Galactic Empire

The Galactic Empire is a Star Wars Macro Faction - that normally appears in the original Trilogy and the last movie of the prequel trilogy.

In this case, it refers to an imagined scenario where things in the Old Republic Era of the Star Wars expanded universe, didn't pan out as they do in the Canon - and a Macro Faction known as the Galactic Empire ends up in control of most of known space - existing as a Confederacy of multiple (largely) self-governing territories (referred to as Imperial Provinces).

You can read more about the setting specifically, here.

Territories
The territories are numerous - most of them consisting of sub-territories - of which there are hundreds of thousands.

Inner Sith Space
Large portions of the Mid-rim and the entire Inner-Rim, Inner Sith Space (ISS) is a remarkably large and powerful territory. Most of ISS used to be long to the Galactic Republic, but a lot of it were fringe worlds that were politically and culturally removed from the Core Worlds of the Republic, where the politics were centered. ISS largely became part of the Galactic Empire entirely willingly and it was here that the Galactic Empire began.

The vast majority of sub-territories of the ISS are held by Darths, who rule as Feudal Lords over their sub-territories. Each of these Darths (or Grand Moffs if not Force Sensitive) have a seat on the Senate, greatly unbalancing the political power structure of the Galaxy.

Outer Sith Space
A considerable portion of the Outer Rim, and small portions of the Mid-Rim make up the territory known as Outer Sith Space (OSS). OSS was the territory of the Sith Empire, under Emperor Vitiate - and it was because of this faction - to fight and subjugate it, and to protect the rest of the Galaxy from it, that the Galactic Empire formed.

OSS is still resentful of their defeat and subjugation, especially because Emperor Vitiate taught different Sith Ideals to his people, than the Original Sith did, which the Galactic Empire based it's Sith Teachings on. Largely viewed as political, cultural and religious differences, for the most part - the OSS and ISS are compatible - their political models and general beliefs being along the same lines.

The vast majority of sub-territories of the ISS are held by Darths, who rule as Feudal Lords over their sub-territories. Each of these Darths (or Grand Moffs if not Force Sensitive) have a seat on the Senate, greatly unbalancing the political power structure of the Galaxy.

The Core-world Republic
Formerly known as "The Galactic Republic" (now mainly referred to as TCR), this Imperial Province remains, largely, under martial law and occupation - due to being extremely poorly integrated. Consisting of a very large number of planets (due to the density of the Galactic Core), it is (space wise) one of the smallest territories.

TCR has a strained history with the Sith, who control the Empire, and despite lives having changed remarkably little for most citizens of TCR, the people of the territory are outraged by their fate.

Notable Sub-Territories
These Sub-Territories are notable enough that I feel they are worth mentioning, among the many thousands of them. Another thing that separates them from the other Sub-territories, is that the appointed government leader of these worlds have Consul Status in the Imperial Senate - which means that their voting power is significantly higher than it should be.

Mandalorian Nation
The Mandalorians were given their own homeworld again, after many years of galactic conquest and migration. It is a sub-territory within the OSS. Consisting of several systems with multiple hospitable planets, the Mandalorian Sub-Territory is politically powerful enough that, despite their minuscule size, they have a seat on the Imperial Senate - held by Mandalore (the title of their ruler - confusing because it is also the name of their capital world).

The Mandalorians have gathered in large numbers in their very small territory - and population wise, they are Incredibly impressive.

Zabrak Nation
The Zabrak were always a revered nation among both the Republic and the Sith Empire - they remained so in the Galactic Empire, with their divided species being joined through peace.

The Zabrak live in divided tribes with each their own culture - their nation and joint government is a new thing for their people, ushered in by the rise of the Galactic Empire, and a change that most of them are viewing positively - though others deem it the impending death of their culture.

The Zabrak are a moderately large species, and many of them are found outside of the Zabrak nation, with the Zabrak nation being fairly small. Because of their history, however, they have a seat in the Imperial Senate.

The Chiss Ascendancy
The Chiss Ascendancy joined the Sith Empire, before it was defeated. They have been incredibly satisfied with the new ways ushered in by the Galactic Empire, however, granting them much more autonomy, as they are an isolationist species that prefers minimal contact with the outside world.

The Chiss betrayed the Sith Empire and joined forces with the Galactic Empire in their war, in return for a guarantee of a Senate Seat for their nation, following the victory - and this is largely the only reason why they have a seat on the Senate, as the Chiss Species is both rare, small and confined to a single planet and a few very small colonies.

The Arkanian-Echani Confederacy
These two small species were very active in the war - and they are among some of the smallest notable species in the known Galaxy, but also some of the most well-known (which is incredibly considering that they are abysmally small in population, compared to - say; regular humans.

The two species are incredibly similar appearance wise and genetically - and have a history with each other. Though careful negotiation, they have obtained a seat on the Imperial Senate, though their joint Confederacy is represented by the Leader of the Echani Nation, which seems to suit the aloof Arkanians just fine.

Miraluka Nation
The Miraluka are one of those special species, where bending all the rules are necessary for their continued existence - and where the usefulness of the species makes it worthwhile to do so. The Miraluka Planet is a distant one, barely touched by the Empire, though an agreement has been worked out, granting the Miraluka a Senate Seat in return for their general obedience. The Miraluka are among the rarest species in the Galaxy, with there being few of them even on their own home-world (only a few million).

Government
The Galactic Empire is, non surprisingly, a monarchy, however - it is perhaps best described as a confederacy between multiple governments and cultures, under a joint Senate and Monarch.

The Emperor
The Emperor rules the majority of a Galaxy - this means he essentially rules nothing. The Empire is so large, that it is impossible for the Emperor to micro-manage anything that happens within the borders and will largely have to stick with making certain major decisions - and attempt to observe that the subordinates attempt to meet the orders as they were presented.

Naturally, the Emperor is far from powerless, but there is much more true power in being in direct control of considerably smaller territory, than in being the highest administrator. The Emperor doesn't even appoint local rulers, there is a Feudal System in place, and most things run their course without his interference.

Imperial Senate

The Senate is an uneven and somewhat misrepresented government structure and quite unfair in its reality. The Imperial Senate consists of a few Consuls who represents a few elevated factions within the Empire (all of the notable Sub-territories are represented by a Consul). The Consuls have more power in the Senate than a common Senator (who are typically either a Grand Moff or a Darth).

The Grand Moffs outnumber the Darths considerably (2 out of 3), but the Darths form a powerful clique in that they all share membership in the Dark Council - which causes them to generally vote as one collective. That makes the Grand Moffs practically inconsequential in the Senate - on their own at least.

Largely the Senate is divided into two "voting blocks" - the Consul block and the Dark Council block.

Despite being much smaller in numbers, the Consuls have the same voting power as roughly the entire Dark Council Block, meaning that either side relies heavily on swaying individual members of the opposing block to vote in their favor, or manipulating the Grand Moffs.

The Senate is an autonomous body - as long as their decisions and proposals do not directly oppose an order or request made by the Emperor, they can vote for any suggestion they want, and once a proposal is passed, each Senator passes the ruling down the chain of command, to ensure that it is carried out into even the smallest extension of their governments.

The Sith Order
The main article about the Sith Order is found in a separate article, here.

The Sith Order make up a powerful faction in the Galactic Empire, in that the official state religion is literally an old Sith Philosophy, and that the two largest territories of the Galactic Empire are divided into Feudal Territories controlled by Sith Noble Houses - and because a powerful political body of the Empire is exclusively consisting of Sith - namely the Dark Council.

Social Hierarchy
The Social Hierarchy in the Empire can be divided into multiple social classes - and while these classes do not hold true for the entire Empire, it is at least true in the two Sith Space regions.

Non-tolerated Aliens
Non-tolerates Aliens are not permitted to reside in Imperial Space outside of certain Enclaves, reservations or if they are slaves. There are multiple reservation worlds - and the Aliens are not supposed to leave them - though they may travel through Imperial Space between regions that they are permitted in.

Non-Tolerated Aliens are mostly the most non-humanoid aliens - that are incompatible with a society designed for humanoids. They rarely have reasons to leave their reservations - as the world outside of their reservations (which are usually their home planets and surrounding colonies that they need for their personal infrastructure) is simply too different for them to manage in.

Inferior Cultures
Inferior Cultures are cultures associated with traitorous or anti-Imperial or anti-Sith notions. Members of these cultures (now, proving membership of a culture isn't always easy - so this isn't enforced very much) are practically in the same boat as Non-tolerated Aliens.

In most cases, there is no outright "membership" requirement for a culture, and the Imperial Courts are not interested in investigating if claims are true or untrue, and determining if someone is "culturally inferior enough" to be considered non-tolerable.

So for the most part, the social stigma is the only thing that stands in the way of joining polite society. However, the Sith found other ways of dealing with the Inferior Cultures - very large portions of such cultures have ended up in slavery - if suited for it. It started as a "Keep your friends close, but enemies closer" kind of thing, but it turned out to be a brilliant way to integrate the undesired cultures into society.

Slaves
Slaves are property of either individuals or an organization (possibly even the Government). Being a Slave is not necessarily a bad life. Slaves are normally (and by law required to be) provided for, with 3 nourishing meals a day, no less than 12 hours off every day, the right to marry other slaves or non-slaves (both slaves transferring to ownership of the same master - settled in a civil manner - or in the case of marrying a non-slave, the slave becomes of the same social class as their spouse) - a maximum work week of 5 days and many other rules instated to protect slaves. The Children of Slaves are subjected to an integration test when they turn 15 - about 40% tend to pass the test and become Residents instead of slaves. The remainder become slaves - but it is very rare for a third generation slave to sire a fourth.

How slaves are supposed to be treated, and how they are actually treated are two different things.

Most slaves live in Slave Districts - living lives that largely make them seem as if they were ordinary citizens in a regular society to the passer by. Slaves are often schooled and educated, taught a specific job, and while their Slave Credit is only good in certain stores, they are usually paid for their work and unlike other people, never risk standing without roof over their heads or without food on their tables.

Those slaves are of course the "working class slaves" - estate slaves live considerably more dubious existences. Estate slaves work as staff for an estate, resembling either the servants of a late Victorian age British Estate, or a Roman Aristocratic Estate, typically pending in which territory they live and whether their master is only a wealthy member of the Citizen elite, or an actual Sith/Aristocrat (respectively).

Personal slaves, again, tend to live very different lives, in direct servitude to someone influential, rich and powerful. The interesting thing is, that while slaves are close the very bottom of society, many slaves are actually, in their own right, more powerful than many above their station.

Slaves are privy to important events and important decision - and while their jobs might seem menial and unimportant, they are part of their respective estate, an extension of their master. Personal Slaves are often turned to for advice, personal or professional - and often are greatly trusted.

So while it sounds like the working class slaves have the best living conditions, very few Personal Slaves or Estate Slaves would trade places, even if their rights are not observed.

Obviously, the Galactic Empire relies a lot on Slavery - and that is exactly why slaves are treated with dignity and respect. Even the cruelest Sith Lords will keep a polite and mostly pleasant tone with their slaves, because they are raised to view the slaves as an extension of themselves - and only someone truly incompetent will argue with themselves.

Estate Slaves and Personal Slaves are often incredibly loyal - and the bond between Slave and Master typically goes both ways - many Sith Lords target favorite slaves of their rivals to cause them pain and frustration that they cannot vent, air or show in public - because no one knows their slaves, outside of their own house hold, but house feuds have started over such acts of cruelty.

Most slaves are typically of species that are regarded as "less favorable", as well as certain "undesired" human sub-species and many cultures viewed as non-tolerable.

An important question we have to ask ourselves when dealing with a society that tolerates slavery - is WHY do people tolerate Slavery? The majority of people in the world are locked into their existence - sure, we can legally choose to run away from our obligations, and then face the (often as legally punishing) consequences afterwards. For many people, the choice is either to continue working at their job - or to suddenly become homeless, criminals or fail their families, or perhaps be supported by family members because they refuse to fend for themselves and be independent. In the real world, due to our culture and legal systems being based on the principle of freedom of choice, as well as many of our major religions for that matter - it's important to remember that this is actually a key difference in the Star Wars universe.

The Vast majority of people are still familiar with the old teachings about the force, claiming that we're all part of the Force's design, a master plan. Slavery has a better basis for being tolerated in a society where most people are raised to remember that, fate is real.

Another matter is, that the Empire treats slaves - on paper - very fairly, and that those who abandon slavery often face hardships. The alternative to slavery in the Empire, would be mass immigration and integration of populations that are culturally incompatible with the Empire as a whole, and taxing the people to pay for their benefits.

The people seem content that the rich, the wealthy and the elite; carry the burden of integrating these people. Now, of course - slavery has become an industry for the Empire.

The Exchange, which rules Hutt Space, are much less lenient with their slaves - they keep entire planet-populations in slavery, breeding slaves for the purpose of selling them to the Empire (and for personal uses of course). But there are also legal Imperial Slavers and slave culture - many slave owners encourage their married female slaves to produce as many children as possible, rewarding them for every child they breed (often with luxury - these breeding slaves are often treated better than many citizens live!). Seeing as, statistically, only 40% of slave children pass the residency test, this is a good way to keep the slave class alive.

Plebeians
The Plebeians are the non-citizens and non-residents of the Empire, who live within it anyway. This is technically illegal, and in addition to that, many of them are neglected, abandoned or escaped slaves - who have just relocated and started over.

The plebeians pay for everything out of their own pocket - they live in slums and ghettos and are often prone to crime, but just as frequently victims of it. The largest criminal elements of the Empire consists of street gangs made up of members of this class - the undocumented illegal residential-aliens.

The plebeians are accepted in society, because they are actually cheaper labor than slaves. Many of them want nothing more than to return to slavery - because as slaves, their children stand a chance of gaining residency, they get taken care of, food, housing, medical care, they have rights and they get education.

The Plebeians have no rights. They are paid black (this is a legitimate term people - look it up!) and often far below the Imperial Minimum Wage, and further more offered no work-place benefits and also paid below agreed union wages and so forth.

Slaves are on the decline across the Imperial Nation, with fewer and fewer slaves on the markets every year - because slowly, the Galactic Empire is assimilating the cultures and species within it's territories. This means that the prices of slaves go up - and with there being fewer slaves, it becomes easier for the Empire to check up on their conditions - resulting often in fines and penalties.

These conditions have created a demand for the Plebeians, during this time of transitioning - where the Empire is very slowly beginning to adjust to a society without slaves. The Plebeians take on the menial and undesired jobs. They have no rights (unlike slaves) which means that, in the most primitive sense, they are actually often treated more like slaves than the actual slaves.

That said, many Plebeians flee from Hutt Space, where they were slaves before - and Slavery in the Hutt Space region is a much crueler fate than Slavery in the Empire, and much crueler than life as a Plebeian.

Plebeians have three options to join society properly, and escape their situation;

1) They leave Sith Space, going for instance to a refugee camp, or to an expansion region or such, and show-casing their actual skills, they apply for residency. This is a difficult route, requiring often, the help from some sort of organization and hard work.

2) They volunteer to become slaves. Many plebeians do not want to be slaves, because they do not want to be integrated - there are many diverse cultures among the plebeians, and the ghetto-culture only sustains this mentality.

3) Join the Imperial Foreign Legion - the contracts are 10 years long, during the enlistment period, the enlisted plebeians are subject to integration and indoctrination into the Empire, as well as educated towards acquiring a job upon Discharge. They discharge as citizens of the Galactic Empire. The Imperial Foreign Legion is viewed as the most expendable of the Legions. It has a lot of casualties and it's a very harsh Legion - and 10 years is a long time.

Residents
Residents are those who legally reside inside the Empire's borders but are not citizens. As non-citizens, they only have access to benefits as long as they are married to someone who is a citizen or another resident who pays taxes - or of they themselves pay taxes.

Residents can co-own land-property and vehicles, but cannot personally own such. They cannot vote either. The child of a resident is born a citizen. Residents who volunteer for normal military service (not foreign Legion) become Citizens at end of term. Otherwise after 10 years as a tax paying resident, citizenship is obtained.

Status wise - there is no real difference between a resident and a citizen - though many residents are slave children, meaning they come into the Empire with no inheritance and no real social identity. That creates a clear "underclass" of Slave-children Residents. Other Residents, who immigrate into the Empire, through show-casing of employable skills, are usually indistinguishable from the average citizen who might have relocated.

Citizens
In return for having the right to own property and vehicles, as well as the right to vote (if applicable where the Citizen currently lives), Citizens are required to undergo military service - unlike Residents.

Imperial Citizens have nothing else going for them status wise - some are poor, some are not. It's generally the most difficult social class to gauge the levels of.