The Galactic Republic is a weak, ineffectual, divided, corrupt, bureaucratic, pathetic excuse for a government. Its fall is long overdue."
"Yet you are not truly committed to truly improving the state of affairs of this galaxy... only those with genuine and benevolent intentions who walk the line of compassion and concise, decisive action can truly make this union more perfect... those who seek the true death of the Republic go against the sacred promise and faith for all life to move forward and flourish.
—Count Maxon Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi, 11 ArS
The Galactic Republic, more commonly known as the Republic, and sometimes referred to as the Old Republic, and the Old Order, was one of the longest-tenured ruling governments of the galaxy in its history.
Before the Republic's formation, many of the founding member planets were isolated, ruling their own area. However, shortly before the Republic's creation, war broke out between these factions; the end result was the signing of the Galactic Constitution, and the founding of the Galactic Republic, with all the formerly-independent planets and systems uniting under the Republic's banner.
Shortly after, they were joined by the Jedi Order, a group of monastic warriors, who used a mystical power source called the Force. Together, the Republic and Jedi fought against many threats in many wars, especially against the Jedi's ancient enemies, the Sith, as well as other foes.
The Republic, led by a Supreme Chancellor, had a democratic government that was able to persevere for years. For most of its duration as the dominant galactic regime, the Republic did not style itself as a strong centralized unitary state, but rather as a confederacy, a bloc of sovereign planets, for the purposes of promoting trade, mediating disputes, and mutual protection. It was said that its complete history would "fill a thousand libraries".
During the latter years of the golden age of the Republic, it was swathed in tiers of bureaucracy, being partially ineffective, yet benevolent; this almost resulted in the Sith overthrowing the government. Thanks to the efforts of the Jedi, the Republic survived, and it later changed government polices in order to balance the power of the Chancellor with the power of the Galactic Senate.
History[]
Formation[]
The Republic was created upon the signing of the Galactic Constitution in 25,018 BrS, during the Unification Wars. During that period, the Humans and Duros, were able to duplicate the Force-based technologies of the Rakata, conceiving the hyperdrive, permitting Coruscant to become the capital of the Galactic Republic, for years to come.
The galaxy around the time of the Republic's inception.
Shortly after the formation of the Republic, the Perlemian Trade Route was established, thus linking Coruscant to Ossus, and brought the Jedi Order into the Republic. Over the next millennia, the Corellian Run was plotted, linking Coruscant to Corellia, and far beyond. The wedge defined by the two trade routes became known as "the Slice," of which Core Worlds' portion of was known as the Arrowhead. Since the expansive stretch of hyperspace galactic-west of Coruscant was anomaly-ridden and impassible for then Republic technology of the time, the government expanded eastward, instead, and soon the Republic expanded into many Colonies.
Though history often recalls the Republic as peaceful, numerous galactic conflicts, such as the First and Second Great Jedi Schisms, the Great Hyperspace War, the Vultar Cataclysm, the Great Sith War, the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Civil War, the Great Galactic War, the New Sith Wars, the Clone Wars, and the Second Great Galactic War, occurred throughout its expansive history.
Early History[]
In the beginning, the government on Coruscant wanted steady expansion, despite its promotion of hyperspace exploration. However, against the government's plans, the membership of the Republic boomed for its first millennium of existence, mainly due to worlds wishing to join as protection against the Hutt Empire. In 24,965 BrS, its capital had officially become a galactic hub.
For years, the Jedi Knights, along with the ancient armies, and navies of the Republic, defended against violence. Around 24,465 BrS, the First Great Schism occurred, after the Legions of Lettow were established by dissident Jedi, who believed that true power was achieved not through passive meditation, as taught by their Jedi Masters, but through emotion. The tension between the Jedi and these dissident Fallen Jedi, led first by Xendor, and then after Xendor's death, by Arden Lyn, his lover, grew until conflict erupted.
In 23,965 BrS, the Republic participated in the Tionese War against the Honorable Union of Desevro & Tion. The war traveled up and down the Perlemian, and the respective capitals of Coruscant and Desevro; both suffered volleys of pressure bombs. The Republic eventually won the war by stirring up the Hutts against the Tionese. Within a century, most of the Tion Cluster was loyal to Coruscant, except for Desevro, which elected to remain independent.
During the Great Manifest Period (19,965–16,965 BrS), the Republic expanded eastwards, across the galaxy; despite this, the Slice would remain the heart of navigable space. Eventually, the Republic expanded past the galactic-northern and -southern borders of the Slice, though most of the galaxy was still unknown, except for outposts such as Ord Mantell (11,965 BrS) and Malastare (7,965 BrS). The space west of Coruscant still remained unexplored, since analogues to the Perlemian Trade Route and the Corellian Run in that direction, still, had not been discovered. Worse, progress was limited to dangerous one or two-light-year jumps into a stretch of hyperspatial anomalies. During this period, the Expansion Region was formed. However, this region suffered greatly as a result of the Alsakan attempting to snatch control of the Republic from Coruscant. This resulted in seventeen Alsakan Conflicts, spanning from 16,965 BrS to 2,965 BrS. However, most of the fighting took place between their holdings in the Expansion Region, rather than in the Core itself. Needless to say, Coruscant won every conflict it fought.
During this period, the First Arkanian Conflict also took place. The Arkanian geneticists also began a series of genetic experiments of other sentient species, most notably bundling away several six-armed Xexto from Troiken, and transforming them into a new species known as the Quermians.
In 15,465 BrS, after a disastrous first contact, Coruscant was assaulted by Star Dragons in the Duinuogwuin Conflict. The conflict was peacefully resolved by Supreme Chancellor Fillorean and the Star Dragon philosopher Borz'Mat'oh, who together founded the University of Coruscant. At some time prior to 11,965 BrS, the Galactic Museum was established on the Republic's capital.
Around 11,965 BrS, Contispex became Supreme Chancellor; he and his descendants belonged to the theocratic Pius Dea cult that would control the Republic for the next 1,000 years. These fanatic Supreme Chancellors sanctioned "crusades" against rival alien sects in the Rim. After 10,965 BrS, the cult may have, rather violently, dissolved; later tensions from the fallout of the crusades would deepen the rifts between the Core Worlds and those of the Rim, which Emperor Palpatine would exploit during his reign, millennia later.
Around 8,965 BrS, Blotus the Hutt became Supreme Chancellor and ruled the Galactic Republic for 275 years during the Rianitus Period. Unlike most other Hutts, Blotus was a distinguished and just ruler. At least by 7,273 BrS, the Galactic Standard Calendar was fixed.
In 6,968 BrS, the Second Great Schism occurred, when a group of fallen Jedi discovered a Force technique that could alter lifeforms. This started the centuries-long Hundred-Year Darkness, which saw the creation of monstrous creatures, most notably the serpentine Leviathans, which drew life-energies, into blister-traps, on their backs. At the Battle of Corbos in 6,865 BrS, the Jedi defeated the rebellion, and banished these fallen Jedi from known space. However, the fallen Jedi discovered Korriban, a desolate world inhabited by the relatively primitive but unusually Force-sensitive Sith people.
Using their training in the Force, the fallen Jedi amazed the Sith, elevating themselves to god-like status on nearby Ziost, becoming the rulers of the Sith people. As years passed, and interbreeding occurred between the fallen Jedi and the Sith, the term "Sith" came to mean not only the original inhabitants of Korriban and Ziost, but also their fallen Jedi masters.
In 4,965 BrS, the Jedi and the Sith Empire clashed in the Great Hyperspace War. Many worlds were forever scarred in that battle, but the Jedi were able to repulse the invaders. After that, the Republic granted the Jedi land over a Force nexus: a sacred mountain on Coruscant.
In 4,215 BrS, the Third Great Schism occurred, which involved fighting on Coruscant. The surviving Dark Jedi were forced to flee to the Vultar system, where they discovered ancient technology indicating that the system's worlds were artificial constructs, probably the creations of the mysterious Celestials, who had also built the Corellian system. These Dark Jedi took over these machines, including the Cosmic Turbine, but could not control them, and soon destroyed the whole system and everything in them, during the Vultar Cataclysm. In 3,984 BrS, four Jedi Masters (two Warrior Masters and two Sage Masters) established the ziggurat of the Jedi Temple, over the Force nexus on Coruscant, which would stand for many millenia.
Old Sith Wars[]
In the year 3,985 BrS, the Great Droid Revolution took place on Coruscant, led by HK-01, who was eventually defeated by Arca Jeth and the Jedi Order. During the conflict, Jeth discovered tactics that immobilized machines through the use of the Force.
Following those battles were the ones of the Old Sith Wars, of c.3,965 BrS, which almost led to the Republic's destruction.
During the Great Sith War, (3,965—3,961 BrS), the Sith Lords Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, together with their Krath and Mandalorian allies, waged war against the Republic, causing great decimation until they were defeated by the conjoint Jedi and Republic forces. Afterward, the Great Hunt (3,960–3,958 BrS) and the Cleansing of the Nine Houses transpired.
These would be supervened by the Mandalorian Wars (3,931–3,925 BrS), which were fought between Mandalorian forces, who were hoping to aggrandize their colonies beyond the Outer Rim Territories, and the Republic, which feared further incursions.
The Mandalorian Wars were a prelude to the more devastating Jedi Civil War (3,924–3,921 BrS), also known to some as the War of the Star Forge, which was fought between the Republic and the Sith Empire under Darth Revan and Darth Malak. It was, arguably, the most destructive disaccord of that entire era, with many worlds, including Taris, Dantooine, and Telos IV, being devastated by the Sith fleet.
From 3,935–3,635 BrS, the Kanz Disorders took place in the Kanz sector. During this period, the Provisional Governor Myrial of Argazda split from from the Republic and constituted a military regime throughout the Kanz Sector. During the war that followed, her military forces invaded planets that resisted her reign throughout the Kanz Sector, including Lorrd. She, quite often, enslaved their residents, most notably the Lorrdians of Lorrd.
The enslaved Lorrdians were prevented by their masters from contacting each other. As a result, they were forced to create a system of discreet gestures, facial expressions, and body postures to communicate with each other. This nonverbal form of communication would still be in use over four millennia later. After three centuries and the deaths of over five billion, including those of some 500 million Lorrdians, the Kanz Disorders finally ended when the efforts of the Jedi and the Republic toppled the regime in 3,635 BrS.
In 3,865 BrS, Queen Elsinoré den Tasia of the Core World of Grizmallt sponsored an expansion fleet of three vessels–Beneficent Tasia, Constant, and Mother Vima. This fleet was led by the Republic explorer Kwilaan, and would discover the planet of Naboo.
In 3,665 BrS, the pioneer woman and Brentaal IV native Freia Kallea found the Hydian Way, which spanned the whole north-south width of the galaxy. This allowed the Republic to expand past the Slice into the worlds of the Mid and Outer Rims, and also led to the discovery of more hyperspace routes, including the Corellian Trade Spine, thus beginning the Second Expansion Wave.