Welcome to the #4 edition of 60 Standard Minutes.

[Guest Admiral_Antilles]

Hello again, and welcome to the fourth edition of 60 Standard Minutes. As I decided on the newest subject I began looking for Rouge Squadron information, I unfortunately never found enough to suit me and therefore decided against an edition on Rouge Squadron (for now). Instead it is with great pleasure I present the famed leaders of the Empire and eventually the Imperial Remnant. (Note—I have not listed all leaders of the Empire, only ones I thought were major characters and people that were influential to Star Wars history.)

 

Palpatine

Palpatine served his homeworld of Naboo, as well as thirty-six other inhabited planets, as a Senator in the Old Republic, and was instrumental in the rise to power of the Trade Federation. He was first elected to represent the human population of Naboo some 52 years before the Battle of Yavin. Also a student of the Dark Side of the Force who trained on Korriban, Palpatine used his political savvy to develop alliances with other power-hungry individuals to begin his own bid for power. He used the Trade Federation - with its cowardly Neimoidian leaders - to force the Old Republic to see its stagnant ways. After manipulating his Queen, Amidala, to call for a vote of no-confidence in Supreme Chanceller Valorum, Palpatine put himself at the forefront of the coming elections. In a vote which was based on sympathy for Naboo and the many alliances Palpatine had forged, he was voted to replace Valorum at the age of fifty.

 

While remaining unobtrusive and often helpful, Palpatine manipulated the Old Republic until it began to crumble from within, remaining in his position as Chancellor well beyond the normal term length, after he was granted extensions to deal with various crises. The most crucial situation he faced was the threat of the Separatists, led by Count Dooku. Palpatine called for the creation of an Army of the Republic to combat the Separatists, forcing the Military Creation Act into law and taking command of the clone armies created by the Kaminoans for Sifo-Dyas. He later assumed complete control of the galaxy and himself Emperor.

 

As Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Empire. A student in the ways of the Dark Side of The Force. He was a xenophobe, though he used aliens when it suited him. Through his use of the Dark Side, he gained a large body of knowledge on the use of clones to become virtually immortal. The fresh supply of new bodies ensured that the destructive power of the Dark Side never killed him. Early in his tenure as Emperor, Palpatine recognized the strength of Anakin Skywalker, and twisted the young Jedi to the Dark Side of the Force. The Emperor used Sith magics to recover Anakin's body, following a duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and revive it. The new spirit discarded its old name and became Darth Vader. Palpatine taught Vader in the ways of the Dark Side, but was always wary of the possibility that Vader might have had children.

 

Palpatine ruled the galaxy as Emperor for nearly 25 years, until he was killed by Darth Vader aboard the second Death Star, over the Forest Moon of Endor. Palpatine's body was consumed by the fierce power generators in the battle station, but his spirit survived. It took the disembodied Palpatine so long to reach the planet Byss that he was nearly drained of any power in the Dark Side. Once on Byss, though, he was able to contact Sate Pestage, who readied a new cloned body for the Emperor. Palpatine spent years recovering his powers in the Dark Side, all the while watching the Empire crumble under the sheer luck of the New Republic. He had hopes for Grand Admiral Thrawn, but the alien's death only helped Palpatine gain more power. When he emerged from hiding on Byss, he sought to retake the galaxy using World Devastators. He was also trying to turn Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side, which he nearly succeeded in doing. However, the presence of Luke's sister, Leia Organa, and her unborn children pulled Luke back to the Light Side. Together, they turned the Emperor's rage back on himself, and destroyed yet another incarnation on the evil Emperor.

 

Since his last body was killed on Byss, Palpatine had an easier time placing his spirit into a new clone. However, Luke managed to destroy all of the remaining clones Palpatine had ready for use, and so when his body began to deteriorate, he started searching for Anakin Solo again. He quickly began launching new attacks against the New Republic, this time with a weapon known as the Galaxy Gun. Skywalker enlisted the aid of the Ysanna - a race of Force-sensitives descended from ancient Jedi stock - as well as the assistance of Empatajayos Brand, to confront the Emperor on Onderon. There, Palpatine's dying body tried desperately to reach Anakin Solo. Brand intervened, though, and consumed the Emperor's spirit within his own. Both Brand and Palaptine died on Onderon.

 

Later, during the rise of Second Imperium, a group of former Imperial Royal Guards began using their experience with Palpatine to actually pretend to be the Emperor reborn. Using carefully spliced holovid segments, they were able to project a perfect image of the Emperor, and were also able to synthesize speech from recordings. Whenever they traveled, they used droids to carry a large isolation chamber which ostensibly housed the reborn Palpatine. Their ruse fooled Brakiss and the leaders of the Shadow Academy, until they were discovered in the aftermath of the battle over Yavin 4.

 

 

Darth Vader

When Anakin Skywalker came under the tutelage of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, he was led down a path to the Dark Side of The Force. Despite the teachings of his friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin felt that the teachings of Palpatine led to quicker realization of the powers of The Force. This forced Kenobi to confront Anakin, and in a Lightsaber duel, Kenobi forced Anakin into a pit of molten rock. It was at this point that Anakin Skywalker was consumed by the Dark Side. He was rescued from the fire by the descendants of the Sith, and reborn as Darth Vader.

 

In order for the Sith to keep Anakin alive, they had to create a life support system that encased his entire body. It had to recreate certain limbs, as well as keep his lungs functioning. At the Emperor's direction, the Sith made the life-support suit as evil-looking as they could. The all-black body armor became Vader's main weapon, as it instilled fear in all who saw it. The Sith also began training Vader in the ancient Sith lore, and Vader became the last of the Sith Dark Lords. As such, he became even more Palpatine's tool, able to create fear just by the mention of his name and the mysterious Sith teachings behind it. Early holonews reports portrayed Vader as a hero of the New Order, having "stood against the rebellious leadership of the Jedi Knights, and nearly dying in order to protect the citizens of the galaxy."

 

Palpatine sent Vader to support Grand Moff Tarkin during the time when the first Death Star was being readied for use. Vader oversaw the mission to recover the stolen plans, but was unable to get Princess Leia to divulge their location. He used the Millennium Falcon as a guide, and followed the fleeing ship to Yavin 4, only to lose the Death Star to the Alliance. Vader's ship was disabled during the battle, but he regained control. When the Emperor heard of the destruction of the first Death Star, he removed Vader's living right hand as punishment, and replaced it with a cybernetic prosthesis.

 

Shortly thereafter, Vader went to Circarpous V to investigate the appearance of Leia Organa on the planet, as well as to locate the Kaiburr crystal. In an amazing duel with Luke Skywalker, Vader was hard-pressed to defeat Luke. Luke succeeded in defeating Vader, and even cut off the Dark Lord's right arm with his own Lightsaber. In his dazed state, Vader fell into a sacrificial weel on the Temple of Pomojema and was lost. He survived, however, drawing on the Dark Side of the Force for support and strength. Once Palpatine was aware that Anakin Skywalker's son had survived and posed a possible threat to the Empire, he told Vader of the existence of Luke Skywalker, in an effort to completely gain control of any vestiges of Anakin Skywalker and convert them to Darth Vader. However, this plan backfired on Palpatine, as the remnants of Anakin began to surface. Following the relevation of Luke's relationship to Anakin, and the loss of Luke at Cloud City, Palpatine began to give Vader menial tasks, and tried to keep him away from Luke.

 

He could not, however, and the part of Vader that was still Anakin continued to assert itself. The Battle of Endor was a turning point for Darth Vader. It was then that Luke Skywalker surrendered to Vader, and began to try and turn the Dark Lord back to the Light Side. The darker parts of Vader resisted, but Luke's love and devotion to his father strengthened the spirit of Anakin. When the Emperor was forced to kill Luke, Anakin was awakened, and with Vader's mechanized strength, he threw the Emperor into a power shaft, destroying Palpatine and the Empire. Darth Vader also ceased to exist at this point, as Anakin was able to return from the Dark Side. However, the struggle with the Emperor left the life support systems inoperable, and Anakin died before Luke could save him.

 

Thrawn

This being, a member of the Chiss race, was a respected and honored commander in the Chiss Expansionary Defense force. His abilities to accurately predict his opponent's moves, and his tactical genius, moved him through the ranks with a quiet speed. Thrawn - whose full name is Mitth'raw'nuruodo - was one of the first to intercept the Imperial task force dispatched to destroy the Outbound Flight Project, when it appeared in the Unknown Regions. Then-Senator Palpatine had arranged for the Jedi Masters to make a trial run through the Unknown Regions, in order to help prepare them for the discovery of life in another galaxy. Unknown to the Jedi, Palpatine had sent the task force - led by one of his trusted advisors, Kinman Doriana - to make sure they didn't get started. The fifteen-ship Imperial force was summarily wiped out by Thrawn's small fleet of ships, although Doriana's ship was allowed to survive. Doriana himself negotiated with Thrawn, explaining why they were in Chiss space and what the threat of the Jedi was. Thrawn saw two things in Doriana's speech: the necessity for removing the Jedi, but also the order and stability that Palpatine's New Order could bring to the galaxy. He agreed to let Doriana return to Coruscant, and also agreed to destroy Outbound Flight.

 

Palpatine spent the next several years searching for Thrawn, in hopes of bringing his military genius into the Empire. Thrawn, meanwhile, had learned from the Empire the use of pre-emptive strikes against his opponents. The problem was that the Chiss regarded such unprovoked attacks as a form of murder, and exiled Thrawn after one particularly bloody incident. The ruling Chiss stripped him of his rank and sent him to live on an uninhabited world near Imperial space. It was here that Captain Voss Parck finally caught up with Thrawn, convincing him to travel to Coruscant and serve Palpatine.

 

Thrawn received private schooling in Imperial military academies, becoming a Captain shortly after the Battle of Yavin and quickly rising through the ranks as one of the few non-humans in the Navy. When Darth Vader was called by the Emperor to become more involved in his plot to capture Luke Skywalker, Vader assigned Thrawn to be the "guardian" of the Noghri on Honoghr. This exposure to Vader and Palpatine led to Thrawn's promotion to Vice Admiral, where he helped design the missile gunboat. As Vice Admiral, Thrawn oversaw the development of an Imperial outpost in the Pakuuni System, and then assisted in the defense of Palpatine against Zaarin's treachery. However, Thrawn could not capture Zaarin before he made his escape into hyperspace.

 

Further service to the Emperor garnered Thrawn a full promotion to Admiral, at which time he served on the Inexorable under Ysanne Isard. Sometime later, Thrawn was promoted to Grand Admiral, and he convinced both Isard and Soontir Fel that a group of clones created from Fel's genetic material would make perfect sleeper agents. They could pilot ships, and would be loyal to the Empire. During a political party in the Emperor's court, Thrawn made a rare judgmental error and wound up on the wrong side of a debate. This angered Palpatine, but it also gave him an excuse to move Thrawn out of the limelight. Thrawn and Parck were sent back to the Unknown Regions as punishment, but were continually fed Imperial support.

 

While there, Thrawn and Parck set up the compound known as the Hand of Thrawn on Nirauan, drawing a military force from the Chiss who still supported Thrawn. During their tenure, they won over large sectors of the region. These sectors could have vastly increased the Empire had not Palpatine died at Endor. Thrawn decided to hedge his bets, and began fortifying the Hand of Thrawn. He left Parck there, in charge of the planet, when he decided to return to the rest of the galaxy some five years after the Battle of Endor. He left word with Parck and the Chiss who supported him that, if he was ever reported dead, that they should wait ten years for his return. As one of the surviving Grand Admirals, Thrawn was able to quickly garner support from the Imperial remnants, obtaining control of the small fleet under the command of then-Captain Pellaeon. Using Noghri strike forces and clever deceptions - such as cloaking devices and clones recovered from the Mount Tantiss facility - Thrawn and his growing fleet began systematically retaking pieces of the New Republic. He was successful until the Battle of Bilbringi, where his fleet was decimated and he was killed by his Noghri bodyguard, Rukh. In order to ensure that he would eventually return to the Chiss on Nirauan, as he promised, Thrawn had Parck and Fel maintain a clone of himself, ready for rebirth at the ten-year mark. The clone was never activated, as Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade discovered the ruse and exposed it to the New Republic.

 

Pellaeon, Gilad

The elderly Imperial Navy Captain in command of the Chimaera, Pellaeon took the remnants of the Imperial fleet and retreated from the Battle of Endor. Born on Corellia years before Anakin Skywalker, Pellaeon lied his way into the Judicial Forces when he was just fifteen. While serving aboard various starships with the Old Republic, he learned about the ebb and flow of political tides, and saw that the military was something of a constant. He developed a military sense that kept him in the background, making sure his troops were well-fed and respected, rather than bullying them into submission. After the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor, Pellaeon had no desire to lead the Empire, but he felt it was his duty to keep the Imperial fleet together. Thus, when Grand Admiral Thrawn emerged from the Unknown Regions to take control of the Empire, Pellaeon was more than willing to turn the fleet over to Thrawn, despite Thrawn's obviously alien background. He served Thrawn well, respecting the alien's uncanny insights while providing tactical assistance when necessary.

 

Following the death of Thrawn at the hands of his own bodyguard, Rukh, Pellaeon took Thrawn's remaining ships and fled to the Core Systems, where he came in contact with High Admiral Teradoc. The two marshaled a large fleet of Victory-class Star Destroyers, and rivaled Harrsk for leadership of the Imperial forces for a number of years. When Daala showed up and tried to combine the strengths of the feuding warlords, Pellaeon sided with Daala, who only wanted to restore the Empire. The two of them arranged a summit of all the warlords on Tsoss Station, but were forced to poison them all when they failed to cooperate. Pellaeon became Daala's first officer, and was placed in command of the remaining seventeen Imperial-class Star Destroyers. He was to be the primary attack for that assaulted the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.

 

His attack was perfect, slipping into the system before the Jedi knew it. However, his Imperial conditioning failed to prepare him for the power of the Force. The Jedi, under the focus of Dorsk 81, used the Force to physically fling the entire Star Destroyer fleet out of the Yavin System, knocking out navigations and hyperdrives. Pellaeon was able to recover all his ships, as well as Admiral Daala's escape pod, before leaving to the system. After Daala's rescue, she resigned her command, and turned control of the Imperial fleet over to him.

 

While he still had no desire to rule the Empire, Pellaeon felt that the situation was the Battle of Endor all over again. He took the fleet back to the Core Systems to regroup. Pellaeon assumed the position of Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, and worked against all odds to rebuild the fleet. He spent several years trying to overcome the problems with the cloaking device, and eventually tested the Computer Combat Predictor. However, its inability to truly aid in a cloaked fight was the last straw in the back of the dwindling Imperial animal. He suggested to Moff Disra that the Imperial remnants should negotiate surrender with the New Republic some ten years after Thrawn's death, hoping to obtain amnesty rather than execution. Although the majority of the Moffs were in agreement with the plan, Disra's own machinations kept him from wholeheartedly agreeing. Pellaeon began his attempts to contact the Republic by sending Colonel Vermel to meet with Garm Bel Iblis, but Disra captured Vermel before his message was fully delivered. Pellaeon, meanwhile, waited for Bel Iblis as Pesitiin, where Disra sent Zothip and the Cavrilhu Pirates to ambush him. Pellaeon's forces dispatched the pirates, but continued to wait for Bel Iblis. However, Bel Iblis was on a mission to Yaga Minor, so it was Ghent who actually received the truncated message from Vermel. He brought the message to Leia Organa-Solo, who agreed to meet with Pellaeon. Their initial talks were tentative but promising, and both agreed to return to their sides and meet at a later date. Meantime, Pellaeon and Commander Dreyf discovered Disra's plans, and began to press the matter with the Moff. Pellaeon eventually won out over the renegade Moff Disra, and soon signed a peace treaty - later known as the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty - with the New Republic.

 

He assumed command of what became known as the Imperial Remnant, and maintained a distanced relationship with the Republic until the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the galaxy. Then, Pellaeon agreed to help the war effort during the Battle of Ithor, only to be recalled to Imperial space by the short-sightedness of the Moff Council. Pellaeon feared that the Moffs' decision to stay out of the fight - so long as the Yuuzhan Vong avoided the Empire - was the wrong thing to do, but his half-century of experience made him hold his tongue for several years. He worked hard to bolster the forces protecting Bastion, but the Imperials were no match for the surprise attack launched by the Yuuzhan Vong shortly after the Battle of Coruscant. Bastion and Muunilinst were lost almost immediately, and the destruction would have been worse if Luke Skywalker hadn't arrived on the scene. Pellaeon gladly accepted the help of the Jedi, who were searching for the planet Zonama Sekot, and was able to hold off the alien invaders long enough to evacuate the central Imperial systems. However, the Chimaera took heavy damage, and Pellaeon himself was nearly killed. Only the skilled work of the Jedi healer Tekli kept him alive.

 

Once the Imperial Remnant regrouped at Yaga Minor, Pellaeon started his own recovery, and began training his forces with tactics developed by the newly-formed Galactic Alliance. Despite the fact that he was confined to a bacta tank, Pellaeon was also instrumental in helping Jacen Solo convince the Moff Council that it needed to adopt the Galactic Alliance's tactics in order to ensure the very survival of the Empire. When he was able to emerge from the bacta tank, Pellaeon once again took command of the Imperial Navy, and threatened to secede from the Empire if the Moffs didn't accept Jacen's offer to join the Galactic Alliance. Once the Moffs agreed, Pellaeon took the Imperial fleet and began to harass the retreating Yuuzhan Vong forces, hoping to defend the Imperial Remnant by joining the war effort to defeat the alien invaders throughout the galaxy. As the battle neared its conclusion, Pellaeon was appointed the commander of the Galactic Alliance's Fourth Fleet, and was instrumental in the final battle against the Yuuzhan Vong near Coruscant.

 

In the wake of the Yuuzhan Vong surrender, Pellaeon prepared to return to the Imperial Remnant as its primary liaison to the Galactic Republic. Before he left, however, he found time to return the moss painting Killik Twilight to Leia Organa Solo.

 

Tarkin, Wilhuff

Although his origins and his Imperial service records are sparse, Tarkin had a noticeable career with the Imperial Navy before proposing the infamous "Rule by Fear" doctrine to Emperor Palpatine. Tarkin was born some thirty years before the Battle of Naboo.

 

Early in his career, Tarkin was the Lieutenant Governor of the planet Eriadu before becoming a Commander in the Republic Outland Regions Security Force, where he first exerted his power by coercing Raith Sienar into an attempt to take control of the planet Zonama Sekot. Despite the setbacks suffered there, Tarkin nevertheless manipulated events in his favor, and gained considerable status in the eyes of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. His rise to power within the Imperial military was equally smooth; he was promoted from Captain to Moff for taking the initiative and commanding the Ghorman Massacre. It was during this time that he noticed the talents of Daala on Carida, and brought her along with him when he became Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories. The two became intimate confidantes, sharing their dreams for rulership along with their passion for each other, even though Tarkin had a wife back on Phelarion.

 

Tarkin's innate evil and cunning was evident in his establishment of the Maw Installation, a secret laboratory dedicated to the creation of the super weapons which would make governing the Empire easier. When the Empire tried to enslave the Mon Calamari, Tarkin took centerstage in the attack. It was at this time that Tarkin obtained Ackbar as his personal slave. There are also rumors that Tarkin was given Ackbar as a slave by an opportunistic subordinate. Ackbar used this period to absorb all that he could about Imperial fleet strengths and weaknesses, and he also learned a great deal about Tarkin's personality. He also learned a great deal about the first Death Star in this way. When the Alliance tried to assassinate Tarkin, they were thwarted by Imperial ships, but managed to rescue Ackbar. Tarkin's major contribution to the Emperor's cause was the Death Star, which he used to rule the Outer Rim for a brief period. Palpatine assigned Tarkin to the Death Star, hoping to quell the various rebellions that occurred in the Outer Rim. However,

 

Tarkin also had a hidden objective in creating the Death Star. Once the battle station was operational, he'd hoped to use it against Palpatine, in an attempt to take control of the galaxy for himself. Palpatine foresaw some of Tarkin's motives, and assigned Wullf Yularen as Tarkin's assistant. Tarkin's personal ambitions and self-confidence got the best of his, though, during the Battle of Yavin. Tarkin refused to evacuate the station, even with the knowledge that the Alliance had found a flaw to exploit. Tarkin was killed when the Death Star was destroyed even as he gave the command to fire on the Massassi base. The Empire released an official death notice for Tarkin, but it claimed that he died in a shuttle crash at the Tallaan Shipyards.

 

I hope you enjoyed this edition of 60 Standard Minutes, and I hope you look forward to the next edition of 60 Standard Minutes when I investigate the terrible super weapons of the Empire!!

Edited July 21, 2004 by Admiral_Antilles

[Guest JediIgor]

Ah, I found the Thrawn and Tarkin descriptions highly informative .

 

However, I was surprised you left out the Darth Sidious info about Palpatine (and how he used the puppet Count Dooku to become dictator of the Republic), and the fact that Vader killed "all" the Jedi in the Darth Vader description.

[Guest Admiral_Antilles]

Sorry, Igor. I just did not find enough information about it to actually give a good description of those things. I am glad you enjoyed it though.

[ADarkJedi44]

Sure he has a few minor mistakes in them all, but who's perfect?

Another great edition, I look forward to the next

[Guest Admiral_Antilles]

Thanks Darky, I am glad you enjoyed it.

[Mad78]

Keep it up

[Krytos]

Great work as usual Antilliles, even if there were a few mistake - but after all, who's perfect?

[Mad78]

BTW about Rogue squadron I wrote something about them in the 3rd edition. ven if there were a few mistakes that Thumper corrected.

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

I think that is was wise to leave out the information about Darth Sisiouse. While most people who think they know what is going to happen in Episode 3 might be right, it's more likely that GL is feeding us dissinformation to keep the plot a secret.

 

Good work on the Thrawn coverage. I still think that the Thrawn who came back from the outerrim was a clone, and that the real Thrawn is somewhere in Chiss space.

[Guest Admiral_Antilles]

GAT, you pose an interesting idea, that we might find correct if the new "villian" in the post-NJO books turns out to be him.

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

We can only hope...

[smellymummy]

excellent edition. thanks!

[Guest Admiral_Antilles]

Your quite welcome, mummy. Look for the next one, tonight.

[smellymummy]

i personally think this one is your best so far.. ah the dark side is so nice and sweet ....