Between canon and the Legends universe, Star Wars has a well documented history spanning several millennia. For most of that time, the galactic order was divided between two rival powers: an imperial dictatorship and a democratic republic. This division mirrored the eternal conflict between Force users; the dark side using Sith on one end, and the light using Jedi on the other. The wars and skirmishes between these two powers defined the politics of the galaxy for almost the entirety of Star Wars' history.
Yet, long before the 1,000 years of the Galactic Republic's hegemonic dominance in a unipolar galaxy, the emergence of a third pillar in galactic affairs challenged the supremacy of the old Sith Empire and Galactic Republic around 3600 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). An empire that had remained hidden until then exploited the hubris of the old powers, and as a result brought them to their knees. The rise and fall of the Eternal Empire of Zakuul was largely explored in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Valkorion, The Immortal Emperor
After the defeat of the Sith Empire in the Great Hyperspace War, Sith Lord Vitiate would travel to Nathema. He would perform a ritual on the planet that stripped it of the Force, and killed all living beings including the 8,000 Sith Lords he brought with him. Through this ritual, he achieved immortality. Vitiate would then embark on a quest to find the Eternal Fleet, rumored to be unstoppable. His journey brought him to the lost planet of Zakuul, which was populated by highly superstitious humans who believed in the prophecy of a Demon Savior.
Vitiate would use this prophecy to his advantage after Valkorion, a powerful Zakuul warrior, offered his body to the Sith Lord as a host. Henceforth, Vitiate would go on to unite the nomadic tribes of the planet as Valkorion, and proclaim himself their Demon Savior. Since Vitiate attained immortality, the human body he possessed survived for centuries, earning him the moniker of Immortal Emperor. Strong force users on Zakuul would be recruited into the Knights of Zakuul, Valkorion's personal guard. Under his rule, Zakuul would become an ascending power that could eventually challenge the bipolar galactic order under his son's rule.
The Tragedy of Valkorion's Children
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The Tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise pales in comparison to what Valkorion's children had to endure. The Immortal Emperor fathered three children with Zakuul Knight Senya Tirall. The two Force-sensitive sons, Arcann and Thexan, would be trained in combat and the Force from a young age. While Thexan showed little reaction toward his father's indifference, Arcann grew to despise Valkorion and want him dead. Even after showing promise through their wars against the Empire and the Republic, Valkorion gave no praise. Arcann then snapped and tried to kill his father, but his Thexan's interference only ended in fratricide. Arcann slaying his own brother earned the tacit approval of his father, who was once a Sith Lord.
Vaylin, Volkorion's sole daughter, had a relatively more normal childhood under her mother's care until she showed immense Force potential. Once her power became apparent, Valkorion snatched her away from her mother to break her through torturous training in Nathema's Sanitarium. Over time she grew to hate her mother, to the point of refusing to be rescued by her and eventually wanting to kill her. She was mentally conditioned to became sadistic and apathetic, and would support her father's assassination by Arcann. After that she became her brother's High Justice once he ascended to the throne. However, she would later go on to betray her brother and ascend to the throne herself. Even today, there are very few Star Wars character stories as complex as the Zakuul imperial family's short, tragic history.
The Eternal Empire's Wars and Conquest
The Eternal Empire revealed itself to the galaxy by entering the Galactic War. Brothers Arcann and Thexan led the Eternal Fleet, manned by sentient droids, in a rampage across the galaxy. During the battle to take the Sith homeworld Korriban, Arcann would lose his left arm and severely burn half his face, which required cybernetic implants to restore. After Valkorion offered the Outlander a part of his empire if he kneeled, an enraged Arcann would go on to kill his father and freeze the Outlander in carbonite.
Using his father's death as a rallying cry, the new Eternal Emperor would go on to defeat the two old superpowers with his technologically superior fleet. Both the Republic and the Empire were compelled to sign harsh peace treaties with them, effectively turning them into tributary states. Furthermore, the Eternal Empire would go on to place superweapons called Star Fortresses near certain planets to stop rebellions, and to ensure war reparations were paid.
The Eternal Empire Is Dead, Long Live The Eternal Alliance
Arcann and Vaylin's increasingly brutal and tyrannical rule eventually led to a growing resistance against the Eternal Empire, even within its own ranks. However, the War against Zakuul would only start when Sith Intelligence Minister Lana Beniko released the Outlander out of carbonite, and used the legendary ship Gravestone to destroy several Eternal Fleet ships during their escape. This demonstrated that the Eternal Empire was not invincible, and became a call-to-arms for anyone willing to fight. The Alliance managed to receive support from the Empire, the Republic, Mandalorians, and the criminal underworld.
With the Outlander's assistance, the Alliance would go on to defeat Zakuul. With Arcann dethroned and Vaylin dead, there was no heir to the throne, which the Outlander now sat upon. Lana Beniko, who had previously served on the Dark Council, became one of the highest-ranking members in the new government. The newly reorganized Eternal Alliance would absorb all the defunct Empire's assets, including the Eternal Fleet, and remained the most powerful faction in the galaxy before joining the Republic at the dawn of the Third Galactic War.
It's easy to underestimate how much content Star Wars has to offer because of how long Star Wars' timeline spans. That said, this dominance of a third power, while brief in the grand scale, is one of the more unique and underrated moments in the entire saga.