Like the undying stench of decaying wampas, many believe the Imperial Religion's stranglehold on the galaxy begins with time itself. However, this is not the case. In fact, the Imperial Religion began quite recently: Soon his following began to grow. The less attractive and dumb ones were reunited with the Force quickly, as they were PWNed on the spot, and the rest of them were forced to join the Imperial Army (this also explains a major Imperial trend towards ugliness and dumbness, just look at Tarkin).