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
The Star Wars Corporation credits copyright notice of the film itself, and in reprints of "" and "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" as the copyrights have not expired or been renewed. The Star Wars Corporation The Star Wars Corporation, Inc. (SWC) was a company founded by George Lucas in 1973. It was a subsidiary of his Lucasfilm production company, set up to control various legal and financial aspects of his 1977 movie "Star Wars", including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights. It also produced the 1978 "Star Wars Holiday Special" for CBS. By 1980, the company had been discontinued and its business was absorbed