The Imperial remnant of the inner systems represented what remained of the Galactic Empire from the galaxy's inner systems, subsequent to its surrender and breakup. It encompassed several traditionally conservative planets, largely populated by individuals who had remained loyal to the Empire.
Roughly a year following the Battle of Endor within the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim, the remnant came into existence following the Imperial Military's decisive defeat by forces belonging to the New Republic at the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War, leading to the Empire's downfall. The intention was for it to serve as an Imperial successor state, permitted to endure within the inner star systems on the condition that it maintained the former starship fleet of the Imperial Navy within specific boundaries established by the New Republic.
However, internal conflict crippled the remnant. Unable to effectively succeed the Empire, it rapidly fell apart. Subsequently, some of its planets were incorporated into the New Republic, becoming prominent centrist faction worlds.
The Imperial Navy's disbanded forces were permitted to remain within the boundaries defined by the Galactic Concordance. Consequently, it was allowed to continue existing while advocating for the prohibition of the Stormtrooper Corps, although this didn't necessarily extend to standard infantry. Nevertheless, both the defeat on Jakku and the division of overall power significantly weakened the once-unrivaled navy.
Despite these circumstances, loyal segments of the disbanded Imperial Navy abided by the Concordance's terms, confining themselves to the designated boundaries. Functioning as a diminished force, Imperial vessels throughout the Core and Inner Rim refrained from attacking the New Republic, maintaining a peaceful coexistence.
While the Concordance mandated the withdrawal of all Imperial vessels coreward, certain rogue warlords defied this, alongside an established faction that became embroiled in tensions with the New Republic. While these more aggressive hardliners refused to accept pardons, those Imperial officers who complied with the New Republic's stringent stipulations were not labeled as war criminals.
Following the Galactic Empire's disintegration after its devastating defeat at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Civil War began to swing in favor of the Rebel Alliance. With the Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine killed and the second Death Star destroyed, the Empire was left without leadership. The loss of both the Emperor and the Imperial Ruling Council above Endor created a significant power vacuum, leading numerous admirals, moffs, and other warlords to either attempt to seize control or completely break away from the Empire. Although Grand Vizier Mas Amedda tried to maintain order within the leadership, the Emperor's death left him with minimal actual power. Consequently, the Empire nearly completely splintered within weeks due to the absence of a central leader, and Imperial authority beyond the Core began to crumble, while individuals such as Arsin Crassus suggested the Empire seek peace with the New Republic.
Several months after the Battle of Endor, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax consolidated a segment of the former Imperial Navy into a unified force, in effect declaring himself the Empire's new leader and establishing an advisory council to govern it, with Grand Admiral Rae Sloane as its public face. Unbeknownst to his associates, Rax secretly intended to fulfill a contingency order issued by the late Emperor, which would entirely dismantle the Empire. Gathering his unified armada above the Inner Rim world of Jakku, he planned to entice the New Republic Defense Fleet to the desert planet so that both fleets might annihilate each other in a decisive battle. Sloane thwarted his plan, even though the Empire was ultimately defeated.
Shortly following the Battle of Jakku, Amedda and Chancellor Mon Mothma of the Republic signed the Galactic Concordance, formally ending the war following nearly six years of bloodshed. Simultaneously, upon occupying Coruscant, the Imperial capital, the New Republic promptly oversaw the Empire's dissolution, resulting in the rapid collapse of Imperial territory. Elements of the disbanded Imperial Starfleet then peacefully withdrew to the Core Worlds and Inner Rim, ceasing major offensives, although the conflict did not entirely cease for some time. To prevent the Empire's holdouts from regaining a foothold in the galaxy, a series of stipulations were implemented according to the treaty's conditions. Subsequently, noncombatant functionaries within the old Imperial government received conditional pardons provided they adhered to the Concordance's articles. Additionally, many high-ranking officers in the Imperial military were designated as war criminals. The New Republic proceeded to establish a provisional government on Coruscant, headed by Amedda; however, in reality, the former Grand Vizier was merely a puppet of the newly reconstituted Galactic Senate, thus making the government under New Republic supervision.
As determined by Mon Mothma, the New Republic conditionally permitted the remnants to coexist peacefully with the New Republic, ultimately confining them to a region of space within the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim. These areas encompassed some of the wealthiest and most prestigious planets, historically loyal to the Empire, including Commenor, Humbarine, Tinnel IV, Rendili, and Denon. Despite this, Coruscant was excluded from these boundaries, with the provisional government remaining under New Republic oversight, led by the de jure administration of Mas Amedda. Several other Core Worlds also fell under New Republic control, such as Hosnian Prime, which eventually became the Republic's capital. Those other Core Worlds that did not fall under remnant jurisdiction ultimately joined the new galactic government.
While all noncombatant functionaries who served in the Empire received conditional pardons, provided they acted in accordance with the Galactic Concordance's articles, the still-living Imperial officials who refused to surrender were branded as war criminals. Reluctantly heeding the agreement's provisions, all compliant Imperial forces and starships retreated within the new boundaries established by the Galactic Concordance.
Many former Imperials who desired to continue the Old Empire's war against the now-former Rebel Alliance rejected the legitimacy of the inner systems' mandate. In the decades after the Empire's collapse, various imperial juntas, warlords, and successor factions, including the remnant in the inner systems, argued over issues ranging from relations with the New Republic to which Imperial legacies deserved preservation. However, many of these warlords were primarily interested in establishing their own personal fiefdoms from the Empire's ruins. The disparate groups in question, such as those Imperial residues led by Moff Gideon, flourished in the Outer Rim Territories, where the established remnant in the Core had no authority and the New Republic's power was largely theoretical.
Ultimately, the inner systems' remnant quickly disintegrated after its formation. The planets comprising the government were unable to reach agreements on much; debates over governance, ranging from which Imperial legacies needed to be upheld to what relations with the New Republic should entail, paralyzed the remnant during its brief existence. With the government's disintegration, its planets were able to be welcomed into the New Republic. Several planets that had been central to the inner systems' remnant became leading worlds within the Centrist movement.
Other rogue military elements of the Old Empire retreated into the Unknown Regions, where a new entity, the First Order, eventually emerged. This state, founded on a fanatical devotion to Palpatine's New Order, existed independently of the inner systems' remnant and remained a secret to the New Republic for decades. The Centrist political party also emerged as an unofficial faction in the New Republic Senate from worlds formerly part of the remnant, advocating for the political centrism seen under the Empire. Centrist systems went onto secede and become the public face of the First Order. The First Order's presence in the Outer Rim established it as the true successor to the Empire, a role the inner systems' remnant had failed to fulfill.