fleet. The Sith Eternal spent decades building a fleet of 10,000 Star Destroyers, each capable of destroying an entire planet. Palpatine called this fleet the “Final Order” and waited until the time was right to offer it to the First Order.
Palpatine began building the Final Order fleet before Return of the Jedias seen in Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #11 by Greg Pak.
In a sense, the construction of the Final Order fleet was the grandest imperial project of all. Each Xyston-class Star Destroyer was armed with Death Star technology, manned by cultists the Emperor had corrupted into his service. The Emperor sought to create a fleet vast and powerful enough to tame the entire galaxy; It would take much more than one shot to destroy this fleet of superweapons.
5 Palpatine controlled the first order through Snoke and other agents
Snoke was nothing more than a puppet
Near
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said in
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
with major leads on Charles Soule and Will Sliney.
The Rise of Kylo Ren
Most of the First Order had no idea Palpatine was alive, but the Emperor made sure they followed his will. Most of the First Order’s senior leadership was removed and replaced by Supreme Leader Snoke, whom Palpatine had created on Exegol. Snoke may not have known he was a puppet, but many of Palpatine’s servants from the Galactic Civil War continued to serve him from within the First Order. The most notable was the Loyalist General Pryde, who assumed power after Ben Solo returned to the light, combining the forces of the First and the Final Order for a final assault on the galaxy.
Snoke’s work brought him into contact with Luke Skywalker, and the abandoned clone was severely injured from the encounter. It seems that the Jedi Master saw signs of the dark side rising and was working against Palpatine the entire time. The Emperor began to fear Luke Skywalker.
4 One of Palpatine’s clones became his “son” Dathan
Rey never really knew her parents, she only experienced visions through the Force.
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Told in Adam Christopher
Shadow of the Sith
As Palpatine continued to create new clones, one of them became his “son” Dathan. Palpatine and the Sith Eternals viewed Dathan as “the Abomination” because he was not Force-sensitive, but he was allowed to live as a potential replacement body. Dathan came to resent his “father” and the ways of the Sith, dreaming of a life beyond the sad nightmare of Exegol.
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Dathan eventually escaped Exegol to make his own life and met a young girl named Miramir. The two fell in love, married, and had a daughter named Rey, but they knew she would never be safe if Palpatine found out about her. They remained in motion throughout Rey’s childhood, trusting no one with the secret of her lineage.
3 Palpatine sent Ochi of Bestoon to capture his granddaughter Rey
The Sith assassin named Ochi of Bestoon pursued Rey.
Near
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Told in Adam Christopher
Shadow of the Sith
Unfortunately, Dathan and Miramir were unable to keep Rey’s existence a secret from Palpatine, and her Force sensitivity made her a perfect candidate to transfer her spirit. Palpatine sent Ochi of Bestoon to hunt down Rey and bring her to Exegol, but Dathan and Miramir left her on Jakku and fled the planet to keep Ochi off her trail. After they refused to tell Ochi where Rey was, Palpatine gave the order to execute them, leaving Rey waiting on Jakku for a family who would never return. When Ochi was killed on Pasaana, Palpatine lost any chance of finding Rey and using her as her dark vessel.
However, this probably does not mean that the Emperor forgot about his granddaughter. It’s entirely possible that he had agents scouring the galaxy looking for her, but none of them would have thought to head to the scrap planet of Jakku. Rey’s parents had saved her life by leaving her in such an unlikely place.
2 Palpatine distracted Luke Skywalker from finding Exegol
The Emperor feared Luke Skywalker
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Told in Adam Christopher
Shadow of the Sith
Luke Skywalker sensed a great darkness rising in the galaxy and recruited Lando Calrissian to help him locate Ochi. Palpatine knew that he had to distract Luke from finding Exegol, so he made him think that he had fought and destroyed an ancient Sith spirit. Luke and Lando followed Ochi to Pasaana but were unable to find him, causing the trail to go cold in the mystery of the Sith.
It’s fascinating to note everything Palpatine did to keep Luke Skywalker off his trail. The Emperor knew that he was more vulnerable than ever, trapped inside a failed clone body, and that he could not afford a confrontation with the Jedi. Luke had thwarted his plans before and couldn’t risk him doing it again.
Buy Shadow of the Sith on Amazon
1 Palpatine seduced Ben Solo to the dark side
Ben Solo was a victim of the Emperor
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Told in Charles Soule and Will Sliney
The Rise of Kylo Ren
Palpatine was not content to distract Luke, seeking revenge against those who had defeated him. Palpatine seduced Ben Solo to the dark side through Snoke and then projected Darth Vader’s voice into his head to make him think that his grandfather guided him. This destroyed Luke’s New Jedi Order, drove him into exile, and ensured that Han Solo and Leia Organa’s marriage fell apart. Palpatine had put all the pieces in place for revenge on the galaxy and the rise of a New Empire stronger than the old.
The First Order emerged soon after, establishing itself as a political and military power under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke. Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and took his place as Snoke’s apprentice. Finally the pieces were placed for the Star Wars sequel trilogy.