I just finished playing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith video game, and I really like the alternate ending where Anakin—now fully Darth Vader—actually wins the duel on Mustafar. Instead of being left for dead, he returns to Palpatine, only to betray him and claim the galaxy for himself.
That got me thinking—if Anakin had actually taken over, what kind of galaxy would he have ruled? Would it have been even more brutal than Palpatine’s Empire, or could Vader have shaped something entirely different?
Vader’s Empire Wouldn’t Last – He Lacked Palpatine’s Political Skill
If Vader had taken control of the Empire, we can all agree that his rule wouldn’t have lasted long. Unlike Palpatine, he wasn’t a politician, strategist, or master manipulator—he was a warrior, someone who solved problems with a lightsaber rather than diplomacy. And in the world of politics, brute strength only gets you so far.
We know Palpatine kept the Senate in check for years, even after forming the Empire. He did it through manipulation, deception, and playing every side against each other. He convinced the Senate that the Jedi were traitors, used emergency powers to slowly strip away their authority, and when he no longer needed them, he dissolved the Senate entirely—but only after ensuring the Empire had full military control.
Vader, on the other hand, had no patience for political games. He wasn’t the kind of leader to persuade or negotiate—he ruled through fear and brute force. But fear only works for so long.
We can already see how this would have failed by looking at how Vader handled Imperial officers. Whenever someone disappointed him, he simply choked them to death and promoted the next officer in line. This approach might work in the military, but it’s not how you keep an Empire stable. Imagine Vader dealing with Imperial governors or high-ranking senators the same way—they wouldn’t just sit back and accept his rule, they would conspire against him just like the Separatists once did with the Republic.
And without a long-term political strategy, he wouldn’t be able to stop them. Sure, he could kill anyone who opposed him, but murdering politicians only breeds more rebellion—and that’s something Palpatine understood well enough to avoid.
If Vader Had Overthrown Palpatine Immediately, He Would Have Doomed Himself
If Vader had tried to take control of the Empire right after turning to the dark side, I don’t think it would have ended well for him. In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine was still solidifying his rule, and Vader was just stepping into his new role. He wasn’t an established leader yet—just Palpatine’s attack dog, still proving his loyalty.
I can’t help but think about the alternate ending of the Revenge of the Sith game, where Vader actually kills Palpatine and takes the throne. But if he had done this in the actual story, it would have been a complete disaster.
Why? Because nobody in the Empire really trusted him yet. He was still a former Jedi in their eyes. If he had turned on Palpatine too soon, the Imperial Senate, the military, and the officers would have seen him as just another Jedi traitor trying to overthrow the government. Palpatine had spent years demonizing the Jedi, so if Vader suddenly took the throne, it wouldn’t have been hard to spin him as another rogue Force user attempting a coup.
Sure, Vader was powerful, but power alone wouldn’t have been enough. He wasn’t the strategist Palpatine was, and he didn’t have the same political influence. Without Palpatine pulling the strings behind the scenes, Vader would have been fighting an uphill battle against his own Empire.
We know that Vader could intimidate and kill, but could he run a government? Would officers actually follow him? Would the Senate obey him? Probably not. Without Palpatine’s careful planning, Vader would have been isolated, outnumbered, and eventually taken down before he ever truly had a chance to rule.
That’s why, as much as I love the idea of Vader taking the throne, if he had tried it too soon, he wouldn’t have ruled anything—he would have sealed his own downfall.