ME: I probably won't be as involved on this site until May 10th, but I feel like I've done enough studying for tomorrow's test. So here's some comedy.
Strength through unity, unity through the New Order.
(Propaganda slogan espoused by COMPNOR)
As the Empire's first Grand Moff, Wilhuff Tarkin, the new Regional Governor of the Outer Rim, was ordered by the Emperor to make an appearance at an Imperial Palace press conference. In order to prepare for the spectacle, Tarkin had a new uniform created and had a haircut before the event.
Tarkin and Palpatine were far from the only Imperials that would appear to trillions of beings via HoloNet broadcast, of course. Lord Darth Vader, the Emperor's mysterious right-hand man and feared enforcer, was an imposing figure at the event in his unique armored suit. Major General Appo, a veteran clone officer in charge of the Five Hundred and First Stormtrooper Legion, appeared wearing a black uniform. The Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Clone Wars veteran Vice Admiral Wulff Yularen, showed up at the conference dressed in a white tunic and black trousers. Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was present in stately robes, as was the Chief Justice of the Imperial Supreme Court and Senator Jar Jar Binks of the Chommel sector, who had become the President pro tempore of the Imperial Senate. A contingent of Stormtroopers from the 501st and Imperial Guardsmen were present to provide security for the conference. The Stormtroopers wore polished white armor, while the Imperial Guards wore red, blue, and white uniforms.
Imperial banners were also prominently displayed. In addition to the flag of the Galactic Empire-a red, white, and black design-there were three other flags showed. His Imperial Majesty's Flag, a design that had a black Imperial crest on a red background, as well as the flag of the Imperial Senate, which was blue-and-black in contrast to the Emperor's flag. Last but not least was the flag of the Imperial Supreme Court, which had a white background to go with the black Imperial crest in order to symbolize the value of impartiality in the Empire's justice system. Coincidentally or not, the background colors of the flags corresponded to the three Imperial Guard units responsible for protecting the Emperor, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.
Palpatine, dressed in a simple black outfit, smiled as the broadcast began. "Good day, citizens of the Empire," he said. "As your Emperor, I am well aware that some still express misgivings about the direction the galaxy is taking even though it has been five years since the Declaration of a New Order. Five years, gentlebeings, since the Clone Wars have ended. To those of you discontent, let me reassure you that I seek to address your grievances head on. Grand Moff Tarkin?"
Tarkin nodded. "Yes, my lord," he said before turning to the cameras. "Citizens, by royal decree His Imperial Majesty has established oversectors and created the rank of Grand Moff to ensure better governance of the Empire. Through the partition of the civilized galaxy, myself and my five fellow Regional Governors will be able to better manage the countless star systems that fly the flag of our New Order. We will work with the Moffs and Senators responsible for the sectors we steward but will report directly to His Imperial Majesty in order to avoid recreating the problems that doomed the Republic.
"Additionally, unlike the treacherous Jedi Order, the Imperial Military is led by officers who have dedicated themselves to selflessly protecting and serving the Imperial citizenry. Note the new standard officer uniform." Tarkin neglected to mention that he had overseen the design of the uniform himself, for he did not want to come off like an arrogant and pretentious politician. "It is olive gray and the only components of the uniform that differ from officer to officer are the rank pins and code cylinders. Imperial officers such as myself may have their faces exposed, unlike our noble soldiers in the Stormtrooper Corps, but in the end we are not individuals with their own interests in mind but extensions of the Emperor's will. Some have criticized even the exclusion of medals and ribbons from the uniforms of the Imperial Military, but a gaudily-dressed and indulgent officer corps calling attention from the public to its achievements would only lead to a another version of feeble Judicial Forces that failed to protect the Republic in its last years."
And so the armed forces of the Empire set about to establish the authority of the newly-appointed Grand Moffs over the territories assigned to them by Palpatine. Gone were the unique Jedi Knights and clone troopers with distinguishing unit colors that were the center of Clone Wars-era propaganda posters-now a faceless force of soldiers in bland white armor and a cadre of officers normally dressed solely in black, white, and gray uniforms were promoted as symbols of Imperial unity and order. Apart from flags, propaganda material, and less austere Imperial officials and civil servants, a stifled palette of colors was now favored by the Empire.
ME: A/N: I wanted to put out an update but had no idea what to do and, for that matter, little time.
I admit that the main purpose of this one-shot is to poke fun/comment on how austere the Empire can be when it comes to clothes. Seriously, Palpatine wears a black cloak while his personal guard wears red robes for crying out loud! The Empire clearly favors black, white, and gray.
Granted, maybe His Imperial Majesty simply is a modest dictator given how he went from fancy robes to more simple attire. I suppose that is a redeeming feature of Palpatine-he doesn't waste taxpayer credits on ridiculous clothes!
Imagine the Imperial Senate and Supreme Court Guards as looking like the Imperial Royal Guard uniform-wise but blue and white, respectively, rather than red. I was inspired to create a flag for the Emperor because of the US Presidential flag, and the three flags of the Imperial government branches were also made in reference to the fact that the American flag is red, white, and blue.
As for Jar Jar being President pro tempore of the Imperial Senate-just imagine Palpatine wanted to reward the klutz. Plus Jar Jar's actually a very realistic element of the prequels even though he still is very much disliked by many fans, including people who don't otherwise mind the prequels-a complete moron managing to not only maintain, but gain power in a legislature?
I want to publicly thank all of my loyal fans for all the support you guys have given me. I'm sorry I'm strapped for time nowadays, but I don't want to put out subpar material that would leave y'all disappointed. God bless anyone who reads this story.
P.S. Etain may not be Karen Traviss's best character, but she's still better than Satine and the New Mandalorians. Not that that's much of a bar to pass.