The Empire of the Hand, also known as the Hand or simply the Empire, represented a political entity situated within the Wild Space region of the galaxy, with its planetary capital established on Nirauan. This power was secretly brought into being by Grand Admiral Thrawn to safeguard the Unknown Regions from the numerous dangers lurking there. Rather than operating as a conventional empire, the Empire of the Hand functioned more as a confederation, choosing to forge alliances with indigenous governments instead of resorting to conquest.
During the reign of Galactic Emperor Palpatine, the Galactic Empire initiated efforts to explore and bring order to the Unknown Regions, with the Emperor providing ships and resources to support these expeditions. Within these uncharted areas, Thrawn took charge of mapping extensive territories, overseeing colonization efforts, and cultivating relationships with diverse species. Recognizing the various threats present in the Unknown Regions, Thrawn established a clandestine military and political organization to maintain order and security, thus setting the stage for the creation of the Empire of the Hand.
Following the descent into chaos of the Galactic Empire after the Battle of Endor, the Empire of the Hand had grown sufficiently powerful to launch preemptive strikes against the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium. Furthermore, it achieved a decisive victory over the warlord Nuso Esva and his forces at the battle of Quethold. With the threats in the Unknown Regions seemingly under control, the Grand Admiral determined that the time had come to return to the familiar galaxy.
A select group of highly regarded Imperial officers, including Admiral Voss Parck, General Soontir Fel, and Commander Stent, along with a dedicated group of Chiss loyal to Thrawn, continued to uphold Thrawn's vision under the leadership of Admiral Voss Parck. They maintained their belief that he would reappear ten years after his supposed death. The New Jedi Order informed the Empire of the Hand about Thrawn's actual demise and were permitted to destroy the clone of Thrawn, with the Jedi agreeing to keep its existence a secret. However, with the clone's destruction, the Empire of the Hand was left without its designated successor, thereby undermining its legitimacy. Nevertheless, it assisted the Chiss Ascendancy and the New Republic in repelling a third Vagaari war.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, General Soontir Fel appeared to be in command of the Empire of the Hand and dispatched Force Spike, a division of Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo's Household Phalanx, to aid both the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic. However, the Empire of the Hand seemingly vanished during the latter stages of the war, having fulfilled its purpose as the Yuuzhan Vong began to suffer defeats against the Galactic Federation.
Ultimately, the Empire of the Hand persevered, remaining largely unnoticed by the wider galaxy. Despite persistent rumors suggesting its collapse or absorption by another power, Head of State Jagged Fel of the Imperial Remnant discovered that the Hand was still an active entity but chose to keep its survival a secret for security reasons.
Thrawn first encountered Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith and Sith identity of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, in 27 BBY during the destruction of the Outbound Flight project. The Sith Lord and the Chiss Commander concurred on the notion that an unidentified and formidable threat was emerging from the Unknown Regions.
Shortly after the Declaration of a New Order, Captain Voss Parck of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Strikefast discovered Thrawn in exile on a secluded planetoid within the Unknown Regions. Although Thrawn initially expressed his desire to return to his people to protect them, Parck convinced him that serving the Galactic Empire would provide him with greater resources to achieve this goal. Persuaded by Parck's reasoning, Thrawn accompanied him to Coruscant.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Capital, Thrawn had a formal meeting with Emperor Palpatine. Impressed by the Chiss's capabilities, Palpatine decided to enlist Thrawn and train him as an Imperial officer. After progressing through the ranks of the Imperial Military and sharing his insights about the Unknown Regions with the Emperor, Thrawn was assigned the task of exploring and pacifying these uncharted territories. To maintain secrecy and address the resentment within the Imperial hierarchy regarding Thrawn's rapid ascent as a non-human, his assignment was disguised as an understaffed cartography mission, seemingly a punishment for his involvement in a minor dispute within the Imperial Court. In reality, the Emperor provided Thrawn with substantial ships and personnel.
Thrawn utilized the extensive resources of the Imperial Navy to map vast areas in the name of the Galactic Empire. Voss Parck and Dagon Niriz, the commanding officers of his flagship, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Admonitor, were assigned to serve under Thrawn during his exploration and conquest mission. These men became Thrawn's strongest supporters and the first Imperial officers to join the Empire of the Hand. During his expedition to the Unknown Regions, he established laboratories, military installations, intel centers, listening posts, garrison bases, and shipyards and charted the equivalent of 250 sectors for Emperor Palpatine.
Thrawn also reestablished connections with the Chiss. Many of Thrawn's people rallied to his cause, having faced numerous dark threats from the Unknown Regions, and viewed Thrawn as a beacon of hope for the Chiss. However, the Ruling Families of the Chiss Ascendancy regarded the Empire of the Hand with suspicion, still considering Thrawn an outcast, especially after his notorious campaign. Nevertheless, many Chiss Aristocras, agreeing with Thrawn's vision, offered unofficial support to his renegade actions.
In 10 BBY, Thrawn constructed a massive information complex on Nirauan, known as the Hand of Thrawn, which served as his operational base.
In 2 ABY, Thrawn triumphed over a band of Ebruchi pirates and captured their leader, Creysis. Despite his efforts to evade capture, Creysis underestimated Thrawn, leading to his capture when a tracking device led the Chiss Admiral to his base, where Imperial forces easily overwhelmed the pirates and apprehended their leader.
Two years later, while mapping the Unknown Regions, Thrawn learned of Emperor Palpatine's death during the Battle of Endor, prompting the Grand Admiral to return to his Hand of Thrawn base on Nirauan. However, as the Galactic Empire crumbled, his forces in the Unknown Regions diminished as ships were recalled.
Simultaneously, the Ssi-ruuk initiated a series of incursions into the known galaxy, as well as near the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn responded with preventive strikes against the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium. Despite these efforts, the Ssi-ruuk attacked several minor Chiss worlds, capturing Chiss citizens for entechment purposes. Their aggressive actions ultimately provoked the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, which retaliated with a devastating counter-attack on Ssi-ruuvi territory. The Chiss's military actions against the aggressors enabled the Alliance to Restore the Republic to defeat the Ssi-ruuk with greater ease.
By 8 ABY, Imperial territory in Wild Space had transformed into the Empire of the Hand, which finally defeated and killed the warlord Nuso Esva at the Attack on the Red City.
In 9 ABY, Grand Admiral Thrawn returned to the known galaxy and launched a formidable and strategic campaign against the New Republic. However, despite his brilliance, Thrawn was betrayed and killed at the Battle of Bilbringi.
Thrawn entrusted the leadership of the Empire of the Hand to Admiral Voss Parck. Parck, along with a select group of high-ranking officers, including General Soontir Fel and Commander Stent, and a dedicated cadre of Chiss loyal to Thrawn, were tasked with upholding Thrawn's vision and expanding his empire. They firmly believed that the Grand Admiral was not truly dead, considering it another of Thrawn's strategies, as he had stated that he would return to them ten years after his announced death.
During the Caamas Document Crisis, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade discovered the Empire of the Hand while investigating the source of clones and mysterious starfighters that had suddenly appeared. They located the Hand of Thrawn and encountered Parck, Fel, and Stent, who were still awaiting Grand Admiral Thrawn's return. Luke and Mara informed them of Thrawn's death. The Jedi declined to join them but agreed to keep the existence of this shadow empire a secret. They discovered an almost fully developed clone of Thrawn and a map of the Empire of the Hand. They decided against destroying the clone, as it had not yet committed any wrongdoing, but when two defense droids attacked them, they unintentionally destroyed the clone while escaping. Before doing so, R2-D2 managed to download an unaltered copy of the Caamas Document. Subsequently, Cavrilhu Pirates, who had been tracking Skywalker and Jade, attacked the Hand of Thrawn. The Hand's forces retreated, and the base was repaired and operational again by 22 ABY.
In 22 ABY, the Empire of the Hand became involved in a local conflict on the planet Kariek. Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion were deployed to overthrow a warlord who had invaded and seized control of Kariek, establishing a tyrannical regime.
In the same year, the Empire assisted the Chiss Ascendancy and the New Republic in repelling a third Vagaari invasion. The Vagaari were defeated at the Chiss Redoubt by the combined forces of the Chiss, the Jedi, and the Empire. Following the battle, many of the surviving colonists from Outbound Flight chose to join the Empire of the Hand.
With the demise of Thrawn's clone, the Empire of the Hand lost its designated successor, thereby undermining its legitimacy.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, General Soontir Fel appeared to be the leader of the Hand. The fate of Admiral Parck remains unknown. Fel dispatched Force Spike, a division of Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo's Household Phalanx, to support the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic. This force was commanded by his son, Colonel Jagged Fel. This group remained in the known galaxy fighting the Vong for several years.
The Empire of the Hand seemingly vanished during the latter stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War. The Jedi believed that the Killiks had destroyed it, while the Chiss claimed that it had simply been absorbed by either the Imperial Remnant or the Chiss Ascendancy itself. However, remarks made by Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano shortly before the Swarm War suggested that the Empire of the Hand had merely been disbanded. Nonetheless, Formbi was affiliated with the Hand and may have known of its continued existence. Many of the Hand's officers, such as the Fels, joined the Ascendancy.
Despite their absence in the years following the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Empire of the Hand had ultimately survived, remaining largely unnoticed by the wider galaxy. Although rumors persisted that the Hand had either collapsed or been absorbed by the Chiss Ascendancy, Jagged Fel discovered that the Hand was still an active state. The identity of the commander of the Hand at this point remains unknown. As Head of State of the Imperial Remnant, Fel kept the secret of the Hand's survival to himself for security purposes.
Natasi Daala, the deposed Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance and admiral of the Maw Irregular Fleet developed a plot to seize control of the Remnant. With his position threatened by Daala's ambition to become Empress, Fel mobilized a fleet of loyal supporters and moved to destroy Daala and her subversives with a preemptive strike at Exodo II. At the same time, he requested aid from the Empire of the Hand, which dispatched a vanguard of three Chiss Star Destroyers to aid the Remnant and its leader. After converging on Daala's position, a battle commenced to determine the future of the Imperial Remnant.
Many of its political and social values gradually infiltrated the Imperial Remnant, thanks in part to the leadership of Gilad Pellaeon, a former follower of Thrawn, as well as Jagged Fel, a warrior of the Hand who went on to be Emperor of the Remnant. The recruitment of aliens and female Humans into the Imperial Military's ranks, as well as the decrease in xenophobic behavior, continued as the Remnant steadily reemerged as a resurgent Empire by 130 ABY.
The Empire of the Hand was composed of native species that Grand Admiral Thrawn encountered in Wild Space who embraced the order and efficiency of Emperor Palpatine's New Order, but without the Emperor's megalomania, the Tarkin Doctrine, and the institutionalized xenophobia. Its capital was situated in the Hand of Thrawn, the Grand Admiral's primary fortress located on Nirauan.
The Empire of the Hand functioned as a confederacy and granted its natives subjects self-governance in Wild Space rather than conquering them through force. It also worked to forge alliances with the native governments of the Unknown Regions and protect them from various internal and external threats. Unlike the Galactic Empire, it welcomed alien races into its military ranks. The connection between the Old Empire and the Hand was primarily maintained for historical reasons, as well as for its psychological value.
By 44 ABY, Jagged Fel, the leader of the Imperial Remnant, also led the Empire of the Hand, although the two roles remained distinct. While Fel resided on Bastion rather than Nirauan, he retained the authority to command fleets and other resources of the Hand.
The Empire of the Hand's Imperial Military ethics were rooted in Thrawn's strategic vision. It represented a unique blend of Chiss and Imperial tactics, personally curated by the Grand Admiral, which included respecting enemies, carefully considering the lives of soldiers, conducting surgical strikes, demonstrative invasions, preventive strikes, and emphasizing intelligence gathering.
Eventually, Thrawn achieved the rank of Syndic in Chiss society. Holding this new title, he established his own House Phalanx, a standard paramilitary organization of the Chiss Ascendancy. While forming this personal guard did not necessarily improve Thrawn's standing among the Chiss, it did allow him to gather many Chiss supporters who were willing to publicly advocate for him. This military group included not only Phalanx soldiers, but also commandos who represented the pinnacle of combat prowess.
The Hand's fleet was composed of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, Victory-class Star Destroyers, Immobilizer 418 cruisers, and numerous other vessels. For fighters, they utilized TIE/LN starfighters, TIE/sa bombers, TIE/IN interceptors, along with TIE/sr starfighters. Zeta-class long-range shuttles together with Lambda-class T-4a shuttles primarily functioned as transports for the Hand's military forces. They also deployed Strike-class medium cruisers and Carrack-class light cruisers. Furthermore, Golan space defense platforms were integrated into the Hand's defensive strategy. For ground support, the Hand employed All Terrain Armored Transports, All Terrain Scout Transports, Imperial Juggernauts, Swoops, and Imperial Troop Carriers.
The Empire of the Hand, as a government, largely remained isolated from the broader galactic community, but maintained contact with the Galactic Empire following the Battle of Endor.
By combining the technological expertise of both the Galactic Empire and the Chiss, the Hand successfully engineered new starfighters, known as Nssis-class Clawcraft.
They also developed the maser, a potent form of kinetic energy weapon.
Furthermore, they created A-Racks, which served as troop transport vehicles, each capable of carrying up to ten soldiers.
After Thrawn discovered cloning cylinders on Wayland, he dispatched many of them to the Hand. On a frozen moon situated within the Unknown Regions, Thrawn, before his death, initiated a project focused on creating warriors similar to Sith-Jedi by utilizing the genetic material of deceased Jedi and Sith.
The Empire of the Hand was positioned within Wild Space, with its [capital](/article/capital-legends] residing on Nirauan. While it was thought that the Hand contained only a few Imperial colonies, it's more probable that a web of alliances with native species existed, leading to the colonization of nearby planets by these local populations.
In the year 22 ABY, the system of Kariek, located in Wild Space, became part of the Empire of the Hand.