The State of the Galaxy in 137 ABY (The Essential Atlas Spoilers)

The Essential Atlas is so freaking amazing and so varied that I decided to start a separate thread for discussions about the galaxy map circa 137 ABY.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting the map to be very suprising, given the assumption that Darth Krayt's Sith Empire controlled everything. However, there were some very interesting tidbits revealed on the map and it's adjacent text. Based on my reading/observations, I noticed the following interesting tidbits:

*The Empire-in-exile is far larger than I expected. Based on the map, Roan Fel's holdings in the Outer Rim are basically the old Imperial Remnant expanded eastward all the way to Vinsoth. Note that is territory is similar to the borders of the Empire in 43 ABY, though it's doesn't include the prior Imperial territory stretching from Dorin to Ansion to Orinda. However, it does container more worlds to the north-east of the old Remnant space.

*The Galactic Alliance Remnant's "influence" encompases large chucks of the Outer Rim. Portions of the Outer Rim are shown to be hotbeds of GA Remnant activity and support. I really like this as it incorporates information we saw in the Legacy Era Campaign Guide. Mon Calamari, Ryloth, and Sluis Van are key supporters, as is portions of Hutt Space. The GA's influence near Sluis Van extends to Skynara, including key worlds like Praesitlyn, Utapau, and Svivren.

*Hutt Space has doubled. Not officially, but a huge region to the east of Hutt Space is labeled as "Hutt dependencies". This large region includes Kessel, Barab, Daluuj, and Gamor. It is this "dependancy" region that has GA influence as well.

*Following the begining of hostilities between the Galactic Alliance and the Empire, Hapes and Bothan Space declared neutrality. While the Hutts, Chiss, and Hapans are all described as independent affiliates of the Sith Empire, Bothawui appears to have been absorbed into Krayt's holdings.

*Darth Krayt's Sith Empire encompasses as territory as large if not larger than either the Galactic Empire or Galactic Alliance at their respective heights. It also shows the extent of the Core Worlds Security Zone first mentioned in the LECG as well. This zone includes a sizable chunk of the Deep Core as well.

All in all, it sets up a very interesting state for the galaxy in 137 ABY.

Thoughts?

--Adm. Nick

 

Hmm, interesting, especially the bits about the GA. Are those areas of "influence" actually GA-controlled, or more like the Rebel-friendly worlds from the OT era? My Atlas doesn't arrive until Wednesday.

 

The Atlas says that these regions provide "covert help", so I imagine that they are more akin to Rebel sympathizers during the Galactic Civil War. This ties well with the LECG, which mentions worlds like Ryloth and Cerea as being safe havens for GA Remnant cells. Sluis Van and Mon Calamari probably can be grouped into the category that supplied fresh troops, supplies, and surplus warships. Legacy #36 does mention that many worlds donate ships to Stazi following the Sith genocide on Mon Calamari, so this ties nicely.

--Adm. Nick

 

Oh well, that's a pity. I was hoping for a planet or three more akin to Mon Cal during the GCW where the Empire just can't go.

 

Yeah, no worlds are confirmed as being held by the GA Remnant fleet. Though looking at the map, the Mon Calamari Space and it's surrounding worlds would make a nice little base of operations for the Stazi and the GA. Besides the obvious assets like Mon Calamari itself, there are numerous Mon Cal colonies (Ruisto, Mantan) and former Rebel safe worlds (Sanctuary, New Alderaan) in and around the sector. Plus you have other key worlds like Munto Codru and Dornea nearby as well.

--Adm. Nick

 

Plus taking them would be a nice morale/propaganda move, as well, with Mon Calamari's unique position as a Rebel Alliance-dominated sector that the Empire simply could not operate in during the GCW.

 

So are the GA Remnant and the Hutts butting head over planets in Hutt Space? Should make for a good Legacy storyline, methinks.

 

You forgot to mention that the Unknown Regions in the disk portion of the galaxy is now gone. Only the halo regions and a few other pockets are now "Unknown".

 

Hm, most of the time in the Legacy comics we hear that Bastion is so heavily fortified that taking the planet would cost the Sith Imperial fleet so many ships, they wouldn't be able to police the rest of the galaxy. And that was assuming all the Imp ships would obey the Sith order to attack Bastion (who knows, if they were at Bastion, maybe some would switch sides).

Now it looks like Emperor Fel's Empire in Exile is more like the old Remnant. Although in the comics, basically the GA lost the Sith-Imperial War, Fel moved the Imperial capital (back) to Coruscant, then Krayt walks in and takes over. So does that mean Bastion alone is fortified that heavily, or that the borders of Fel's Empire in Exile are just really heavily guarded? Or perhaps the Bastion fleet (at least one of which we saw recently in Renegade) is large enough to patrol a relatively small area like the Empire in exile and fight off anything short of a huge force, in addition to whatever planetary defenses are already in system?

Though some of the non-comic sources for this era have sometimes made me wonder though just how quickly Krayt took over. Like in the Campaign Guide, it said that Fel appointed pro-Fel bureaucrats to replace the GA Triumvirate, still keeping the official group, but replacing all the members, but... how much time would Fel have had? Of course, this all depends on just how much time was covered in issue #1. A few days (from Bastion to Coruscant)? A few weeks, a few months? Though saying Krayt took over only in 137ABY was probably just a typo, since the main Legacy comics present time is in... 137 or is it already 138ABY? But anyway, by then, Krayt has had years to cement his position.

Nice to see some pockets of GA Remnant influence. Unlike during the Rebellion era, it would perhaps be a bit unrealistic for the GA Remnant to hold any planets, as we know while some of the fleet remains, there's not that much, and it took Fel years to quietly build up enough forces at Bastion to make it too costly for the Sith to conquer the planet. Stazi doesn't have Fel's access to the Imperial forces, so while some planets will probably provide help, Stazi can't stay anywhere too long. But nice to see Sluis Van shown as still sorta GA friendly. The Mon Calamari are still pro-GA, its just they're kind of busy fighting against genocide which limits how much support they can give.

 

The biggest thing I noticed about the map is how much the Galactic Alliance apparently expanded in the last 100 years, they colonized and incorporated a huge chunk of the galaxy!

Compare page 151 to 226.

They stretch all the way past Bakura in the southwest, when before they stopped at the Corellian Trade Spine, with Cerea as an outpost.

In the northwest, they now stretch all the way to Ilum, which used to be deep in the Unknown Regions.


Another thing I never really noticed before is how big Hutt Space is, it really should figure more into the EU.

 

I'm guessing that once Bastion fell, most of the remaining Imperial worlds around it fell.

The Former Imperial Remnant being in Fel's position is why the Empire can't retake it by force.

 

The Unknown isn't completely "Unknown" anymore, but the map shows that the Galactic Empire (or the GFFA before it) didn't really expand into it - and that the Chiss have a zone of 'influence' within the former Unknown Regions. The Republic/Empire probably depends on them mostly for information about the region. Note that Zonama Sekot's location is apparently still unknown.

 

Corporate Sector and Mandalorian Space have also disappeared, along with Bothan Space.

 

I wonder if Krayt's Empire absorbed the Corporate Sector, that he hired their mercenary enforcers to swell the ranks of his military. After all, completely trusting regular Imperial and ex Alliance personnel doesn't sound like a very sound idea.