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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Orius" data-source="post: 4855442" data-attributes="member: 8863">From what I understand of the SW EU, the Empire was in part a reaction against the Yuuzhan Vong.  Palpatine was trying to knock off the Jedi and establish a Sith Empire, but supposedly he also knew the Yuuzhan Vong was coming.  The Old Republic and Jedi Order as portrayed in the prequels were growing weak, so Palpatine booted them out of the way to prepare for an expected invasion.  I don't think there would have been a serious succession problem with Palpatine dying.  He had his clone out there, and his former master, Darth Plagius, had researched anumber of ways of cheating death.  Palpatine was probably planning to still be around when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded.  The only people who had any realistic chance of overthrowing him were Vader and Luke.Thrawn also apparently knew about them.  The way I understand, his homeworld was in the path of the Yuuzhan Vong and he joined the Empire because of the threat they posed.  Supposedly, before he returned and took control of the Imperial remnants in Zahn's trilogy, he was out beyond the Empire's borders preparing for their invasion.  I don't think he would get into a power struggle with Vader over the leadership of the Empire because there were bigger things at stake.</blockquote>