The hereditary monarchy known as the Fel Empire, and also referred to as the Galactic Empire, Reborn Empire, Fel Imperium, New Empire or simply the Empire, held dominion in the Outer Rim Territories. Emerging from the Imperial Remnant, a minor successor state of the fallen Old Empire established in 12 ABY, the Fel Empire represented the resurrected form of the First Galactic Empire, which met its end during the Galactic Civil War. Its formation occurred sometime after 44 ABY, coinciding with Jagged Fel's ascension to the throne.
Governed by the Fel dynasty, the New Empire mirrored many aspects of the original regime established by Galactic Emperor Palpatine. These included features like the Council of Moffs, centralized authority, the Force-sensitivity of the Emperor, and a reduced emphasis on xenophobia. However, in contrast to Palpatine, a tyrannical Sith Lord consumed by the dark side of the Force, the Fels championed the growth of light side Force-users and advocated for peaceful expansion through the Victory Without War initiative. This included the establishment of a Jedi Order counterpart known as the Imperial Knights and a charitable organization called the Imperial Mission.
By the conclusion of the Sith–Imperial War, the Fel Empire rose to become the dominant power in the galaxy, supplanting the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. However, its reign was short-lived, as a new Sith Empire emerged just days later, forcing loyalists of the Fel dynasty into exile.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the demise of Emperor Palpatine, the Dark Lord of the Sith, during the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire was overthrown by the New Republic. Subsequently, it fragmented into infighting, with various splinter groups and factions vying for control of the power vacuum.
While the official name of the government under the Fel dynasty remains uncertain, around 12 ABY, the Imperial Remnant arose as a minor statelet of the Empire. Military authority rested with the surviving Moffs of the Moff Council, allied with Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon as Supreme Commander. This fragment controlled a relatively small territory, although Imperial loyalists often referred to it as "Imperial Space" or simply "the Empire".
By the conclusion of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Imperial Remnant had integrated into the reorganized New Republic, now known as the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. This allowed Gilad Pellaeon to succeed Sien Sovv as Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, indicating a significant level of cooperation and integration between the former galactic government and the new one, at least for a time. However, the appointment of former Imperial General Turr Phennir as Supreme Commander of the combined Confederation military suggests the presence of secessionist sympathizers within the semi-autonomous Remnant.
Following its involvement in the Second Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Remnant experienced a resurgence in power. Under the leadership of Jagged Fel, who initiated the Victory Without War program, the Galactic Empire was revived, and he assumed the title of Emperor. Bastion became its capital, evolving into one of the most heavily fortified planets in the galaxy. Despite the Fel Empire's official peace with the Galactic Alliance, lingering animosity towards the Alliance persisted among several Moffs, leading to decades of cold war-esque tensions.
More than a century after the Battle of Endor, the One Sith sabotaged the Ossus Project, a large-scale reconstruction initiative employing Yuuzhan Vong-based terraforming techniques to restore worlds devastated by the Vong War. This act harmed the planets' inhabitants and caused millions of deaths. The New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance faced a secessionist movement reminiscent of the Separatists during the Clone Wars. Capitalizing on this unrest, the Empire enticed Alliance member worlds to secede and join Imperial territory, desiring control over all Alliance worlds, including its capital.
Eventually, against the wishes of Emperor Roan Fel, the Moff Council, influenced by High Moff Morlish Veed and Moff Nyna Calixte, invoked the Treaty of Anaxes. In 127 ABY, the Sith-Imperial War erupted, with the One Sith aligning with the Empire. The war resulted in the collapse of the Alliance and the reestablishment of the Galactic Empire as the primary galactic government. While remnants of the Alliance were absorbed into the Empire, the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet persisted in its resistance. Shortly after the Alliance's fall, the Emperor demanded the complete surrender of the New Jedi Order and their submission to the Empire. Some complied, becoming Imperial Knights, while others remained true to the Force and retreated to Ossus.
Following the Alliance's defeat and the Massacre at Ossus, the Sith, under the command of Darth Krayt, turned against Emperor Roan Fel. Krayt launched a bold coup, directly entering Fel's audience chamber with his followers and assassinating the individual occupying the throne. Krayt then took his place, addressing the present Moff Council members' confusion and outrage by asserting his authority.
Faced with limited options, the Moff Council pledged their allegiance to the new Dark Lord of the Sith. For the first time since Darth Caedus during the Second Galactic Civil War ninety years earlier, a Sith Lord held dominion over both the Empire and the galactic seat of power. Krayt immediately sought to impose order on the troubled galaxy, but his victory was incomplete. The "Emperor" he had killed was a decoy; the real Fel, a highly trained Imperial Knight, would have defended himself. Finding the real Fel before he could gather support among the Moffs, the military, or the Jedi who survived the Ossus massacre became crucial.
Darth Krayt's authority wasn't universally recognized within the Empire. Forces loyal to Fel gradually assembled on Bastion, awaiting their true Emperor's return. Accompanied by Antares Draco, leader of the Imperial Knights, and General Oron Jaeger, commander of the 501st Legion, Fel seized control of the planet in 137 ABY, aware that Krayt would hesitate to launch a direct assault on the heavily defended world. With the Fel Empire effectively dissolved, Fel led an Empire-in-exile. As the factions of Krayt and Fel expanded, units that had once fought alongside each other were now forced to battle for control of galactic territories.
While the Fel Empire was governed by an Emperor, a lifelong sovereign ruler, the Moff Council, led by the Grand Moff, wielded significant influence and provided counsel. Roan Fel's reign was generally considered benevolent, with fewer abuses of power and tyrannical excesses compared to Palpatine's Old Empire. However, Fel still engaged in power plays to maintain his authority.
By Fel's reign, the Empire's notorious prejudice against non-Human species had diminished to the point where stormtroopers included aliens and the Imperial Navy had at least one non-Human admiral, the Kel Dor Sha Dun.
The Moffs not only governed sectors but also oversaw the Imperial Military and Imperial Intelligence, along with institutions like the Imperial Mission and the Imperial Diplomatic Corps. They possessed sufficient power to invoke treaties and initiate wars. Nevertheless, some, like Moff Geist, yearned for the return of the Empire to the Council's complete control.
The Imperial Knights were former Jedi who, while remaining aligned with the Light Side of the Force, prioritized their loyalty to the Emperor over the Force itself following the Sith-Imperial War. They served as bodyguards to the Emperor, with orders to eliminate him if he irrevocably succumbed to the Dark Side.
The Fel Empire's territory initially comprised a handful of remote sectors in the Outer Rim Territories bordering the Unknown Regions, situated in the galaxy's northern quadrant. Following the Second Galactic Civil War, the Empire briefly expanded its holdings across the galaxy. However, the Sith–Imperial War resulted in most of the Empire's territories along Galactic Alliance, save a few worlds, being absorbed into Darth Krayt's Sith-controlled Galactic Empire.
While the capital of the Empire was initially Bastion, it was briefly relocated to Coruscant, in keeping with its original form. However, Bastion continued to hold significant importance in Imperial affairs.
In Star Wars Insider 87, John Ostrander characterized the Fel Empire as "less inherently evil [than the earlier Empire], but still not a republic, not a democracy. It's the rule of the few, or the one, over the many. It has a lot of strengths; it has a substantial amount of weaknesses. It values power more than anything else."