Lord Zack
Explorer
Oh, I had forgotten Rise of Skywalker. However, if the Dark Empire exists it'd probably be in secrecy, biding its time. Too many strong rivals, including another version of himself if he knows about him. There's nothing stopping it from working behind the scenes to weaken it's opposition, however. Palpatine might even offer boons to certain factions like the First Order, in order to fight their mutual enemies.