The plot to undermine the Sith, known as the anti-Sith conspiracy, was a scheme orchestrated by several influential figures within the Galactic Empire during the year 1 BBY. This scheme, masterminded by Grand Moff Trachta, aimed to depose the Sith rulers of the Empire: Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
At the heart of their strategy was a specialized unit of cloned stormtroopers. These troops were uniquely programmed to follow Trachta's orders, rather than Palpatine's. The conspirators planned to separate Vader and Palpatine, then have their stormtroopers, strategically placed within the ranks of both men's forces, turn against the Sith and eliminate them.
However, the scheme deviated from its intended course. Initially, the conspirators turned against each other, which led to the assassination of the majority of those involved. The remaining members faced failure as well, as Vader's and Palpatine's command over the Force allowed them to effortlessly subdue the stormtroopers and eliminate the remaining leaders. Ultimately, with the exception of the Imperial assassin Gauer, all members of the conspiracy perished in their endeavor.
Back in 19 BBY, during the rise of the Galactic Empire, Emperor Palpatine was targeted in a military coup attempt led by Imperial Academy headmaster Gentis. Trachta, a seasoned veteran of the recent Clone Wars and holding the rank of Moff, assisted Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Lieutenant Laurita Tohm in suppressing the coup. Following this event, Trachta was promoted to Grand Moff and assumed Gentis's former position as headmaster.
Trachta, who had a history with Galactic Emperor Palpatine dating back to approximately 31 BBY, initially envisioned the plan to overthrow him sometime before the year 11 BBY. While his official reason was a disdain for the theocratic governance of the Sith and a desire for secular leadership within the Empire, his true motivation was a lust for personal power.
In 11 BBY, Trachta initiated his plan by arranging for the creation of a special detachment of clone stormtroopers, consisting of one hundred soldiers with unwavering loyalty to him and none to Palpatine. Over the subsequent decade, he recruited several other Imperial officials into his scheme, including Grand Moff Bartam, General Skosef, and the assassin Gauer.
By 1 BBY, the army was fully prepared. Carsan, the Imperial officer responsible for training the clones, presented them to Trachta and relinquished control. To assess their loyalty and eliminate a potential witness, Trachta commanded them to apprehend and execute Carsan, which they did, demonstrating their absolute allegiance. Upon learning of Palpatine's intention to dissolve the Imperial Senate, the conspirators decided to instigate a more significant power shift. By removing the Sith, whom they regarded as a cult, they aimed to provide non-Force-sensitives, particularly themselves, with an opportunity to seize power.
Around this time, Trachta enlisted two additional members: Moff Kadir from the Coruscant Security Force and Second Officer Dezsetes. Kadir was displeased by the allocation of a new batch of stormtroopers, originally intended to bolster his forces, to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, and was approached by Trachta, who probed his willingness to find a "solution." Kadir proved to be trustworthy and was invited to a meeting of the conspirators. Meanwhile, Dezsetes was stationed aboard the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Mathayus, one of the most formidable Star Destroyers in the Imperial Navy. After learning from him that Vader was scheduled to travel to the planet Dargulli on Mathayus to deal with a renegade Jedi, Trachta determined that the separation of the Sith Lords presented an opportune moment to act. Within the twelve days or less that Vader was expected to be away, Trachta planned to eliminate both him and Palpatine.
Some of Trachta's troopers were dispatched with Vader, under Dezsetes's command, with the objective of assassinating the Sith Lord. Dezsetes initially intended to wait until their arrival on Dargulli to make his move, where the soldiers would be assigned to escort Vader. However, unforeseen circumstances provided the conspirator with an opportunity to execute his mission sooner than anticipated.
While en route to Dargulli, Mathayus intercepted a Rebel transmission about a rendezvous at Yorn Skot. Upon entering orbit around the planet, they detected a Rebel vessel emitting a distress signal. Here, the conspiracy experienced a stroke of luck: Dezsetes recognized that the original communication was a trap due to its transmission on an open channel, but he allowed Vader to proceed into it regardless. Mathayus brought the Rebel ship into a hangar and deployed a boarding party to force entry while Vader observed from an observation area on the hangar's side. The ship was empty, and Vader inquired about the reception of the original transmission. Upon being informed, he promptly ordered the release of the tractor beam. It was nearly too late, as the ship detonated in a massive explosion that shattered the windows of Vader's observation area, sending the Sith Lord flying into the rapidly decompressing hangar. Nevertheless, he recovered and returned to the bridge. Vader blamed himself for failing to recognize the trap, and Dezsetes's involvement went undetected.
Simultaneously, the initial assault on Palpatine was underway on the planet Coruscant. The Emperor intended to visit the Death Star, which was nearing completion. Before his departure, a small contingent of Trachta's stormtroopers, led by Skosef, were dispatched aboard his shuttle carrying an inconspicuous crate of bottles concealing a bomb. However, Palpatine sensed danger through the Force and halted his procession, which included Trachta. Moments later, the bomb detonated, resulting in the deaths of numerous stormtroopers and half of his Royal Guard.
This was all part of Trachta's plan. Knowing that Palpatine would never knowingly enter a trap, he devised a two-part strategy. The initial part, while not harming Palpatine directly, eliminated many of his protectors. To compensate for this loss, Trachta offered his own stormtroopers to reinforce the Imperial Palace guard, positioning them to execute the final phase of the plot when the time came. With Palpatine's men and Vader out of the picture, he anticipated that the Emperor would easily succumb to his troops.
Even before initiating their plan, the conspirators had already begun a power struggle. Kadir had discussed the importance of trust and unity with both Grand Moffs, but each harbored their own plans for maintaining control. Bartam met with Gauer, suggesting that Trachta could meet with an "accident." Trachta, growing paranoid about Bartam's potential takeover, mentioned to Kadir the possibility that Bartam might not survive to see the plan's conclusion.
Following the bombing, Trachta informed Skosef that he had been implicated and recruited him to execute his own plan. Skosef infiltrated Bartam's apartment and assassinated the Grand Moff at point-blank range. Bartam's stormtrooper guard, who had been distracted, shot Skosef, killing him and inadvertently erasing any evidence of Trachta's involvement in the assassination.
However, Trachta had misidentified the true threat. Moff Kadir had his own ambitions, and under his orders, Gauer proceeded to Trachta's apartment. Trachta was cautious, and when the muzzle of a blaster appeared through the crack in his apartment door, he shot the unseen assailant. Upon entering the hallway to investigate, he discovered that it was merely an assassin droid, a decoy. Gauer ambushed the Grand Moff, shooting and killing him.
While the conspirators on Coruscant were engaged in internecine conflict, Dezsetes was orchestrating the attack on Vader. After murdering Admiral Coy for his unwavering loyalty to the Dark Lord, he attempted to send a group of the specially modified stormtroopers with Vader to the surface of Dargulli. However, Vader insisted on going alone, leaving Dezsetes with no choice but to comply.
Now in charge of the operation, Kadir and Gauer led their contingent of stormtroopers to the Emperor's throne room. Claiming control of Palace security, Kadir ordered the deaths of the Imperial officers who attempted to impede them, and the group marched into the Throne Room. Palpatine awaited them, simply stating "At last." Several Royal Guards emerged from behind the drapes and began eliminating Kadir's men. Gauer, stationed outside, heard the commotion, turned, and fled. Palpatine allowed the guards to attack the stormtroopers for a period, then unleashed a torrent of Force lightning, decimating the remaining soldiers.
Kadir, still alive, made a final attempt to shoot Palpatine with a blaster. However, the Sith Lord deflected it and unleashed more lightning on the prone Moff. While Palpatine disapproved of Kadir's arrogance in believing he could defeat the Emperor, he was impressed by the Moff's capabilities and perceived masterminding of the plot, and commended him for eliminating the traitors within the Empire. Kadir seized upon this, informing Palpatine that Vader had been killed and offering himself as an apprentice. As Kadir lacked Force-sensitivity, Palpatine declined and activated a holocam that revealed Vader alive and well.
Vader, having completed his mission on Dargulli, had returned to Mathayus, where he was surrounded by the modified stormtroopers and Dezsetes. He swiftly eliminated the soldiers with his lightsaber and turned his attention to Dezsetes. The officer informed Vader that the Emperor was dead and that Trachta had orchestrated the conspiracy. Upon hearing this, Palpatine promptly electrocuted Kadir while Vader stabbed Dezsetes. The conspiracy had been brought to an end.
Trachta, confined to life-support equipment due to a thermal detonator explosion, was the original architect of the plot against the Sith. Despite a nearly thirty-year association with Palpatine, Trachta viewed the Sith as "arrogant fools," believing that their rule prevented others from attaining power. He intended to establish a secular organization with himself at its helm. Trachta's co-conspirators grew suspicious of his motives as the plot neared its conclusion, with the Grand Moff increasingly using "I" instead of "we" when discussing his ambitions. However, it was not their suspicions that led to his demise but rather the ambition of his own recruit, the young Moff Kadir. Trachta was considered a formidable adversary, but he was ultimately assassinated.
Alongside Trachta, the corpulent Bartam was one of the highest-ranking Imperials involved in the conspiracy. In the final stages of the plot, Bartam recruited Gauer to his side, and the two men met on several occasions, discussing the possibility of eliminating Trachta. However, despite his dislike for the other Grand Moff, Bartam had no intention of actually killing him. Trachta's suspicions led him to preemptively eliminate his fellow Grand Moff.
Gauer, the sole surviving member of the conspiracy, was an assassin employed by the Empire and was even considered by Lord Vader to be capable of challenging a lightsaber-user in combat. Aligning himself with Bartam and Kadir, Gauer ultimately eliminated their rival, Trachta, and joined Kadir in the final assault on the Emperor. As his allies and soldiers fell to Palpatine's guards and the Dark Lord himself, Gauer fled the scene.
Kadir, though a late addition to the conspiracy, ultimately betrayed its architect and assumed control. Kadir was initially reprimanded by Trachta for his perceived naiveté in politics, as the younger man advocated for trust among the conspirators. He later expressed a similar sentiment to Bartam. However, Kadir proved to be more cunning than he appeared, later joining forces with Gauer to eliminate Trachta and seize power for himself. After his men were killed, he even sought the position of Palpatine's protégé; however, the Sith Lord, while impressed by his ingenuity, forced him to witness the unraveling of his plot before killing him.
The anti-Sith conspiracy was first introduced in Star Wars: Empire: Betrayal. Abel G. Peña, in writing the "Imperial Betrayal" article for The Official Star Wars Fact File, mentioned Atha Prime, a character originally created for a canceled line of toys by Kenner and intended to be a "genetics master." This suggested that Prime and Trachta had collaborated and was intended to fuel speculation on the idea, first canonized in Betrayal, that stormtroopers were clones. However, this reference was removed from the final draft. Peña later referenced Trachta's collusion with Atha Prime by making him a possible agent of Zeta Magnus in his novella SkyeWalkers: A Clone Wars Story.
As explained by writer Scott Allie, in the original drafts of Star Wars: Empire: Betrayal, the other conspirators were not intended to be as ambitious as Trachta, and Kadir and Gauer did not usurp his role in the conspiracy.