The initial issue, Empire 1, is the first installment of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. Dark Horse Comics released it to the public on September 4, 2002.
This is the beginning of a brand new ongoing series! The setting takes place during the time when Emperor Palpatine ruled the galaxy with an iron fist! Even as the first, hesitant attacks are launched by Rebel forces against the Empire, a scheme is being hatched within the ranks of those Darth Vader and the Emperor consider loyal. A small group of disgruntled Imperial officers have targeted their leaders for assassination, with the intention of seizing control of the Empire. However, in the middle of this conspiracy, which involves hired killers and a private army, some individuals have no intention of sharing power with their fellow conspirators…
On Coruscant, Grand Moff Trachta, Moff Kadir, and Darth Vader are evaluating the blaster shooting abilities of a battalion of newly trained stormtroopers. Vader is extremely impressed with their abilities and orders them to accompany Governor Wilhuff Tarkin to the Death Star. Kadir protests, noting that the soldiers were assigned to his Coruscant City Guard. Vader threatens him by reminding him that the previous commander of Coruscant Security also asked for more troops, and Kadir should remain silent if he wishes to avoid his predecessor's fate. After Vader departs, Kadir and Trachta voice their displeasure with the Sith. Trachta suggests that there might be a solution to the Sith issue, and informs Kadir that he will be contacted.
Palpatine and Trachta have a meeting. Palpatine requests that Trachta provide a skilled group of stormtroopers to serve as his escort to the Death Star. He then mentions that he would have chosen Trachta to oversee the Death Star's construction instead of Tarkin, if Trachta wasn't essential for the Emperor's operations on Coruscant.
At the same time, Darth Vader reflects on a conversation he had with Qui-Gon Jinn before he was presented to the Jedi Council. Later, he meets with Palpatine, who tasks him with hunting down a criminal wielding a lightsaber on the planet Dargulli. They both suspect that this criminal could be one of Vader's offspring.