system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] How much was the Imperial Military weakened after the destruction of the first Death Star? How was the Empire's grip on the galaxy affected?

Just curious as I don't think they really covered it in the movies, and I haven't read any of the books on this era.
gpt
It really wasn't *that* weakened. They lost some high end leaders, but no one that was irreplaceable.

Their grip on the galaxy, on the other hand, definitely started to fracture. With the Rebels showing that they were able to destroy the Empire's new battlestation, more and more planets begin to show sympathy towards the Rebellion and either support them indirectly or openly, but the Rebellion still remains a relatively tiny coalition (in comparison with the Imperial military) until the destruction of the second Death Star.