Galactic Empire (Star Wars) Galactic Empire (Star Wars) The Galactic Empire is a fictional autocracy featured in the "Star Wars" franchise. It was first introduced in the 1977 film "Star Wars" and also appears in its two sequels: "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983) and is the main antagonist faction of the original trilogy. By the time of the sequel trilogy, which starts three decades following the events of the original trilogy, the government has since collapsed and has been succeeded by the First Order. The Empire's origins are depicted in the prequel "" (2005), where it replaces the
Journey to Star Wars to bridge the "Star Wars" timeline between "Return of the Jedi" and "The Force Awakens". Journey to Star Wars "Journey to "Star Wars" is a Disney/Lucasfilm publishing initiative that connects the "Star Wars" sequel films with previous film installments in the franchise. It currently includes the initiatives "Journey to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Journey to "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"". All titles under the program are canonical to the "Star Wars" universe. A group of "at least" 20 novels and comic books related to the 2015 film "" was announced in March 2015. The first novels, including ""