The Anti-Imperial Action Network (AIAN) was a galaxy-wide resistance group that opposed the Galactic Empire.
History[]
The AIAN was formed on Coruscant in 16 BBY by Laryk Pormo, a journalist whose disdain for the Empire began with his arrest for defaming the Empire in one of his broadcasts.
For its first years, the AIAN was relatively small and as such was not deemed a significant threat by the Empire. After it gained media attention for organizing many protests and riots across Coruscant, however, the AIAN quickly grew in number; at its start, the AIAN had approximately 1,000 members, though this number would rise to over 3,500,000 identified supporters across the galaxy by 10 BBY. Most of the AIAN's operations consisted of minor acts of insurgency ranging from peaceful protests on some worlds to vandalism and minor sabotage on others.
The organization was formally declared a terrorist group in 8 BBY following a series of bombings by suspected AIAN members on Eufornis Major that collectively killed hundreds of Imperial citizens, as well as a failed bombing attempt at the Corulag Military Academy on Corulag. Within only months of this declaration, the AIAN amped up their efforts and began various attacks against the Empire, such as petty (though frequently fatal) attacks on Imperial government officials and military personnel, the disruption of Imperial HoloNet systems through AIAN-aligned slicers, and the hiring of privateers to harass Imperial shipping lanes. Despite gaining infamy for these actions, the majority of the AIAN remained peaceful protesters and supporters.
In 4 BBY, the AIAN was largely disbanded after the arrest and eventual execution of Pormo; most of the AIAN returned to ordinary civilian life and hid their anti-Imperial sentiment, though many would go on to join the Rebel Alliance. The later New Republic listed the Anti-Imperial Action Network as one of many organizations that were crucial to the formation of the Rebel Alliance.