Imperial Era

The Imperial Era—also known as the Age of the Empire or post-Republic era, and sometimes regarded as the Dark Times or the reign of the Empire—was the time period that covered the reign of the Galactic Empire, lasting from Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine's proclamation of the New Order in 19 BBY until the signing of the Galactic Concordance in 5 ABY. The Imperial Era followed the Republic Era which lasted for a millennium, and preceded the short-lived New Republic Era. Its final years overlapped with the Galactic Civil War, a period known as the Galactic Civil War era, the Rebellion era, or the era of Rebellion. Age of Rebellion referred to the time period from 0 ABY to 4 ABY. After the battle of Endor since the death of Sheev Palpatine and his reign of terror came to an end, the one-year period from 4 ABY to 5 ABY became known as the fall of the Empire. Following the rise of the New Republic, the Imperial Era was referred to as the Old Empire era.

The rise of the Empire marked the Sith's return to power. Emperor Palpatine was the public identity of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious whose plan involved the extermination of the Jedi Order. The Great Jedi Purge continued throughout the Emperor's reign, leaving Luke Skywalker as the sole surviving Jedi Knight by the time of the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. Sidious' reign ended with his first death at the hands of Skywalker's father, the Sith apprentice Darth Vader who sacrificed himself while protecting his son. The Alliance to Restore the Republic rebranded itself as the New Republic, and achieved a decisive victory over the Empire at the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY.

Despite its defeat, the Empire's reign inspired a generation that was disillusioned by the state of the galaxy under the New Republic, from the Centrists who advocated for strong leadership to the militaristic First Order. The warlord Kylo Ren viewed the Imperial Era as a period of order and stability that the First Order sought to restore. To others such as Senator Leia Organa, the Empire's history was marked by tyranny, oppression, and genocide.

Text and facts from the “Imperial Era” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.