How Does The Emperor Return In Battlefront II Story Mode?

After the promising gameplay but lackluster features in the first Star Wars Battlefront, EA and DICE are building on the foundation to bring a more robust experience to fans.

Star Wars Battlefront II debuted its epic gameplay trailer to kickoff E3 and revealed more about the campaign, featuring the elite Imperial unit referred to as Inferno Squad after the fall of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.

The campaign is meant to detail the Galactic Empire’s end through the rise of the First Order, as we come to see them in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

But the trailer featured a curious appearance of a character with the Emperor’s face, clad in red garb similar to the Royal Guard. How is this possible, given that Star Wars Battlefront II will take place after the Emperor’s death?



The answer has already been established in some books and comics set to bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. These stories were initially published as a part of the Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens initiative across different mediums.

So if you’re curious to find out who—or, rather, what—these characters are and what their connection to Emperor Sheev Palpatine is, read on to learn more.

The Emperor’s Contingency

There are more than one of these characters, and they aren’t people—they’re droids, partially inspired by the discarded Extended Universe lore where Palpatine cloned himself in the event that he was killed or died.

The droids are called Setinels. They first appeared in the comic book Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto. They reveal their purpose in that comic—they are the a part of the Emperor’s contingency plan, only activated after the Emperor dies.

Sentinels are dispatched across the galaxy and provide the Emperor’s contingency plans to loyal high ranking officials and officers so that they can continue to exact his will. Their faces are project holograms of the Emperor’s face, providing pre-recorded messages and instructions to their recipients.

Most Sentinels have a defined purpose and message for one specific person, some even require an identity verification via blood draw.

After appearing in the Shattered Empire comic book, they were also featured in Chuck Wendig’s series of Star Wars: Aftermath novels, and are now to be featured in Star Wars Battlefront II.

So far, Sentinels have been used to impart instructions for Operation: Cinder. This was a plan meant to inflict terror across the galaxy so that the citizens wouldn’t feel they were safe even after the Emperor’s death. Imperial forces were meant to converge on Naboo and destroy Palpatine’s home planet.

This was just one part of the Emperor’s Contingency, which was he put in place so that no one could rule the Empire—or the galaxy—after his death. Those loyal to the Emperor would enact a plan that would destroy the Imperial fleet and send the galaxy into disarray.

More Star Wars

It looks like Star Wars Battlefront II will reveal yet another aspect in the Emperor’s contingency plan, though it’s unclear if it will be a brand new part of the plan or another angle of the events covered in Aftermath and Shattered Empire.

Inferno Squad is rumored to feature heavily into the rise of the First Order, which was partially covered in the Aftermath trilogy.

There is still a lot of story to explore and details to be fleshed in regarding the First Order’s creation and prominence in the galaxy. Battlefront II appears like it will provide some more insight into the Emperor’s plans for his legacy.


Star Wars Battlefront II hits stores November 17.


Star Wars: The Last Jedi will premiere in theaters the following month on December 15.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the second film in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. The film will deal with Luke training Rey to become a, and possibly the last, Jedi. Meanwhile, the Resistance, including Poe Dameron and First Order defector Finn, continues to fight against the First Order, led by General Hux, while Supreme Leader Snokeand his Dark Side follower Kylo Ren continue their mysterious plot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.