First seen on the battlefield in 2502, the Emperor was the first BattleMech to use the newly developed XL engine, LB 10-X autocannon, double heat sinks, and CASE. At the time of its introduction, it was also the largest BattleMech to carry jump jets.
       The Emperor was still in production at the start of the Second Succession War, but a Marik raid on the StarCorps plant on Son Hoa ended production of the Emperor in a radioactive cloud. StarCorps recently completed a new 'Mech plant near the old site and began building new Emperors and Highlanders in the fall of 3057.

       When the SLDF High Command wanted a new 90-ton assault 'Mech incorporating the newest weapons and other components designed by the Star League's top scientists, they secretly solicited new design proposals from several BattleMech manufacturers. Per standard policy, only the Royal BattleMech units would receive these new 'Mechs--the High Command did not want the new technology to fall into the hands of the League's member states. The SLDF High Command liked what they saw in StarCorps's Emperor design and awarded the company a contract.
       The lightweight new XL engine lay at the heart of the new design, allowing the StarCorps design team to place additional components on the Emperor that would otherwise have made the 'Mech too heavy. First, they added double strength heat sinks that enabled the Emperor to dissipate large amounts of heat quickly. The designers also gave the Emperor two state of the-art Imperator LB 10-X autocannons--a lighter model that took up less space than standard autocannons--and two tons of ammunition for each. When loaded with special cluster rounds, the autocannons are as deadly against aerospace fighters as they normally are against enemy BattleMechs.
       Backing up the autocannons is an impressive array of energy weapons: two large lasers, two medium pulse lasers and a standard medium laser. To give the Emperor more maneuverability, the design team installed Pitban LFT-50 jump jets. The Emperor also boasts impressive armor protection--seventeen and a half tons of heavy armor cover the Emperor's frame.

       The Lyran Alliance and the St. Ives Compact have deployed several lances of Emperors. The Capellan Confederation owns several but has yet to deploy them despite its desperate need for front-line assault 'Mechs. According to rumor, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao is displeased with McCarron's Trading Company, builders of the Emperor on Menke, allegedly because all Emperors produced so far have ended up in McCarron's Armored Cavalry. The St. Ives Compact recently announced its decision to sell Emperors to the Federated Commonwealth, and StarCorps plants in the Lyran Alliance intend to sell a few Emperors to Alliance-affiliated mercenary units.