Galactic Republic

Emblem of the Galactic Republic

The **Galactic Republic,** later known as the **Old Republic**,was one of the major galactic governments of the Andromeda Galaxy from 25,053 BBY to 19 BBY. Made up of thousands of planetary systems, the Republic was the longest-last government of its time. Created after the fall of the Infinite Empire in 25,200 BBY, the Republic sought to maintain peace across the galaxy, eventually recruiting the Jedi Order as their protectors. As time went on, both the Republic and the Jedi found an enemy in the Sith and their various empires, along with the Eternal Empire. Eventually, by 1,000 BBY the Sith vanished, leading to the Jedi and Republic demilitarizing. Nonetheless, peace reigned supreme.

By 32 BBY, the Republic was on the decline as the Senate began to fill with corruption and the government's inability to intervene in the conflict between Naboo and the Trade Federation led to the election of Sheev Palpatine as the new Supreme Chancellor. Over the next ten years, countless star systems seceded from the Republic to form the new Confederacy of Independent Systems under the former Jedi, Count Dooku, sensing the threat of the Separatists, the Senate passed emergency powers to Palpatine and declared war, sparking the Clone Wars.

During the first year of the war, the Separatists launched an expedition into the Milky Way Galaxy in an attempt to find the location of several unknown signals. However, the Republic discovered this and sent their own expedition, where they discovered the planet Earth. After managing to set up diplomatic relations with the United States of America, the Republic set up further relations with other of Earth's nations, along with helping in the creation of the Anti-Sith Assault Team, and the defense of Earth from the Separatists. The Republic was present in the formation of the Terran Alliance, and helped arm and supply the new government with their technology. As the war dragged on, Palpatine gained even more power, including his term in office. Its citizens became very disillusioned with the Jedi, as rumors began to spread that the order was planning to overthrow the Senate.

The Council of Five, five of the Terran Alliance's most powerful nations, began an investigation into Palpatine, as his control increased. Unbeknownst to the Alliance, the Jedi, and a majority of the Republic, Palpatine was secretly the Sith Lord **Darth Sidious**, who manipulated not only the Republic, but also the Separatists through Dooku, who was his apprentice. After Dooku's death, Palpatine put his his plan into action: Order 66 was executed and nearly all of the Jedi were killed, although some escaped to Earth. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker became his new apprentice under the alias Darth Vader, and relations with the Terran Alliance were broken off. With most of his enemies gone or on the run, and the public mostly at his side, Palpatine dropped his title of Supreme Chancellor, and reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire.

## History

### Founding

The Republic was founded following the fall of the Rakata's Infinite Empire, which collapsed after a plague cut their connection to the dark side of the force. The planet Coruscant was made its capital as it was the most influential planet at the time. The Senate was made its legislative body, and Supreme Chancellor was made its head of state with limited power. Some time later, the Republic discovered the Jedi Order on the planet Ossus, and allowed them to construct a Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

### War with the Sith

Fully aware of the threat of the dark side of force, the Republic tasked the Jedi of being their guardian protectors. The First and Second Great Schism cemented the threat even further, leading to the dark Jedi being banished, where they formed the Sith Order on the planet Korriban. Various wars were fought between the Republic against the Sith Empire, along with smaller but formidable Sith-controlled organizations. Both sides did however hold a truce in combat the Eternal Empire led by Emperor Valkorian. The countless wars with the Sith led to Coruscant nearly being taken and the Jedi Temple on the planet being destroyed, forcing the Jedi to relocate to the planet Tython until the temple was. The Jedi were also forced to fight a conflict against the Mandalorian warrior clans in the Mandalorian Wars. However by 1,000 BBY, the Sith vanished and its empire collapsed. With the belief that their archenemies were gone for good, the Republic went on a campaign of demilitarizing itself, along with the Jedi. The Supreme Chancellor at the time also agreed to share his power with the rest of the Senate.

### A Slow Decline

Over the next 1,000 years, an era of peace swept over the Republic. However, unknown the to them, the Sith survival under the leadership of the Sith Lord Darth Bane, who created the Rule of Two, which limits the Sith to just two people: a master and an apprentice. Bane's lineage continued over the years until it came into the hands of Sheev Palpatine of Naboo, who became Darth Sidious. Using his influence, Palpatine manipulated the wealthy Trade Federation into invading his home planet. The crisis showed the weakness of the Supreme Chancellor, and an election was held for new head of state, with Palpatine winning. The crisis on Naboo was stopped, but peace was no ways near.

### Separatist Crisis

Seeing the ineffectiveness of the Republic and negative views of the Jedi led to disillusionment from countless worlds. Over the next ten years, countless star systems seceded from the Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems under the leadership of Count Dooku, a former Jedi. Many that remained in the Senate considered the creation of a Grand Army of the Republic to protect them should the Separatists try to attack. A Jedi by the name of Syfo-Dyas took matters into his own hands and created a clone army for the Republic to use, as he had sensed a coming conflict approaching. The Senate then gave emergency powers over to Palpatine, re-militarized the Jedi, and declared war on the Separatist, sparking the Clone Wars.

## Politics and Government

The institutions of the Galactic Republic consisted of the Office of the Chancellor, the Galactic Senate, and the Judicial Department. Executive power was vested in the Supreme Chancellor, although this office was largely powerless and hampered by bureaucratic procedure, particularly during the chancellery of Finis Valorum. Nevertheless, the Chancellor had the authority to issue executive orders summoning the Senate to an emergency session or sending senators away from Coruscant for security reasons.

The chancellery of Sheev Palpatine shifted the balance of power in favor of the Chancellor's office, a consequence of the wartime powers that the Senate gave its leader on the eve of the Clone Wars. As the conflict spread across the galaxy, Palpatine's chancellery gradually morphed into a dictatorship with control over both the Senate and the Republic courts. Near the war's end, Palpatine appointed Anakin Skywalker as his own personal representative on the Jedi High Council, which the Jedi considered an overreaching exercise of the Chancellor's authority. By then, Palpatine had managed to remain in power by exceeding the term limits of his office, an action that the Senate supported.

Prior to Palpatine's rise to power, the Galactic Senate was the legislative body of the Republic. Many member worlds across the galaxy were represented in the Senate which was headquartered on Coruscant, capital of the Republic. At it height, the Senate's power eclipsed that of the Supreme Chancellor but it had also become stagnant under unbridled corruption and layers of bureaucracy. As more politicians grew enamored with the comforts of their office, prioritizing power and wealth over their constituents' needs, average citizens questioned if the Republic and its high taxes were worth the membership. The Jedi had also grown distrustful towards senators and regarded their motives with skepticism, notwithstanding the Order's allegiance to the Senate as a whole. This is one of the reasons why the Terran Alliance made a doubts about the actions of Sheeve Palpatine which later revealed as Darth Sidious in 19 BBY/1994 AD.

## Military

*Main article: Republic Military*

The Republic Military comprised the military forces—the Army, the Navy, and the Starfighter Corps—of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. It consisted of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Republic Navy, and the Republic Starfighter Corps.

The Military was lead by the Minister and Ministry of Defense, while Republic officers, soldiers, troopers, crewmen, and pilots made up the military. They were organized into the Republic Army, the Republic Navy, and the Republic Starfighter Corps. The Republic Senate Guardsmen and their successors the Senate Guards, were not part of the Military. It was dissolved during the Ruusan Reformation and replaced by the Judicial Forces. However, it was reestablished as the Republic Armed Forces—also known as the Grand Army of the Republic—during the Clone Wars, and eventually reorganized into the Imperial Military. During the course of the Clone Wars, the Republic Military become forged a Military Alliance with the people of Earth which eventually become the Terran Alliance, until 19BBY with the enactment of the Order-66 as Dark Lord of the Sith under the guise of Chancellor Sheeve Palpatine known as Darth Sidious betrayed both the Terrans and the Jedis as the war comes into closure.

## Appearances

* *Rise of the Terran Alliance (first appearance)*
* *The Terran Alliance Strikes Back (mentioned only)*

## See also:

* Earth
	+ Terran Alliance
* Jedi Council
* Republic Military - The Military of the Republic
	+ Galactic Army
	+ Republic Fleet
* Galactic Empire - It's successor