Galactic Republic

The **Galactic Republic** is the ruling government of the galaxy and has existed for over 23,000 years. Largely since its formation, it has been known simply as the **Republic**, although technically its official name is the **First Galactic Republic**. Although not common, many challengers to its status as the galactic government have referred to the Republic as the **Old Order**; although such a phrase has been commonly used since the Alsakan Conflicts.

The Republic is a representative democracy composed of several member worlds, star systems, and sectors. It's legislative branch is the Galactic Senate, from which it's executive branch is chosen through its chair, the Supreme Chancellor, who is elected almost exclusively from its members - who in turn is assisted in their duties by the Office of the Supreme Chancellor. It's judicial branch is separate from this integrated structure in the Supreme Court, which sits at the top of a Sector-based system of Regional Courts.

While the Republic has been the dominant galactic power for nearly its entire history, it has not been without challengers - primarily by the Sith Empire, Mandalorians, Zygerrian Slave Empire, Hutt Empire, and Tionese. It has also not been without its own internal problems, such as several civil wars known as the Alsakan Conflicts and more recently the Secessionist Crisis. It has traditionally not been a strong, centralized government, but rather a union of sovereign planets for the purposes of collective security and economic prosperity. With exception to the recent period that saw the rise, and then fall, of the Grand Republica faction within the Senate, the Republic has maintained a long and storied history as a benevolent government - albeit an often ineffective one.

## History

### Formation

Formed out of an alliance of Core Worlds which adopted the Galactic Constitution in 25053 BBY to form a new government, the capital of the Republic initially rotated between its members until Coruscant was formally established as the permanent capital in 25000 BBY. Early in its history the Republic came into contact with the Jedi Order on Ossus, who quickly joined the fledgling government - forming a symbiotic relationship between the two groups.

Very early in the Republic's formation, it's currency, the Republic Datary, was adopted as the galactic currency by the newly formed InterGalactic Banking Clan. The Banking Clan, which termed the Datary as the Galactic Standard Credit, was able to rapidly assume near-total control of the galactic financial market and thus put the Republic at an increasing advantage over its early rivals. This advantage lead to a millenia of nearly unchallenged exploration and colonization of The Slice, which rapidly spread the Republic and its influence despite the desire of Coruscant for a slow and deliberate expansion. This was buoyed by several independent worlds joining the Republic out of a desire to have protection against the influence and threat of the then dominant galactic power, the Hutt Empire.

### Early history

Conflict came early in the Republic's existence, such as the First Great Schism in which several Jedi who wished to use the Dark Side of the Force went rogue and began a civil war within the Jedi Order. This was followed quickly by the Tionese War with the Honorable Union of Desevro & Tion, which was won by turning it into a three-way war with the Hutt Empire that the Union could not maintain. In the aftermath of these early conflicts, the Republic not only proved itself as an effective and legitimate government, but it had gained control of the Tion Cluster.

A period of further expansion followed, but underlying internal conflicts would soon rise and turn into a series of civil wars, known as the Alsakan Conflicts, in which the world of Alsakan waged war in order to be made the capital of the Republic over Coruscant seventeen times.

### Pious Dea Crusades

12,000 BBY saw the rise of Chancellor Contispex I and the beginning of the reign of the Pious Dea, a theocratic, xenephobic cult of extremists that took total control over the Republic for the next millennium. The Chancellors of the Pious Dea carried out numerous Crusades against various non-human "threats". This period developed deep rifts between the Core and the Rim that persist to this day. The collapse of the Pious Dea and their rule over the Republic was brought about by the Jedi Order, who had withdrawn from the Republic, and most of the Republic military turning on the cult. Known as Renunciates, this force strongly opposed the Pious Dea and eventually were able to enlist the assistance of the powerful Bureau of Ships and Services which uploaded a navicomputer virus that disabled or stranded the forces of the Pious Dea.

Following the Crusades a period of reform followed, which notably saw Chancellor Blotus the Hutt, one of the most popular and longest serving Chancellors. While peace lasted an unusual amount of time following the Pious Dea, soon the disagreements of the Jedi lead to another war in the Second Great Schism. Jedi who opposed the strict following of the Light Side of the Force by the Jedi Order violently expressed their disagreement. The conflict, known more widely as the Hundred-Year Darkness, saw the near downfall of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. The Republic and the Jedi were nonetheless victorious, and exiled the surviving Dark Jedi, who discovered the Sith species and conquered their society, giving rise to the Sith Empire.

### The Sith Wars

The formation of the Sith came to quickly haunt the Republic, with the outbreak of the Great Hyperspace War, which saw the still largely Sith species dominated Sith Empire invade the Republic. In a rare act of retribution, the Republic lead a purge of the Sith species from Sith Space. While this crippled the Sith Empire, it was sent into hiding in the Unknown Regions rather than being destroyed. There the Sith Empire would lie in wait for its chance at revenge against the Republic. This would not mark the end of the Sith Wars however, only the beginning.

The Third Great Schism ensued shortly afterwards, seeing yet another massive group of Dark Jedi go to war with the Jedi Order. Rather than being exiled however, this group was wiped out like those of the First Great Schism. The year 4015 BBY saw the Great Droid Revolution on Coruscant, led by HK-01, who was eventually defeated by the Jedi. This in turn was quickly followed by the Great Sith War which saw several rogue Jedi under the leadership of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma form the Brotherhood of the Sith. With a military secured in the Krath and Mandalorians, the self-proclaimed Sith waged war on the Republic. While not the most devastating war in the Republic's history, discounting the destruction from the mass supernova of the Cron Cluster, the Sith were able to cripple the Republic with several surgical strikes. The Republic and the Jedi yet again prevailed over this threat, however a survivor of the Brotherhood of the Sith was able to find the Sith Empire, where they formed the Sith Order with Vitiate; formalizing the current state of the Sith Empire.

The next century would be one of the most challenging and devastating in the Republic's history. First the Mandalorians began a crusade against the Republic, attempting to force it into attacking them. While successful, eventually the Jedi Revan and his followers, the Revanchists, joined the Republic and single-handedly won the Mandalorian Wars for the Republic. These forces largely proceeded to turn on the Republic, waging the Jedi Civil War which strained the Republic's resources considerably. With the Republic nearly collapsed, this was followed by the Jedi Purge, Sith Civil War, and Dark Wars which nearly saw the extermination of the Jedi Order.

While a desperate time, the following three centuries saw the restoration of the Jedi Order by the followers of Meetra Surik and the surviving Jedi, and the rebuilding of the galaxy from nearly a century of continuous warfare. Despite these extreme challenges, the Republic was made stronger by these events. Although contemplation on this period has waned since, many believed that following the Mandalorians Wars that this was the goal of Revan all along with his betrayal.

### The Galactic Wars

In 3681 BBY the Sith Empire re-emerged and reclaimed its historical territory, and then waged an all-encompassing war with the Republic and the Jedi known as the First Galactic War. Following the Sacking of Coruscant and the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, ending nearly three decades of warfare in 3653 BBY, the Cold War began. With the Republic yet again nearly collapsed and the Imperials exhausted from their blitzkrieg across the galaxy, both sides lacked an advantage for many years.

This changed however in 3642 BBY when following a daring coup attempt on Corellia, war resumed between the Republic and the Empire with the Second Galactic War. The war was largely interrupted with the invasion of the Eternal Empire of the galaxy in 3636 BBY, which saw both the Republic and the Empire become tributaries to the technologically advanced Eternal Empire. This situation was not maintained for long however as the Eternal Alliance formed, in which various neutral parties combined with dissident Republic and Imperial forces to combat and defeat the Eternal Empire in 3630 BBY. While the Eternal Alliance held the peace for some time, it was not able to prevent old feuds from leading to a resumption of the Second Galactic War which saw the Republic defeat the severely weakened Empire with the support of a majority of the Eternal Alliance.

### Contemporary history

Following the seventeenth and final Alsakan Conflict in 3000 BBY, the Republic experienced nearly five-hundred years of uninterrupted peace; this interruption however would be of its own doing. The Grand Republica faction, a militarist, nationalist, and centrist political movement within the Senate, desired for the expansion of the Republic to claim all corners of the galaxy. This effort began with the Hutt Conflict, in which the Republic sought to limit and ultimately reverse the recent expansions of the Hutts back into their old territory. The conflict quickly turned into a full-scale war as the Hutts gave far more resistance than the Republic anticipated and several allied of the Republic began what some critics considered another Pious Dea Crusade against the Hutts, motivated by centuries of undesired influence, bullying, or outright control by the Hutts.

While the Hutt Conflict did ultimately end, after the Republic pressured its own allies to cede to the peace agreement, it was immediately followed by the Centrality War. Seeking to gain control of the neutral Centrality, the Republic invaded the small government's territory but yet again encountered more resistance than expected. This lead to a more drawn out and damaging conflict, which saw the still controversial Erilnar Treaty Affair, in which the Senate rejected the treaty negotiated by the Republic military officers and instead sent its own version of the treaty which the Centrality begrudgingly agreed to. While it gave in, Scrivinir Evir Dahn of the Centrality formed a government-in-exile and later created the League of Independent Worlds in response.

The ensuing Secessionist Crisis saw many worlds and sectors deliver Articles of Secession and many Allied Regions disassociate with the Republic. Instead the Secessionists banded together with several independent governments to form the League in direct opposition to the expansionist and imperialistic policies of the Republic at the time. The resulting crisis halted any further campaigns by the Republic and caused a period of political turmoil that has been unseen in recent history. With several Chancellor unable to survive past a single term, many believed the crisis would continue in perpetuity. This had the effect of encouraging several powerful independent governments in the Outer Rim and their allied to settle old scores in a conflict known as the Outer Rim Wars.

Shortly after the election of Chancellor Orion Karath, what would later be called the Twin War suddenly broke out and dragged the galaxy into yet another conflict between the Republic, the Sith via the Cult of Pharos, and the Mandalorians. While shorter than some historical conflicts, the Twin War was nonetheless one of the most devastating wars in galactic history. The Mandalorians, controlled by a group of religious extremists known as the True Mandalorians, often attacked civilian targets in order to goad the Republic into conflict, like their predecessors, and then while on the defensive proceeded to make the Republic pay for all gains achieved. Similarly the Sith Uprising was a brutal and sudden upswell of Dark Jedi who went rogue against the Jedi Order, led by former Jedi Master turned Sith Lord Darth Vorhn who sought to add to the carnage of the Mandalorians with their own brutality in an effort to demoralize the Republic quickly. The efforts of their enemies were in vain however as the Republic, despite an impressively capable collaborator movement within the Senate, was able to defeat the Mandalorians and the Cult.

While rebuilding from the Twin War, the Republic saw further reform, including Chancellor Karath, a member of the Grand Republica faction, ending the movement and settling a peace agreement between the Republic and the League which saw many of its members become members of the Republic or Allied Region. Chancellor Karath's resignation as Chancellor however enabled a period of severe political turmoil that nearly derailed the re-integration of the League with the Republic.