How big is the Galactic Empire?

Axiomatic · Post by **Axiomatic** » 2008-03-09 04:21am

Frequently on this site, I hear that the Galactic Empire is very, very big. I imagined that it owned most, though not all of a galaxy, but then I think I even heard someone mention something about two sub-galaxies in addition to its mother galaxy?

So, dearest stardestroyer.net, how big IS the Galactic Empire?

Rhoades · Post by **Rhoades** » 2008-03-09 05:03am

Take two minutes to read the site, search the site and you'll find out.

1 million worlds and 1 trillion colonies!

Axiomatic · Post by **Axiomatic** » 2008-03-09 05:20am

So basically, it controls most, but not all, of a single galaxy, whose circumference is 4.5 times bigger than the Milky Way, or somewhere upwards of 1,125,000 lightyears?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2008-03-09 05:30am

Really though, TGE could control as little or as much of the galaxy as Palpatine wanted. With the speed of hyperdrives and the sheer amount of power that could be transported, there really is no place he couldn't extend his will to in a moments notice. Whatever wasn't under his thumb was that way either because he didn't want to control it, didn't care about it, or just hadn't got to it yet.

Axiomatic · Post by **Axiomatic** » 2008-03-09 05:35am

Maybe it's a function of diminishing returns? I mean, if you have a trillion colonies, then adding one more doesn't seem to have a significant increase in your overall wealth. I mean, hooray, you went to war for a tenth of a billionth of a percent of your total land.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2008-03-09 05:56am

Billions of worlds... Star Wars core rules for WEG (revised), Shadows of the Empire sourcebook, Dark Empire sourcecbook, etc.

Million or mroe member worlds, at least fifty million (possibly twice that or more) protectorates.. and countless other worlds.

Some sourcecs say 400 billion stsars in teh galaxy (The Tales of the Bounty Hunters Boba Fett story), possibly more

Darth Hoth · Post by **Darth Hoth** » 2008-03-09 02:39pm

Connor MacLeod wrote:Billions of worlds... Star Wars core rules for WEG (revised), Shadows of the Empire sourcebook, Dark Empire sourcecbook, etc.

Million or mroe member worlds, at least fifty million (possibly twice that or more) protectorates.. and countless other worlds.

Some sourcecs say 400 billion stsars in teh galaxy (The Tales of the Bounty Hunters Boba Fett story), possibly more

This is just me being curious, but how would the countless other worlds be ruled if they are neither part of the one million full member states or the fifty million colonies, dependencies and protectorates? How could they belong to the Empire but not belong in either category? Or does this figure include uninhabited planets?

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2008-03-09 03:41pm

Darth Hoth wrote:
Connor MacLeod wrote:Billions of worlds... Star Wars core rules for WEG (revised), Shadows of the Empire sourcebook, Dark Empire sourcecbook, etc.

Million or mroe member worlds, at least fifty million (possibly twice that or more) protectorates.. and countless other worlds.

Some sourcecs say 400 billion stsars in teh galaxy (The Tales of the Bounty Hunters Boba Fett story), possibly more
This is just me being curious, but how would the countless other worlds be ruled if they are neither part of the one million full member states or the fifty million colonies, dependencies and protectorates? How could they belong to the Empire but not belong in either category? Or does this figure include uninhabited planets?

Because it is a million full-member states and fifty million dependencies and protectorates and governorates. That is to say, there are a million fully-enfranchised and politically mature polities and fifty million subordinate and immature ones. Talus and Tralus in the Federation of the Double Worlds are a perfect example of a polity which contains two worlds and a non-planet community (Centerpoint Station). There are many examples of political entities containing more than one planet or no planets (should significant population centers in artificial habitats be deprived of any political stakeholdership?). Fifty-one million polities can easily encompass hundreds of millions of seperate planetary and non-planetary communities and billions of celestial bodies as property.

Darth Hoth · Post by **Darth Hoth** » 2008-03-09 04:08pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Because it is a million full-member states and fifty million dependencies and protectorates and governorates. That is to say, there are a million fully-enfranchised and politically mature polities and fifty million subordinate and immature ones. Talus and Tralus in the Federation of the Double Worlds are a perfect example of a polity which contains two worlds and a non-planet community (Centerpoint Station). There are many examples of political entities containing more than one planet or no planets (should significant population centers in artificial habitats be deprived of any political stakeholdership?). Fifty-one million polities can easily encompass hundreds of millions of seperate planetary and non-planetary communities and billions of celestial bodies as property.

So, say, something similar to Pestage's/Krennel's Tion Hegemony would actually count as a single member state despite holding a dozen worlds? Hm, that makes sense, I guess. All right, then I understand. Thank you for your time.

EDIT: I know it's too late to change, but of course it should read "Ciutric Hegemony", not "Tion Hegemony". This is again me not having had my coffee.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2008-03-09 04:18pm

Remember, there are client states which are not directly subordinate to the galactic government; the Senex and Juvex Sectors were both client states and sectors, the Tion Hegemony was a client state and a minor region. These bodies are neither protectorates, colonies, or governorates; nor were they full-member states.

The Cuitric Hegemony was a breakway warlord fiefdom from the Galactic Empire, though it had some voluntary free association or alliance with the Empire under Thrawn, to which it was neither hostile or neutral, but rather offered token material support.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2008-03-09 06:21pm

I imagine a fair number of worlds that were formelry members of the Old Republic either broke away or were subjugated like Kashyyyk or Mon Calamari (at elast initially), in addition to whatever might have broken away to the Separatists prior to the end of the Clone Wars. Palpy needed excuses to maintain his authority as long as he did, and the way he ended up structuring things in the GE resulted in some giant political jugging match.

Alexian Cale · Post by **Alexian Cale** » 2008-03-11 05:24pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:
Darth Hoth wrote:
Connor MacLeod wrote:Billions of worlds... Star Wars core rules for WEG (revised), Shadows of the Empire sourcebook, Dark Empire sourcecbook, etc.

Million or mroe member worlds, at least fifty million (possibly twice that or more) protectorates.. and countless other worlds.

Some sourcecs say 400 billion stsars in teh galaxy (The Tales of the Bounty Hunters Boba Fett story), possibly more
This is just me being curious, but how would the countless other worlds be ruled if they are neither part of the one million full member states or the fifty million colonies, dependencies and protectorates? How could they belong to the Empire but not belong in either category? Or does this figure include uninhabited planets?
Because it is a million full-member states and fifty million dependencies and protectorates and governorates. That is to say, there are a million fully-enfranchised and politically mature polities and fifty million subordinate and immature ones. Talus and Tralus in the Federation of the Double Worlds are a perfect example of a polity which contains two worlds and a non-planet community (Centerpoint Station). There are many examples of political entities containing more than one planet or no planets (should significant population centers in artificial habitats be deprived of any political stakeholdership?). Fifty-one million polities can easily encompass hundreds of millions of seperate planetary and non-planetary communities and billions of celestial bodies as property.

Question, Illuminatus: to what degree did the Emperor establish dominion over these "dependencies, protectorates, and governorates"? Did they still adhere to Imperial law?

Jade Falcon · Post by **Jade Falcon** » 2008-03-12 11:37am

I've not read the trilogy in question, but is the Corporate Sector worlds independent or subject to the Empire in any way?

Darth Hoth · Post by **Darth Hoth** » 2008-03-12 12:43pm

Jade Falcon wrote:I've not read the trilogy in question, but is the Corporate Sector worlds independent or subject to the Empire in any way?

Nominally independent, with strong "informal" ties. The Direx Board, the ruling council of the Corporate Sector Authority, have an Imperial "advisor" to monitor them and ensure that their policy does not run contrary to Imperial interests. The CSA also pays tithes to the central Imperial government.