Galactic Senate / Legends The Galactic Senate , also referred to as the Republic Senate , Galactic Congress , Republic Congress , or Old Senate ( during the time of the New Republic ) , was the legislative and executive branch of the Galactic Republic that was located on Coruscant . Its primary duties were to mediate any disputes between star systems , worlds and cultures , to regulate trade between systems , to protect and care for citizens in need and to provide mutual defense in face of threats to the Republic . History . The Galactic Senate was a place where all the Republic ' s elected and appointed senators and representatives from the farthest reaches of the galaxy would discuss major problems and come to decisions . The Galactic Constitution invested the Senate with the power to regulate trade , maintain maps of the galaxy ' s hyperspace routes , and to maintain the Republic ' s military . It was still a relatively weak body at the end of the Old Sith Wars . Following the Ruusan Reformation , a large amount of power was removed from the Supreme Chancellor and granted to the Senate , which although resulting in greater regional involvement in galactic politics , also resulted in increased gridlock and corruption . One of the privileges a Supreme Chancellor still possessed was his or her ability to call an Extraordinary Session . Originally the Senate was Planetary and welcomed any planet with a large enough population until the Core was occupied by the early Republic . Then the Republic was politically divided into sectors containing up to 50 inhabited systems , small enough so that they wouldn ' t expand into separatist empires ; the Senate then was apartised by sectorial Senators , representing the planetary Senators . After the First Alsakan Conflict in 17 , 000 BBY , the Senate was composed of seated Senators with full rights of address , and unseated Senators , who had to petition for such rights . That made the Senate viable but bred corruption since unseated Senators traded most of their votes . The Senate ' s role changed somewhat over the centuries . As of the Old Sith Wars it played a slightly more passive role regarding internal affairs . While recognized as the central government of the Republic and deferred to in matters of galactic policy , the Senate ' s power over many members was more that of a mediator than a ruling body . Negotiation and coercion were staples of its activities . The terrorist organization known as The Flail attempted to overthrow the Senate in 33 BBY , accusing it of corruption ; but Chancellor Finis Valorum ' s forces disbanded The Flail . Before the start of the Clone Wars , the Senate suffered a shutdown , with corporations controlling it . The majority of the senators around the time of the Invasion of Naboo became corrupt , changing their affiliations based on their own interests . Eventually , through a series of various organizational reforms in response to the Separatist threat , the charismatic Palpatine took control of the Senate . During the Clone Wars , Sate Pestage was in charge of the Senate ' s executive agenda . During the time of the Empire , the Galactic Senate was known as the Imperial Senate . However , this Senate was largely powerless , with its members discouraged from disagreeing with the Emperor ' s wishes . Immediately before the Battle of Yavin , Palpatine officially dissolved the Imperial Senate . It was not until 6 . 5 ABY that the New Republic restored it , soon after liberating Coruscant twice . Organization . The Senate was led by a Supreme Chancellor , elected by a vote of the Senate from amongst its delegates . He had little real authority over the Senate other than prerogative to call for a special session and could be removed by a vote of no confidence . The Vice Chair , also elected and removed by the Senate , wielded far more power being empowered to open , close and moderate debate on each motion , which allowed him to control agenda within the Senate . The Galactic Senate was made up of over 2 , 000 congressmen : governor - delegates ( referred to as senators ) and representatives , representing sectors , systems , individual planets , or even Corporations or Guilds . Some were elected directly , while others were appointed by a planet ' s ruler ( or even were the planet ' s ruler ) . Diplomats , religious figures , local political leaders , and other prominent people could also address the Senate as part of a senatorial delegation . Senators , however , were the only members with voting power , with the Representatives organized into the Galactic Representative Commission , although they could be appointed by their absent Senators as their temporary substitute , and still could have a minor voice in Senate business . The full Senate convened on a regular basis , although the meetings were unscheduled in advance , and could sometimes even reach up to one hundred full assemblies per year . The order of the day was composed of a series of day - long meetings in committees and subcommittes in formal and informal situations . Most of the negotiation and diplomacy , however , happened behind the scenes , in the ambassadorial offices behind the Senate platforms . Before the invasion of Naboo , Republic - member worlds could join or become signatories to various federations or groups . Often , smaller worlds would give their voting power over to these Federations in exchange for lucrative trade deals . This allowed various corporations , guilds , federations , and businesses to gain extra power in the Senate . The Senate was divided into many committees and subcommittees , each to handle various issues of Galactic government and lawmaking . Some of them were : In addition to the formal committees , there were informal political factions in the Senate as well . In the years leading up to the Battle of Naboo , there were two main ones : the Core faction and the Rim faction . During the Clone Wars , the supermajority of the Senate supported Palpatine , allowing him to amend the Galactic Constitution and be granted more emergency powers . Powers . The Senate was the legislative and executive power of the Republic ( although at various times by the end of the Republic ' s existence , the Office of the Supreme Chancellor held " supreme dictator " Legislative , Executive , and Judicial authority ) . It also had limited judicial authority , presumably for high - profile plaintiffs or cases too controversial for ( or tried in ) the Supreme Court . Such cases included trying senators for treason ( as wished by Vien ' sai ' Malloc ) ; crimes against civilization ( the interrupted trial of Ulic Qel - Droma ) ; and presumably corruption and treason of the Supreme Chancellor ( as Anakin Skywalker wished for Palpatine ) . Senate - related documents . The following are documents passed by the Galactic Senate or relating to its functioning . Architecture . Thousands of years before the fall of the Republic , the Senate was housed in a hall building . At some point after the end of the Great Sith War , the Senate was relocated to the more advanced and spacious Senate Building . The exterior portion of the Senate Building consisted of a large courtyard in front of the structure itself , a huge mushroom - shaped building . The interior portion was a multiple - story room with thousands of chairs for senators from each world . In the center , the Supreme Chancellor would sit with his or her aides . Behind the scenes . The Galactic Senate was first mentioned in the of " " , ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and published in 1976 . In background material composed by George Lucas in 1977 for licensees of the Expanded Universe , the " Republican Senate " represented a total of 24 , 372 systems and elected a Chancellor to a four year term . There was a term limit of one term . During a crisis , a Chancellor extended his term to 12 years and finally declared himself Emperor , first by rhetorically attacking the bureaucracy and then by aligning himself with it . The Jedi sided with the Senate after it attempted to impeach him . This story appears to be the germ of much of the events of the Prequel trilogy .