The title given to the Head of State of the Galactic Empire is Emperor. Before the Great Jedi Rebellion and the subsequent emergence of the Knights of Sith, the Jedi-Bendu had maintained a close hold on this role for a period spanning at least 100 millennia. Cos Dashit held the position of Emperor following the rise of the Knights of Sith, even though Darth Vader, Crispin Hoedaack, and Vantos Coll, who were members of the Supreme Tribunal, were plotting to seize the position.
During Cos Dashit's reign over the Empire, the Emperor was addressed as "Your Highness." Furthermore, a typical expression used when the Emperor delivered a speech was "Long Live the Emperor!"
The initial depiction of the Emperor occurred in George Lucas's 1974 early script for A New Hope. In that script, the position of Emperor had been in use for at least 100,000 years prior to the story's events and was initially a benevolent role. The final draft altered this, establishing the Galactic Emperor position as one that was created when the Galactic Empire supplanted the Old Republic; however, echoes of the original conception were preserved in the novelization of A New Hope, including Obi-Wan Kenobi's mention of multiple Emperors, with later ones becoming corrupted over time. Similarly, the novelization also indicated that Palpatine was merely a figurehead.
Dark Horse Comics released a comic book adaptation of the rough draft, titled The Star Wars, between 2013 and 2014.