A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE THIRD GALACTIC REPUBLIC

ORIGINS

THE OLD REPUBLICS AND EMPIRES

The earliest stages of the Third Republic can be traced to the First Galactic Republic, once more commonly known as the Old Republic, following its transformation into the First Galactic Empire, by Supreme Chancellor-turned-Galactic Emperor Palpatine, which spurred into motion a series of events that led to the rise and fall of several galactic nations (as well as the rise and fall of the Jedi Order), until finally settling on its most modern incarnation.

Palpatine’s machinations led to the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (more commonly the Rebel Alliance) and the eventual defeat of the Emperor at the hands of a redeemed Anakin Skywalker and his son, Luke, as well as ending the Sith threat of the time. From this, the “New Republic” (now better known as the Second Galactic Republic) was formed, with the remnants of the Empire forming a separate nation, which later made peace with the Second Republic and the New Jedi Order.

However, the galaxy did not remain at peace for long, when the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong invaded, decimating the Second Republic. Desperate, the Republic sued for an alliance with the Imperials, as well as the reunited Mandalorians.

To battle the invaders, the Galactic Alliance was formed and the war ravaged the galaxy. Many worlds were “Vongformed” and heavily-damaged, such as Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa, but the invaders were eventually defeated, but the galaxy’s troubles were far from over. From the ashes of the conflict, a prominent Jedi – Jacen Solo – became the new Sith Lord Darth Caedus. Although he was defeated, the Jedi were spurned for their creation of the Sith anew. Also, the Imperial Remnant became known as the Fel Empire, a new dynasty leading them in an era of peace… and as an opponent to the Galactic Alliance.

The next few decades saw the Fel Empire (the Second Galactic Empire) undermining the Alliance through their Victory Without War programme, but peace soon became war when the One Sith emerged under Darth Krayt to join the Imperials (who had their own ‘neutral’ Force organisation: the Imperial Knights), and defeat the ailing Alliance. Through sabotage and propaganda, the Sith-Imperial alliance defeated the Alliance, but Krayt betrayed Emperor Fel and claimed the throne for himself, also completing the Third Jedi Purge, scattering the New Jedi Order.

The Alliance Remnant, Empire-in-Exile and Jedi remains came together after years of Krayt’s rule, and managed to overthrow the Sith Lord, forcing his One Sith into hiding and forming the Galactic Federation Triumvirate in 138 ABY.

FORMATION OF THE THIRD GALACTIC REPUBLIC, 301 ABY – 330 ABY

The initial years of the Federation were peaceful, but full of strife. The New Jedi Order was weak, the galaxy damaged by years of wars, and the two primary cultural groups – Alliance and Imperial – often chafed against one another, whilst the Jedi struggled with their governmental leadership role. The instability the previous century had left the galaxy and Federation paved the way for an old group, believed a friend, to take advantage.

In 301 ABY, the New Mandalorian War broke out; under the leadership of Mandalore the Undefeated, the “True Mandalorians” (having been united under Boba Fett circa the Yuuzhan Vong War) emerged in a crusade to defeat and take over the Federation. However, the invasion proved to be detrimental to the Mandalorians, as it caused the three primary groups in the Federation Triumvirate – the Alliance, Imperials and Jedi – to become more cohesive, but it did not make up for their lacking ability to wage a full-scale war, which the Mandalorians had.

After almost twenty years of fighting in 319 ABY, a splinter group of the Mandalorians – the Mandalorian Defenders, as they became named – disagreed with Mandalore the Undefeated’s war against the Federation. Led by their own Mandalore – Mandalore the Divider, as he was later named – they sided with the Federation against their brothers, thus starting the Mandalorian Civil War, and ending their war against the Federation.

Weakened and bloodied by their war with the True Mandalorians, the Federation withdrew from open warfare, although they supplied the Defenders.

By 321 ABY, during a lengthy engagement between Mandalorian forces, Mandalore the Undefeated was stabbed in the back by one his closest advisors, which only led to more frequent switches in sides by the troops and armies. However, another Mandalore rose within the True, named Mandalore the Staunch.

The Mandalorian Civil War would go on for decades, not often directly affecting the rest of the galaxy, but Mandalore the Divider was rumoured to have defeated The Staunch (although, given the timespan, it was suggested there were several Mandalores on both sides). However, it was the New Mandalorian War that led to the formation of the Third Repubic.

GRAND PROCLAMATION, 330-380 ABY

The time leading up to, immediately before (and sometimes considered to also include some of the decades after) the Restoration of the Repubic is often referred to as the Galactic Dark Age, and no clear timespan has been set for this particular era. A great deal of knowledge and history was lost around this time, it is known. In 330 ABY, some years after the Mandalorians began their aggressive in-fighting, the Federation was struggling to rebuild itself, and a group of popular politicians, as well as a leading figure in the New Jedi Order, proposed the Grand Proclamation, a radical policy that would restructure the Federation into something akin to the Galactic Republic before Palpatine’s rise to power.

With stories of the Golden Age of the Republic and the many years of nearly-undisturbed peace and wonderful democracy, it was not hard for the senators and moffs to agree to the formation of the Third Galactic Republic.

Equally, the New Jedi Order no longer felt itself in a position to be members of the government any longer, wishing for a return to the past. Given their losses during the Mandalorian War, with a third of the weak Order killed during the fighting, and another third refusing to take part, it felt to Master Junuun Waay, a Chevin Council member who had been a member of the anti-war group, to reform the Order within the Grand Proclamation.

Already a century-old by the time of the Grand Proclamation, Grand Master Waay saw the rewriting of the Jedi Code and the creation of the Reborn Jedi Order, more reminiscent of the old Jedi Order, as opposed to Luke Skywalker’s flawed New Jedi Order, which Waay felt had led to the rise of a new Sith threat, as well as much corruption by power and emotion. Waay would go on to lead the Reborn Order until his death in 830 ABY, widely regarded as an incredibly wise Jedi Master, his Order lasting longer and more successfully than Luke’s own.

A NEW AGE, 380-990 ABY

The earliest years of the Third Republic were focused around creating a New Golden Age of the Republic, where democracy was true of all places, the nation was free from Sith threats and business was prosperous. Of course, the damage wrought by the New Mandalorian War and echoes of the Vong War still occupied much of the government’s time. With the new Senate in action and a Supreme Chancellor once again leading the Republic, the military was reduced in size by seventy percent, and the savings were immediately redistributed to the damaged worlds of the Republic, although much of these monetary policies were focused Coreward, which caused some level of antipathy from the Outer Rim.

Whilst the Mandalorian Civil War raged on, it rarely affected the Republic, and after several decades, there were even rumours that the clans were once again united under the Defender leader. Mandalore the Provider (a name taken by each successive leader), who supposedly formed an empire of their own – Manda’toma – although details were sketchy, and rumours were only spread by those Mandalorians unwilling to surrender their nomadic ways, becoming the “Exiles”, and nothing better than a band of pirates in the Outer Rim.

To further their efforts to rebuild, tax cuts were given to developing or heavily-damaged worlds to help them grow again, whilst companies – such as GalactaWerks – offered to assist such worlds develop and rebuild, should they also be entitled to additional contracts and tax cuts. This allowed many worlds to repopulate and begin trade again, despite the growing influence of such companies within the Republic.

However, in 990 ABY, as much of the Third Republic had redeveloped and rebuilt, recovering from both Vongforming and the destructive New Mandalorian War, a small internal conflict began to brew in the Outer Rim.

With Mandalorian Exiles more frequently attacking the Outer Rim colonies and worlds, there was a demand for more money and military support, which the Republic was not so eager to lend. A select few Jedi attempted to mediate the affair, but the collection of worlds eventually decided to form the Outer Rim Alliance (ORA), forming their own large militia to combat the Exiles. Soon after, they were declaring their secession, and a small conflict – the First Outer Rim Conflict – began.

It was a short conflict that saw several Outer Rim Republic worlds seize the assets they had been shipping to the rest of the Republic for the on-going development of the galactic nation, and some non-aligned worlds joined the Alliance. As it also meant the seizure of many of their assets, GalactaWerks petitioned for the Republic to join them in retaking the Alliance, and secretly threatened to end their cheap contracts and work if they were refused. In the end, the Republic took up arms against the Outer Rim Alliance.

Defeated, but not enthusiastically, by the Republic and GalactaWerks armed forces, the Conflict ended with the nations being reaffirmed into the Third Republic, and a greater GalactaWerks presence. Nevertheless, the region remained a politically difficult region of space for the Republic, particularly given they now had worlds in their nation they did not have before.

RECENT HISTORY 990-1,217 ABY

The years following the Outer Rim Conflict were not as grand as the authors of the Proclamation at first hoped. Whilst the Senate continued to herald the New Golden Age, the reality was far from this.

Indeed, the restoration of the old status quo brought not only the ideals of the Old Republic, but also the stagnation, corruption and bureaucracy that plagued it, ultimately leading to the secessionist Clone Wars, and the Jedi Order became increasingly secluded from involving themselves in too many of these conflicts.

Following an industrial accident in a GalactaWerks complex on one of the former Outer Rim Alliance worlds, it was not long before the former nation was riled up again, with mass riots ensuing and attacks on GalactaWerks facilities and staff. Indeed, many Jedi actually left the Order to join with and defend the worlds against Republic and GalactaWerks retribution, and so began the Second Outer Rim Conflict in 1,189 ABY.

This conflict, lasting longer (six years) and causing more unrest and deaths, saw many in the Reborn Jedi Order exile themselves following the Council’s decisions, as well as refusing to come into conflict with their renegade comrades.

However, with the assistance of one of the Rift Jedi, the Jedi renegade defenders of the ORA, a Nautolan Master named Zam Kessar, a peace and arrangement was made. Whilst GalactaWerks was dismissed from the Outer Rim Alliance worlds, and new arrangements, especially for the ORA worlds, were made, exempting them from certain rules and regulations, whilst they agreed to continue serving the Republic with their supplies and trade, as well as allowing their militia to continue.

Since then, peace has returned to the Third Republic, but shadows continue to loom, as dissent grows in the Reborn Jedi Order, and there are whispers of secession amongst some of the senators – some primary figures – but none have yet to make a move, whilst the easy-going and kind-mannered Supreme Chancellor Paralles attempts to keep the Third Republic whole.