Empire's End, alternatively titled Dark Empire III: Empire's End or simply Dark Empire III, represents the concluding chapter of the Dark Empire saga through a comic book series. This series was crafted by the collaborative efforts of Tom Veitch and Jim Baikie. Dark Horse Comics initially published it as a monthly series consisting of two issues in 1995, followed by its compilation into a trade paperback format in September of 1997.
The Emperor Palpatine wields a devastating new weapon capable of planetary annihilation. However, his true target isn't a planet, but the future of the Jedi Order, specifically Leia's offspring. Luke Skywalker faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge in safeguarding these children. Yet, Luke has a history of discovering hope in the most dire of circumstances. This collection marks the conclusion of the Dark Empire trilogy.
Following his demise in Dark Empire during a confrontation with Luke and Leia Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine was relegated to inhabiting an inferior clone body. Unbeknownst to the Emperor, his personal physician had been secretly influenced by Carnor Jax, with the support of several high-ranking Imperial officers. This physician intentionally introduced genetic impurities into all of the stored samples of the Emperor's original body. This act significantly reduced the clones' resistance to the corrupting influence of the dark side compared to the original.
The final clone body, which had managed to survive the attacks of Skywalker and disloyal Imperials, was rapidly deteriorating. Palpatine faced his ultimate and irreversible end unless he could either rectify the genetic damage (an impossibility due to the lack of pure samples) or transfer his essence into another host. After consulting with ancient Sith Lords on the mausoleum world of Korriban, Palpatine discovered that Han and Leia's youngest child, Anakin, presented the only viable option.
During an assault on Byss, R2-D2 piloted the Eclipse II, the second Eclipse-class Star Destroyer, into the Galaxy Gun. Consequently, a projectile launched from the Gun struck Byss, resulting in its total destruction. Subsequently, Palpatine pursued the Solos to Onderon and attacked Leia within the Kira fortress. This attack spurred Leia to retaliate, although she soon realized she was no match for the Emperor. Shortly thereafter, Luke Skywalker arrived alongside his fellow Jedi. Rayf Ysanna was killed by a blast of Sith lightning, and Empatojayos Brand suffered a fatal wound. Skywalker, shocked by Palpatine's attempt to seize baby Anakin Solo, watched in horror. However, Han Solo intervened by firing a blaster bolt at Sidious. In a sadistic move, the Emperor launched his spirit towards the infant Anakin Solo, laughing maniacally. However, the dying Brand intercepted him, making the ultimate sacrifice. As he passed away, he willingly bound his soul to Palpatine's, ensuring that both would be drawn into the netherworld of the Force (specifically, Chaos for Palpatine). Finally, with the combined assistance of all past Jedi pulling him down, Emperor Palpatine met his definitive end.
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Empire's End on Wikipedia
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The Dark Empire Saga on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
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