In the year 1 ABY, as the Alliance to Restore the Republic became increasingly active, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, orchestrated one of his final limited operations: Operation Dark Glory. Following the pivotal Battle of Yavin during the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance fought fiercely for dominance over various urban centers throughout the galaxy. During times when the Empire held cities like Bestine, Coronet City, and Theed, Darth Vader would arrive in his shuttle, the ST 321, at each of these three key locations. The Sith Lord, accompanied by a squad of Triumphant-class dark troopers, sought to bolster Imperial support and enlist individuals for perilous missions against the Rebellion. Vader then selected a team from the Imperial Special Forces with the objective of tracking down and eliminating members of the Rebellion's Special Forces. These Imperial operatives then traversed the galaxy, successfully assassinating fifty members of the Alliance Special Forces.
Operation Dark Glory was featured as a quest within the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies. This massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, created by Sony Online Entertainment and released by LucasArts, was live until its shutdown on December 15, 2011. The quest became available with the "Publish 19" update, which was implemented on June 29, 2005.
When Imperial forces occupied Bestine, Coronet, or Theed, Darth Vader would periodically appear in these urban centers. Vader presented players aligned with the Imperial faction with a selection of up to eight distinct quests. Half of these were classified as "Combatant" quests, tasking players with actions against Rebel non-player characters. The remaining half were designated "Special Forces" quests, requiring players to engage with Rebel-aligned players. Operation Dark Glory represented the fourth of the four Imperial Special Forces missions that Imperial players could accept from Darth Vader.