— Ch. 1 · Series Overview And Publication History —
Star Wars: Empire.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The first issue of Star Wars: Empire landed on newsstands on the 4th of September 2002. Dark Horse Comics published this monthly series that ran for exactly forty issues until its conclusion in late 2005. The final story arc concluded with issue number 40, which marked the end of the run before the title transitioned into Star Wars: Rebellion. Each month brought a new chapter to the expanding universe between Episode IV and Episode V. Readers could follow the ongoing narrative through these regular releases without interruption.
Imperial Perspective And Villain Focus
On Coruscant, Darth Vader tested the blaster accuracy of a battalion of newly trained stormtroopers. He ordered them sent to escort Governor Wilhuff Tarkin to the Death Star after seeing their skill. Moff Kadir objected because the men were assigned to his Coruscant City Guard. Vader threatened him by mentioning that the previous commander of Coruscant Security also made demands for more soldiers. Kadir was told he should be silent if he did not wish to share his predecessor's fate. Grand Moff Trachta later hinted at a solution to the Sith problem while expressing annoyance with the dark lord. Emperor Palpatine asked Trachta to provide a skilled detachment of stormtroopers for his own escort to the Death Star. They both suspected it could be one of Vader's children when hunting down a lightsaber-wielding criminal on Dargulli.Rebel Struggles And Human Cost
Commander Akobi led Imperial forces against what was supposed to be a small rebel cell on Ralltiir four years before the Battle of Yavin. The Rebels used women and children to defend themselves during the conflict. During an Imperial bombing run on a Rebel supply depot, the TIE bomber sensors failed. Akobi ordered them to go on anyway despite the malfunction. The Bombers bombed a Med Center by accident, killing scores of civilians. The Imperials covered it up and made Akobi into a hero. TK-622 saved Akobi from a Rebel attack while trying to get power back up. A nearby surface impact caused debris to fall on a Technician, killing him just as the traitor confessed to the attacks. TK-622 watched as Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter fired into the Thermal Exhaust Port. He knew the station was about to explode in his last seconds.