The Empire After Endor: Key Leaders Who Rose From Its Ashes

Star Wars

Mar 19

With the fall of the Galactic Empire, the once-mighty regime that ruled the galaxy for nearly a quarter of a century collapsed. However, from the ashes of the Empire, various warlords and other individuals sought to seize its remnants and establish themselves as the next mighty rulers of the galaxy.

But who were these leaders? What were their goals? How did they plan to achieve their dreams of galactic domination? Let's find out.

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Gallius Rax – The Contingency

Gallius Rax, born on the desert world of Jakku, was found at a young age by Emperor Palpatine himself, long before he was even ruler of the Galaxy. Impressed by the boy’s resolve, he trained Rax to be his contingency, a tool to punish the Empire for failing the Emperor but rebuild it anew in another galaxy.

Rax’s time came after Endor when he seized the levers of power and set Palpatine’s contingency into motion.

One by one, Rax began eliminating various rivals and thinning the Empire’s ranks, ensuring that only the most loyal and radical remained. Using the codename “The Operator,” he deceived both his enemies and ‘allies,’ particularly by feeding information to the New Republic as part of his plan to eliminate his rivals.

His ultimate goal was to unite the remnants of the Empire for one final stand on his homeworld of Jakku and use an observatory created by the Emperor to destroy the planet. By doing so, he intended to eradicate both Republic and Imperial forces alike while sending the truly loyal into the Unknown Regions to begin anew.

However, this plan was foiled by Rae Sloane, a future leader of the Empire, who would go on to guide it into the future.

Rae Sloane – Founder of the First Order

Of all the Imperial officers who emerged in the chaos following Endor, none would have as much influence as Grand Admiral Rae Sloane. Beginning her career in the Imperial Navy, she steadily rose through the ranks throughout the Empire’s reign. During the Battle of Endor, as a Vice Admiral, she gave the order for the Imperial forces to retreat.

After Endor she became a leading figure in the Empire. Ironically this is due at through the manipulations of Gallius Rax who sees her as a useful asset of the Contingency. Under his influence, she became the public face of the Empire, promoted to Grand Admiral and de jure commander of Imperial forces

Through her partnership with Rax, however, Sloane began to distrust him, believing that his vision would lead to the destruction of the Empire she so dearly loved. Her suspicions proved somewhat correct due to Rax’s plans at the Battle of Jakku. As a result, she turned against him and, before he could escape, killed him—but not before uncovering the true nature of the Contingency and the coordinates to the Emperor’s personal flagship, The Eclipse.

Once aboard, she, along with Brendol Hux, set off into the Unknown Regions. There, she began leading the remnants of the Empire in building a new and more powerful regime: the First Order. As of now, little is known about Sloane’s fate after her escape, only that by the time of the Sequel Trilogy, she was no longer in a position of power—most likely having been usurped by Supreme Leader Snoke.

Moff Gideon – Warlord

While Sloane ventured into the Unknown Regions, other leaders within the known galaxy sought to take the reins of the Empire. One of them was Moff Gideon.

Once a member of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) before being promoted to Moff, Gideon became a prominent warlord in the Outer Rim. He established his base beneath the ruins of Mandalore, his obsession with the warrior people driving much of his ambition as he plotted his own conquest of the galaxy.

After the fall of the Empire at Endor, Gideon’s primary focus shifted to cloning—particularly the creation of clones with Force sensitivity. His ultimate goal was to build an army of Force-sensitive clones of himself, using them to impose what he saw as ‘order’ upon the galaxy. To achieve this, he recruited Dr. Pershing, an expert in Kaminoan cloning technology, and sought the genetic material of a mysterious child from Yoda’s species—Grogu.

During these plans, however, Moff Gideon became part of the “Shadow Council” a collection of various Imperial Warlords whose ultimate goal was to reconquer the galaxy together under the leadership of “Grand Admiral Thrawn”. However Gideon was never truly loyal to the council and thus contributed with his own agenda.

He was inevitably defeated by Din Djarin and the Mandalorians as part of an effort to retake there homes. Presumed dead, Gideon was a big fish in a small pond, as other Imperial leaders attempted to seize power.

Grand Admiral Thrawn – Heir to the Empire

Thrawn is an Imperial who needs no introduction. Commander of the Seventh Fleet and Grand Admiral of the Empire, he was a Chiss from the Unknown Regions who joined the Empire to forge an alliance with its mighty regime. It was his forces that attempted to crush the Rebellion on Lothal, only to be defeated by Ezra Bridger and the Ghost Crew. In the end, he was dragged by Purrgil to another galaxy, forced to spend the remainder of the Galactic Civil War in exile.

As of now, little is known about the Grand Admiral’s return. However, through an alliance with his old Imperial ally, Morgan Elsbeth, and darksiders Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, he managed to escape his exile on the planet Peridea and return to the known galaxy. During his time in exile, he also formed an alliance with ancient Nightsisters, who have provided him with an army that could potentially conquer the galaxy.

As of yet, Thrawn has not been defeated in the unfolding Mandoverse, but we know that his fate will likely mirror that of his Legends counterpart—given that he is not ruling an empire by the time of the Sequel Trilogy.

End of an Empire

While the First Order is a successor to the Empire, it does not consider itself the Empire as it once was. As such, Rax, Sloane, Gideon, and Thrawn were the last true rulers of Palpatine’s Galactic Empire following the Battle of Endor. Various other warlords existed as well, but none possessed the capability or cunning to be anything more than minor nuisances to the New Republic at the time.

Though he was defeated, the Emperor’s legacy cast a long, dark shadow—one that did not so easily fade after his first death. His acolytes continued to spread his evil ideals, but in the end, they were always defeated by the forces of good and light.

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