Millennial Celebration Invitation

The Millennial Celebration Invitation was a poster designed by the artists Naveela Betuine and Dashira Dobeq at the request of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum of the Galactic Republic. Although the piece was never disseminated, it was created to celebrate one thousand years of peace since the founding of the modern Republic. In the center of the poster's near-final iteration stood a statue of Sistros Nevet—who had played a role in crafting the Republic's constitution—an addition suggested by Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo.
==Description==
The Millennial Celebration Invitation was a poster crafted to commemorate the thousand years of peace since the founding of the Galactic Republic. Situated at the center of the near-final iteration of the invitation was a statue of the ancient lawgiver Sistros Nevet, which stood in front of a city's evening skyline, with beams of light emanating from near the statue's base. Displayed below the statue was the crest of the Republic, encased in an ornate design that bordered the entirety of the piece.
Written at the top of the poster in High Galactic was "1000 YEARS," with the word "PEACE" directly below and enlarged considerably. Near the center of the poster, also in High Galactic, read, "Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, Finis Valorum, along with the distinguished members of Galactic Senate, cordially invite you and your loved ones to share in a grand celebration commemorating a millenium [sic] of peace." Immediately below this was followed by "Galactic Standard Time and date to be announced" in Aurebesh.
==History==
Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum of the Galactic Republic began making plans to host a celebration for the upcoming thousand-year anniversary of the modern Republic's founding in 1032 BBY,The Star Wars Book dates the birth of the modern Galactic Republic to 1,032 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. As Star Wars: Galactic Atlas states that A New Hope begins in 0 BBY, the Republic must have been founded in 1032 BBY. as well as the peace that had been maintained since then. The Millennial Celebration Invitation was drafted to welcome beings to the event, with the layout and concept outlined by Naveela Betuine, a junior Senate official for Valorum, and the final execution done by the painter and sculptor Dashira Dobeq. The invitation went through at least 250 iterations as Valorum, worried about his declining public image, rejected earlier versions out of fear that they were overly warm, cold, directionless, or exclusive.
Unable to settle upon a design, Valorum instead tasked his friend Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo with overseeing the invitation. Palpatine's suggestions were implemented into what became the invitation's near-final design, which notably added to the center of the poster a statue of the ancient lawgiver Sistros Nevet, who had contributed to the constitution of the Galactic Republic following the Jedi-Sith War. The faceless aspect of Nevet's depiction on the invitation, Palpatine stated, served as a representation of the galaxy's many humanoids.
Ultimately, the Millennial Celebration Invitation never saw distribution. The invitation's near-final iteration was later included in A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, a book published shortly after the Hosnian Cataclysm in 34 ABYStar Wars: Galactic Atlas that collected many different articles of propaganda from the time of the Republic to the Resistance.
==Behind the scenes==
The Millennial Celebration Invitation was designed by artist Russell Walks for the reference book Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, written by Pablo Hidalgo and published in 2016.
==Sources==
*Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy 
==Notes and references==
Category:Paintings and posters