Warning! This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #1Star Wars introduced a new nemesis for Luke Skywalker and his fellow rebels in the immediate aftermath of Endor. Despite the destruction of the second Death Star and the deaths of both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, one Imperial general is determined to continue the Empire’s war with the Rebellion. Beginning his career at the bottom of the Imperial hierarchy, Governor Adelhard is now a true force to be reckoned with with connections to the legacies of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader.
As seen in Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #1 By Alex Segura, Steffano Raffaele and Alex Sinclair, the history and background of Governor Adelhard is revealed. Originally introduced in 2015s Star Wars: Uprising mobile game (which was canceled a year later), Adelhard has now become a key antagonist in uprising risingHaving locked down the Anaat sector and determined to maintain the lie that the “Empire is thriving”, declares all reports of the Emperor’s death as treasonous lies. so too, The end of this new issue reveals more of Adelhard’s backstory, his dedication to the Empire, and his connection to key Imperial figures:
Because he proved to be quite valuable to his superiors, Governor Adelhard reached the heights of his power due to his great loyalty and ability to effectively manage the empire’s power with great successHaving watched and learned from some of its greatest leaders: Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Darth Vader himself.
Governor Adelhard was one of the first Stormtroopers
His career started from the bottom
As confirmed by Adelhard himself in this new issue, the general began his imperial career as a mere tempest. It is also revealed through flashbacks that he was one of the first of the Empire, as evidenced by his early TK storm armor first seen in The bad batch animated series, the precursor to the more traditional stormtrooper armor as seen in the original trilogy. As such, this means that Adelhard served the Empire from the beginning. It also means that he started as low on the Imperial hierarchy as one could be.
Nevertheless, Adelhard continued to climb the ladder, eventually becoming the general of an entire sector as shown in the wake of Return of the Jedi (with the empire on the brink of its death). As such, Adelhard’s decades of dedicated service prove that he will not give up the empire without a prolonged fight. It certainly explains why Star Wars is positioning Adelhard as a key antagonist and probably a core reason why the Galactic Civil War didn’t end with Endorinstead culminating with the Battle of Jakku a year later.
Governor Adelhard served under Troop, and Vader saw his worth
Now, Adelhard will try to succeed where they failed
Key elements that make Adelhard even more of an imposing threat are his ties and connections to both Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader. As seen through the flashback to earlier points in Adelhard’s career, it is revealed that the general once served under Throne before the Grand Admiral’s exile as seen in Star Wars Rebels. This alone proves his skills as an Imperial leader, as only the best would have been given a place on the bridge of Thrawn’s Star Destroyer, The Chimaera.
Likewise, the issue ends with Vader challenging Adelhard himself, giving him his governorship due to his decisive but brutal decision-making in the Anoat sector with the effective destruction of a group of dissidents (as well as millions of innocent lives as collateral damage). Vader confirms that the Empire has big plans for Adelhard, which is why the general is so determined to keep the Empire running. In the aftermath of Vader and Palpatine’s defeat. It will be fascinating to see what Adelhard does next, and how Luke Skywalker and his fellow rebels deal with him before Jakku.
Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #1 is now on sale from Marvel Comics.