Star Wars' "Defiant Imperial" Debuts Palpatine's Official Successor After Return of the Jedi

Summary The Battle of Jakku comic will reveal the Defiant Imperial's role in the final days of the Empire.

Between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens lies a mysterious figure shaping events.

The identity of the Defiant Imperial may already be known, linking to previous Star Wars content.

Warning: May contain SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency RisingLater this year, the Star Wars comics will finally expand on the final days of the Galactic Empire, the Battle of Jakku, and Emperor Palpatine's secret successor mysteriously named the Defiant Imperial who led the fray in the Empire's final fight. Thanks to Aftermath: Empires End (by Chuck Wendig) and Battlefront II, fans have already gotten a glimpse into the pivotal battle. However, it’s finally time to get the full story.

Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising by Alex Segura, Leonard Kird, Stefano Raffaele, and Jethro Morales, will hopefully give some new insights into the events that serve as the catalyst for the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. It's been nine years since The Force Awakens debuted, and now fans may finally be getting answers to a nearly decade-old question, "What happened on Jakku?"

Insurgency Rising will certainly elaborate on the Empire’s final moments, but a newly introduced and mysteriously unnamed “Defiant Imperial” seems to be the Empire’s final champion in its last stand against galactic democracy.

Related Star Wars Officially Bridges the Original & Sequel Trilogies with New BATTLE OF JAKKU Star Wars plans to bridge trilogies with three brand-new series, fully revealing the Battle of Jakku as the final conflict of the Galactic Civil War.

The Defiant Imperial May be the Missing Link Between the Empire, the First Order, and Thrawn’s Return

The Bridge Between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens Will Soon be Revealed

Between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, 30 years passed, and the galaxy had changed drastically. A radicalized fragment of the Empire emerged, Ahsoka Tano and her Rebel friends had lost Admiral Thrawn, and somehow Palpatine returned. The pivotal moment that ties all of these events together and that sparks the beginning of the Sequel Trilogy appears to lie in the hands of one single Defiant Imperial. In an announcement for the upcoming series, Marvel revealed that this rogue threat will be the spearheading force behind the Battle of Jakku.

This Defiant Imperial seems to be the fighting force that distracted the Republic long enough for the future First Order to flee into unknown space.

After Darth Sidious’s death and the destruction of the second Death Star, the Empire’s forces were shattered into independent remnants, each attempting to establish their own Imperial rule. One such fragment was led by Gallius Rax, a protégé to the Emperor, who was tasked with overseeing Palpatine’s contingency plan that would see the old Empire’s destruction and its reformation as the First Order. While Rax planned to dismantle the Empire, this Defiant Imperial looks to be the fighting force that distracted the Republic long enough for the future First Order to flee into unknown space using data collected from Admiral Thrawn.

Related Why Thrawn Was the 1 Imperial Who Could Defy Darth Vader (Without Being Executed) Grand Admiral Thrawn was one of the Empire's boldest leaders due to his willingness to defy Darth Vader's orders (which was often to risk death).

The Identity of the Defiant Imperial May Already Be Known

A Character From Aftermath: Empire’s End is Making His Return

While Marvel is currently keeping the Defiant Imperial’s name a secret, there is strong evidence as to the character’s identity. In 2015, Kabam and Disney Interactive released a mobile game called Star Wars: Uprising. The game takes place shortly after Return of the Jedi and focuses on an Imperial Governor named Ubrik Adelhard. After the war, Adelhard refused to submit to the Republic and fortified an Iron Blockade around his sector, restricting any news that the Emperor had been killed. He believed the only way to keep the Empire alive was to convince the public it had never fallen.

Adelhard is once again mentioned in Aftermath: Empire’s End as a prelude to the Battle of Jakku, although his temporary rule was shortly dismantled by Lando Calrissian. However, the Moff has already been revealed to play a significant role in Insurgency Rising. Ubrikc is pictured on many of the miniseries’ covers alongside his personal Purge Trooper Commander Bragh, meaning there's a strong possibility that Ubrik is the mysterious Defiant Imperial who seeks to obtain Emperor Palpatine's position of power over the Star Wars galaxy.

Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #1 will be available on October 2 from Marvel Comics.

Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #1 (2024) Writer: Alex Segura

Alex Segura Artists: Leonard Kirk and Stefano Raffaele

Leonard Kirk and Stefano Raffaele Cover Artist: Phil Noto

Source: Marvel