Emperor PalpatineThe contingency plan in the event of his death is officially underway in Star Wars comics, giving fans the chance to finally see Operation: Cinder being carried out across the galaxy. Sentinel droids are delivered to the Empire’s top Star Destroyer commanders, containing pre-recorded messages delivered to all Imperials on board:
“Resistance. Rebellion. Challenge. These are concepts that cannot persist. You are just one of the many tools by which these ideas will be destroyed.”
So far in the Star Wars universe, the idea of a formal rebellion and structured resistance has ended up becoming a reality and claimed as names for entire movements. These two concepts have opposed Palpatine until now, and I think Defiance is the next big threat to Emperor Palpatine’s plans.
First came the rebels, then came the resistance, then came… Challenge?
Emperor Palpatine predicts the next threat to his empire with Operation: Cinder
The new teaser makes its appearance in The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency (2024) #2 by creative team Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, Rachelle Rosenberg and Joe Caramagna. The objective of Operation: Cinder was clear and brutal: destroy Imperial worlds to punish the Empire for failing to prevent the death of its Emperor, while destroying enemy worlds and wealthy planets to maintain power over the galaxy. Pre-recorded messages were sent to Star Destroyers from the Empire’s top commanders, luring the most ruthless Imperials to build a new empire, while Palpatine builds his own backup with the Sith Eternal on Exegol.
The sentinel droids carrying Emperor Palpatine’s pre-recorded messages were sent almost immediately after his death, as if he predicted he would die, and the droids were on their way before the conclusion of the Battle of Endor. It is possible to see the future using the Force, although it is flawed, but Palpatine is known to use this prediction ability. I believe the most notable line of his message is not only identifying features he won’t allow, but also the name of the group this will become the next big threat to your plans.
Will The Defiance become the next “good guy” in a new era of Star Wars?
The Alliance to Restore the Republic, better known as the Rebel Alliance, is the first group to rise up against Emperor Palpatine, becoming the heroes of the original trilogy. The Resistance were the heroes of the sequel trilogy, formed as a secret branch of the New Republic military that opposed the First Order when they began to pose a threat to the galaxy. At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance thwarts Palpatine’s second plan after his resurrection.
A new era of Star Wars is beginning with Rey’s Jedi Order, and there’s a chance that the “Defiance” Palpatine mentions in his message could be the next group of heroes to save the galaxy, but I’m not convinced it is. that’s the case. The common factor among the concepts that Palpatine cannot allow is that each of them poses a serious and direct threat to his plan. So, practically speaking, I don’t see why Palpatine would be worried about heroes who won’t band together until their mission is over. There is only one person Palpatine could describe as the Challenge: Moff Adelhard.
The Imperial Defiant is a greater threat to Palpatine than any rebellion or resistance
Gallius Rax describes Moff Adelhard as living in a state of denial, continuing to operate as if the Emperor were not dead. Unlike elements of the Empire who followed Palpatine’s contingency plan with Operation: Cinder, Adelhard lies to his soldiers and the people of the Anoat sector that their Emperor is alive and that the Rebellion has lost the war. He uses manipulation tactics to maintain the power he once had while he can, because he fears losing it. Like the Rebellion and the Resistance, Adelhard opposes the Emperor’s plans.
I doubt that the divisive factions of the Empire will not end up coming into conflict in the near future, as although Adelhard is not a “good guy”, he is the biggest threat to Operation: Cinder by challenging Palpatine’s vision for the Empire since he does not it was more part of him. Gallius Rax tells Rae Sloane that Adelhard is being dealt with, so there is likely to be conflict between both factions of the Empire as Rax and Sloane eliminate the challenge that Palpatine stated could not persist.
I believe Palpatine predicted exactly how Adelhard and other power-hungry Imperials would react to his plan for a post-Emperor empire. This is why Operation: Cinder was designed to eradicate only the most ruthless Imperials, a group to which Adelhard does not belong. As much as I would have liked to see Adelhard become a founding member of the First Order, he simply isn’t what Palpatine had in mind for his new Empire.
Find out how Rax and Sloane deal with the Imperial challenger in The Battle of Jakku – Rise of the Insurgency #2, available now from Marvel Comics.