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Star Wars The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Paperback
$19.99
Published on Sep 01, 2026 | 448 Pages
A history of the dark times
“So this is how liberty dies—with thunderous applause.”
-Senator Padmé Amidala
When Palpatine declared the birth of his new Empire, he expected it would stand for millennia. Instead, it lasted only 24 years. This is the story of how a tyrannical regime rose from the ashes of democracy, ruled the galaxy with an iron fist, and then collapsed into dust.
It is a story of war and heroes, of the power of propaganda and the dangers of complacency. But most of all, it is a story of normal people trying to live their lives in the face of a brutal dictatorship.
From the ruthlessness of Darth Vader’s campaigns to the horrors of the Tarkin Initiative, this book offers fresh new insights into the dark entity at the core of Star Wars.
© AND ™ 2024 LUCASFILM LTD.
“So this is how liberty dies—with thunderous applause.”
-Senator Padmé Amidala
When Palpatine declared the birth of his new Empire, he expected it would stand for millennia. Instead, it lasted only 24 years. This is the story of how a tyrannical regime rose from the ashes of democracy, ruled the galaxy with an iron fist, and then collapsed into dust.
It is a story of war and heroes, of the power of propaganda and the dangers of complacency. But most of all, it is a story of normal people trying to live their lives in the face of a brutal dictatorship.
From the ruthlessness of Darth Vader’s campaigns to the horrors of the Tarkin Initiative, this book offers fresh new insights into the dark entity at the core of Star Wars.
© AND ™ 2024 LUCASFILM LTD.
Author
Chris Kempshall
Dr. Chris Kempshall is a public historian and author who specialises in modern media representations of history. He has taught and lectured on war and European history at a wide assortment of universities and is currently the President for the International Society for First World War Studies and a Senior Research Fellow for the Centre for Army Leadership, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.He is the author of numerous academic works including; The First World War in Computer Games and British, French and American Relations on the Western Front, 1914–1918.Along with Jason Fry, Cole Horton, and Amy Ratcliffe, he is the co-author of Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy (2021) published by DK. His latest book Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, an in-universe political history of the Galactic Empire, was published by DK Books in July 2024.
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