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The Galactic Empire is a monarchy that occupies the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Stuck in Feudal Future, Imperial soldiers get promoted for their families and not for their talents. Then everything changes when young Reinhard von Lohengramm, with both the ambition and talent, manages to climb the ranks and change the system from within.
Due to length, the page has been subdivided between Reinhard's Lohengramm Dynasty and the Goldenbaum Dynasty which preceded it.
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General Tropes
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The High Nobles serving under the Goldenbaum Dynasty seem almost entirely comprised of hedonists with ego way higher than their competence, who aren't above killing lower-ranking citizens or even lower-ranking nobles for the slightest annoyance. This is the prime reason why Reinhard and his confidants conspired to destroy the status quo in its entirety, leaving behind a vestigial core of nobles who actually live up to their duties (or at the very least wisely stayed out of Reinhard's way) to serve as a new aristocracy.
- Bling of War: Regardless of the adaptation, Imperial soldiers get a more decorated uniform the higher their rank is, with fleet admirals sporting a Badass Cape.
- Blue Blood: Although Reinhard does not give out aristocratic titles, the members of his high command are treated like nobility. Large houses, enormous salaries, limousines that drive them around and the way subordinates in the military talk about them it's less "my superior" and more 'my liege'.
- Crapsaccharine World: Life can seem remarkably calm and pleasant if you're a High Noble or have good connections. On the other hand, the Empire is simmering with social unrest, taxing serfs, commoners, and lower-ranking nobles alike, while its soldiers die in droves both against the Alliance and in petty feuds among said High Nobles. And that's not counting the cutthroat court intrigue on top of it all, at the expense of keeping the Empire stable.
- Days of Future Past: Deliberately invoked with the Imperial capital world of Odin, which Kaiser Rudolf remodelled to meet his Germanic ideals, looking more akin to 18th-19th Century Europe than the futuristic heart of an interstellar monarchy.
- Decadent Court: The High Nobles, especially, are completely self-serving and irrationally dismiss any notion that pride alone won't win any battles.
- Everyone Has Standards: The policies and worldview originally endorsed by Rudolf von Goldenbaum were so excessively abhorrent that many, even some of his own descendants, either diluted or outright stopped enforcing aspects of them even before Reinhard was born. By then, however, the damage had already been done.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Socially and aesthetically, the Empire resembles 18th-19th Century Germany and Prussia. Culture and politics-wise, it's based on Imperial China, according to
Word of God. - Fantasy Counterpart Religion: In a weird way, despite specifically being a non-religious state, Norse Mythology has clearly integrated into Imperial traditions, completed with invocations of Odin and allusions to Valhalla.
- Feudal Future: The Empire by the start of the series was functionally akin to a patchwork of feudal fiefs run by the powerful High Nobility, united under the absolute authority of the Goldenbaum dynasty. Beyond Germanic pretensions, however, this was also done out of pragmatism due to the logistics of running an interstellar realm requiring considerable autonomy. While Reinhard doesn't abolish the aristocracy or replace the system outright, his reforms in purging old feudal order make it more efficient and accountable.
- Gratuitous German: Almost all names, text and stock phrases are in German, so it's reasonable to assume that's their in-universe language. Despite that, they can speak with the Alliance, which is shown to use English, without the need for translation.
- In the books, it was mentioned that Julian spoke "Imperial Standard", and it's a required course in schools. Thus it is safe to assume that many Alliance characters are at least bilingual.
- Hope Spot: Prior to Reinhard, there were certain points in the Empire's history wherein reform and positive change were the order of the day. The reign of Manfred II in particular was the most notable, which would have potentially redeemed the Goldenbaum Dynasty's name by bringing lasting peace to the galaxy...had he not been assassinated early on by reactionary nobles manipulated by Fezzan and ultimately, the Terraists.
- Humans Are White: Justified. The vast majority of the Empire's population are Caucasian and of Germanic descent, or at least could pass themselves off as such, both as a result of Kaiser Rudolf's racist policies and the subsequent departure of much of the non-white population for the Free Planets Alliance. Following Reinhard's victory over the Alliance and the conquest of much of its territory, this is no longer the case.
- The Leader: Reinhard's main admirals hold a ton of power and while most of them are levelheaded, there are some with more distinctive styles.
- Kircheis is levelheaded on the surface, but a mastermind underneath.
- Oberstein is a textbook mastermind.
- Reuenthal is a mix of charismatic and mastermind, while leaning more towards the latter.
- Mittermeyer is a mix of charismatic and mastermind, while leaning more towards the former.
- Mueller is usually levelheaded, but the minute his back is against the wall, the headstrong half comes out.
- Bittenfeld is equal parts charismatic and headstrong.
- Kempf is headstrong.
- Master Race: Played With. Emperor Rudolf's selection of only those who were Caucasian and of Germanic descent, or at least those who could pass for such, to be Nobles caused all non-white humans to be relegated to the commoner class and serfdom with no hope of advancing into the echelons of high society. This racial discrimination persisted for so many centuries that by the beginning of the series, virtually all non-white citizens had long fled to the Free Planets Alliance. On the other hand, most in the late Goldenbaum-era Empire and after Reinhard's ascension aren't shown to be racist towards non-whites, while discrimination is based more on class and eugenics propaganda among High Nobles like Otho von Braunschweig than ethnicity.
- Nepotism: Just about the most certain way to get anywhere under the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Military promotions and government appointments are much more dictated by what titles or family name one has and who their main patron is than merit. Reinhard puts a stop to this. Downplayed in Reinhard's new order, in which reformists nobles who sided with him and even commoners who proved their worth through merit are made part of the new nobility.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
- Reinhard's Fleet Admirals and High Admirals are in many ways fictional versions of Napoleon's Marshals mixed with the military nobility of post-Meiji Imperial Japan. Reinhard himself draws inspiration from (among others) Napoleon Bonaparte and Yamagata Aritomo.
- Many of the Kaisers of the Goldenbaum Dynasty take inspiration from various Chinese monarchs. For instance, Manfred II in the backstory is based on the Guangxu Emperor from China's Qing Dynasty, while Erwin Josef II is evidently based on Puyi.
- Lighter and Softer: Downplayed. As decadent and oppressive as the Empire is at the start of the series, it's remarkably mellowed down considerably from Rudolf von Goldenbaum's day, with the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act being repealed outright about a century earlier. That said, while being homosexual or having genetic defects doesn't automatically lead to a death sentence or a one-way trip to hard labor, vestiges of Kaiser Rudolf's Final Solution endure in the form of institutionalized prejudice and double-standards. Under Kaiser Reinhard's rule, the Empire is reinvigorated as a more benevolent force.
- One World Order: The stated goal of both dynasties. Instead of leaving the Alliance alone in their own part of space, they consider them "rebel forces" and intend to integrate them into the Empire's territory which Reinhard actually succeeds at doing in the end, with only a republican remnant left around Heinessen.
- The Purge: In addition to Kaiser Rudolf's dismantling of the Galactic Federation's democratic institutions, the Goldenbaum-era Empire institutionalized this against dissenting nobles for grievous crimes, with the law having provisions for executing not only the suspect but also every male member of their family, including children, if not their entire bloodline. That Reinhard von Lohengramm decides to execute only males over 10 years old while exiling the women to the frontier after arresting Klaus von Lichtenlade is arguably an act of restraint under Goldenbaum-era standards.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Zig-Zagged. The Empire upholds the ideal of Noblesse Oblige, in which the nobles are supposed to take their titles and duties responsibly. In practice, especially among the High Nobility, many aristocrats are shown to be self-serving and decadent to a fault, giving no care to those deemed beneath them. Some noble families, however, do live up to those ideals, such as the Mariendorfs and coincidentally become the core of the surviving nobility in Reinhard's Empire.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: Downplayed in the OVA, but one visible sign of change after Reinhard becomes Emperor is how the Empire's general fashion sense shifts to be more reminiscent of the mid-late 19th century, as opposed to the more baroque 18th century wardrobes characteristic of the Goldenbaum era. This is also extended to the new Imperial military uniforms, which while still recognizably ornate are less ostentatious.
- Undying Loyalty: Reinhard's officers, each in their own way. Most openly admit they'd prefer the "master and his dogs" relationship and some treat Reinhard as sort of deity.
- We Have Become Complacent: While the Empire by the tail-end of the Goldenbaum era is faring better than the Alliance, it's utterly decrepit and stagnant beneath all the decadence. It's trapped in a vicious cycle of corruption and oppression that's rotting away at its foundations, and would eventually cause the whole edifice to collapse. Reinhard's efforts, however, dramatically change the Empire's trajectory.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: As a consequence of the aforementioned nepotism, decadence and corruption, many of the old guard running the Imperial military are far more at home maneuvering Decadent Court politics than conducting a war, often resulting in Hollywood Tactics and costly battles. This becomes especially pronounced during the Lippstadt Rebellion, with the nobles quickly finding themselves outmatched compared to competent commanders who know what they're doing.
