
A propaganda poster made shortly after the speech. The subline reads "Defend liberty against tyranny!"
Imperium Delenda Est in Old Morsian, The Empire must be destroyed in Galactic Basic Standard, was a speech given by Morsian senator Plinius Garr'atum in 0 BBY at the conclusion of the Morsian Senate regarding declaring war on the Galactic Empire. The speech came after a many weeks long debate in the Senate about finally entering into the Galactic Civil War on the side of the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire.
Background[]
Upon the destruction of the Death Star in 0 BBY, there was a categoric shift in the Morsian views of the Empire. The two had been in a cold/proxy war since the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY which had been going on for nearly twenty years, consisting of many espionage campaigns against each other, however these by itself were not the main cause of the war.
Prior to this, the Morsian Senate had been split between two factions of senators on the issue of the Galactic Empire. One half the senators recognised the Galactic Empire as the legitimate successor to the Galactic Republic and so were hesitant to declare war on what they considered to be the rightful successor to the Republic. However, the other senators viewed the Empire as illegitimate, a hostile takeover of the Republic and so denounced it as a continuation of the Republic, baying for war against it with the aim of restoring the Republic to its rightful place.
One of the main causes towards the Morsian Senate considering war more closely was the construction by the Empire of various settlements on planets close by to the Morsian Empire. These settlements were funded by the Empire, settlers came from the Empire and were garrisoned by Imperial troops, which worried the Morsians as it could have been used as a staging post for an invasion of the Morsian Empire by the Galactic Empire. This movement of settlers and troops on their border shifted the Senate towards talk of war, possibly as a pre-emptive strike.
The other main cause was the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance. This was a major blow to the Empire not only in terms of military hardware but also in their reputation, as all across the galaxy it inspired resistance, now that it was definitively shown that the Empire could be defeated, not least of which was in the Morsian Empire, adding further fuel to the fire to declare war against the Empire.
Additionally, for years the Rebel Alliance was talking to the Morsian Empire in the hopes of getting them to declare war on the Empire, though these talks never were successful prior to the destruction of the Death Star. The Morsians were, however, lend-leasing equipment to the Rebels in order to aid them in their uprisings against the Empire.
The Death Star's destruction was the catalyst for serious talks to take off in the Morsian Senate, with all the previous issues boiling over, fuelling war talks and launching a discussion that would last for several weeks before this speech was made.
Speech transcript[]
Galactic Basic[]
In conclusion of our many weeks of discussion, my fellow senators, I have reached one definitive conclusion, as I am sure many others of you here have also. The recent gains by the Rebel Alliance has proven that the [Galactic] Empire can be wounded and the beast can be felled. With the backing of Mors, the Rebellion will no longer be just a ragtag group of barbarians, they shall become a unified peoples with a common goal. The destruction of the [Galactic] Empire. The final nail in its coffin was the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance several weeks ago, and with it has brought about the turning point in the life of the [Galactic] Empire, and will serve to signal the beginnings of the end for the false Emperor and his Empire of tyranny.
"It is time to end the decades long proxy cold war between our two Empires, and finally show both the galaxy and the [Galactic] Empire once again what the might of the Morsian Empire means, and how swiftly destruction can come to our enemy's lands when our sights come to bear. With Mors at its back, the [Galactic] Empire will swiftly release its dying grip on the worlds they hold and retreat into the uncivilised galaxy beyond the Unknown Regions."
"Therefore, I consider one thing."
"The [Galactic] Empire must be destroyed"—Plinius Garr'atum
Old Morsian[]
In peractis multis hebdomadibus disputationum, Patres Conscripti, ad unam conclusionem perveni, multos etiam hic vestros certo scio. Recens lucra per Rebellem Foedus probavit Imperium vulnerari posse, bestiam caederi. Cum Moris fauore, Rebellio iam non erit iustus ragtag globus barbarorum, fient gentes una cum communi meta. Destructio Imperii. Ultimus clavus in sarcophago destructio Mortis Stellae per aliquot hebdomades Rebellorum Foedus fuit, et cum eo metae in vita Imperii induxit et initia finis designandi. pro falso imperatore et eius imperio tyrannidem.
"Tempus est decennium longum bellum interregem nostrum inter duo Imperia frigidum finire, et demum tam galaxiae quam Imperii [Galactici] imperium iterum ostendere, quanta vis Imperii morsiani sit, et quam celeriter interitus ad hostiles terras pervenire possit. visa ferre. Cum Mors a tergo suo, Imperium cito morientem tenebunt in mundos, quos tenent et recedunt in galaxia inhumana ultra regiones ignotas."
"Ergo unum considero."
"Imperium delenda est."—Plinius Garr'atum
Response[]
Senators rallied behind this speech and the next day were almost completely unified in their final decision on the Galactic Empire. Shortly after this speech was made, the Morsian Empire declared war on the Galactic Empire.
Legacy[]
Over the course of the Morsian-Imperial War, the final statement of the speech, "Imperium Delenda Est" became a rallying call across the Morsian Empire and those planets close to them. The words became a slogan, used in propaganda across the Morsian Empire. After the conclusion of the war, the words were still immortalised as a show of Morsian military might.
Behind the scenes[]
- The name of the speech, and its final lines, is based on the famous Carthago Delenda Est speech made to the Roman Senate shortly before the Third Punic War.
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