How Long Did the Empire Reign in Star Wars

How Long Did the Empire Reign in Star Wars?

Palpatine rose to power in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. But how long did his Empire actually last?

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How Long Did the Empire Reign in Star Wars

Part of what makes Star Wars so unique is the vastly different eras that span over its timeline. After years of the High Republic and three years of the Clone Wars, the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith set the entire galaxy on a different trajectory. With the creation of the Empire, the majority of planets were forced to live in fear. But for how long did the Empire’s reign of terror actually last?

Palpatine’s plan from the start wasn’t just to wipe out the Jedi but also to gain control over the entire galaxy. After Order 66, he was able to seamlessly appoint himself as Emperor of his newly-created Empire, and it didn’t take long for the Empire to spread their control and fear, with Star Wars: The Bad Batch showing planets being locked-down and monitored only weeks after the Empire’s creation.

How Long Did the Empire Reign in Star Wars

And with Obi-Wan viewing Luke as the potential “Chosen One”, he had to watch over him until he was ready to fight against the Empire. With Luke being born on the same day the Empire was created, his age in Star Wars: A New Hope means there was a 19-year gap between the events of Episode III and Episode IV. And during that time, the Rebellion slowly formed, giving the galaxy a way to fight back against its oppressors.

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The events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back take place three years later, bringing the Empire’s rule into its second decade. At this point, Luke was training the best he could without a master, learning how to use the Force and fight with a lightsaber. But the Rebel Alliance didn’t fare quite as well, as the Empire fully cracked down on finding them after the destruction of the Death Star. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi took place only one year later after the Battle of Hoth, placing the Empire’s reign at 23 years at that point. But while the Death Star II was destroyed and Emperor killed in that movie, that didn’t mean the Empire ended there and then.

Instead of naming a successor, Palpatine enacted his final plan: Operation: Cinder, which commanded the remnants of the Empire to destroy a number of Empire-controlled worlds as punishment for letting him die. Operation: Cinder only sped up the Empire’s destruction, though, as Palpatine believed if he couldn’t have it, no one could. While that was going on, the Rebels built up their strength and reformed the New Republic, and the Empire made its last stand one year later at the Battle of Jakku, where the last of its ships and commanders were destroyed.

That means the Empire lasted for a total of 24 years. However, while that isn’t much compared to the thousands of years the Republic lasted, the Empire made a huge and ever-lasting impact on the galaxy. And while its reign was over, it could be argued that it returned 30 years later in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with the First Order being part of Palpatine’s master plan for power.

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Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-empire-reign-length-explained/

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