Senatorial arrests One day after the formation of the Galactic Empire , Imperial Intelligence arrested sixty - three senator s on charges of conspiracy and treason , all who were members of the Delegation of 2 , 000 , a group of senators which tried to limit the growing executive powers of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine during the Clone Wars , and signatories to the Petition of 2 , 000 . The event was reported on by the HoloNet News , with the news media outlet calling it a " dramatic victory over the Jedi rebellion . " Prelude . As the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems entered its final stages by the year 19 BBY , Supreme Chancellor of the Republic , Sheev Palpatine , continued to gain emergency powers from the Galactic Senate . By the final actions of the war , former senator s of the Loyalist Committee , displeased by the Chancellor ' s actions , formed the Delegation of 2 , 000 , to counter Palpatine ' s growing political power , regularly partaking in the Cantham House meetings . The Delegation of 2 , 000 conjured the Petition of 2 , 000 , a formal protest to Palpatine ' s political gains and to return emergency powers back to the Galactic Senate at the end of the war . Eventually , Palpatine declared the Jedi , keepers of peace and justice in the galaxy for thousands of years , as traitors following an alleged assassination attempt , and quelled a supposed Jedi rebellion . Palpatine , secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith and enemy of the Jedi , Darth Sidious , sent his newly christened Sith apprentice , Darth Vader , to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist Council and shut down their droid armies , effectively bringing forth the end of the Clone Wars . Following the shut down of Separatist forces and the destruction of the Jedi Order , Sidious proclaimed that the Galactic Republic would be transformed into the first Galactic Empire , with him as its Emperor . The formation of the Empire was met by strong political and public support , with reactions to Palpatine ' s speech in the Galactic Senate Chamber being that of mass applause , though some — such as Senators Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala — watched in disappointment and dismay . The arrests . One day after the formation of the Empire , Imperial Intelligence , the espionage and anti - sedition agency of the Empire , cracked down on the political opponents of Palpatine on Coruscant , conducting the mass arrest , which resulted in the arrest of sixty - three senators of the Delegation of 2 , 000 and signatories of the Petition of 2 , 000 . A number of those arrested were senators of prominent Core Worlds , although many were also alien s from worlds in the Outer Rim Territories . A number of senators were also detained and forced to profess their absolute loyalty to the Emperor , including Mon Mothma and Bail Organa , who were both later released . Those who were arrested were loaded unto a " Theta " - class shuttle by Imperial clone trooper s . Aftermath . Following the mass arrest , the event was reported on by the HoloNet News , labeling it as a " dramatic victory over the Jedi rebellion . " Before press time , a partial list of those taken into custody was released , revealing that senators Shea Sadashassa of Herdessa , Ivor Drake of Kestos Minor , Fang Zar of Sern Prime , Streamdrinker of Tynna , and Tanner Cadaman of Feenix were several of those apprehended . Of those arrested , Streamdrinker , Cadaman , and Drake were ultimately incarcerated at the Arrth - Eno Prison Complex on Coruscant and fatefully die in 0 ABY after an attempt to assassin ate Palpatine and rescue imprisoned senators sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance went awry when it was revealed to be an Imperial scheme . Legacy . Sometime after the creation of the Rebel Files , a central data repository which contained a non - electronic copy of sensitive rebel information , in 5 BBY , the arrests were documented in the Files by Mothma , noting how she and Organa were able to avoid being arrested after professing their loyalty . Mothma added that her guilt motivated her to continue to secretly oppose the Emperor and build up the Rebel Alliance . Behind the scenes . The senatorial arrests were first mentioned in the new " Star Wars " canon in the 2017 reference book " " , written by Daniel Wallace . The event was originally created for the " Star Wars " Legends HoloNet News article " , " written by Daniel Wallace and Pablo Hidalgo and published in " Star Wars Insider 84 " in 2005 .