The Galactic Empire suffered a decisive blow at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi, with the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, the destruction of the Death Star and the Executor, and the loss of numerous personnel. Yet the Galactic Civil War would continue for another year, with the Imperial remnants struggling against the New Republic, until the Empire was finally defeated at the Battle of Jakku.
The Star Wars comics are now beginning to tackle that year-long period of time between Endor and Jakku, with the Battle of Jakku storyline. Made up of several different mini-series, it’s telling the story of what happened after the rebel victory at Endor. But given that Palpatine and Vader are defeated, a new villain must emerge, and that’s exactly what has happened. The comics are positioning the rebels against Governor Ubrik Adelhard.
He was first introduced in the Star Wars: Uprising mobile game released in the fall of 2015 alongside the “Journey to The Force Awakens” material, and now he’s being utilized in this comic series in a major way. So who is he?
Well, by the time of this series, he is the Imperial governor of the Anoat Sector, making him a Grand Moff (similar to how Grand Moff Tarkin was governor of the Outer Rim Territories, since he too had governorship of an entire sector of space). But upon hearing of the Empire’s defeat at Endor, Adelhard seized even more authority by issuing a complete blockade of the entire sector, locking it down and preventing any ‘rumors’ from spreading about the defeat at Endor or the death of Palpatine. In essence, his goal was to rule with an iron fist while keeping his subjects oblivious to the rebel victories across the galaxy.
The first issue of this comic, Insurgency Rising #1, gives us more of Adelhard’s backstory. He was born on Ripurni, in the Anoat Sector, and he had to work just to survive. “Unlike my contemporaries, I was not handed my title,” Adelhard said. “I earned it.” He began his time in the Empire as a stormtrooper, participating in many battles. Eventually, he was on the bridge alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn observing the Empire’s best tactical strategist during the Battle of Atollon. He learned from Thrawn, Tarkin, Vader, and others as he watched the Empire closely. “I absorbed it all. Every detail,” he said. “From leaders who knew how to wield power. And how to control it.”
Later, Adelhard was sent to deal with rebels on Anoat, the capital of the Sector. Realizing that both space combat and ground combat would pose challenges, Adelhard ordered the planet to be gassed, dealing with the rebels but also turning the entire planet to waste, destroying its resources and killing millions of people. The Empire publicly blamed it on an industrial accident, but behind the scenes they knew the truth – and it was enough for Darth Vader to deliver the news to him that Adelhard was being given authority of the entire sector.
Though the Imperial remnants would have many key figures during this period of time – most notably Gallius Rax and Grand Admiral Rae Sloane – Adelhard presented a challenging foe for the upstart New Republic to deal with, and it makes sense that he would be a figure this comic series wants to explore more in-depth during this period of galactic history.
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