The galaxy

Spanning 120,000 light-years in diameter, the galaxy contained over 400 billion stars and more than 3.2 billion habitable star systems. It also possessed at least two companion galaxies, including the Rishi Maze. Beyond its confines lay the intergalactic void. Internally, the galaxy was segmented into various regions, which were further divided into sectors and subsequently into star systems housing planets. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, [oversectors](/article/oversector] were established, comprising multiple sectors governed by a Grand Moff. Notable sectors and autonomous regions included the Arkanis sector, Bothan Space, Centrality, Corporate Sector, Gordian Reach, Greater Javin, Hapes Consortium, Hutt Space, Mandalorian Space, Moddell sector, Senex-Juvex, Tion Cluster, and Western Reaches.

The Standard Galactic Grid provided grid coordinates for pinpointing locations within the galaxy. Areas within the galactic disk could be designated as galactic north, south, east, or west. Noteworthy attractions included the fifty wonders of the Core Worlds, thirty wonders of the Mid Rim Territories, and twenty-five wonders of the Outer Rim Territories. The galaxy was populated by millions of sentient species, with trillions of individual beings considering it their home.

The innermost and most luminous region of space was the Deep Core. Due to its dense concentration of stars, nebulae, and other anomalies, navigation was hazardous, resulting in limited exploration. The super-massive black hole known as the Galactic Centre, which held the galaxy together, originated from this region.

The Core Worlds served as the home to the galaxy's wealthiest and most significant planets. These densely populated worlds, strategically positioned at the ends of major trade lanes, functioned as hubs for fashion, education, finance, and technology. It is believed to be the place where the human species arguably began. The fate of the galaxy was frequently determined by decisions made on Coruscant, Corellia, Kuat, Hosnian Prime, and other systems.

During the Republic Era, an attack on the Core Worlds was deemed virtually unthinkable. According to the Bith artist Janyor, the "sense of security and comfort" fostered complacency within the Galactic Republic's heartland. However, towards the conclusion of the Clone Wars, Core Worlders grew increasingly apprehensive about a direct assault by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Worlds colonized by the Core constituted the Colonies. Many of these planets were situated along major trade routes and possessed considerable wealth. Notable planets included Abednedo, Cato Neimoidia, and Carida.

The Inner Rim Territories initially served as the frontier of galactic civilization for centuries, known simply as "the Rim." As colonization expanded outward, the worlds of the Inner Rim prospered. Prominent planets included Bestine, Onderon, Thyferra, and Taanab.

The Expansion Region comprised newer colonies that received support from their neighbors towards the galactic core. Notable planets included Umbara, Mimban, and the mining station known as the Ring of Kafrene.

The Mid Rim Territories represented a tranquil region of space, abundant with diverse galactic worlds characterized by successful governments and flourishing economies. Due to their distance from the Core, these worlds received less recognition compared to planets closer to the galactic center. The Mid Rim was informally regarded as the lawful extent of the Galactic Republic and Galactic Empire. The region experienced spillover piracy from the Outer Rim. Travelers heading towards the Outer Rim viewed it as the last vestige of civilization, while those traveling towards the core saw it as the final glimpse of frontier life. Notable planets included Naboo, Malastare, Bothawui, Kashyyyk, Ruusan, Ringo Vinda, and Ord Mantell.

The Outer Rim Territories, the galaxy's largest region, were considered lawless, peculiar, and untamed. Criminal syndicates, including the Hutt Clan of Hutt Space, the Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and Zygerrian enslavers, operated extensively within this area. Notable worlds included Arkanis, Mon Cala, Kessel, Ryloth, Eriadu, Sullust, Geonosis, Mustafar, Crait, Nal Hutta, Cantonica, Hoth, Lothal, Dagobah, Endor, Nar Shaddaa, Florrum, Yavin 4, Saleucami, Scarif, Felucia, Dathomir, and Tatooine.

The Unknown Regions comprised the westward arm of the galaxy that had been mapped but remained largely unexplored. Due to solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and other impediments to hyperspace travel, it remained mostly unexplored throughout galactic history. Mythical species, such as the Chiss and Grysk, as well as the deeply religious Kilji species, originated from the Unknown Regions. Prominent planets included Csilla, Ilum, Rakata Prime, Exegol, and Ahch-To.

Unlike other galactic regions, Wild Space extended along the entire circumference of the galactic disk and bordered the Unknown Regions. While inhabited by sentient species, it remained incompletely charted, explored, and civilized. Explorers and cartographers ventured here in pursuit of fortune, often at their own peril.

The history of the galaxy encompasses numerous millennia. Approximately twenty-five millennia prior to the Battle of Yavin, one or more ancestral species discovered hyperspace travel. This breakthrough unlocked the galaxy for exploration and travel.

Spacecraft used a hyperdrive to traverse the vast distances between star systems. This propulsion system enabled travel through hyperspace, an alternate dimension where a starship could exploit the curvatures in the fabric of spacetime to significantly reduce journey time and distance. This effectively allowed for "jumping" from one point to another without traversing the direct path. Roughly four thousand years before the Cold War, galactic travelers employed hyperspace sextants for navigating hyperspace.

In ancient times, beings from a far galaxy constructed a reflex point on the planet Seatos, pointing the way to an extragalactic location known as Peridea. While some, like former Jedi Knight Baylan Skoll, dismissed Peridea as a myth, Nightsister survivor Lady Morgan Elsbeth considered it a real place, the ancient homeland of her ancestors. A star map guiding the way to the distant galaxy was also housed within a Nightsister stronghold on Arcana.

The Old Republic-era commenced with the formation of the early Republic around 25,000 BBY. The Core Founders, a group of twenty-two Core Worlds that included the planet Alderaan, established the Republic.

Around 25,000 BBY, the Jedi Order was also established. This esteemed group of Force-sensitives, capable of wielding the powers of the Force, originated with the Prime Jedi on Ahch-To, where the first Jedi Temple was erected. According to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, "the Jedi served as the guardians of peace and justice for over a thousand generations in the Old Republic." Later, a faction of Force-sensitives who embraced the dark side of the Force seceded from the Jedi to form the Sith during the Hundred-Year Darkness. One of their conflicts resulted in the devastation of Malachor during the Great Scourge of Malachor, leaving the battlefield strewn with the petrified remains of Sith and Jedi combatants.

The Sith constructed an Empire through the utilization of slave labor. During their period of galactic dominance, the Sith built a shrine on Coruscant. Following the Jedi victory that expelled the Sith from Coruscant, the Jedi Temple was built upon the shrine's foundations.

The last conflict between the Jedi Knights and the Sith concluded with the defeat of the Sith on the Mid Rim planet Ruusan in 1032 BBY. The Republic's triumph was so absolute that the Jedi believed the Sith had become extinct. However, the Sith lineage persisted through a lone survivor, Sith Lord Darth Bane, whose Rule of Two ensured the Sith's clandestine continuation for a millennium. Bane's death at the hands of his Sith apprentice Darth Zannah initiated a tradition where the apprentice completed their training by killing their Master.

Besides the Sith, the Zygerrian Slave Empire and the Mandalorians were also adversaries of the Jedi Order. The Jedi defeated the Zygerrians, but suffered defeat against the Mandalorians with the sacking of the Jedi Temple. During the sack, the Jedi Order lost one of their artifacts, the Darksaber. Forged by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order, the Darksaber was seized from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by members of House Vizsla. The Jedi ultimately won the Mandalorian-Jedi War, a conflict that left the planet Mandalore devastated and transformed into an almost uninhabitable wasteland.

The defeat of the Sith led to the formation of the modern Republic in 1032 BBY. Though considered the "latest evolution" of a millennia-old democratic polity, this iteration of the Republic marked a fresh start for galactic society. Its establishment thus served as the epoch of the new era, while the history preceding the Republic's reinvention was largely forgotten and referred to as the "Old Republic."

As the seat of the Galactic Senate, Coruscant functioned as the galaxy's political capital. The Republic served as the dominant galactic government for a thousand years until the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars. During the Republic's reign, the Core Worlds experienced an expansion wave by settling new worlds and establishing trading colonies. In this process, they either negotiated with native populations or simply overran them. A millennium before 19 BBY, the Yavin Code was established during the Yavin Convention to govern the treatment of prisoners.

Upon leaving their homeworld of Everon, the Evereni encountered other life-forms and, driven by their inherent distrust, began eliminating them, becoming outlaws and resorting to covert methods. During the High Republic Era, the galaxy was believed to be at peace, diminishing the need for military forces. Protected by the Jedi and the Republic Defense Coalition, the Republic expanded into the Outer Rim to propagate its era of ambition and Great Works, only to find itself in conflict with the Nihil after the Great Hyperspace Disaster in 232 BBY. In reality, the Nihil were pawns of a family of Evereni seeking revenge on the Jedi and Republic for events dating back to the days of the Path of the Open Hand cult. Over a century prior, the Path had clashed with the Jedi due to their opposing views on the Force, which the Path believed no living being should manipulate. To gain an advantage over the Jedi, Mother Elecia Zeveron unleashed beings known as the Nameless, which preyed on Force-sensitives and were controlled by a set of rods.

After initially unleashing a Nameless later known as the Great Leveler, the Path journeyed to the Nameless homeworld after inciting the Battle of Jedha. On this world, informally known as Planet X, the Path discovered more Nameless eggs, but Bokana Koss experienced a Force vision warning him that beings known as the Under-Dwellers would exploit their mission to spread across the galaxy as a blight, which would "chain" and attempt to destroy the Force itself if unleashed. Ignoring his warning, the Path left Planet X despite the efforts of a being known as the protector and the Veil. In the ensuing Night of Sorrow, the Path, reformed into the Path of the Closed Fist, battled the Jedi and their allies until Path Guide Marda Ro—horrified by the Nameless feeding on people, witnessing that they targeted members of her own order regardless of Force-sensitivity, and realizing the Mother had lied—eliminated the Nameless except for the Leveler. After killing Zeveron with the Leveler and escaping with the beast, Ro formed the original Nihil and passed down her revenge through generations, hoping they would finally "free" the Force.

These efforts culminated in the finalized Nihil and Marda's descendant Marchion Ro, who claimed to still practice the family rituals and was dedicated to their revenge, but seemed most interested in securing his own freedom from anyone who would chain him. Marchion led the Nihil in war against the Republic and Jedi, rediscovering the Great Leveler and eventually venturing to Planet X with the Nihil to claim more Nameless. Thanks to Ro, the Nihil brought down Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh's Starlight Beacon project and claimed a segment of the galaxy as Nihil-controlled space. As the Jedi and Republic continued their conflict against the Nihil and worked to free the sectors the pirates had claimed, the blight foretold by Koss was discovered by both the Jedi and Nihil.

As the Republic advanced, corruption gained increasing influence within the Galactic Senate, and megacorporations such as the Trade Federation were granted representation in the governing body. The Jedi Order became hesitant to challenge the widespread corruption in the Senate and increasingly isolated from the larger galaxy, even as discontent with the Republic and its corruption grew.

In the years leading up to the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas foresaw an impending conflict and, against the Jedi Order's wishes, commissioned the Kaminoans to create an army of clone troopers on Kamino. In 32 BBY, a dispute between the Republic and the Trade Federation over taxation of trade routes to outlying systems led the Federation to impose a blockade on Naboo, a world in the Mid Rim. A coalition of Naboo humans, Gungans, and Jedi eventually expelled the Federation. Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo capitalized on his homeworld's occupation to succeed Finis Valorum as Supreme Chancellor. Secretly, Palpatine was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, dedicated to reestablishing the Sith's rule over the galaxy.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems came into existence between 24 BBY and 22 BBY. This was fueled by widespread discontent directed at the Galactic Republic. Count Dooku, formerly a Jedi Master, spearheaded the Separatist movement. He had become Darth Sidious' second Sith apprentice, known as Darth Tyranus. During the Separatist Crisis, thousands of star systems and corporations voiced their desire to secede from the Republic. The discovery of a clone army on Kamino, coupled with the revelation of the Separatist Droid Army on Geonosis, paved the way for the First Battle of Geonosis. This battle acted as the spark that ignited the Clone Wars. Jar Jar Binks, a Junior Representative, strongly suggested that the Senate grant emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine then utilized these powers to formally establish the Grand Army of the Republic.

For the subsequent three years, the Clone Wars engulfed a significant portion of the galaxy. The Republic Military, led by the Jedi, clashed with Separatist forces across numerous planets and battlefronts. These included Christophsis, Ryloth, Umbara, Onderon, Coruscant, Utapau, and Kashyyyk. The Confederacy of Independent Systems met its end with the deaths of Dooku, General Grievous, and the Separatist Council on Mustafar. After accusing the Jedi Order of treason, Chancellor Palpatine ordered the Grand Army of the Republic to carry out Order 66. This resulted in the clone troopers turning on and killing many Jedi. With the Jedi Order largely eliminated, Palpatine was proclaimed as Galactic Emperor, and the Republic was restructured to become the first Galactic Empire.

The vast majority of Jedi perished during the Great Jedi Purge. The Order, which had numbered ten thousand Jedi Knights at the start of the Clone Wars, was reduced to only a handful of survivors during the height of the Empire's power. Imperial propaganda demonized the Jedi, with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda publicly condemning them while hosting a celebration of their destruction at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Those Jedi who managed to survive the initial purge scattered throughout the galaxy. Master Kenobi sought refuge on Tatooine, Grand Master Yoda retreated to the remote, swampy world of Dagobah, and Padawan Cal Kestis became a member of the Scrapper Guild on Bracca.

Some Jedi even chose to join the Empire. The Inquisitorius, a group of Jedi hunters in service to the Empire, was made up of fallen Jedi such as the Second Sister, formerly Trilla Suduri of the Jedi Order. Anakin Skywalker, Kenobi’s former apprentice, became Darth Vader, Sidious' final apprentice, and played a crucial role in the Great Jedi Purge.

For two and a half decades, the fascist Galactic Empire reigned supreme as the galaxy's governing power. The Empire exerted its authority over all aspects of galactic society, including interplanetary economies, the HoloNet, and the extensive Imperial Military. As Galactic Emperor, Palpatine possessed immense control over the Empire's military, resources, and populace. The restructured Imperial Senate witnessed a shift of power towards planetary and regional governors appointed by the Empire.

The Imperial Survey Corps displayed a keen interest in exploring the uncharted regions of space, notably the Unknown Regions and Wild Space. This led to a surge in the demand for maps and cartographers. Explorers like Auric and Rhyssa Graf were able to earn a substantial living by selling maps, until they were abducted by Captain Visler Korda of the Empire. Furthermore, the Empire established a network of Imperial Academies galaxy-wide to indoctrinate and train young individuals for service in the Imperial Military. In secret, the Empire launched an ambitious program to develop a planet-destroying superweapon known as the Death Star.

Moreover, the Empire seized land and resources, suppressing any form of dissent with ruthless efficiency. The HoloNet and other media outlets became tools for disseminating Imperial propaganda. The Empire also practiced xenophobia, favoring humans over alien species. In the Imperial hierarchy, aliens were treated as serfs, slaves, or obstacles to be controlled, eliminated, or disregarded. Humans rose to dominate the Imperial government and military, while alien species like the Wookiees and the Talz were subjected to enslavement. Other alien species, such as the Lasat, were made examples of experienced genocide and the Geonosians to maintain the secrecy of the Death Star. Despite this pervasive xenophobia, some aliens managed to attain prominent positions within the Empire, including the Chagrian Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, the Pau'an Grand Inquisitor, and the Chiss warlord Grand Admiral Thrawn.

In 10 BBY, Captain Han Solo established a new galactic record by completing the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs aboard the Millennium Falcon, which he later won from Lando Calrissian. Solo, along with his partner Chewbacca, his lover Lady Qi'ra, his mentor Tobias Beckett, Calrissian, and L3-37, had previously stolen coaxium from the spice mining world of Kessel to settle Beckett's debts with the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Subsequently, Solo and his companions were implicated in the death of Dryden Vos, a public leader of Crimson Dawn.

As the Empire's control over the galaxy tightened, resistance movements emerged on various planets. Initially, these movements were localized, focused on liberating individual planets or star systems from Imperial rule. However, growing discontent and opposition to the Empire ultimately led to the formation of a scattered network of rebel cells. Around 4 BBY, these rebel cells began to merge into larger groups, such as the Phoenix Cell, abandoning their previous policy of secrecy and initiating the Galactic Civil War. As the Rebellion gained strength, some Imperial strategists, including Thrawn and ISB Supervisor Commander Dedra Meero, recognized that the Empire was facing a galaxy-wide insurgency.

In 2 BBY, the rebel cells officially united to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic, led by Chancellor Mon Mothma and Viceroy Bail Organa. In 1 BBY, the Rebel Alliance launched an attack on Scarif in an attempt to acquire the Death Star plans, marking the Rebellion's first significant victory in the Galactic Civil War. Shortly thereafter, in what became known as 0 BBY, the Empire, under Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, a protege of Emperor Palpatine, destroyed the planet Alderaan to demonstrate the destructive power of the Death Star. In response, the Rebel Alliance utilized the stolen Death Star plans to destroy the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.

Over the next four years, the galaxy was embroiled in a civil war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Battles occurred in various locations, including the Mid Rim, Sullust, Hoth, and Cloud City. Crimson Dawn also resurfaced, initiating a war against the Sith that ultimately led to their defeat at the hands of Sidious and Vader. Following Crimson Dawn's downfall, a rogue droid known as the Scourge emerged, spreading an infection of droids and cyborgs with the goal of seizing control of the Force. The Scourge was opposed by Ajax Sigma, a warrior-priest droid. Secretly, the Emperor commissioned the construction of a second Death Star above Endor and set a trap for the Rebel Alliance as part of a calculated gamble. However, Luke Skywalker, Vader’s son and a Jedi Knight, succeeded in redeeming him before he saved his son by fulfilling his destiny of killing Emperor Palpatine, destroying the Sith once again, and restoring balance to the Force. The death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the Death Star II had a cataclysmic impact on the galaxy.

After the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance transformed into the New Republic. The Galactic Civil War escalated as the New Republic achieved numerous victories against the disoriented remnants of the Empire on multiple fronts. The Alliance and later the New Republic thwarted Operation: Cinder, a posthumous contingency plan devised by the Emperor to devastate Naboo and at least a dozen other worlds. In the months following the events at Endor, New Republic and Imperial forces clashed on numerous fronts, including the Anoat sector, Malastare, Geonosis, Naalol, Sevarcos, and Akiva. A civil war also erupted on Coruscant, the galactic capital.

By 5 ABY, the New Republic had reestablished the Galactic Senate on Chandrila and gained control of the HoloNet and vast territories, including Akiva and Kuat. Solo, Chewbacca, and a team of Wookiee exiles and other allies also liberated Kashyyyk from Imperial rule. However, the chaos resulting from the Civil War and the death of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, the Hutt crime lord which occurred before Palpatine’s demise, enabled various criminal factions, including the pirate lord Eleodie Maracavanya and the Red Key Raiders, to gain influence. These factions were secretly front organizations created by the First Order to generate funds for its rearmament program and to undermine the New Republic. With the New Republic leadership reluctant to act against threats to its existence, Princess Leia Organa established a paramilitary organization called the Resistance.

Gallius Rax, proclaiming himself Counselor to the Empire, brought most of the Imperial remnants to the desert world of Jakku for a final showdown with the New Republic. In reality, Rax intended to execute the final phase of Emperor Palpatine's Contingency to his master plan which involved detonating the planet Jakku to destroy what remained of the Empire. Rax planned to lead a worthy remnant into the Unknown Regions to build a new order. Several months later, New Republic agents discovered Rax's forces, and the Senate dispatched a fleet to Jakku. Amidst the battle, Sloane joined forces with New Republic Agents Norra and her son Brentin Lore Wexley to thwart Rax's plan. Meanwhile, Mas Amedda escaped house arrest and signed the Galactic Concordance with Chancellor Mothma, facilitating the Empire's surrender to the New Republic. While the New Republic celebrated its victory, Sloane and other loyal Imperial forces fled into the Unknown Regions. Rae Sloane proposed peace talks with Chancellor Mon Mothma due to a string of Imperial defeats. However, the attack on Chandrila destroyed the mood for diplomacy and enabled Fleet Admiral.

Following the Battle of Jakku, the defeated remnants of the Empire signed the Galactic Concordance, which imposed strict war reparations and demilitarized the galaxy. With the Empire defeated, the New Republic focused on reshaping the galactic order. Under New Republic rule, the galaxy experienced peace for the next twenty-nine years. A group of Imperial hardliners eventually left Imperial space and rebuilt themselves upon joining the First Order, a military junta founded by former Imperials in the Unknown Regions secretly dedicated to overthrowing the Republic. In the obscurity of the Unknown Regions, the First Order rearmed their military forces and constructed Starkiller Base in preparation for their war to reclaim the galaxy, a direct violation of the Galactic Concordance.

By 28 ABY, the New Republic had been weakened by internal conflicts between two powerful factions: the Populists, who advocated for greater autonomy, and the Centrists, who desired a stronger central government. The New Republic's inability to enforce financial regulations and patrol the galactic shipping lanes allowed criminal factions such as Rinnrivin Di's cartel and the Amaxine warriors to flourish. Secretly, these were front organizations established by the First Order to generate revenue for its rearmament program and to subvert the New Republic. With the New Republic leadership unwilling to take action against threats to its existence, Princess Leia Organa founded a paramilitary organization known as the Resistance.

During the Cold War, the Trans-Hydian Borderlands became a buffer zone separating the New Republic and the expanding First Order. To avoid conflict with the Order, the Republic instructed its military to refrain from engaging in hostilities with any of its forces. After failing to prevent Resistance droid BB-8, scavenger Rey, former stormtrooper Finn, and Solo from escaping with a map leading to Luke, the last Jedi, who had gone into self-imposed exile after his efforts to restore the Jedi Order were destroyed, the First Order utilized their superweapon on Starkiller Base to launch a preemptive strike on Hosnian Prime, the New Republic’s current capital, in 34 ABY. The Hosnian Cataclysm, which marked the beginning of the Starkiller crisis, was witnessed throughout the galaxy because the First Order had discovered a method of firing dark energy through sub-hyperspace within minutes. In retaliation, the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base.

Prior to the outbreak of the First Order-Resistance War, Resistance spy Kazuda Xiono was stationed on the Colossus, a supertanker fuel depot located on the Mid Rim planet Castilon. The Colossus was subsequently occupied by the First Order, which sought to exploit the station as a military supply line. Following the Hosnian Cataclysm, Xiono and rebel veteran Commander Jarek Yeager led an uprising and launched the Colossus into space. In response, the First Order initiated a hunt for the Colossus, aiming to destroy it.

Despite the destruction of Starkiller Base, the Hosnian Cataclysm decapitated the New Republic. Consequently, Supreme Leader Snoke deployed his legions to seize military control of the galaxy. Rey predicted that the major systems would fall to the First Order within weeks. The First Order also launched an offensive against the Resistance, destroying their base on D'Qar and pursuing them through space using a hyperspace tracker. Although the First Order inflicted heavy casualties on the Resistance, they sustained significant losses when Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo rammed the Resistance's flagship, the Raddus, into Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, the Supremacy. Snoke was then assassinated by his apprentice and Anakin’s grandson Kylo Ren, who assumed the title of Supreme Leader. Ren pursued the surviving members of the Resistance to the planet Crait. There, Luke made his last stand, providing the Resistance and Rey with enough time to escape aboard the Millennium Falcon.

Though Emperor Palpatine's physical body was obliterated during the Battle of Endor, he transferred his essence into a clone following the Empire's downfall. However, the cloning process was incomplete, forcing him to inhabit an unstable vessel, allowing him to survive for another generation. Meanwhile, his followers, a Sith cult known as the Sith Eternal, created the Final Order—a massive armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers capable of destroying planets.

With the galaxy once again at war and the Final Order complete, Palpatine emerged from hiding and announced his return in 35 ABY. In his broadcast, he demanded the submission of every world in the galaxy and revealed his true identity as a Sith Lord, no longer attempting to conceal it. The inhabitants of the galaxy were plunged into disbelief and fear upon learning of Emperor Palpatine's survival. Kylo Ren, having vowed never to serve another master and believing in letting go of the past, viewed Palpatine as an intolerable threat to his authority as Supreme Leader. Consequently, Ren's priorities shifted from defeating the Resistance and suppressing their galaxy-wide rebellion against his rule to locating the Sith Lord so he could finish what his grandfather started and destroy the Sith once more.

Using the wayfinder that once belonged to his grandfather and was found on Mustafar, Ren made his way to Exegol. There, he encountered Emperor Palpatine, the Sith Eternal, and the massive fleet known as the Final Order. Palpatine admitted to orchestrating Snoke's rise and Ren's fall to the dark side. He then proposed that Ren could become Emperor and command the Sith fleet if he eliminated Rey, the last Jedi, but not before revealing that she was, in reality, his granddaughter.

The Resistance, aided by the disillusioned General Armitage Hux, learned that Palpatine had returned with an immense armada, planning to assault the free worlds within sixteen hours. His goal was to reinforce the First Order, regain control of the galaxy, and revive the Empire from its ruins, completing the final steps of his master plan to enact the Revenge of the Sith. Rey, along with Finn, Dameron, Chewbacca, BB-8, and C-3PO, set out to find Palpatine’s wayfinder to navigate to Exegol. After a series of confrontations with the First Order and the Knights of Ren, Rey obtained a wayfinder and engaged in combat with Ren on Kef Bir, uncovering her true heritage as the granddaughter of Sidious. Following the sensation of his mother's demise and a conversation with his father's spirit, Ren embraced the light side and reclaimed his identity as Ben.

Allegiant General Enric Pryde, having renewed his allegiance to Palpatine as he had during the Empire's reign, dispatched the Derriphan—a Star Destroyer originating from Exegol—to Kijimi after Ben's rejection of the dark side. The Derriphan employed its axial superlaser to carry out the destruction of Kijimi, showcasing the destructive capability of a single Star Destroyer from the Final Order, following Pryde's activation of Protocol 13. Under the command of Generals Dameron and Finn, the Resistance launched an offensive on Exegol, aiming to thwart the Sith fleet's impending assault on the free worlds and its unification with the First Order.

Despite facing overwhelming odds against the Sith Eternal's military forces during the Battle of Exegol, the Resistance received crucial reinforcements from the Citizens' Fleet, led by General Calrissian. Concurrently, Rey and Solo collaborated to permanently defeat the Sith Lord within his Sith Citadel located beneath Exegol. Recognizing their shared connection as a Force dyad, Palpatine siphoned their life energy and unleashed Force lightning upon the Resistance. Rey, empowered by the spirits of her Jedi predecessors, ultimately vanquished Emperor Palpatine, preventing the Sith's resurgence. Although mortally wounded, Rey was revived by Solo, who sacrificed his own life force to save her.

The downfall of Palpatine and the Sith Eternal triggered a widespread rebellion against the First Order across the galaxy. Consequently, the First Order's strongholds were besieged by uprisings on various planets, including Bespin, Endor, Jakku, Naboo, Corellia, and Coruscant. The Resistance and the galaxy celebrated their triumph and the end of the First Order's reign. Following the conflict, the galaxy's inhabitants embarked on the arduous task of rebuilding their shattered worlds after the devastation caused by the First Order-Resistance War. Resistance historian Captain Beaumont Kin was tasked with overseeing the excavation of the Sith Citadel and authored his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire to educate the populace about the Imperial regime. Rey, adopting the Skywalker name, became a Jedi Master, emulating Luke, and initiated the reconstruction of the Jedi Order to uphold peace, justice, and balance in the Force throughout the galaxy.

The galaxy made its debut in the 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, it was stated that the galaxy contained 3.2 billion habitable systems. However, the Canon books Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia and The Star Wars Book initially claimed that the galaxy had only 3.2 million. This figure was subsequently corrected in later editions of Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia.