Star Wars: What Would Have Happened If The Galactic Empire Won?

Could the Galactic Empire have issues in a new era of peace for the Star Wars universe?

There are plenty of moments in the Star Wars series that make fans wonder what would have happened if the opposite outcome had occurred. Fans love exploring what would have happened if Anakin had beaten Obi-Wan on Mustafar, or what would have happened if Luke Skywalker just stayed home. Another interesting thought to explore is what the Galactic Empire would have done if they had beaten the Rebels.

It’s easy to say that they’d simply keep ruling the galaxy, but the answer has the potential to be much more interesting. If the Galactic Empire ended up winning their efforts, the direction of the Star Wars universe would have changed forever. All the worse, there’s no telling just how vile an unopposed Darth Sidious would have become.

How Does The Galactic Empire Fall In Canon?

In response to the tyranny they suffered, the Rebel Alliance formed to stand against the crippling thumb of the Galactic Empire. While the Rebel Alliance scored some key victories, one poor move had the potential to spell the end of the resistance movement. Luckily, Luke Skywalker rose to his destiny and became one of the last Jedi in the galaxy. Over time, civil wars and massive rebellions weakened the Empire’s power, but it was Luke Skywalker turning his father back to the side of light that began the true downfall of the Empire. Once Darth Vader tossed Darth Sidious to his death, the Galactic Empire entered its final days.

With a massive loss in morale, remaining military leaders tried to take some form of control of the Empire, but it would be too late. A New Republic was formed, and their fleets stomped out the remnants of the Empire. The Empire’s final gasp came during the Battle of Jakku, in which the Galactic Empire was defeated and retreated from the public. As the final loyalists retreated to the deep reaches of space, the Empire became nothing more than a bad memory for the galaxy.

What If The Galactic Empire Won?

The answer to a question like this depends on when the victory occurs, especially considering the Empire were already in a ruling position. Considering that a resistance movement formed in the first place, it’s possible that another one would start again at a later time. This means that a successful Galactic Empire would have been stuck in wars of repression for the rest of its existence. No matter when the Empire won, Palpatine would return, having persevered in life or death and remaining a plague on the galaxy forever.

In this situation, the Empire would then be stuck dealing with the future dangers of the galaxy. Taking the dangers of the future Legends Canon into account, the Empire would have to contend with the powerful Yuuzhan Vong without a force of Jedi. There are even further problematic events past this one. Realistically, with an even further-aged Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, there’s no way these two alone could have stood against the Yuuzhan Vong. Even a far more powerful Luke Skywalker with a new order of Jedi struggled.

It is important to note that the Yuuzhan Vong didn’t take too long to invade the galaxy after the defeat of the Galactic Empire. The Empire wouldn’t have had long to rebuild and improve its forces from the war with the Rebels. This means that upon the Yuuzhan Vong beginning their invasion, the Galactic Empire would have been wiped out, arguably in a worse fashion for Darth Sidious, as he would have his rule taken from him by a mass of invading aliens. Even if the Empire somehow survived that fight, the Swarm War would be on the horizon, yet another force capable of ending Darth Sidious’ reign.

Would The First Order Exist If The Galactic Empire Won?

In a timeline where the Galactic Empire won, there really wouldn’t be a need for the First Order. Essentially, the First Order was a contingency plan by the undetectable Darth Sidious and Galactic Empire loyalists to reestablish the might of the Empire. Had the Empire never fallen in the first place, there wouldn’t even be a plan to regain power. Kylo Ren’s words in the novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens make the purpose of the First Order clear, and why it wouldn’t exist if the Empire had lived on:

Regardless of whether the Empire managed to win before or after the death of Emperor Palpatine, the powerful Sith still would have returned and controlled the galaxy. Aspects of the First Order may have come into existence eventually, such as the massive Starkiller Base and improvements to the overall Empire. However, that wouldn’t require an entirely new moniker. With all of that said, it is possible that Palpatine would see the value in creating a new First Order to “crush” the Empire that had fallen out of favor, just so he could regain his reign under a new name. Outside of that specific scheme, there’s no way the First Order would have existed if Palpatine’s Galactic Empire had been victorious over the Rebel Alliance.