scene in the film establishes that the two are among the main founders of the Rebel Alliance, which later arises in A New Hope.

Two remaining Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, attempt to attack and destroy the Sith once and for all. Yoda confronts Palpatine, and Obi-Wan duels his former apprentice, now Darth Vader. Obi-Wan defeats Vader, but Yoda's duel with Palpatine ends in a stalemate and he is forced to flee for his life; both Jedi are forced to go into exile. Padme's children, now motherless and their father a Sith Lord, are placed into adoptive families until such time as the living Force reaches out to them and they take up their destiny.

With the end of the Clone Wars and the formation of the First Galactic Empire,Palpatine rules the Empire with absolute power. He retains the emergency powers that had been voted to him in the years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, allowing him to rule under what amounts to martial law. Vader is the Emperor's second-in-command as well as his chief enforcer. His third-in-command, Sate Pestage, serves as Grand Vizier and runs the Empire day to day. In the 19 years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Palpatine rules the galaxy from the confines of his heavily guarded palace on Coruscant. During that same time, Vader travels extensively to most of the galactic regions to enforce the Emperor's rule.

The Senate nominally continues to exist, though it is a virtually powerless debating society. Palpatine dissolves the