Star Wars: Republic vs. Empire
Compiled by: Marco Roncagliolo
Republic
The Old Republic was a galactic government that
existed prior to the establishment of the Galactic Republic, thousands of years before
the Clone Wars. With the support of the Jedi
Order, the Republic engaged in multiple conflicts against various
opponents, including the ancient Sith,
the Mandalorians, and the Zygerrian Slave Empire.
In the aftermath of the last conflict between the Jedi and
Sith, the Old Republic was succeeded by the Galactic Republic approximately one
thousand years before the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY.
The new government united much of the
galaxy under the rule of democracyuntil
it was replaced by the Galactic
Empire at the end of the CloneWars
in 19 BBY. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Old_Republic)
The Galactic Republic, commonly referred
to as the Republic and later known as the Old Republic,
was the democratic union of sovereign star
systems that governed the
galaxy for a thousand yearsprior
to the rise of the Galactic
Empire. Centered on the Core
World of Coruscant, the Galactic
Senate—a body of legislators who
represented the numerous planets throughout the galaxy—governed
the Republic under the leadership of the democratically elected Supreme Chancellor. The Republic was protected
throughout its history by an ancient order of Force-sensitive knights known
as the Jedi Order. While the Jedi stood
as the guardians of peace and justice, the galaxy existed without war or the
need for large-scale armies, allowing the Republic to establish and
maintain an era of peace that lasted for a millennium.
In 22 BBY, approximately one thousand years after the
formation of the Republic, an internal crisis escalated into open conflict between
the old democracy and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, an
unrecognized state composed of the Separatist worlds that gradually broke away
from the Republic in the aftermath of the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY.
Throughout the Clone
Wars, the Republic underwent a massive military buildup beginning with the mobilization of
the Grand Army of the Republic. Under the
leadership of the Jedi, millions of Republic clone
troopers deployed across the galaxy to defend loyalist worlds
and defeat the Separatist rebellion. As the war carried on, the Senate's
authority gradually eroded due to the increasing influence of Supreme
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. Unbeknownst to all but a
select few, Palpatine's true identity was Darth Sidious,
the Dark Lord of the Sithwho conspired to gain
absolute power by overthrowing the Republic and its Jedi protectors. During the
waning days of the Clone Wars,
Sidious enacted Order 66—a secret protocol that forced the
clones to betray and execute their Jedi
generals, effectively purging the
Jedi Order in an instant—after the Jedi discovered his true
nature as a Sith Lord in 19 BBY.
Without the Jedi, the galaxy was brought under the rule of the Sith as
Sidious proclaimed the dawn of the New
Order. Hence, the Republic was reformed into the Galactic Empire.
Sidious went on to consolidate his reign as Galactic
Emperor by vastly expanding the Imperial Military. Although he preserved the Imperial
Senate for two decades,
Sidious disbanded the ancient legislature upon
the completion of the Death Star in 0 BBY,
and thereby eliminated the last remnant of the Republic in the Empire. Despite
this, the Empire was ultimately defeated by
the Alliance to Restore the Republic in 5 ABY,
five years after the Battle
of Yavin and one year after the Emperor's death during
the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY.
Having won the Galactic Civil War, the New
Republic led the galaxy into a new
era that would last for thirty years until the Hosnian Cataclysm in 34 ABY.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Republic)
Powers of Government
The Office of the Chancellor consisted
of the immediate staff of the Supreme
Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.
The second highest-ranking official in the office was the Vice Chair, who served as
both vice chancellor and speaker of the Galactic Senate. In
addition, a senior aide assisted
the chancellery with the administrative matters of state. In the last days of the Republic,
the office gained a representative on the Jedi High Council, the ruling body of the Jedi Order.
Following the death of Jedi
Master Sifo-Dyas over the moon of Oba
Diah, much of the information surrounding his demise was classified
by the the administration of Chancellor Finis
Valorum. The office's authority and influence expanded to an
unprecedented level throughout the Clone
Wars, a process that began with the Galactic Senate empowering
Valorum's successor, Chancellor Sheev
Palpatine, with wartime powers. In the aftermath of the Republic invasion of Scipio,
the chancellery gained control over the assets of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. The office was
ultimately dissolved when Palpatine proclaimed the formation of the First
Galactic Empire, with himself as emperor of the
galaxy. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Office_of_the_Chancellor)
The Galactic Senate, also referred to as
the Galactic Congress or the Republic Senate, was
the governing body of the Galactic Republic.
It consisted of hundreds of senators who
represented the many worlds of the galaxy, and was led by
a Supreme
Chancellor that was elected by and from the representatives.
Its primary concern was mediating disputes between varying worlds and dictating
the laws and regulations necessary to maintain the Republic.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Galactic Senate was
known as the Imperial Senate.
However, this Senate was largely powerless, with its members discouraged from
disagreeing with the policies of Emperor Sheev Palpatine.
Immediately before the Battle of Yavin, Palpatine
officially dissolved the Imperial Senate.
After their victory at the Battle
of Endor, the Rebel Alliance was reorganized into
the New Republic. One of the Republic's first acts
was restoring the Galactic Senate, which was done so on the
Republic's first capital world, Chandrila.
As the capital of the Republic rotated among its member worlds, so did the new
Senate. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Senate)
The Supreme Court was a high court of
law in the Galactic Republic. The Supreme Court
tried Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, on four
separate occasions for his actions in launching the Invasion of Naboo,[1] but Gunray avoided imprisonment and
remained leader of the Trade
Federation.[2] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Supreme_Court)
The Supreme Chancellor, also known as
the High Chancellor and rarely referred to as the chief
of state, was the elected head and chairman of the Galactic Senate, the
governing body of the Galactic Republic.
The chancellor was elected through a majority vote by and from the senators who
represented the various worlds across the galaxy. As head of the
Senate, the chancellor's office was
located in the Senate Office
Building of the Senate District on Coruscant, the capital of the
Republic.
Prior to the chancellorship of Sheev
Palpatine, the post was limited to two four-year terms.[8] However, fear of the Separatist Crisis enabled Palpatine to remain in
office for years after his second term ended. During the Clone
Wars, the chancellor gained far greater authority and influence
through emergency wartime powers, which effectively transformed the post into a
dictatorship. The office was ultimately abolished when Palpatine—secretly known
as the Sith Lord DarthSidious—proclaimed himself Emperor of
the First Galactic Empire.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Supreme_Chancellor)
Armed Forces
The Republic military comprised
the army and naval forces—the Grand Army of the Republic and the Republic
Navy, respectively—of the Galactic Republic. Formed as a result of the Separatist Crisis and the ensuing Clone
Wars, the Jedi-led clone
forces fought against the Confederate droid armies across the
galaxy for roughly three standard
years. By the war's end, Supreme Chancellor Sheev
Palpatine used his control over the Republic military to exterminate the
Jedi, resulting in the fall of the Jedi
Order and the Republic's reorganization into the first Galactic
Empire. The Republic military consequently transitioned into
the Imperial Military.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Republic_military)
The Judicial Forces or Republic
Diplomatic Fleet were the militarily trained peacekeeping
forces of the Galactic Republic in
the yearsbefore
its fall.[2] They
were a part of the Judicial
Department, and its members, called Judicials, were trained at
the Judicial Academy.[1]
Several years before the Clone Wars, the Republic
began to rely more on the Jedi Order for
peacekeeping issues, diminishing the necessity of the Judicial Forces.[1] At
some point Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were
supposed to meet with the fleet, however their T-6 shuttlecrashed on
the planet Carnelion IV. Whilst on
the world, the young Padawan asked his Master what they
would do as the fleet did not have the world's coordinates.[5]
Just before the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic ultimately
adopted a full Grand Army of the Republic.[4] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Judicial_Forces)
Jedi
The Jedi Order was an ancient,
monastic peacekeeping organization
united in their observance of the Force, specifically
the light side.
A noble order of protectors noted for their lightsabers and ability to tap into
the power of the Force, the Jedi served
as guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic for
over a thousand
generations. Like the Republic, the Order was headquartered on Coruscant—the political center of the galaxy—where thousands
of Jedi Knightsstudied, trained and lived
within the walls of the Jedi Temple, which
additionally housed the Jedi Archives and by
extension the Order's accumulated knowledge. The Jedi High Council,
the highest governing body of the Order, consisted of twelve Jedi Masters including
the Grand Master and
the Master of the
Order. The training of Jedi was one of the most important traditions
in the history of the Order, with Padawans learning the
ways of the Force and the Jedi Code from the
more experienced Jedi who held the rank of Knight or Master.
Over the millennia, the Jedi fought against the Sith—another ancient
monastic order, but one whose members harnessed the power of the dark side—until
the latter was all but destroyed due to internal fighting approximately one
thousand years before
the Invasion of
Naboo. Unknown to the Jedi at the time, the Sith survived
and—governed by the Rule of Two—conspired
to gain absolute power over the galaxy by overthrowing both the Jedi and the
Republic. Thereafter, the Jedi served, strictly, as peacekeepers by maintaining
law and order during a thousand years of peace under the rule of the Galactic Senate.
During the final years of
the Republic, the galaxy was beset by political instability and social unrest,
resulting in a secessionist
crisis that ultimately led to the formation of the Confederacy of
Independent Systems. In lacking the sufficient manpower needed to
protect the galaxy, the Jedi became commanders and generals in the
newly-formed Grand Army of
the Republic. For roughly three years they commanded armies of clone troopers in a
conflict known as the Clone Wars,
engaging the Confederacy's battle droid forces led
by CountDooku—a former Jedi Master
who became a Sith Lord—and GeneralGrievous. Though the Jedi
fought to preserve the Republic, the government that they served had been
secretly taken over by Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the
Sith who rose to power under the guise of Sheev Palpatine, a
former senator of Naboo and the
last Supreme
Chancellor of the Republic.
The chancellor's machinations culminated in the
execution of Order 66,
a secret protocol that
turned the Jedi's clone soldiers against
them, leading to an all but total extermination of the
Jedi Order. With the Jedi eliminated, Sidious supplanted a
thousand years of democracy with
a new government known
as the Galactic Empire.
In addition, Sidious succeeded in turning Anakin Skywalker—the
prophesied Chosen Onewhom
the Jedi believed would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith—to
the dark side and anointed him Darth Vader. As a
Sith Lord, the former
Jedi Knight served the self-proclaimed Galactic Emperor by
hunting down the few surviving Jedi who dispersed into hiding across the
galaxy. In spite of the Sith's efforts, however, the Jedi continued to endure.
Within a generation of the Empire's rise to power, Luke Skywalker—the son of
Vader—was trained in the Jedi arts by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, both of whom
survived the initial purge of the Order. Redeemed by his son's love, Anakin
returned to the light and fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, destroying both
himself and his Sith Master during
the Battle of Endor.
In the aftermath of
the Galactic Civil
War, the Empire dissolved into various remnants and the New Republic rose to power as the
dominant galactic government. Luke Skywalker went on to become the Jedi Master
of a new generation of Jedi—fulfilling the promise he made to Yoda by passing
on what he had learned. Among Skywalker's students was his nephew Ben Solo, the son of
his twin sister, Leia Organa, and the
famed smuggler Han Solo. Ben, however,
was seduced by the dark side of the Force at the coaxing of Snoke, an enigmatic figure
who spearheaded the Imperial-inspired First Order. As a result,
Ben adopted the name and persona of Kylo Ren, a First Order warlord and master of
the Knights of Ren.
The new generation was betrayed and destroyed by Ren, who left the Jedi training temple burning by the time
Skywalker recovered from the attack. Feeling responsible for Ben's fall and the
massacre of his apprentices, he went into exile and disappeared from the
galaxy, leaving only traces of his location on a star map.
The First Order and the Resistance both sought to acquire the
map, but ultimately it was the latter that succeeded due to the actions of
the Jakku scavengerRey.
She followed the map to the planet Ahch-To,
where the last Jedi had taken refuge in the first Jedi Temple.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Order)
The Prime Jedi was the first member
of the Jedi Order. The first Jedi Temple on the planet Ahch-To contained
a mosaic of the Prime Jedi in a state of meditation and
balance.[1] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Prime_Jedi)
The Force, also known as the Ashla to
the Lasats or It to
the dianoga Omi, was an energy field
that connected everything in the galaxy. The Force was
generated by all living entities;
therefore, the Force resided in all lifeforms. It was especially powerful in a
select group of individuals who were born with a high
concentration of midi-chlorians—microscopic, sentientlifeforms that
shared a symbiotic relationship with the Force—in their blood. These people were
deemed Force-sensitive,
making them capable of harnessing the various powers of the Force.
Unlike organic beings, droids and
other artificialcreations
existed outside of the Force. As such, they possessed no connection to the
energy field that was created and sustained by life. Apart from its scientific aspect,
the Force was the basis of various religious organizations such as the Church of the
Force, the Guardians of the
Whills, and most notably the Jedi Order. In addition,
the Lasats believed that the Force was "the spirit of the galaxy."
The Force as a recorded concept existed for well over
twenty-five thousand years.
There were multiple aspects of the Force. The Living
Force was fueled by the energies of all lifeforms and, in turn,
fed into the Cosmic Force—the Force that bound everything
together and communicated through the midi-chlorians. A certain aspect of the
Force was referred to as stonepower;
its power was derived from a blue
stone imbued with the Living Force. The Jedi Order
followed a code of selflessness and service to others;
therefore, they adhered to the light side of the Force. Their adversaries,
the Sith, coveted
strength and power through the dark side of the Force. Their opposing
philosophies led to a millennia of conflict between the two orders, and
ultimately resulted in the extinction of
the Sith and the near annihilation of the Jedi.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force)
The Jedi Code was a set of rules that
governed the behavior of the Jedi Order. It taught its
followers to not give in to feelings of anger toward other lifeforms, which
would help them resist fear and prevent them from falling to the dark side of the
Force.[1]
Amongst other dictates, the Jedi Code
forbade Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters from
taking on more than one Padawan at
a given time;[2]and
forbade Jedi from forming attachments, such as marriage,[3] and
other specific, individual bonds, such as family and romantic love. Few
understood that this practice of non-attachment did not mean the Jedi were
strangers to compassion when, in fact, they believed that all lives were
precious.[4] The
code also forbade the Jedi from killing unarmed
opponents[5] as
well as seeking revenge.[6]
During the Clone Wars, there were
those in the Grand Army of
the Republic, such as Wilhuff Tarkin, who
believed that the Jedi Code prevented the Order from doing what was necessary
to win the war against the Confederacy of
Independent Systems.[7] Shortly
before the end of the Clone Wars,
the Jedi High
Council, through Obi-Wan Kenobi,
asked Anakin Skywalker to
spy upon the activities of his friend, Supreme
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, something
which Skywalker felt was against the Jedi Code.[5]
In 34 ABY, on Ahch-To, the
Force prodigy Rey heard
the soft chanting of the Jedi Code emanating from the tree
library that contained the original Jedi texts. The chanting compelled her to enter
the library, where she found the texts and
began learning more about the history of the Jedi Order from Master Luke
Skywalker.[8][9] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Code)
Jedi ranks
Members of the Jedi Order held various positions
within the Order at times. These included:
▪
Jedi youngling: A young child who was Force-sensitive would
be identified at birth and taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be
trained as a Jedi. They were to be put into classes of other Jedi younglings
and trained together before being taken as an apprentice by a Jedi Knight. Younglings
were not to be trained once they had reached a certain age, with the sole
exception to this rule being Anakin Skywalker.
Younglings would participate in the Gathering, which was
the pilgrimage to the Ilum Temple to
gain a kyber crystal for
their lightsaber.
▪
Padawan: A youngling who had been
chosen by a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master to train
under their tutelage personally into becoming a fully fledged Jedi Knight.
Their readiness was decided by the Initiate Trials. Padawans
wore a braid.
▪
Jedi Knight: Once a Padawan has
successfully passed the Jedi trials, they were be
granted the rank of Jedi Knight and went out on missions of their own, no
longer under the tutelage of a master.
▪
Jedi Master: A Jedi Knight was granted
the rank of Jedi Master and offered a seat on the Jedi High Councilwhen
they had shown great skill, wisdom and devotion to the Force. When a Jedi
Knight successfully led a Padawan to becoming a Jedi Knight themselves, they
would also be granted the rank of Master.
▪
Grand Master: The leader of the Jedi High Council,
the position of Grand Master was given to the oldest and considered to be the
wisest member of the Jedi Order.
Jedi occupations
Some members of the Jedi Order had specific titles and
roles within the Order. These included:
▪
Master of the Order: This position was assumed by the
leader of the Jedi Order. He or she had to be voted unanimously into the
position by the Jedi High Council.
▪
Jedi
Temple Guard: Headed by Cin Drallig during
the Clone Wars,
these anonymous Jedi guarded the Jedi Temple with lightsaber pikes.
▪
Jedi
investigator: Detectives aiding police with
the use of the Force.
They also used crime scene
analysis droids.
▪
Consular Jedi: The ones who devoted
themselves to the study of diplomacy or science, avoiding combat and warfare
duties.
Jedi military ranks
At the onset of the Clone Wars, the Jedi, the
guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic,
were chosen by the Galactic Senate,
whom the Jedi owed their allegiance to,[2] to
lead the new Grand Army of
the Republic. They were thus given either of the respective ranks in
the Republic
military:
•
Jedi Commander: Granted to Padawans and
Jedi Knights, who served as second-in-commands to Jedi Generals in the Grand
Army of the Republic.
•
Jedi General: Granted to Jedi Knights and Jedi
Masters, who served as the highest ranking officers within
the Grand Army of the Republic. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi)
Empire
The Galactic Empire, also known as
the First Galactic Empire, the New Order, or simply
the Empire or the Order, and remembered as
the Old Empire, was the galactic, autocratic government
that replaced the Galactic Republic in
the aftermath of the Clone Wars.
Rising to power in the final years of
the Republic, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious gradually
secured the government under his control
through the persona of Sheev Palpatine, the last Supreme
Chancellor of the Republic. Through his machinations as both
Sidious and Palpatine, the Sith were
restored to a position of dominance amidst the fall of the Jedi Order and the
marginalization of the Galactic Senate. Without
the Jedi guardians of
peace and justice to oppose him, Sidious brought an end to a thousand years of democracy; in its place he
installed the absolute rule of himself as Galactic Emperor.
For over two decades, opposition to the
Imperial regime was ruthlessly suppressed by the rapidly developing Imperial Military that
enforced Imperial expansion over the galaxy with the Empire further desiring to
control over the universe and
even time itself.
Throughout most of the Empire's existence, the Imperial Senate stood
within the Empire as the last surviving symbol of the Republic. With the
completion of the Death Star,
the Emperor felt confident enough to dissolve the
body of galactic
representatives while maintaining his control over the galaxy through a
collective of sector governors and the
overall fear that the new battle station would
inspire. However, the growing resentment to Imperial rule gradually led to the
rise of various resistance movements that ultimately culminated in the
formation of the Alliance to
Restore the Republic. United by a common goal, the Alliance became a
viable threat to the Empire after its successful theft of the Death Star plansand the
station's subsequent destruction at the Battle of Yavin.
Throughout the Galactic Civil
War, Imperial and Alliance forces fought
across the galaxy in a conflict that culminated in the deaths of DarthSidious and his apprentice, Darth Vader, at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. With the Sith
extinct, the Grand Vizier of
the Imperial Ruling
Council, Mas Amedda,
effectively succeeded Palpatine as Emperor in all but name but held limited
power beyond Coruscant as the Empire fully evolved into a stratocracy dominated
by military officers. It was during this time when the Empire split into a
variety of separate factions, fiefdoms, and holdouts, known as Imperial remnants,
dominated by various warlords—breakaway moffs, governors, admirals, and generals— due to the lack
of a line of succession for the Imperial throne and unclear chain of command
while the official Imperial government remained on Coruscant. However, as the
shattered forces of the Empire struggled to maintain their war effort against
the rising momentum of the newly formed New Republic, the power of
Amedda and the centralized government faded with the rise of Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, a warlord who
controlled the largest fraction of the Imperial Navy.
Within a year of Palpatine's
demise, Rax, controlling the largest Imperial fleet and holding the position
of Counselor to the
Empire, organized the Jakku Imperial
remnant as the Empire made its final stand on the desert world of Jakku at the Battle of Jakku against
the New Republic. However, Counselor Rax died and the Empire was decisively
defeated by the Republic, consequently resulting in its capitulation to the
Republic through the signing of the Galactic
Concordance in 5 ABY which led to
the dissolution of the central Imperial government, reducing the Empire to a
mere rump state of
what it once was. During the New Republic Era, what
remained of the Empire was decentralized and transformed into a patchwork of
independent territorial possessions all politically united by Imperial
tradition and ideals, though hemmed by strict disarmament treaties and harsh
reparations. One of these entities was
formed in the Coreand Inner Rim, which was
forced to remain within its borders. A new government on Coruscant, led by
Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and overseen by the Republic, was formed, though it was
a provincial
administration that held little real power.
Yet despite the fall of the Empire, its legacy endured
for decades in the Unknown Regions of space,
where former Imperial officers, nobles,
technologists, soldiers, and loyalists, among them Grand
Admiral Rae Sloane and Commandant Brendol
Hux, had jumped ship to after the Battle of Jakku through the
efforts of Rax and a secret Contingency devised
by Darth Sidious based on knowledge provided by Grand Admiral Thrawn, a native of the Unknown Regions.
There, they formed a military junta called the First
Order, and began building their military forces in secrecy and plotting
their eventual return to power and reclamation of the lost Imperial legacy and
cause. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire)
Powers of Government
The Imperial Ruling Council,[2] also
referred to as the Imperial Advisory Council or the Imperial
Council,[4] was
a collective body of bureaucrats that
constituted the uppermost tier of the Galactic Empire. It was
composed of Emperor Sheev Palpatine's closest advisors,
including Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, Sate Pestage, Janus Greejatus, Ars Dangor, Kren Blista-Vanee,[2] and Verge.[3] They
were headquartered on Coruscant,
the capital world of the Empire.
Members of the Ruling Council were noted for wearing loose-fitting robes of
riotous colors and
flamboyant hats.[2]
Some observers saw the councilors as mere "yes
men" to the Emperor. But in fact, it was the Imperial Ruling Council that
managed the daily affairs
of the Empire, and its members wielded considerable powers. They had direct
access to the Emperor, and all Moffs, generals and admirals reported to
them. In spite of that, the councilors were not always privy to the details
known to the Imperial
Intelligence, as information was closely guarded on Coruscant.[2]
Governor Everi Chalis of Haidoral Prime served
as an emissary to
the Imperial Ruling Council during the Galactic Civil
War.[3]
Following the Battle
of Endor, ambitious members of the Imperial Council attempted to
carve their own territories out of the Empire.[5] Due to their inability to
successfully run the Empire after Palpatine's death, Fleet
AdmiralGallius Rax proposed the creation of a
more covert and militaristic body known as the "Shadow
Council" to replace them, comprised of various advisors and
admirals, with Grand Admiral Rae
Sloane as the group's de facto leader.[1] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Ruling_Council)
The Imperial Senate, also referred to as
the Galactic Senate or the council was
the de jure legislature of the First Galactic Empire. It
was the continuation of the Galactic Senate of
the Republic,
which was reformed into
an autocratic
regime when Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine declared
himself Emperor.
The Imperial Senate was disbanded after the capture of Princess Leia
Organa of Alderaan nineteen years after
the formation of the Empire. With Leia being a senator who
supported the growing Rebellionagainst Palpatine's absolute rule,
the Emperor used the incident to cast doubt unto the loyalty of the assembly.
As such, the Senate was dissolved, with its former prerogatives handed
down to the regional governors and the military. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Senate)
The Imperial Military, also referred to as
the Imperial Armed Forces, comprised the various branches of the
armed forces of the Galactic
Empire, such as the Imperial
Army and Imperial
Navy, as well as agencies such as Imperial Intelligence.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Military)
The Galactic Emperor, also referred to as
the Emperor or the Sith Emperor, was the head of
state of the Galactic Empire.
The Emperor's seat of power was the Imperial Palace, formerly
known as the Jedi Temple
and located in the Federal District of Coruscant, the capital world of the Empire.
With the end of
the Clone Wars and
the fall of
the Jedi Order in 19 BBY, the Galactic Republic was
replaced by the Empire in accordance with the proclamation of
the New Order, as outlined by Supreme
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine who
named himself Emperor. In secret, Palpatine was the public persona of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whose
rise to ultimate power fulfilled a thousand-year plot
to establish Sith rule
over the galaxy.
The Emperor's rule came to an end as a result of
Sidious' death in 4 ABY,
approximately two decades into the Empire's existence.
While political and military officials—such as Grand
Vizier Mas Amedda and Fleet
Admiral Gallius Rax—attempted to fill the vacuum of
power, the Empire was ultimately forced to capitulate to the New
Republic, resulting in the conclusion of both the Galactic Civil War and the Imperial
Era. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Emperor)
Sith
The Sith, also referred to as the Sith
Order, were an ancient order of Force-wielders devoted
to the dark side of the
Force. Emerging as a divergent faction of the Jedi Order, the Sith
became mortal enemies of the Jedi and
fought against them in numerous wars. Driven by emotions such as hate, anger,
and greed, the Sith were deceptive and ultimately obsessed with amassing power
no matter the cost.
A thousand years prior
to the Invasion of
Naboo, the Sith teetered on the brink of extinction as a result of
internal strife. In the aftermath of their near destruction, Darth Bane emerged as
the sole Dark Lord of the
Sith, allowing him to enact the Rule of Two. Henceforth,
there would be only two Sith Lords—a Master and an apprentice—at any
given time.
Throughout the era of
the Galactic
Republic, the Jedi served as guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy while the
Sith operated in secret.
Approximately thirty-two years before
the Battle of Yavin, SenatorSheev Palpatine of Naboo was elected to
the office of Supreme
Chancellor, leader of the Galactic Senate of
the Republic. In secret, Palpatine was the public persona of Darth Sidious, a
Sith Lord who
manipulated the political system
in order to gain power over the Republic. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, Sidious had
achieved the Sith's goal of galactic conquest
by reorganizing the
Republic into the First Galactic
Empire, an autocratic regime led by himself
as Galactic Emperor.
Although the Emperor also destroyed the
Jedi Order in the process, several Jedi survived the purge and went into
hiding.
The reign of Darth
Sidious was brought to an end by his apprentice, Darth Vader, who
ultimately killed his
Master during the Battle of Endorin
the year 4 ABY. Vader perished as
well, having sustained fatal injuries during the act of overthrowing the Dark
Lord. By sacrificing his life to save his son, Luke Skywalker, Vader died
finding redemption in the light as
Anakin Skywalker—a fallen Jedi Knight who
turned to the dark side due to the machinations of Sidious, near the end of the Clone Wars. The
deaths of both Sidious and Vader marked the definitive end of the Sith Order
and the restoration of balance in the Force, fulfilling the
ancient Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One.
While the prophecy foretold the destruction of the
Sith, it never predicted the end of the dark side. In the years that followed the
Empire's defeat, the First
Order steadily prepared for war under the direction of a powerful
dark side wielder known as Supreme
LeaderSnoke. Intrigued by the potential of the Skywalker bloodline, he succeeded in turning
Vader's grandson, Ben Solo to the dark side of the Force,
taking the name of Kylo Ren. Snoke, however, was later betrayed and assassinated by Ren, who sought to rule
the galaxy as the new Supreme Leader. Though a product of Jedi and Sith
teachings, Ren intended to destroy the combined legacy of both orders out of a
desire to completely sever all ties with his past.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith)
The dark side of the Force, also known as
the Bogan,[1] or
simply as The Dark Side,[2] was
an aspect of the Force.[3] Individuals
who used the dark side drew their power from more intense, raw and darker
emotions such as fear, anger, hatred,[4] passion,[5] and
aggression.[6] The Sith were major
practitioners of the dark side, and were the mortal enemies of the Jedi Order, who followed
the light side of
the Force.[4] There
were others such as the Inquisitorius, who, though
not Sith, could draw upon the power of the dark side.[7]
Darth Sidious believed
that the source of his dark side power was the universe beyond the edges of
the known galaxy.[8]
Although Jedi were taught to
follow the light side of the Force, the dark side was considered seductive, and
a Jedi had to maintain vigilance in order to avoid falling to the dark side.[6] Anakin Skywalker was
a powerful Jedi who, partly through the machinations of the Sith Lord Sidious,
fell from the light side and began practicing the dark side, becoming the
famous Sith Lord known as Darth Vader.[5] Even
a Jedi raised in the traditions of the Jedi Order from birth could quickly be
corrupted by the lure of the dark side in certain situations. Despite this,
while the Jedi often described the dark side as a "quick and easy
path," drawing upon its power did not necessarily come with ease or
without cost to those who possessed strong compassion and were not used to
drawing upon feelings such as hatred.[9]
Use of the dark side of the Force granted certain
abilities that were generally closed to a user of the light side, such as possession,[10][11] the ability to
manipulate Force visions[12] and
even, according to legend,
to manipulate midi-chlorians to
create life or keep someone from dying.[5] The
dark-side historian and Sith cultist Yupe Tashutold Wedge Antilles on Akiva that some Sith Lords were able
to siphon the Force from their captives in order to extend their own lives for
centuries beyond their natural expiration.[8]
The power of the dark side was penetrating and
pernicious. The Jedi Temple was
built on top of an ancient Sith shrine and,
unbeknownst to the Jedi, the power of the dark side rippled upwards through the
Temple from the shrine, slowly weakening the Jedi over a millennium.[13]
The dark side of the Force was considered highly
corrupting. The Jedi Grand Master Yoda, for example, believed
that "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your
destiny,"[6] a
view he espoused despite having personally witnessed the redemption of at least
two individuals who were at one time deeply steeped in the dark side.[9] Anakin
Skywalker also proved an exception, as he overcame his past actions to save his
son, Luke,
and kill the Sith
Lord Darth Sidious.[14] While
Yoda said that the dark side of the Force is not stronger than the light side
of the Force, he said that it was merely "quicker, easier, more
seductive".
Additionally, use of the dark side by somebody with
generally good intentions in a moment of weakness could leave that individual
feeling weak and shivery, with a general feeling of wrongness. This was once
experienced by Ezra Bridger when
he once unconsciously drew upon the power of the dark side to summon a
massive fyrnock to
attack the Grand
Inquisitor.[15]
If the presence of the dark side was significantly
powerful, nearby Force-sensitives often feel the sensation of cold, such as
when Darth Vader was near Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus, or when Luke sensed
the dark side emanating from the Cave
of Evil on Dagobah.[6][16] (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_side_of_the_Force)
Darth Bane was a human male Dark Lord of the Sith and the sole
survivor of the destruction of the Sith at
the hands of the Jedi Orderduring the Jedi–Sith war, a thousand
years before the Clone
Wars. As the only surviving Sith, Bane recognized that Sith
infighting had weakened them to the point that the Jedi could
destroy them. To rectify this, Bane reformed the Sith and created the Rule
of Two, mandating that there could be only two Sith—a Master and
an apprentice—at any given time.
These new Sith would begin a plot to destroy the Jedi in secret. Bane was later
defeated by the Jedi, who wrongly believed that the Sith were defeated with
him.
The vendetta Bane held against the Jedi was fulfilled
during the Clone Wars, when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,
secretly the Sith LordDarth Sidious and a follower of the
Rule of Two, transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic
Empire and destroyed the
Jedi Order. The victory was short-lived, however, as the redeemed Jedi
Knight Anakin Skywalker defeated the
Sith twenty-three years later.
(http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Bane)
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