The Empire in Star Wars isn’t very subtle. As soon as Sheev Palpatine realizes that he’s getting close to pulling off his decades-long plan of taking over the galaxy, he begins working on a massive super weapon that will force any troublemakers to think twice about coming after him. The Rebellion isn’t scared, though, and it gets its hands on the Death Star plans thanks to the sacrifices of many brave individuals. The first Death Star goes down shortly after, and rather than going back to the drawing board, the Empire begins construction on a second one, not wanting to admit defeat.
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That’s the thing about the Empire: it never gives up, even when its Emperor is dead and gone. In fact, losing their fearless leader might make the Imperials work even harder, as they want to prove to the rest of the galaxy that they’re the only ones who can restore order in lawless times. But the franchise isn’t doing the Empire any favors because it’s forcing it to fight with its hands tied behind its back, refusing to show its most terrifying tactic.
The Empire Has a Trick Up Its Sleeve Worse Than the Death Star
The point of the Death Star is for the Empire to be able to wipe out an entire planet in a single blast. That way, when a star system becomes more trouble than it’s worth, it can disappear without much fuss and zero loss of life on the Empire’s side. However, the Empire can’t always rely on its super weapon. The biggest problem, of course, is that the Rebellion has a knack for destroying it. But powering the Death Star also requires a significant amount of energy, which makes it not all that practical. To fill the void whenever the horrifying space station isn’t in service, the Empire uses orbital bombardments, a military tactic in which Star Destroyers hover over a planet and lay waste to its surface with cannons.
After an orbital bombardment, the core of the planet remains, but the cannons do their job, killing anything that calls the surface home. There are levels to the process, though, with the most intense one called “Base Delta Zero.” Whenever that code comes across the airwaves, the Imperials know to not only destroy the planet’s surface but also turn it into a wasteland of lava and fire. Base Delta Zero’s big claim to fame is that it destroys the Imperial laboratory on Setron after the workers inside lose control of some dangerous test subjects. While Star Wars: The Bad Batch briefly mentions the event, it never shows it. As it turns out, Base Delta Zero has never been seen in all its glory in a Star Wars project. However, it’s only a matter of time before that changes.
Base Delta Zero Might Still Be on the Table for the Empire
The Empire isn’t a major factor in Star Wars anymore. After all, Emperor Palpatine is dead for good, and his Final Order is in pieces. Heading back in the timeline a few years paints a very different picture. In Star Wars: The Mandalorian and its fellow Filoni-Verse series, the remnants of the Empire are trying to amass power. Grand Admiral Thrawn returns from his vacation to another galaxy in Star Wars: Ahsoka, but he might be the least of Ezra Bridger and Co.’s problems. During a mission in The Mandalorian Season 2, Din Djarin teams up with Migs Mayfeld to infiltrate an Imperial base. Everything’s going smoothly until Mayfeld runs into his former commanding officer, Valin Hess, who wants to talk about the good old days. The conversation runs long enough for them to reminisce about Operation Cinder, an orbital bombardment project that kicked off shortly after Palpatine’s death.
Hess mentions that the work the Empire is doing now will make Operation Cinder feel like small potatoes, and while he isn’t able to elaborate because Mayfeld shoots him dead, the point still comes across. It’s unclear when and where the Empire will strike next in the Star Wars franchise, but when it does, it’s going to be harder than ever before. The New Republic better be ready because, if it’s not, more than a few planets are going to burn.
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