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- "If we're destroyed—if we all die—the concepts and ideals of the New Order will die with us. But if we surrender, we can keep those ideals alive. Then, if and when the New Republic self destructs, we'll be positioned to rise again."
- ―Gilad Pellaeon
The Fel Empire,[1] also called the Fel Imperium, the Empire or the New Order with a Personal Face, was the name given to what remained of the Galactic Empire some time after 44 ABY, following the ascension of Jagged Fel to the throne. It reflected the partial recovery of the Galactic Empire's former power and prestige, and also the restoration of the Imperial monarchy by the Fel dynasty after decades of interregnum.[1]
Palpatine's Empire and the Fel Empire shared many characteristics, such as the Moffs' Council, centralised rule, the Force-sensitivity of the Emperor, and, to a certain extent, xenophobia. However, unlike Palpatine, the Fels encouraged the proliferation of light-side Force-users, even forming a Jedi Order analogue known as the Imperial Knights.
The revived regime became the dominant power in the galaxy once again by the conclusion of the Sith–Imperial War of 127–130 ABY, only to be replaced with a Sith Empire a few days later,[1] forcing those loyal to Fel into exile.
History
Establishment
It is not clear if the official name of this government was anything other than the Galactic Empire, but from c. 12 ABY, a new de facto political constitution had emerged, with military power being held by the Regional Governors of the Moff Council, in alliance with Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet; from about 19 ABY, the term Imperial Remnant was often applied to this regime and the relatively small fragment of territory it ruled—though Imperial loyalists themselves usually spoke of "Imperial Space" or simply "the Empire".
By the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the "Galactic" Empire had actually become a member state of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. This also eventually allowed Gilad Pellaeon to succeed Sien Sovv as Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, signifying the level of cooperation and integration of the former galactic government with the new one, at least at that time period. The appointment of former Imperial General Turr Phennir, however, as the Supreme Commander of the combined Confederation military may indicate the existence of secessionist sympathizers within the semi-autonomous Empire.
Jagged Fel, the first Emperor of the Fel Bloodline.
At some point, following the Second Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Remnant once again began to gain strength. Under Jagged Fel, who retook the title of Emperor, the Imperial Remnant started the Victory Without War program. The capital, Bastion, became one of the most fortified planets in the galaxy. At most, several Moffs held a distaste for the Galactic Alliance, leading to personal cold war-esque hatred.
The Sith–Imperial War
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At some point, the One Sith sabotaged the Ossus Project, a massive reconstruction effort employing Yuuzhan Vong-terraforming techniques to restore worlds devastated by the Vong War, to the detriment of the planets' inhabitants and killing millions in the process. The Galactic Alliance soon found itself facing a secession movement mirroring that of the Separatists during the Clone Wars. The Empire used this situation to entice Alliance member worlds to secede and become part of Imperial space. But the Empire wanted all of the Alliance worlds, including its capital.
Roan Fel, Emperor during the War
Eventually, the Moff Council, at the behest of High Moff Morlish Veed and Moff Nyna Calixte, invoked the Treaty of Anaxes against the will of Emperor Roan Fel, and in 127 ABY, the Sith-Imperial War broke out, and the One Sith allied with the Empire. The war resulted in the fall of the Alliance and the reestablishment of the Empire as the primary galactic government. The remnants of the Alliance were absorbed into the Empire, but the Galactic Alliance Core Forces remained, and continued to fight the resurgent Empire. Shortly after the fall of the Alliance the Emperor called upon the entire New Jedi Order to surrender and subject their will to the Empire. Some of them did, becoming Imperial Knights, while the others held to the will of the Force and retreated to Ossus.
The coup
- "Roan Fel never really embraced the war or the idea of a unified galaxy. He went along with it as a political necessity. That's not what the Empire—what the galaxy—needs. The galaxy writhes in chaos and disorder. It requires a man of vision. I am that man of vision. I am the new Emperor."
- ―Darth Krayt
Darth Krayt, the first Sith Emperor since Palpatine.
After the Alliance defeat and the Massacre at Ossus, the Sith under the command of Darth Krayt turned against Emperor Roan Fel. He launched a daring coup, marching with his cohorts straight into Fel's audience chamber himself, and killing the man who sat on the throne. After the man's death, Krayt sat himself in his place. Noting the confusion and outrage from the members of the Moff Council who were present, he laid out the facts of life for them.
Faced with little choice, the Moff Council swore loyalty to him. For the first time since Darth Caedus, a Sith Lord held the galactic seat of power. At once he set about imposing order on a galaxy that sorely needed it, but this too was an incomplete victory. The "Emperor" he had killed had been a double; the real Fel was a fully trained Imperial Knight and would surely have defended himself, rather than just stand there and let himself be slain. It was imperative that the real Fel be found before he recruited allies among the Moffs, the military, or those Jedi who had survived the massacre at Ossus.
Insurgency and restoration
Not all of the Empire recognized Darth Krayt's authority. Over the years, forces loyal to Fel gathered on Bastion, awaiting the return of their true Emperor. With the Imperial Knights leader Antares Draco and the 501st Legion commander General Oron Jaeger at his side, Fel took control of the planet in 137 ABY, knowing that Krayt would be wary to amass a frontal assault on the heavily fortified planet. With the Fel Empire a thing of the past, Fel led an Empire-in-exile. As the factions of Krayt and Fel grew larger, units that once served with each other were now forced to fight against one another for control of territory around the galaxy.
Government and politics
- "I was tired of Fel playing us against each other!"
- ―Moff Geist
For the first time, women and Non-Humans worked alongside Human men in the military of the Fel Empire.
The Empire was ruled by an Emperor, a sovereign ruler for life, yet the Moff Council held considerable power, and advised him. By all accounts, the reign of Roan Fel was relatively benevolent, and had far less of the abuses of power and tyrannical excesses of the Empire under Palpatine, though he was not above playing power games for the sake of maintaining his authority.
By the time of Fel's reign, the Empire's infamous bigotry against non-Human species had faded to the point that stormtroopers had aliens among their ranks and the Imperial Navy had at least one non-Human admiral, namely the Kel Dor Sha Dun.
The Moffs not only governed sectors, but also managed both the Imperial Military and Imperial Intelligence, as well as other institutions such as the Imperial Mission and the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, and held enough power to invoke treaties and to launch wars. Still, some, such as Moff Geist, longed to return to the days when the Empire was under the complete control of the Council.
Astrography
The Fel Empire's territory originally consisted of a few "backwater" sectors in the Outer Rim Territories that bordered the Unknown Regions, located in the northern quadrant of the Galaxy. At some point following the Second Galactic Civil War, the Imperials once again began to regain territories. As a result of the Sith–Imperial War, the territories of the Galactic Alliance were absorbed into the Empire (except a few worlds).
The capital of the Empire was originally Bastion but it was moved to Coruscant, keeping in tradition with the previous galactic governments. However, Bastion continued to play an important role in Imperial affairs.
Behind the scenes
In Star Wars Insider 87, John Ostrander describes the Fel Empire as "not as inherently evil [as the earlier Empire], but still not a republic, not a democracy. It's the rule of the few, or the one, over the many. It has a lot of strengths; it has a substantial amount of weaknesses. It values power more than anything else."
The term "A New Order with a Personal Face" recalls the old Hungarian and 1960s communist movements in former Czechoslovakia and western Europe, who used the phrase "Socialism with a human face" to try to differentiate themselves from the Soviet bloc.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Legacy 8: Allies
- Star Wars: Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
- Star Wars: Legacy: Indomitable (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: Legacy 41: Rogue's End (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: Legacy 43: Monster, Part 1 (In flashback(s))
Sources
- Star Wars Insider 87 (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: Legacy 0
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Special Edition
- Star Wars: Legacy 0½
- Star Wars Insider 88
- Legacy Era Campaign Guide
- The Essential Atlas
- Galaxy of Intrigue
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded