Warning: spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1!Under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine, the Galactic Empire established itself as the most powerful force in the Star Wars galaxy. While utter domination is Palpatine’s endgame, the realities of the galaxy mean the Empire’s monopoly on power is not absolute. Other factions in Star Wars control their own swaths of stellar territory or hold influence in less tangible ways. Now, as Palpatine faces a threat the Empire is struggling to contain itself, he reaches out to these organizations.

At its height, the Galactic Republic that preceded the Empire did not hold dominion over the entirety of the galaxy. Even before considering regions of the galaxy that remain unexplored, other interstellar states and independent worlds remained. The Republic’s collapse came at the end of the Clone Wars, itself a culmination of the Separatist Crisis ignited by a confederacy of worlds seeking to secede from the Republic. Beyond independent worlds, there also exist a number of stateless organizations, notably the galaxy’s numerous criminal syndicates.

Star Wars: Hidden Empire by Charles Soule and Steven Cummings is the third miniseries in a trilogy detailing Lady Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn’s quest to overthrow the Sith. Crimson Dawn is, in itself, one of the most powerful underworld organizations in Star Wars, with Lady Qi’ra’s influence and allies posing one of the first real threats Palpatine has encountered since proclaiming himself Emperor. With Crimson Dawn in open defiance to the Empire, Palpatine calls upon their five rivals, the other major powers of the galaxy: the Hutt Clans, Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, the Droid Gotra, and Zerek Besh. Crimson Dawn’s threat to the Empire is very real, and the chaos they’re sowing across the Empire threatens to throw it into disarray. By calling the other powerful factions of the galaxy into serving the Emperor’s will, Palpatine hopes to crush the rebellious sixth faction.

Six Major Criminal Syndicates Rule The Galaxy

Black Sun is a crime syndicate ruled by nobles of the green-skinned Falleen race. Former members of Maul’s Shadow Collective, Black Sun’s criminal empire focused heavily on galactic slave trafficking. The Pyke Syndicate, ruled by the Pyke species, were also formerly members of the Shadow Collective, their organization specializing in the black market spice trade. Zerek Besh are relative newcomers to the galactic underworld: little has been revealed about them beyond their current status as one of the galaxy’s major crime families. The Droid Gotra also engage in illicit activities like the other non-Imperial powers, but they do so in order to fund a higher purpose: the emancipation of droids throughout the galaxy – a mission which is moving to the forefront of Marvel’s Star Wars stories. The most imposing force, however, is easily the Hutt Clans, who control a sizable swath of territory in the galaxy independent of the Empire, primarily along the Outer Rim.

Crimson Dawn also trace their lineage to the Shadow Collective, having risen from its ashes under the Collective’s old leadership: Darth Maul. As the Shadow Collective collapsed and Maul found himself deposed on Mandalore, he used his remaining underworld influence to carve out Crimson Dawn so that they could be the catalyst for his revenge against the Sith. While Maul would die in the intervening years, Lady Qi’ra has taken up Maul’s mission and now utilizes the criminal syndicate to bring down the Empire from the shadows.

The interwoven underworld connection of these six organizations is not only what makes them each individually powerful, but it is also why Palpatine calls on the other five to bring down Crimson Dawn. Crimson Dawn is fighting an asymmetrical war against the Sith, favoring infiltration and bribery over the guerilla tactics utilized by the Rebellion. Each of these organizations holds power in ways the Empire cannot, and this is what makes them not only the most powerful factions in the Star Wars galaxy, but essential allies for Palpatine against Crimson Dawn.

Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics