— Ch. 1 · The False Flag War —
Galactic Empire (Star Wars).
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In the year 22 BBY, a trade dispute on the planet Naboo triggered a chain of events that would eventually destroy democracy across the galaxy. Senator Palpatine convinced Queen Padmé Amidala to call for a vote of no confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. This political maneuver allowed Palpatine to be elected as the new Supreme Chancellor. The Jedi Council sat calmly while corruption festered in the heart of the Republic. They believed they had permanently eradicated the Sith menace and ushered an unprecedented 1000-year era of peace and justice. Yet beneath their solemn chants lay arrogance masked as wisdom. Palpatine's ascension came with the final layer of poison instilled into a governmental system already on the brink of collapse. When the two-year-long Separatists Crisis resumed, fighting intensified in Episode II. The Galactic Senate granted Palpatine emergency powers to deal with the crisis. He promised safety at the cost of individual freedoms while tightening his own control over every facet of society.
The Purge And The New Order
Palpatine revealed himself as a Sith Lord to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, promising to save Padmé from dying in childbirth. Skywalker reported this true identity to the Jedi Council, confirming their worst-case scenario and triggering a constitutional crisis. Jedi Master Mace Windu confronted Palpatine but fell for his trap when he broke the Jedi Code. The execution that he provoked was the ultimate hypocrisy and treason. Once the Jedi became hypocrites and traitors, their moral authority died. This was exactly what Palpatine desired when he conveniently cut the recordings from that room. Anakin came to Palpatine's aid and helped him kill Windu. Desperate to save Padmé, Anakin pledged himself to the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader. Palpatine declared the Jedi to be traitors, providing irrefutable evidence that they were the masterminds behind the Clone Wars. He all but exterminated the Jedi Order in a galaxy-wide slaughter. Vader then immediately ended the Clone War by transmitting deactivation codes to all Separatist droids in the galaxy. Having won the war with GAR liberators occupying every known star system, Palpatine ordered them to annex planets and suppress sectors.