This article contains minor spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 5.
Star Wars has officially brought the Empire’s Legends fate into Disney canon. The Emperor’s death in Return of the Jedi was not the end of the Empire – but it was the beginning of the end. In the old Expanded Universe, the Empire retreated into a so-called “Imperial Remnant” on the very edges of the galaxy. The Imperial Remnant signed a peace treaty with the New Republic, and the two coexisted – even allying together against the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.
All that was branded non-canon, or “Legends,” by Disney when they acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. And yet, for all that’s the case, there are striking parallels between the old EU and the Disney canon. In the new lore, the Empire fell at the Battle of Jakku, with the New Republic subsequently signing a treaty with Mas Amedda on Coruscant. But The Mandalorian has revealed there’s a sense in which the war with the Empire never truly ended, because not every Imperial accepted Mas Amedda’s surrender. One faction appeared to be centered in the sector around Tatooine, under the command of Moff Gideon. The Mandalorian season 2 further suggested Moff Gideon is not the only Imperial actively working against the New Republic and that Grand Admiral Thrawn may be involved.
The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 subtly incorporates a further idea from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, officially describing these hold-outs as “Imperial Remnants.” It’s interesting to note the plural, which suggests a slight difference between the Disney canon and Legends; it seems there are multiple Imperial holdouts across the galaxy, with most believing they are separate. Given the likelihood of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s involvement, though, the vestiges of Star Wars‘ Empire are very likely working together with him in secret in the current canon.
The New Republic formally disarmed after the Battle of Jakku, with Chancellor Mon Mothma hoping the war with the Empire was over. It’s surely no coincidence, though, that X-Wings have been sent to scout the area around Tatooine, seeking evidence of the Empire’s actions. A war is brewing once again between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant, one that will be fought in the Outer Rim rather than in the Galactic Core.
Tatooine seems to lie at the heart of this, for, as seen in The Book of Boba Fett episode 3, stormtroopers had still been active on the desert world at least five years after Return of the Jedi. Referencing a season 1 episode of The Mandalorian in which stormtrooper heads had been put on spikes in Mos Eisley, The Book of Boba Fett episode 3 revealed the citizens of the town doing so right as Boba Fett was riding by on his way to meet with the Pyke Syndicate. That means the current Disney+ TV show is far more important to Lucasfilm’s overarching narrative than it seems right now, because by claiming Tatooine as his base, Boba Fett has unwittingly positioned himself near the center of this conflict. The Empire has retreated far from the bright center of the galaxy, but – as is always the case in the Star Wars saga – they will not go unopposed.
The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
Key Release Dates
Rogue Squadron
Release Date:2023-12-22
