Palpatine (II)

Palpatine II, commonly referred to as just Palpatine, was the son of Emperor Palpatine and inherited the throne from his father, becoming the Galactic Emperor, in 4 ABY. The younger Palpatine was born in secret in 19 ABY, because even though the elder Palpatine intended to become immortal using clone bodies, he still acknowledged that something could go wrong. He also thought that a son would be an excellent enforcer and apprentice, knowing that Darth Vader would eventually grow weak and would need to be replaced. His son was born on Byss, to a woman named Samara, who had been selected by the senator after he met her on Naboo, for her loyalty to him. From his early childhood, the younger Palpatine was trained in using the Dark Side of the Force, military and political sciences, and lightsaber dueling, among other subjects. In 1 BBY, Palpatine began observing and occasionally commanding minor operations carried out by the Imperial Military.

Throughout the Galactic Civil War, Palpatine continued improving his skills by overseeing military operations and carrying out individual missions against the Alliance to Restore the Republic. When his father was killed at Endor, along with Vader, Palpatine quickly assumed the throne, giving an elaborate speech Coruscant, which was broadcasted across the galaxy. During his youth, the Empire did not hide the fact that the Emperor had a son, however, he seldom made public appearances. Palpatine had been looking forward to taking the throne, and had prepared a plan of what he would do in case his father died unexpectedly. The government assumed he would be a weak leader, thinking he was inexperienced, and assumed he would be easy to manipulate. Over the next year following the death of his father, Palpatine proved them wrong by directly taking the reigns of the Empire, launching offensives into Alliance-held territory and executing treasonous officers.

However, the most notable events of his reign occurred around 8 ABY. He recognized why there was a rebellion in the first place, and made amendments to the Imperial Charter. The rights of aliens were greatly increased, ending anti-alien discrimination. A coalition of opposition parties was permitted to be formed, and the Imperial Senate was revived. Though it's powers were limited, Palpatine made sure it actually had the ability to influence decision-making and laws, not being simply an advisory body as it was under Palpatine I. Meanwhile, his military campaigns were successful, keeping the rebels from capitalizing on the major victory they scored at Endor, and taking back much lost ground. Though he was the son of a Sith, Palpatine recognized the need for greater rights to be given to the people, and he himself did not support Sith ideals, instead being more of a Force Adept. The rebellion was ultimately defeated, with Luke Skywalker going into hiding in the Unknown Regions, Han Solo being killed, and Leia Organa surrendering. Mon Mothma was captured, and after being given a trial (largely for show), was executed.

By 12 ABY, the Alliance was completely destroyed, and the remains were reformed into the Resistance to Restore the Republic, which was a generally underground organization. In 14 ABY, Palpatine married Leia Organa. This was not very much out of love but more for unifying the galaxy; both had their own reasons for doing it. Palpatine thought marrying a former Rebel would make him look more moderate and would make the appearance that he was trying to make peace. Organa thought it would at least give here some power over the actions of the Empire, and allow her to take care of any corruption and any atrocities it might commit in the future. She became the first Galactic Empress, and a lavish wedding ceremony was held that year. And the two did feel some romantic feelings for each other, though they were limited.

The next major event occurred in 18 ABY, when a Grand Moff went rogue and attempted to commit a military coup on Imperial Center against the Emperor and the Empress. It was out down, but caused other officials to become more ambitious. Unknown to most, the Moff was convinced to go with it by a Yuuzhan Vong agent, as the species were preparing an invasion of the galaxy and wanted to weaken the Empire. They finally invaded in 24 ABY, though the Empire managed to repel most of their attacks, with the overall operation being overseen by Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Vong did not make it past the Outer Rim Territories and were defeated in 27 ABY. The Empire was viewed positively by the majority of the galactic populace by that point, and Palpatine was able to cut back on military spending, though he did continue to keep a massive military.