Summary
The most recent Star Wars superweapon would have rendered the Empire invincible; however, fortunately, Palpatine shifted his attention to the Death Star.
From the beginning, the Sith have been fixated on superweapons.
During antiquity, the Sith developed formidable superweapons, with the most perilous being powered by kyber crystals, the type of crystals commonly found in lightsabers.
Emperor Palpatine promptly emulated his predecessor; Star Wars films and television series have verified that construction on the Death Star predates the establishment of the Empire.
However, the Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative by Lucasfilm has unveiled an entirely new superweapon.
These narratives are situated in the High Republic Era, a time when the Jedi Order was at its pinnacle and when life and light illuminated the entire galaxy.
Despite this, the Jedi did not go unopposed in this age; the Order is currently threatened by the Nihil, a group of space criminals that were formed in secret with the intention of annihilating them.
The Nihil have developed numerous superweapons, one of which, had it been replicated by the Empire, would have altered the entire galaxy.
The Nihil’s Stormwall Explained
The Stormwall, which the Nihil have constructed, effectively isolates a significant portion of the Outer Rim from the larger Star Wars galaxy.
This technology is ultimately explained in Defy the Storm, the most recent installment in the ongoing High Republic saga and written by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland.
The Nihil have weaponized hyperspace navigation beacons by inducing the production of gravitic pulses.
In Star Wars, hyperspace, a dimensionless plane that rests atop conventional space but is still influenced by it, is an essential concept to grasp. Additionally, gravitational fluctuations can drag vessels out of hyperspace in a calamitous manner.
There can be no doubt such an array could be better powered by pure kyber, but the Nihil lacked the ability to obtain kyber in sufficient quantities
The Stormwall is energized by imitation kyber, rhonian, and bestalt crystals, according to Defy the Storm. Undoubtedly, such an array could have been powered more efficiently by purified kyber; however, the Nihil were incapable of procuring adequate quantities of kyber.
The technological prowess of the Empire was conceivably formidable.
The Empire Could Have Easily Created A Stormwall
A scenario in which the Empire employed a Stormwall to impede the Rebel Alliance is not difficult to conceive of.
The Empire had strategically deployed holonet communication and hyperspace navigation beacons throughout the majority of the known galaxy by the time of the Star Wars original trilogy.
Furthermore, these beacons had been ingeniously repurposed to enable covert surveillance of galaxy-wide occurrences.
These systems were repurposed by the First Order decades later as part of their hyperspace tracking network. It was not difficult for the Empire to incorporate gravitational emitters.
Indeed, the Empire conducted trials involving gravitic technology of this nature.
Admiral Thrawn was renowned for promoting the utilization of Interdictor Cruisers, which were custom-built Imperial Star Destroyers capable of producing an immense gravitational field.
By doing so, he could either thwart the attempts of his adversaries to escape into hyperspace or entice rebel forces from hyperspace into a trap.
Nonetheless, Thrawn encountered considerable opposition from the Imperial hierarchy, and it appears that only a limited number of other Imperial commanders embraced his philosophy.
It seems that interceptor technology was largely discontinued following Thrawn’s disappearance during the Battle of Lothal and subsequent transport to another galaxy.
Why Palpatine’s Empire Would Never Have Developed The Stormwall
Theoretically, the Stormwall could have been an exceptionally potent fortress against the Rebel Alliance.
By precisely deploying it, it was possible to obstruct areas of space where insurgents were recognized to be active, thereby impeding their ability to escape.
But in actuality, Palpatine would not have been interested in this type of technology.
The objective of Palpatine’s superweapons was not merely to gain tactical and strategic advantages, but rather to cause carnage; he desired superweapons that could coerce potential foes into capitulation rather than engagement.
The Emperor wanted all the kyber he could get his hands on to be used in constructing the Death Stars
Notably, this was most likely an either/or situation.
As seen in Defy the Storm, while the Stormwall could have been powered by imitation kyber, a variant propelled by authentic kyber would have undoubtedly been more perilous.
However, the Emperor would not have authorized this course of action, as he insisted on utilizing every available kyber for the Starkiller Base and the Death Stars.
If presented with the option between the Stormwall and these battle stations, Palpatine would have opted for the former.
Paradoxically, the Empire suffered a significant setback with the rapid succession of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Moff Tarkin’s demise.
These two were strategic thinkers who would have been able to see potential strategic opportunities in hemming an enemy in and utilized them rather than relying solely on pure strength.
The Empire, fortunately for the Star Wars galaxy, lost both of these military strategists just prior to the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War.