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- "Today is Empire Day, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the galaxy's salvation, when our great Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and founded our glorious Empire."
- ―Imperial Holonet anchorman Alton Kastle
Empire Day,[1] also known as Imperial Unity Day,[8] was the day that Sheev Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the First Galactic Empire, bringing an end to the Clone Wars[1] as well as the Republic in 19 BBY.[9] Following that year, Empire Day became a holiday marking the anniversary of the rise of the Empire.[1] Festivities of the holiday included a parade on various Imperial-controlled planets, the playing of the Imperial anthem, "Glory of the Empire," as well as the airing of Emperor Palpatine with two Royal Guards at the Imperial Senate, but the footage used made the Emperor seem younger and more physically appealing than he actually was at the time of the speech.[1] Attendance to the festivities was mandatory.[10] On Coruscant, the holiday was the cap to a week of festivities known as Ascension Week.[11]
It was also the day Ezra Bridger was born,[1] and two days before the births of Luke and Leia Skywalker on Polis Massa.[9]
Unity Day also celebrated the camaraderie of its citizenry. Festivities of the event included grand military parades that showcased the might of the Empire's army and navy. Following the Battle of Hoth, the Rebel Alliance led an attack on a Unity Day parade on the Galactic Core planet Bar'leth. The strike was a calculated move by the Alliance, as the attack harmed no civilians and was witnessed by beings across the galaxy via the HoloNet; Alliance High Command hoped that their actions would gather more allies to the weakened Rebellion.[8]
Behind the scenes[]
The real-world Empire Day was a holiday of the British Empire that was celebrated on May 24, the birthday of Queen Victoria, and is rebranded as "Commonwealth Day" in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations.[12] The premiere of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back in the British capital, London, was held on May 20, 1980, and the term "Empire Day" was used in the event's marketing.[13] As a royal charity premiere, it was attended by Princess Margaret and benefited children's charities.[14]
Appearances[]
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Non-canon appearances[]
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Duel of Destiny" (Mentioned only)- LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Return of the Kyber Saber"
- LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation (In flashback(s))
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11
Star Wars Rebels — "Empire Day"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ NYCC 2022: Rise of the Red Blade Inquisitor Novel Revealed, and More Highlights from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Aftermath: Empire's End
- ↑ The Star Wars Book establishes that the First Order fell thirty-five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 0 ABY. Therefore, the First Order fell in 35 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels: Ezra's Duel with Danger
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Star Wars (2020) 26
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Rebels Recon #2.01: Inside "The Siege of Lothal" | Star Wars Rebels on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- ↑ Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ Thrawn
- ↑ Commonwealth Day on Oxford Learner's Dictionary (archived from the original on October 9, 2017)
- ↑ An 'Empire Day' to Remember on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ IT'S EMPIRE DAY TODAY by Mottram, Terry on Evening News, via TieFighters (May 20, 1980) (archived from the original)