What if the Empire DIDN'T Break Apart After Endor?

On today's Star Wars what if video, we take a look at Star Wars legends and Star Wars canon to answer the question: what if the Empire DIDN'T break apart after the Battle of Endor. My theory and more on today's Star Wars video!
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[@EckhartsLadder]

Thumbnail ships aggain via FractalSponge: fractalsponge.net Gameplay from the Thrawn's Revenge mod for Empire at War.

[@kingkempf2540]

You should do a video on the Star Wars Rebels last few episodes with the force portal and the lord-wolves, I’ve been trying to figure it out (failure) so could you plz explain it?

[@beasttheredknight5741]

I'm pretty sure they're doing that in in the TV side of mandalorian like Dave filoni verse

[@feralprocessor9853]

#AskEck What if Modern Humanity encountered Citadel Council Races from Masseffect?

[@Declankrenic]

I like to wonder if the imperials post endor reestablished the senate while they decided who to act as the empires new head of state

[@NoUseforaFlip]

Which universe would win? The Star Wars Universe or the Space Battleship Yamato Universe? Just something I have thought about because its Japans biggest Sci Fi vs Americas biggest Sci Fi

[@princeofpokemon2934]

Hey Eck, what would happen if the Republic was actually defeated by the Separatists during Clone Wars?

[@c.w.simpsonproductions1230]

I think there's a what if story that covers that.

[@theicelord8588]

Palpatine still would’ve won since he was manipulating both sides in his favor and he probably wouldn’t have a need for anikin if the separatists would’ve beat the republic

[@GhettoTako]

Couldn’t happen, palpatine was in control of the separatists and his ultimate goal was gaining full control of the republic mostly intact.

[@owenspinks793]

@@GhettoTako maybe if like by some Fluke Dooku killed Palps or something? Idk

[@Gigas0101]

Palpatine: Oops.

[@TauLupis]

What if Dooku betrayed Palpatine at the onset of the Clone Wars and attempted to genuinely lead the CIS to victory against the Republic?

[@DarkApostleNoek]

He did something like that kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYmQipmAptyBiKM

[@casbot71]

He wouldn't even have to kill Palpatine, _which is a risky all or nothing move - you fail, you die._ Just give the Jedi council _proof_ (holorecordings of conversations) that Palpatine is Siddious. He could even make it look like someone else did the surveillance and leaking, in order to not look guilty to Palpatine and trigger any reprisal contingencies that Palpatine had waiting. I wonder if Obi-Wan ever went "Damn" about his conversation with Dooku before the arena on Geonosis?

[@Im-the-greatest]

Cool idea

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

@@casbot71 this would make a great ‘infinities’ story.

[@TheRabidPanda]

I think the CIS only did as well as it did, because their leader was the leader of the other side. He knew everything both sides were doing, so the CIS had a better chance.

[@TheStormWolf10]

I’ll be honest: in both versions, the fracturings showed utter stupidity. In both I would have imagined even the most COMPETENT officers in the Empire would have seen the writing on the wall and planned a contingency in the event of the Emperors death, even if it risked looking like treason. In EU, they do this because they don’t see the emperor producing or even naming an heir to take his place in the event of his death (due to the fact he planned on trying to be immortal but he fails to mention this lol), I’d think a few of the best and most competent (Thrawn obviously the leader of this cabal) coming together to put together a contingency plan for such an event and when the emperor does die the plan immediately goes into effect. What this plan is would determine what they all agreed upon. In canon, there is no way Thrawn and others at his level would not have known about Operation Cinder. They’d take one look at that and go “This makes no sense, we might as well draw up a new contingency plan.” Same results and such

[@steverukia6247]

I agree and I’m sure there some explanation in both versions why and I’m guessing sense no one trust each other or was focusing on money then the future but this kinda happened later in the EU after thrawn and the emperor.

[@laisphinto6372]

in the EU i dont see a way how thrawn could have taken over ,yes he was a grand admiral but people like isard, zsinj,kaine and other very powerful and competent Imperials wouldnt just let this random alien from nowhere take over and hell even in the original thrawn trilogy they barely gave thrawn anything to work with

[@jus7040]

@@laisphinto6372 yeah but in the Hand-of-Thrawn-Trilogy some warlords mangaged it quite good, the come together and start forming an alliance. Or think about Daala's summoning of the warlords, when she killed all of them with gas. Only she and Paleon survived. Saying it would have been an honest try to forge an alliance, the potential get most of the warlords at one table existed.

[@UGNAvalon]

“The Emperor needs a successor in the event of his untimely death.” “I agree. It should be one of his most competent grand admirals.” “I nominate myself.” “I nominate myself.” “I nominate myself.” _Ad infinitum….._

[@randycheow4268]

What about Palleon? Isn’t he a competent leader?

[@macwelch8599]

I don’t know, I think the Imperial Remnants are more dangerous than the Empire, simply because of their desperate need to survive

[@EL1X10]

And Thrawn...

[@macwelch8599]

@@EL1X10 true

[@macwelch8599]

@@bigbangrafa8435 yep

[@DannyHeywood]

It's also the freedom to try new ideas rather than sticking to the same old ''Build a bigger one!''

[@justinthompson6364]

The loss of the emperor and wave of open rebellion could very well shake the Empire out of its collective sense of superiority, but even if it doesn't the empire could hardly put up less of a fight than a bunch of infighting successor states. The Remnants invited defeat in detail, wasted resources on conflicts with each other, and no doubt suffered logistical issues when they no longer had a whole galaxy of stable supply lines to keep their fleet of huge battleships running. It may not be a very Star Wars-y sentiment, but desperation won't win a war by itself.

[@THeFudimentals]

What if Palpatine lost his bid for the chancellorship in the phantom menace? The siths scheming was highly political in nature, and Darth Maul had really no political tact. Would Dooku have to run for the chancellorship and would Senator Palpatine have to become the figurehead of the CIS? Very interesting scenario #askeck

[@EckhartsLadder]

Interesting, I think Palpatine just pushes back the timeline though.

[@Sirbikingviking]

palpatine probably just takes over the CIS and conquers the Republic with order 66

[@bankotsu2a]

@@EckhartsLadder what if plagis survives palpitine's attempt at killing him?

[@thalmoragent9344]

​​@@EckhartsLadder Well, the Clones age quickly so, better hope that it's not too long before they're all just kinda sitting there, not being used or getting any younger.

[@casbot71]

#AskEck What if Palpatine had been killed during the Clone Wars, before he could trigger Order 66? He had a number of close calls - amongst them, the Zilla beast. The kidnapping by General Grevious during the battle of Corescant was a particularly risky move … Grevious or a droid may have improvised in the face of tough resistance and decided a dead Chancellor was better than not succeeding in the kidnapping. And GAR Forces may have blown away the ship he was being taken up to orbit on, or destroyed the bridge of the Invisible Hand in the heat of battle, not knowing that was where Palpatine was being held. *He could have ironically died a Martyr to the Republic.* But what next? Who is next in line and do they have the same Authority and governmental powers of total control? And would they be a "good guy"? Without Palpatine in the Chancellors seat is Order 66 dead and never being activated? And depending on _when_ Palpatine dies, does that mean the CIS has a better chance of winning? Both sides were being nerfed as needed to prolong the conflict, at what point can the GAR win without Siddious hamstringing the CIS. There are two real scenerios based around _when_ Palpatine gets killed. And in the battle of Corescant scenerio if it's on the bridge of the Invisible Hand, then there's a chance that Dooku and Grevious get taken out as well. But if he's a Zillo beast snack …

[@kingandros4819]

Coruscant*

[@casbot71]

@@kingandros4819 I'm slightly dislexic _you cant._

[@jaohonaxa]

Well the most obvious response would have been Dooku taking over and finally getting to do the war his way. I mean every Sith plans to do away with their master, that was the whole reason behind Asajj Ventress, and if he died by the Zillo Beast than that would be before he ordered Dooku to kill her. So yeah, Dooku and Ventress would be the new lords of the Sith, which would also mean that Savage Oppress would never come to be and hence Maul would likely stay off the board for a while or permanently. How well Dooku and Ventress would do against the Republic without their man on the inside is uncertain, but it would prove a shift in the conflict.

[@cooperv.6083]

Very late reply but if Sidious is "all the sith" and his darkside energy is transferred when someone kills him, does that mean Zillo beast gets corrupted and turned into an uber galaxy-ending darkside Zillo Beast?

[@vanillagorilla2747]

@@jaohonaxaDooku while being rich is nowhere near palpatines level as he controlled every aspect of the war

[@TheWingland]

Fleet battle between Grand admiral Thrawn vs. Ender Wiggin Each one has an equal sized fleet with equally capable subordinates, and since Ender is from a different universe each has equal understanding of the technology they’re using. They are in command of Star Wars vessels. Pick a famous fleet of your choosing I’d suggest death squadron

[@princeofpokemon2934]

That would be really cool to see

[@debutriah2854]

Yessss 👀👀

[@johnquach8821]

I'd say Thrawn has an edge here. Ender is skilled, but I don't think he has the same feats Thrawn does.

[@Phello123]

Thrawn took down a galactic government with 6 Star destroyers, the mere thought of his return almost caused a civil war, I don’t think ender is quite in the league

[@murphyrise4786]

I think Thrawn takes this, but not by much. Ender has the potential for it, but not the heart. He has a brilliant military mind and capable of finding unique ways to solve problems. He can be terrifying if provoked, but surprisingly docile at other times. The thing that separates the two is Ender had to be psychologically manipulated to achieve his feats, but Thrawn actively chose imperial service. I think they are about equal in battle strategy, its all a matter of who gets into the other's head first. I think Thrawn has this most of the time due to his experience, but I think fully actualized and motivated Ender would xenocide him.

[@ApostleOfDarkness]

Would love to see this adapted to a Romance of the Three Kingdoms style story, an eternal regency and rising ambitions of warlords and bureaucrats alike, I'm surprised how much Disney tries to expand Star Wars but forgets about the internal politics

[@lolmeme69_]

I actually am writing a fanfic sorta similar to that! Maybe I'll get it out someday, haha.

[@ApostleOfDarkness]

@@lolmeme69_ do tell your pen name and which website do you operate in?

[@stevelenox152]

Great video got an idea what if Admiral Thrawn took the title of emperor and ruled the entire empire after Palpatines death ( in this what if Thrawn was part of the empire during the empire strikes back)

[@antonisauren8998]

He would be executed year later by Palpie Reborn for keeping the throne warm. :P

[@stevelenox152]

@@antonisauren8998 I think Thrawn would most likely know that something like that would happen and have counter measures in place to prevent it

[@GRnTxSkullWarriors]

How many people found out after-the-fact that Palpatine engineered the Clone Wars? Was it ever revealed to the galaxy in any notable way?

[@bloodysimile4893]

a few people likely did know the truth or discover it by putting the pieces together like Luke new jedi order and a few high levels personal in the new republic and in the empire government but for most wouldn't have care for it being in the distant past and have other matters to attend to. Unless you knew the emperor was a sith lord for contexts, the stings of event would just like coincidences for a power hunger politician who took avdangrate of the chaos by the clone wars. Plus, anyone who knew the whole truth like Sidious and Dooku are dead. Anyone else likely only had a fraction of the plan and likly didn't know or understand what their role was used for overall.

[@calebbarnhouse496]

It was probably spread as a conspiracy theroy and never treated with any credit

[@Astro_Mickey]

@@bloodysimile4893 and we have the advantage of seeing everything. Every plot line, every plan, every conversation. But if you are just regular civilian living life in the Star Wars Galaxy, a lot of the stuff we saw in the movies will be irrelevant to them

[@casbot71]

#AskEcks What if Tarkin destroyed Mon Cala instead of Alderaan? He realised that destroying a Human World (and a prominent well regarded one at that) where a lot of Imperials hailed from was a bad idea and would cause massive blowback, especially within the ranks. And instead destroying the Homeworld of a prominent species within the rebellion [tough luck Quaran…] would both greatly weaken the logistical support the rebellion had (with the Mon Calamari being their capital ship fleet) and send a message to all other Aliens - _help the rebellion in significant numbers and your Homeworld is rubble._ The Galactic Civil War then becomes mostly a Human vs Human affair … the large number of Aliens within the Rebellion, along with support from their planets, was one of its main strengths.

[@DarkApostleNoek]

Mon Cala at that time (at least in the new stories) wasn't in true support of the rebellion. In the Star Wars comic relaunch by Marvel we see after episode 4 them talking to the Mon Calamari in getting their support, I forget some of the smaller details but the King (the prince/king from TCW) is killed and his last advisor orders the fleet to join the Rebels. Interesting thing, not sure if it was plan but there other on going Star Wars comic at the time Darth Vader we got to see the early relationgship between the Empire and Mon Cala.

[@tbotalpha8133]

Blowing up Mon Cala because they supported the Rebellion is one thing. But framing it as an act of racially-charged violence would be a very stupid move. You are effectively telling all of the Empire's non-Human subjects that their lives and safety are worth less than that of Humans. That will not scare them into line - it will galvanize their resistance. It's one thing to be discriminated against institutionally, as the Empire absolutely did. It sucks, but you can live with it. But to see your own people, or other non-Humans, suffer *planetary-scale genocide* as "punishment", would make living under Imperial rule utterly intolerable. Because from a non-Human's point of view, at that point it doesn't matter if they support the Empire or the Rebels. The Empire may just come along one day and nuke them and everyone they love, for the crime of being born the wrong species, on the wrong planet. So they might as well back the Rebels, to remove this existential, genocidal threat as swiftly as possible. The more and more indiscriminate a regime is with its violence, the easier it becomes for its enemies to justify its destruction. Sure, Tarkin might THINK this plan would work out the way you describe. But it absolutely would not play out like that in practise.

[@orkhonkhasuinternationalsc6958]

@@tbotalpha8133 acctually aliens were not very common in the empire so is it better for a few thousand imperials to join the rebillion or billions

[@inquisitorgarza312]

The Empire would still brought down by a long and drawn out fighting against the Rebellion because of the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of both Palpatine and Vader will be felt across the Galaxy and morale for the rebellion will be in a all time high. That not mentioning the treacherous nature of the Imperial High Command to one up each other for more power and glory, and maybe take the title of Emperor for themselves.

[@PK-Radio]

Death Star 2 along with the emperor: *are destroyed* The empire: *tis but a scratch*

[@TheWingland]

This was a great idea for a video and I’m glad that you take good ideas from your fans and make videos about them. I’m also a little jealous cuz I’d love to see you do one of my versus video ideas. Still from all fans we thank you for listening to our ideas and seeing this gives us hope our ideas will one day become videos. May the force be with you.

[@andrewbryant4259]

Get this man his damn ender v thrawn battle, Justin! He's commented every one of your vids for like 5 years

[@casbot71]

#AskEcks What if at the Battle of Scarif, Tarkin had not fired on the Imperial Base to get rid of his political rival Krennic? Instead he wanted to see what the Rebels were after, knowing that Galen Erso had most likely sabotaged the design of the Death Star - he had confronted Krennic about that very possibility. The actual Death Star plans tape were still in the transmission tower on Scarif, it would have been a easy deduction … "okay, let's put some grating on this vent and even a emergency blast shield hinged cover. And stick crossbeams and string cabling all along the trench that leads to it. It's a stopgap measure till the reactors can been modified" And if Tarkin wasn't fixated on taking out Krennic, he may have decided to one shot the Profundity instead - taking out Princess Leia, and R2-D2 and C3PO as well. Thus the plans never actually get out - Tarkin ultimately condemned himself with his petty need to eliminate a potential rival.

[@variousnumber891]

If memory serves, the DS1 didn't actually have the capability of targeting small things. It was small moons or larger only. The DS2's targeting computer was upgraded to take out capital ships with the Superlaser.

[@vic5015]

Its certainly an interesting idea, but with their strongman/dictator dead, the Empire would almost certainly break up into warring factions. That's just what tends to happen in those situations.

[@seabass1872]

Do you think during the First order-New Republic War, that there were some imperial remnants that were not associated with the First Order, but were instead their own independent states? If so, maybe they stayed neutral or even helped the New Republic. There could be some reformed imperial states that have a less authoritarian rule and are not associated with the sith.

[@astromo1]

possibly one of those groups being Gideon’s? or Thrawn? maybe

[@jus7040]

For sure! At least the Empire of the Hand in the Unknown Regions. I could imagine more. For instance former imperial strongholds and/or shipyards in the deep core, like Bizz or else. And former imperial research centers like in the mall.

[@randycheow4268]

I remember hearing somewhere that there were Imperials who supported the New Republic as they thought the First Order was too radical and hardcore

[@NYG5]

@@empirednw6624 they don't want to allow any good media at all, they're so sickeningly short sighted

[@tevocity4673]

A video on all the different force sensitive groups and their views on the force could be a cool video (ex. Jedi, Sith, Zeffo, Rakata, etc)

[@carlospons5622]

Hi Eck, best wishes for you and your family, I've always wondered what would have happened if Yoda and Obi-wan didn't go into full exile, what if they hid but also worked on rebuilding the Jedi in the shadows.

[@SephirothRyu]

What would happen if THAWN became the emperor of the entire Empire after Endor? Maybe he was around just at the right time instead of arriving too late.

[@SherlockHolmesb-kp4ru]

Thrawn wouldn't have become the emperor simply because the upper echelons of the galactic empire wouldn't have tolerated a non-human to be the supreme leader of the galatic empire

[@SephirothRyu]

@@SherlockHolmesb-kp4ru Fair enough. But this is a what if question. And seeing as Disney canon has done what it has done, it is far less an issue to the old canon to suggest this as it is to suggest it now. ...or maybe vice versa.

[@Ravenous1369]

I rather enjoyed this rather broad outlook on the idea, with any sort of alternate history or different sequence of events there's almost always an uncountable amount of variables that would change, come into play or be minorly effected. Think you did a solid job considering both Legends and Canon and their differences. That said I think I've got a decent pitch for something similar; What if Luke had taken Vader's offer to join him? Would they together be able to take down the Emperor and rule instead? Could Luke have some positive effect on Vader and the Empire as a whole? Does Leia get contacted by Obi-Wan in order to train under Yoda to fight her brother and father? How does Han react? Can the Alliance still fight back against them with Luke's insider knowledge now in the Empire's hands? Lots of questions I know, hopefully not too much for anyone else to read through and maybe have their own inputs. Regardless still loving the content Eck and looking forward to whatever comes next!

[@johnshrewsbury]

Possible idea for a video: What if the clone rebellion on Kamino and/or the droid uprising on Mustafar in the original Battlefront II had succeeded?

[@Jedi_Spartan]

How about a video on what strategies/tactics Thrawn would use if he was at each major battle of the Original Trilogy?

[@samtrudeau8596]

Hey eck! I’ve been following you for a while, your AT-ST vs mantis video was what got me hooked right when it came out and I love your content! I just thought of a really cool video idea: “could the imperial fleet at Endor invade the earth in horizon forbidden west?” I figured that it would be Gaia and her sub functions, including Hephaestus (and the machines) would be working with the humans. Thanks for the great, and refreshingly positive content! Have a blessed day

[@chance20m]

I feel there are few realistic scenarios where the Empire doesn't ultimately fall. For the most part, the Tarkin Doctrine of rule through fear was the bedrock of the empire. Few citizens actually loved the Empire, and its institutions were not built to stay together through other means. The problem is that after the death of Palpatine and the second star destroyer, every planet with even a moderate military capability will get restless. In addition to those that outright join the new Republic, multiple local rebellions would start completely independent of the New Republic. The Empire was already having an incredible amount of difficulty putting down a single rebellion, albeit a large one, so there's no way they could have survived more than a few years.

[@christophmahler]

The emperor _did_ plan on the event of his death by preparing *'Operation Shadowhand'* , diverting ressources from the Galactic Empire to covert sites across the galaxy, provoking mismanagement and infighting among imperials and warlords, destabilizing a renewed Republic and thereby preparing a succession of his rule by himself in an endless line of cloned bodies (see Assimov's 'Foundation' series as a likely inspiration of 'legends'). There's however an element in 'legends' that outlines an 'evolution' of the imperial New Order into a sensible and pragmatic political rule, capable of collaborating with Republican idealists, personified in the succession from Tarkin's protegé *Natasi Daala* to *Gilad Pellaeon* .

[@Flat_Edits]

What if the rebels captured the Death Star, instead of destroying it?

[@MrBulletwood]

That would be a cool concept, but (if we're talking about ANH) they wouldn't even have enough crew to man a super star destroyer, let alone the Death Star

[@noivern666]

That's impossible

[@jonathanfricke2660]

Assuming they *did* have the manpower to fully operate the station, it probably wouldn't have as significant effect as you might think. It would act as a powerful mobile base or battle station, but the rebels would not have the resolve to threaten use of the superweapon, and the empire would know that. If they use it on anything but the occasional star destroyer or SSD it would weaken the core motivations of their cause. Additionally, it would become a *massive* target for the empire - hundreds of thousands of rebels, centered on one station.. a vulnerable station, because the rebels don't have a sufficient support fleet to defend against a coordinated imperial attack. The empire could even re-capture the station. It's likely it would be a boon for the empire as opposed to the rebellion.

[@communistpotato3204]

@@jonathanfricke2660 And plus, the symbolism of the "Death Star" would very heavily contradict as to what the Rebellion's going for, ignoring the logistical nightmare of even manning that damn thing

[@antonisauren8998]

It's the Empire. They would make a second one and use it to destroy the first, if conventional assaults and boarding attempts failed. :P They could easly isolate it and ware it down. Such massive station requires horrendous ammounts of fuel and supplies to operate. Good luck keeping such supply train hidden. Only way would be to keep it stationary in orbit of friendly agriworld as deterrant of imperial aggresion. They woulnd dare put it on Coruscant orbit and threten Palpatine to abdicate. Even if they destroyed Byss, that was rather incident and there weren't any witnesses left to spread news. :P

[@williammagoffin9324]

Endor happened only a few years after the dissolution of the Imperial Senate. Possible that the Imperial Ruling Council reestablishes the Imperial Senate which steps back some of the human-centric Imperial policies then offers a bit more local autonomy and reasons for the Rebellion just fades away (aside from some of the more extremist elements). Get rid of the Sith religious influence and the Empire becomes more of a highly centralized version of the Old Republic. The Empire has only been a thing for about 20 years, barely a generation, it could easily slide back in to being more like the Republic.

[@rhyspike7430]

A battle break down of some Corvette Class ships. I'd love to see the Ranger Class Heavy Corvette in that VS.

[@TechNinjaSigma]

What if Palps wanted to see the end of the Rebellion and got blown to bits on the first Death Star, leaving Vader to takeover? The inclusion of possible succession struggles would be cool, but I've always wanted to see Vader take over as he had a more practical vision for the Empire, especially concerning the Navy and the allocation of resources to the Death Star

[@zelithfang2365]

If the empire wasn't hell bent on taking advantage of the power gap that could have continued going. A lot of the time an organization doesn't just fall apart and after while disappears, they get a new leader. The thing is even before the emperor died the imperials higher ups were EXTREMELY cut throat. They would either black mail/set up other high ranking imperials if it would benefit them or even see to it they died via assassination. The reason why it wasn't stopped was because it was beautifully sith and the emperor being a sith probably was very amused of it and let it happen as long as it was done quickly and without much issue. But like how the ancient sith empire fell apart falling victim to their ways the empire fought each other for power and control using up what little men and resources they had left and the new Republic usually just rolled up when both sides were spent and just came in and mopped up what was left. Come to think of it I think the exact thing happened with the sith, when they were gonna win they started fighting amongst themselves and then didn't the old Republic just come by and massacred them? If so history repeats itself perfectly. It's the innate issue with the sith ideology, you'll end up fighting amongst yourselves so much to the point when your actual enemy comes by you already did most of the work for em.

[@tylercross8877]

Video Idea: we all are more or less aware of the stagnation of tech, or at least the very slow progression of tech in Star Wars, maybe you can explore the reasons behind this. Whether it be due to lack of key technologies, disasters, or something else

[@steverukia6247]

Then be reverse engineering a tech that is 25,000 years old and in canon it was Jedi but I find the first one (EU) more believable

[@richardsousa2625]

It’s interesting to see how each legends and canon continuity answered the questions of what happens to the empire after the Emperors death. Legends had the empire break apart and can’t be fully reunited until palatines contingency plans for cloning or reanimating come full circle. He planned for his death but didn’t entirely expect it. In canon it’s almost as if he planned to die and had plans in place for what would happen after he did. And shattering the empire to be rebuilt into something else was a part of it. I always enjoyed seeing moments of the empire where they weren’t the bad guys it provided a humanizing element to the normally BBEG faction. And considering we got this First Order last Order thing I think it would have been nice to see moments where dedicated imperials realize the “emperor” is something way worse than what they thought and the First Order wasn’t an imperial remnant faction but the first phase in the Emperor true idea for the galaxy, a dark twisted evil monarchy where he no longer needs to maintain the facade of a government. Look at that. I was just spitballing during my lunch break and made a better plot than Last Jedi

[@MD2389]

Hey Eck, what if the Vong showed up between the events of episodes 4 and 5? How would both the Empire and then Rebel Alliance react to such a threat?

[@DashsChannel]

Thrawn was always my favorite post-Endor Imperial leader, even if he's typically everyone's favorite and I feel sort of uncreative for that. Other Imperial remnants are more or less interesting as well. Zsinje's empire was a genuine threat, but I cannot get over how derpy Zsinje himself looks. And Ysanne Isard was just an all-around nasty person. My second favorite, at least from a lore standpoint, was probably the cloned Emperor's Dark Empire, even if just because some of my favorite Legends stories and designs are from that era, such as the V-wing. Love that thing. And for once the Empire stopped building Death Stars and forayed into more interesting - if not even less practical - superweapons like the World Devastators and Galaxy Gun. Off-topic, but I notice in a lot of footage from games and far later stuff in the Legends timeline, the Rebels/New Republic increasingly using blue lasers to supplement their traditional red ones, while the Empire still consistently uses green for most purposes. I am intrigued by this. Are they just ion cannons or a new type of laser based on Republic-era laser technology?

[@casbot71]

#AskEcks If Palpatine being able to possess whoever kills him is cannon (?) What if Anakin had not intervened and Mace had killed Palpatine? What if Anakin had killed him when Siddious was first revealed to him? What if Yoda had killed Siddious? The options are all interesting - although possessing the Zillo Beast may have been awkward for Palpatines ultimate plans …

[@quantummaniac5]

#AskEck Considering that most Imperials had no idea Palpatine was a Sith Lord, why didn't the lack of plans for succession cause massive destabilization throughout the Empire's power structure? After all, Palpatine was in his eighties during the Original Trilogy. Every high ranking Imperial HAD to have been constantly thinking about what would come after Palpatine.

[@danotac0]

I don’t know if you still do Star Wars starship versus. But if u do, could u do: acclamator class assault ship VS Harrower class dreadnought Or The venator class star destroyer VS Harrower class dreadnought

[@Sephiroth144]

Idea for a video... A tactical campaign between Thrawn and Scorpius (Farscape), with similar resource/fleet/tech matchings

[@EmmanuelRodriguez-ny6io]

Hey Eck, I always wondered this, but what is your take on the events that would happen if Alderaan was not destroyed in A New Hope?

[@adamwade6243]

1) What if the very first Dark Jedi never discovered the Sith Homeworld? 2) What if absolutely none of the Jedi had turned to the Dark Side? 3) What if the Otherworld existed in the Star Wars Timeline? 4) What if the Light Side users of the Force would have been able to maintain their youth for the very first hundred years of their lives before finally feeling the effects of old age when they had grown to be older than a hundred years of age? 5) What if the Dark Side of the Force never existed? 6) What if Anakin Skywalker never fell in love with Lady Padmé Amidala? 7) What if Yoda had given up his position as Jedi Grand Master to Mace Windu?

[@matthewneuendorf5763]

IMO the Empire could have held together to one degree or another, despite Palpatine's plans and intentions, if it had managed some kind of orderly succession. My two favorite options are Luke as emperor (he's the son of Palpatine's lieutenant and thus the closest thing to a proper dynastic successor) or, preferably, follow the example of Palpatine himself and convene a general council of moffs, sector governors, and administrative department heads to elect a new emperor. I figure that the GFFA is big enough for a local imperial fleet, in the wake of the collapse of the empire, to become actually useful, namely, make an arrangement with planetary authorities across a subsector or what-have-you that the fleet will receive logistical support, have permission to recruit, and can impose tariffs and duties, and in exchange will have a hands-off approach to planetary governance while providing security to hyperspace lanes, broker and enforce trade agreements and non-aggression pacts, hunt pirates and smugglers, and defend the member worlds from external threats.

[@Kingofportals]

Video idea: What if the droid shutdown order Anakin sent from Mustifar failed and the droids stayed active!

[@eddo_frog2669]

Hey Justin, I just want to say that I love your content, and my suggestion is a starship versus episode The Infinity(full capacity) vs an imperial battlegroup.

[@thibault_de_proost]

What would have happened if palpatine knew of the existence of Luke and Leia, and them being force sensitive? Would he have taken them in and eventually replace vader or would they side with their dad and overtrow the emperor. Or even, as they could pose a risk to Vader getting attached to them would he have them killed...? Would love to hear your take on this

[@benbaer6785]

Hey EckhartdsLadder Awesome video as Allways. I would love to see a deep analysis of the Imperial Raider Corvette from your point of view.

[@CFRF13]

A Triumvirate Alliance between Thrawn's Tactical Genius, Kaine's Diplomatic Intrigue, and Zsinj's Black Ops Warfare would've been a devastating combination for the fledgling New Republic.

[@BigGator5]

Hey Eck, I've got a "What If...?" video idea for you: I know that Captain Phasma got her own very generic and very boring "official" backstory, but can we reimagine Cindel from the Ewoks movies growing up to become Phasma. How could this have happened? To everyone else: Captain Phasma would actually be a BILLION TIMES more interesting if she was actually Cindel from those movies.

[@herbertphillips1383]

I have a good video! Who would win in a fight? The first order, or the banished?

[@thorpeaaron1110]

The Empire would have a better chance in this scenario now I see the New Republic eventually achieving victory but at a high cost and an longer extension in the war like how the Galactic Civil War lasted for 15 years in Legends .

[@amysargent4237]

Since you said you were going to do ship versus videos again, I got some ideas for you: • Nebula-Class Star Destroyer versus MC90 Star Cruiser. • Peltast-Class Star Destroyer (Empire of The Hand), versus Aggressor-Class (Zann Consortium). • TIE Defender versus Yuuzhan Vong Coralskipper. • TIE Punisher versus K-wing. • TIE L/N Fighter (Standard TIE Fighter) versus Vulture Droid. • LAAT/I Gunship versus HMP Gunship. • UNSC Infinity versus Eclipse-Class SSD, or Executor-Class SSD (One, or the other, but not both at once). • UNSC Infinity versus Viscount-class Star Defender. • Harrower-Class Sith Dreadnought versus Victory Class Star Destroyer (Either 1, or 2, but not both at once). • Lancer-Class frigate (Empire) versus Crusader-Class corvette (Zann Consortium). • Keldabe-Class Battleship versus Kandosii-Class Dreadnought. • Viscount-Class Star Defender (Legends) versus New Republic Starhawk (Canon). • And finally, a joke recommendation, a CR90 versus either an Executor-Class SSD, or an Eclipse-class SSD (not both at once, though)(again, joke recommendation, perhaps you could save it for April Fools Day, or something).

[@jalleonothing5946]

I wonder what would of happened if the storyline of Rex and the others discovering the control chips and decided to work on removing them before order 66 and it spread across a significant degree of the clone army.

[@Blackholelord]

We likely know the outcome, but still here is my video suggestion. What if by some random space anomaly two different Galactic Empire successors to encounter each other, one from Legends and the other from Cannon. From Legends we have the Fel Empire and from Cannon we have the New Order. Both appearing in the same galaxy, their territory would be what they officially held. Both sides would be fully ready for war against their versions of the Republic, when they ran into each other. The Imperials on the Legends side would have access to tech, vehicles from Dark Legacy era and whatever from earlier, mothball fleet (basically everything not accepted as cannon). And on the Cannon side we have the New Order tech, and their version of a mothball fleet (basically what is accepted in cannon). And to make it more have to work for your win, no world devastating super-weapon. For example, like for Legends, the Eclipse-Class Super Star Destroyer would find their super laser does not work and be serve as a flagship, and for Cannon the main weapon from Starkiller base does not work but can be still served as planetary base for the New Order. Also, both sides have their Force wielders, Imperial Knights for the Fel Empire and Knights of Ren for the New Order. The real question who the winner of would be said war between two successor states if they were to face off against each other.

[@amysargent4237]

Since you're open to new video ideas, how about some character versus videos? Here are some ideas: • Darth Caedus versus Lumiya. • Darth Caedus versus Darth Krayt (Pre-rebirth, or Post-rebirth, but not both at once). • Darth Caedus versus either ROTJ Darth Sidious, or Dark Empire Sidious, but not both at once. (I'm a little bit of a Darth Caedus fan, so forgive me for recommending this character multiple times in a row, I just want someone on KZbin to analyze him more often.) • Darth Krayt versus Darth Sidious (Take your pick on which version of each character makes the best match-up material). • Darth Plagueis versus TPM-era Sidious (in a full-on fight, not like the cop-out "killed in his sleep" nonsense that actually happened). • Exar Kun versus Dark Empire Luke Skywalker (Or, Luke in The Jedi Academy trilogy, if you want to go that far)(Not the spirit battle-thing that actually happened in Legends, where Luke had help from other Jedi Students). • And finally, if you know anything about Harry Potter stuff, Grandmaster Yoda, or Luke (but not both at once) versus Albus Dumbledore.

[@questionable8284]

Hey Eck, one question I've had for a while is how do nuclear weapons stack up in different universes? I'm not too well versed in Star Wars but I know they were influential in the history of the Brutes in Halo and are used on occasion by the UNSC (but nowhere near as often as MACs). 40k is another universe that casts a slight look at nukes with the Death Corps of Krieg, other than that I don't know. As for other universes, I don't know, but I feel like pinning the strength of nukes in different universes is a good way of comparing their relative strength. Cheers Eck.

[@loganwhitney8471]

@EckhartsLadder Hello Ecks, I'd have two good What if's ideas that you might like there: 1) What if Thrawn didn't joined the Empire? Basically Thrawn was decline by the Emperor to join the Empire and was sent to prison, Thrawn had a Plan-B, he'd had a group of Commado's from the Chiss Ascendancy to break him out and bring him back to Chiss space in the Unknown Reigions. OR 2) what if the Galactic Empire was already formed in secret before or during (around the second year of it) the Clone Wars? Palpatine was getting restless, impatient, paranoid and couldn't wait to destroy the Jedi and build his Empire. So he, Tarkin and others decided to created the Galactic Empire on Palpatine's secert cloning fortess world of Byss.

[@indianajones4321]

What if Anakin didn’t intervene in Windu defeating Palpatine? Other channels have covered this what if, but I’d be more interested to know what it would mean for Republic forces still fighting the CIS without the shut down order for the droids.

[@joshrich507]

Okay video idea: what if there were other Astro droids that were force sensitive like R2 D2? I mean R2 must have had some level of force around him if he survived that long, and around so many Jedi.... also though, what happened to R2 D2?

[@shadowmarine9706]

Video idea: if the Halo Covenant species existed in Star Wars, what would they be like? Like would the elites be a warrior culture that rivals their skills with that of Mandalorians, would the lekgolo be weaponized by the Empire

[@lucapass2757]

Video idea: why are droids so under powered in Star Wars? Droid Statfighers, battle Droid, Droid gunners on capital ships, ect.

[@TarsonTalon]

I think that without the influence of Palpatine, but under a unified banner, the Empire is more willing to negotiate with the Rebel Alliance. The new leadership could simply throw Palpatine's image and reputation under the bus, in order to maintain their own power.

[@UmbaranMilitia]

It would be interesting to see a unified Empire governed by a newly formed Moff Council, or a group of high ranking officers. For example, what if somehow, Thrawn or some other Imperial was able to convince the remaining oversector governors and admirals that they should stay as one if they were going to defeat the rebels, and reconnect the various imperial-controlled worlds and await the possible return of Palpatine. If they were able to tap into the patriotism and pride of the Imperial Military in such a way as would make all of the different imperial fleets rejoin. Man that would be so cool.

[@evanjohnson1299]

all empires based on a sudden rise of a charismatic leader a cult of personality rule tends to break apart when that strong central ruler is out of the picture the most appropriate example of this is the empire of Alexander the Great the second he died his strongest generals carved up his empire into their own domains and agreed to mostly respect the agreed upon borders something that is very similar that happened in the legends continuity.

[@Glennstevenson822]

I’ve posted this before but since you asked: I’d love to see you do one of your Versus videos for The Clone Wars Republic & Jedi order vs The Krayt Empire & One Sith.

[@johnf.kennedy5904]

I would like a video focused on the resurgent star destroyer, it's very unique and cool or maybe your design if a star destroyer.

[@justjakey17]

#AskEck This is an interesting one. Blockade of Ryloth Separatists vs. Battle of Endor Imperial Fleet Just would want to see how it would outcome

[@DarkApostleNoek]

If you created a Star Wars faction what would it look like? Your prefered area your faction started in, your military stances, how are force users in society, etc.

[@Magnetar011]

Video idea: Why did the CIS and Republic navies focus so heavily on carriers and starfighter combat? How would starfighters be more effective against capital ship shields and armor than a Star Destroyer with all of its big guns? And if direct attack warships are more effective in conventional warfare settings, why did it take so long for the Republic to field the Victory and Imperator lines of star destroyers?

[@jon6309]

Very good topic indeed. I know Munnulist and the InterGalactic Banking Clan remained part of the Imperial Remnant even after the establishment of the New Republic however they never turned a blind eye to financial opportunities involving Galactic powers and gladly backed the credits of the New Republic. This angered the Imperial Remnant but there was nothing they could do as punishing the IBC and Munnulist would have dire financial consequences. We can now see who truly has the power in the galaxy when a planetary government or mega corporation is able to hold the entire galactic economy hostage!

[@celestialknight1592]

Hey Eck, what do you think would happen if the Clone rebellion managed to get a one up on the Empire? Do you think the Kaminoan’s would’ve joined the rebel alliance and supplied them with a clone army?

[@patrickfiller5197]

Have we gotten a general overview of the Clone Wars? Pretty sure there was one of the NR post Endor, but seeing how the Clone Wars actually progressed at the macro scale would be cool

[@Meanlucario]

Pal designing the Empire to fall apart after hi death speaks volumes about him and his empire.

[@exquisitepuma7318]

Ship verses ideas: MC80 Liberty type vs MC80 Home One type CR90 corvette vs Raider corvette Carrack light cruiser vs Strike-class medium cruiser Gladiator Star Destroyer vs Vindicator heavy cruiser

[@Gomjibar]

The real question would be (in legends or canon) if the empire stayed united despite Palpatine's sabotage, would they side with him if he returned? While a die hard loyalist might side with him unconditionally, I could see it being an issue for the more "Order" minded members if not only Palpatine returns but at the head of an openly Sith/evil group

[@emperor6878]

Can you make more Star Wars Alternate Histories? like if Vader survived

[@TheRevanchrist]

if I recall correctly, either Captain Pelleon or Thrawn knew that the rebels/New Republic was still outgunned after endor, but without direction or unity, they were constantly pushed back.

[@lightspeedvictory]

Lore ship Versus video request: Resurgent vs. Starhawk Tie Striker vs. New Republic V-Wing World Devastator vs. Vong Worldship Tie Silencer vs. X-83 Twintail Tie Silencer vs. Tie Defender (legends version) Keldabe vs. ISD II MC90 vs. Nebula class star destroyer Nebula class vs. Pellaeon class Majestic class vs. Bothan Assault Cruiser FOTR’s Mandator II portrayal vs. Subjugator Praetor vs. Subjugator EAWX: TR’s Mediator portrayal vs. Resurgent Starhawk vs. Bulwark MK III #askeck what warships, asides from dreadnoughts, did the Mon Cal have during the clone wars?

[@nobleman9393]

Video Idea: The Covenant vs The Separatists(Star Wars vs Halo)

[@triplemred4860]

Here’s an idea for a video: what would have happened if Palpatine somehow died early on and someone else took control of the Empire? How would it have changed or remained the same?

[@Zardovx]

I remember reading this in a Star Wars encyclopedia book once, but I would like to know more about your thoughts on the Thought Bomb. I remember it being used a long time ago in the timeline, in a battle revolving Jedi Hoth, someone I forgot about until recently. I think it might be a niche but interesting topic.

[@cliffman3296]

#AskEcks How do you think General Grevious would have faired as a commander for the Republic during the clone wars? Or even other factions from different periods for that matter

[@brentonsisemore1122]

Please do a video about the new ships in kenobi! 😘

[@iampianoman]

I like that you tackled this question. Conversely, just how fractious was the Rebel Alliance? Alternatively, what if the bolder elements within the Alliance did not force both the Alliance and Empire's hands by forcibly obtaining the first Death Star plans?

[@siguy1181]

Hey I would love to see you make a video on the Terran dominion (starcraft) vs the UNSC (Halo) not just on which faction would win in a war, but on which faction is more effective in their own universe

[@thegethconsensus393]

Best outro ever

[@raybarry4307]

One thing you Must do if you're going to accurately predict the outcome of an Empire that stays united is to cast off the absolutely ludicrous and overwhelming amount of plot armor the writers gave to the rebellion. In almost every movie in the star wars timeline from Rogue one through episode 6 there is at least one massive plot armor eyeroll. Once that is cast off it's lights out rebellion me thinks. Speaking of which I'd love for you to do like a ranking of plot armor in star wars or something along those lines.

[@chinmaykale4592]

How about a factions versus video between the Eternal empire and their Eternal fleet from SWTOR vs The Galactic empire and the Imperial Fleet?

[@ColdHighway7]

Idea for a What If video: What if the Separatists were able to force the Republic to a stalemate that forces Republic recognition of the CIS a legit government. Of course this requires both Palpatine and Dooku to be out of power by some way

[@FHT1883]

0:47 when you don't plan on dying ~anytime soon~

[@keatonburton6064]

Review of the TIE/IT Interdictor/Punisher/Advanced Bomber (I don't think it's been done, but if it has, I understand)

[@cockiepoopie9046]

Here’s an idea for a video: what if the clone army was actually a clone army of force sensitive Ewoks

[@sinisterisrandom8537]

Honestly the only way I can see the Empire not collapsing is taking what the Republic did which was let the soldiers customize there armor, make friends, coordinate etc. Oh and ships working together. So you had venators, support vessels etc. Basically mass reforms need to be done other wise it likely wasn't possible.

[@personmcperson4440]

Vacation spots for meditation-focused Force sensitives? Malachor V for the Sith? Degobah or Kashyyk being both viable for the Jedi, as they are dense with life. Other places? Other nexuses (Nexii?)

[@TheWingland]

Vs matchup Sgt. Johnson(Halo) vs Captain Rex(Star Wars) Johnson gets Br 55, 1 m6 sidearm and marine BDU Rex gets DC 15 rifle his pistols and phase 2 clone armor

[@henrymarks2237]

Not his custom armor?

[@sgauden02]

I think you should reimagine the Clone Wars like how you did with First Order-New Republic War!

[@Samuleish]

A history of Kyle katarn would be a cool video

[@lucashelm4853]

What would’ve happened if everyone believed fives

[@potatosworld8086]

Old republic vs the launched final order fleet

[@darthzoon26]

What if Luke turned to the Dark Side After Vader's Death? I think it would start with him landing the Lamda Shuttle onto the Eviscerator, taking command of it, and starting his claim on the throneless Empire. How would you see this fold out? #askeck Would be a lot like this I think.