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| “ | This is how it must be. The Empire became this...ugly, inelegant machine. Crude and inefficient. We needed to be broken into pieces. We needed to get rid of those who want to see that old machine churning ineluctably forward. It's time for something better. Something new. An Empire worthy of the galaxy it will rule. | „ |
| ~ Gallius Rax on his thoughts of what eventually takes the shape of the First Order. |
Counselor Gallius Rax (born Galli) is a major antagonist in the epic space opera franchise Star Wars, appearing as the main antagonist of the 2015-2017 Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy of novels and the overarching antagonist of the 2017 action shooter video game Star Wars Battlefront II.
Gallius Rax was an officer in the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire. Originally an orphan named "Galli" from the destitute planet Jakku, he entered into a close working relationship with the Emperor himself after a chance meeting. The Emperor entrusted Rax with the "Contingency," a plan to dismantle the Empire and lay the foundations for the formation of the First Order in the wake of his death. Rax founded the Shadow Council in the wake of the Empire's death and, as the "Counselor to the Empire," acted as the de facto leader of the Empire until his defeat in the Battle of Jakku.
Biography[]
Past[]
Galli, the boy who grew up to become known as Gallius Rax, was born on the planet Jakku approximately forty-two years before the Battle of Yavin. Orphaned at a young age, Galli spends his early life serving Kolob, a monk member of the Anchorite sect who owned the orphanage where Galli lived among other children, where Kolob treated them as servants and taught them that the basis of life consisted on suffering and service. Resenting Kolob, Galli wished for a better life off-world. When he turned twelve years old, in an attempt to leave Jakku for good, Galli stowed away onboard the Imperialis, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's yacht. Palpatine sensed Galli's presence during the trip and offered to either kill him or accept the destiny that had been sensed for him. Galli accepted the latter offer and Palpatine took him as his protégé and gave him the task of returning to Jakku to guard the Plaintive Hand plateau excavation site and monitor the droids he had assigned to excavate the zone.
When he returned to Jakku, Galli convinced several of his fellow orphans to follow him and rebel against Kolob, dismissing his teachings as foolish. He then had the other children guard the excavation site along with trained beasts, only to then kill the children and any intruders who approached the zone to preserve its secrecy. Galli continued to protect the site for ten years until he found out that the site was a hole which led to Jakku's core and in which an Observatory was built on its top. Unknown to Galli at that time, Palpatine intended to create a Sith empire as part of his plans for conquest and power, but the Observatory and the hole were part of a Contingency plan he intended to carry on in case his empire failed to protect him. Shortly afterwards, Galli met with Palpatine aboard the Imperiales and Palpatine told him about his Contingency plans while playing a Shah-tezh game. Impressing Palpatine for his loyalty, Galli was taken by him to be educated and trained into the military to be part of his empire, adopting the name of Gallius Rax.
Following the Galactic Republic's transition into the Galactic Empire and the destruction of the Jedi Order, Rax became part of the Imperial Army as a commander at age twenty, though most Imperials knew nothing about him. During his distinguished Imperial career, Rax was awarded with several titles and medals, including the Hero of the Galactic Empire, the Nova Star, the Medal of Service, the Galactic War on Insurgency Medal, the Gilded Sun and the Emperor's Will Medal. Rax eventually rose up to the rank of admiral sometime before the Battle of Endor.
The day of the battle, before Luke Skywalker was brought to him by Darth Vader, sensing an incoming shatterpoint, Palpatine summoned Gallius to his throne room aboard the second Death Star and asked him to prepare for the Contingency and move the Ravager, a Super Star Destroyer, to the Vulpinus Nebula until he contacted with him again after meeting with Skywalker. This turned out to be the last time Gallius saw Palpatine alive, as both him and Vader perished during the battle and the Death Star II was destroyed by the rebels. In the months that followed the battle, Rax achieved the rank of Fleet Admiral and set himself to fulfill the Contingency.
Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy[]
Aftermath[]
Sometime after the Battle of Endor, Gallius Rax takes on the alias of "The Operator" and starts to feed the New Republic Intelligence Service with information about vulnerable Imperial routes and galactic leaders who were likely going to abandon the Empire and join the New Republic, deeming that those who weren't loyal to the Galactic Empire had no place on the new empire he plans to build. In reality, though Palpatine had ordered him to start the chain of events that would lead to the utter destruction of the Galactic Empire for outliving him, Rax had decided to create a new stronger and more efficient empire to replace the one Palpatine ruled.
Deeming Admiral Rae Sloane as trustworthy, Rax sends her to the planet of Akiva for a emergency summit organized by him and attended by other Imperial leaders like Moff Pandion, General Jylia Shale, financier Arsin Crassus and Adviser Yupe Tashu, who form along with Sloane the Imperial Future Council, whose goal was to preserve what little remains of the shattered Galactic Empire. As the Operator, Rax then informs Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar about the Imperial presence on Akiva, leading Ackbar to dispatch a probe droid and then send Commander Krysta Agate to fight the Imperial forces there to rescue Captain Wedge Antilles. This results in a battle which ends with the loss of two Star Destroyers, the deaths of Crassus and Pandion and the captures of Tashu and Shale, whereas Sloane manages to escape to the Star Destroyer Vanquish and meet with Rax at the Vulpinus Nebula aboard the Ravager. Once at his ship, Rax reveals to Sloane that he was the one who informed the Imperial Future Council's location to the Republic as a test and that she had passed it as one of his "best and brightest". He then tells her about his plans for a new empire.
Aftermath: Life Debt[]
Due her actions on Akiva, Gallius Rax promotes Rae Sloane to Grand Admiral and has her appear as the public face of the Galactic Empire while he rules from behind the scenes posing as her advisor aboard the Ravagar. He also has Adea Rite, Sloane's personal assistant, rescued from a New Republic prison so she can serve as his lover and spy Sloane for him. One day after Sloane gives a propaganda broadcast, Rax meets and discusses with her a plan to establish a Shadow Council and rescue Commandant Brendol Hux and his son Armitage from the planet Arkanis, as Rax wants to recruit Brendol into his Shadow Council so he can implement a breeding program to have children trained from birth to serve the new empire as Stormtroopers, a plan which Sloane finds unnerving. After hiring the bounty hunter Mercurial Swift to rescue the Huxes, Sloane goes to Coruscant and discovers that Rax didn't tell her about a second Super Star Destroyer and a photo where of him with other Imperial officials, but Rax becomes aware of her discovery thanks to Rite.
Under Rax's orders, Sloane then convenes an inaugural dinner for the Shadow Council. During the dinner, after hearing a suggestion of the Imperial propagandist Ferric Obdur to portray the Galactic Empire as a victim, Rax reveals himself to the Council and tells them that he chose them based on their talents and idea and that they will witness the Empire's revival. When Commandant Hux asks Rax how the Empire will survive with its current lack of resources, Rax tells them that his fleet at Vulpinus Nebula wasn't the last remaining Imperial fleet, as he had commanded several other fleets into other parts of the galaxy, being this the Almagest, the Recluse's Nebula, the Queluhan Nebula, the Ro-Loo Triangle and the Inamorata, where there are fleets with hundreds of Star Destroyers and thousands of other ships. In regards to warfare on the ground, the Empire still controls the factory planets of Zhadalene, Korrus and Belladoon.
Just after Rax said that, Adea Rite enters into the room and reports to Sloane that the Star Destroyer Scythe has been lost and Commander Valent has been killed. As Sloane later discovers, Rax had told the New Republic about the location of the Scythe as Valent didn't accept him as the de facto emperor and had allied himself with Grand General Kenner Loring's Imperial remnant, which consisted of rivals to Rax's rule. Later that night, Rax hosts Adea on his personal quarters and embraces her after reassuring her that Sloane will come around. Sometime later, while Rax visited his private garden in the upper echelons of the Ravager, Sloane meets with him. Knowing that Sloane had a blaster and wants to kill him, Rax asks her if she despises him, but she denies it and assures that she respects him, to which Rax confides that she can respect and despise him concurrently just like he did with Emperor Palpatine. Rax then tells Sloane that he is aware of what she did on Coruscant and asks her to relent, telling her about his plans to attack the planet Chandrila, which is currently the New Republic's capital, and offers to make her Emperess and serve her as his adviser once the Galactic Civil War ends, an offer which Sloane reluctantly accepts.
Sometime later, Rax revokes Sloane's orders to Vice Admiral Urian Orlan to send an Imperial team to investigate an unauthorized repair trip by two vessels at Ashmead's Lock prison on Kashyyyk, asking Sloane to call Orlan and tell him that the Empire approves the prison's repairs. When Sloane asked him why he had given that orders, Rax confides her that the two vessels belong to Norra Wexley's Imperial hunters team and Han Solo, so he needs to make the Empire look weaker as part of his plans: Rax's plan involved allowing Wexley and Solo to rescue the rebel prisoners of Ashmead's Lock, among whom was Norra's husband Brentin Lore, and bring them to Chandrila so once there, they could attack and kill anyone near them, as Rax had fitted them with inorganic bio-chips that would turn them into brainwashed killers upon broadcasting the order to kill the rebels.
Once the rebels arrived on Chandrila, Rax contacts an spy of his, who turns out to be a New Republic Senate Guard named Windom Traducier, who installs and transponder on the roof of the Hanna City opera house upon learning that Chancellor Mon Mothma plans to showcase the liberated inmates during a Liberation Day celebration, arming the prisoners with concealed blasters so they can kill Mothma and other New Republic officials, soldiers and politicians. Rax then instructs Sloane to contact Mothma, Ackbar and Princess Leia Organa to discuss a peace treaty on Chandrila after the festivities of the Liberation Day despite the suspicions of the Galactic Senate. Despite agreeing to go to Chandrila, Sloane suspects that Rax may be setting a trap or test for her although Rax assures that she will be safe. Rax then watches via HoloNet the celebration of Liberation Day aboard the Ravager and orders Grand Moff Randd to prepare the Imperial fleets to Jakku as well as preparing a meeting for the Shadow Council. During Liberation Day, Rax's brainwashed assassins manage to wound Mothma and Commodore Agate and attack other guests to the celebration, leading Yupe Tashu to be freed from Republic custody and causing other planets to doubt on joining the New Republic or not.
Although Rax's plans had been successful, Sloane turns on him as she realizes that his methods are too similar to those the rebels employed on their tactics, ordering her crew to arrest Rax to no avail as Adea attacks Sloane, leading Sloane to kill her former assistant and escape aboard a cargo freighter into hyperspace, meeting with Brentin Lore Wexley later on and teaming up with him to kill Rax. With Sloane out of his way, Rax informs the Shadow Council that Sloane was captured on Chandrila, but promises that they will rescue her and offers to temporarily serve as the Counselor to the Empire under the pretext that he isn't worthy to be Emperor or Grand Admiral before explaining that they had to reunite on Jakku to escape from the New Republic's sight. Unknown to the Council members, Rax plans to get rid of most of them in the upcoming showdown against the New Republic on Jakku, minus Brendol, who is still essential for his plans for a new empire.
Aftermath: Empire's End[]
Preparing a final showdown against the New Republic, the remaining Imperial fleets reunite on Jakku. Gallius Rax then waits for several months for the New Republic to attack the desert planet. To ensure the Galactic Empire's destruction, Rax allows several of his forces to suffer due the barrenand harsh conditions of Jakku and their training becomes more violent while also having every dissenter who questions his orders to be beaten up. In addition, Rax makes a deal with Niima the Hutt to guard Palpatine's Observatory and kidnap all children from Jakku's villages and orphanages so Brendol Hux could train them into fearless child soldiers willing to follow Rax's orders. Unknown to him, Rae Sloane and Brentin Lore Wexley have traveled to Jakku to get back at him for his past actions and meet with Kolob, who tells them about Rax's past as Galli.
As the New Republic tracked them down, Rax tells the Shadow Council that their final battle against the Republic is near and prepare their troops for their coming. When Ferric Obdur asks about what to do with the messaging of the Imperial presence to the Republic, Rax orders him to shut hup and sends Hux's child soldiers to kill him while he goes to meet up with Kolob, whom he blames for his unhappy upbringing. Having been captured, Kolob is brought to Rax, who tells him that he was the one who has started kidnapping all of Jakku's children, leading Kolob to chastise him for his actions before Rax dismisses Kolob's faith as "foolish" and that his destiny gave him a better purpose. He then stabs Kolob to death as a sacrifice to the dark side of the Force, but Kolob doesn't die before warning Rax that his plans will unravel and he is being hunted.
Rax then visits the underlevels beneath his base and is greeted by a Sentinel droid programmed with Palpatine's personality, who displays holographic footage of Niima the Hutt and her convoy traveling along with Sloane towards the Observatory, leading Rax to order his turbolasers cannon to bombard Niima's convoy and for Grand Vizier Mas Amedda to stay under house arrest at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, warning Amedda that he will be punished if he escapes. However, Amedda ultimately manages to escape with the help of the Anklebiter Brigade, a team of child resistance fighters, so he can start talking with Chancellor Mon Mothma about signing a peace treaty. Rax is then informed that Sloane, Wexley, Niima and her slaves survived her convoy's destruction, so he summons Hux and asks him if his child army is ready, threatening to banish him to the deserts of Jakku if he fails.
Hux does so and capture Sloane and Wexley the next day. Upon meeting with Rax on the Observatory, Sloane assures him that she will retake the Galactic Empire, though Rax dismisses her threats before she asks him why he brought the Empire to a desert world like Jakku. Niima then appears and attacks Rax and his stormtroopers before they incapacitated her. Sloane then tries in vain to have Rax arrested for treason, but the Stormtroopers are loyal to Rax, who orders Sloane to be arrested to show her his upcoming victory. However, before Rax can execute Brentin, Rae insists him to spare Wexley, which Rax accepted as Brentin had been one of his brainwashed slaves and could still be useful for him. After Rax orders his troops to bring the prisoners to his base to see the battle from there, Sloane spits on his uniform, though Rax doesn't care for it. He then displays his child soldiers to Sloane and Wexley before having them kill his Stormtroopers with their weapons, announcing them to be the future of his empire and that today they will see the final battle of the "Old Empire". Hux and his child soldiers then secured Sloane and Wexley in a tent above the command center as Rax talks with the Shadow Council and his assembled military forces, ordering them to show no mercy to the Republic forces and stating that the Battle of Jakku would decide the galaxy's future.
As the Battle of Jakku begins, Rax leaves with Brendol, Armitage, Yupe Tashu and Brendol's child soldiers to the Observatory so Rax could start the Contingency's final stage: detone Jakku from its core and taking all Imperial and Republic forces. However, despite Palpatine's orders for the Galactic Empire's definitive destruction, Rax had altered the Contingency so he and a group of Imperials selected by him could leave Jakku for the Unknown Regions, where the Eclipse, the Emperor's Star Dreadnought flagship, was waiting for them. Feeling that Sloane and Wexley had outlived usefulness, Rax opts to leave them behind on the Observatory to be killed by the planet's imminent explosion. Preparing himself to leave, Rax left General Borrum and Grand Moff Randd to assume command during the battle. As the battle continued, the Imperial forces started to crumble due Rax's machinations and the New Republic's tactics, even allowing Admiral Ackbar and Commander Agate to find a gap in the Imperial naval defenses and destroy the Ravager. However, just as Kolob had predicted, Sloane and Wexley break free and go to hunt down Rax at the Observatory with the help of Norra and Mister Bones.
Accompanied by his entourage, Rax goes to the Observatory, journey during which he befriends the young Armitage and names him the leader of his child army after telling him about his plans for his new empire. Once they arrive at the Observatory, with a replica of the Imperialis ready to leave the planet, Rax asks Brendol to take Armitage and the child soldiers to the yacht while Tashu and him activate the Contingency inside the underground complex. They make their way to the deep borehole which leads to Jakku's core, where the two initiate a dark side ritual to put into motion Jakku's destruction. Once the ritual finished, having completed the Contingency, Rax throws Tashu into the well to his death, igniting an explosive chain reaction. However, before Rax can return to the Imperialis replica, he meets with Sloane and they fight each other to settle their score down. Despite her skills in hand-to-hand combat, Sloane is easily defeated by Rax, who wants to use her screams to attract Brentin and Norra so he can kill them. Brentin and Norra arrive to help Sloane and Rax attacks Norra before taking her blaster. In order to save his wife, Brentin charges at Rax and is subsequently shot dead by Rax.
Determined to stop Rax once and for all and avenge her husband, Norra fights back with Rax and wounds him in the shoulder with her blaster before Sloane does the rest by shooting Rax in the right leg, his other shoulder and in the stomach, fatally wounding him. Norra then leaves to meet with her son Temmin while Sloane stays behind and shuts down the self-destruct mechanism, precluding Jakku from being destroyed and leaving Rax's plans for destruction in vain. Before expiring from his wounds, Rax instructs Sloane to travel aboard the Imperialis replica with the Huxes and his child army to the Unknown Regions and to get the data spike in the computer about the necessary hyperspace codes to reach the Eclipse. Rax then passes away from his wounds accepting that he will always be the outcast, bringing his short-lived reign as Counselor to the Empire to an end once and for all.
Though the Battle of Jakku ultimately ends in a New Republic victory and Mas Amedda formally ends the war by signing a peace treaty with Mon Mothma, Sloane honores Rax's dying wish by escaping with the Huxes and their child soldiers to the Unknown Regions, where they reunited with what remained of the Galactic Empire forces to create the new empire Rax had envisioned. Consequently, even in death, Gallius Rax helped to shape what eventually took form of the brutal and ruthless successor of the Galactic Empire: the military junta known as the First Order.
Star Wars Battlefront II[]
Gallius Rax doesn't appear in the video game as he is still carrying on the Contingency behind the scenes, but he is mentioned by Admiral Garrick Versio towards the end of the game during the Battle of Jakku. When Iden Versio boards the Eviscerator to rescue her father, Garrick reveals that Rax wanted him to abandon ship but he refuses and stays behind to die while Iden escapes with her life after he tells her to leave him behind and live a good life for defecting the Empire unlike him. It can assumed that as the Versios interacted, Rax had already been killed by Sloane. This also implies that Rax may have intended for Garrick to survive and retreat to the Unknown Regions to be part of the First Order.
Trivia[]
- Before the publishing of Aftermath: Empire's End, some fans thought that Gallius Rax could be Supreme Leader Snoke from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. However, Rax's death in the final installment of The Aftermath Trilogy put these rumors to rest.
- Gallius Rax is, along with Grand Moff Tarkin, one of the two characters of the franchise to refer to Emperor Palpatine under his first name instead of addressing him as Emperor.
- Since the release of The Rise of Skywalker, it's exactly unknown why Palpatine engineered the Contingency and asked Rax to carry it on if he cheated death after his demise during the Battle of Endor and planned to establish a new Sith Empire with help from a Sith cult known as the Sith Eternal.
External Links[]
- Gallius Rax on the Star Wars Wiki
