What Do We Actually Know About the History of Star Wars‘ Old Republic?

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For thousands of years earlier the emergence of the Galactic Empire, the Republic was 1 of the de facto large powers successful the sociopolitical constitution of Star Wars‘ galaxy. But portion definite flashpoints person been explored—especially the person you get to the clip of the Republic’s autumn successful the prequel trilogy—for the astir portion existent Star Wars continuity has kept the past of the Republic successful the confines of legend. But arsenic the franchise becomes much and much keen astir plunging into its distant past, from James Mangold’s past Jedi movie to even Skeleton Crew‘s exploration of the Old Republic, however overmuch bash we really cognize astir what the Republic was similar an even longer agelong clip ago?

The Eras of the Galactic Republic

The regularisation of the Galactic Republic tin beryllium mostly divided into four chiseled periods—each briefer than the last, and the last 2 fundamentally being subdivisions of the 2nd period. The largest are the 2 cardinal wide eras of galactic history: 1 opening with the Republic’s ceremonial constitution astir 25,000 years earlier the events of the superior Star Wars movie saga, and the “modern” Republic’s creation—the galactic entity arsenic we mostly cognize it crossed Star Wars‘ prequel material—approximately 1 1000 years anterior to those films. Those second 2 subdivisions are eras we’re astir peculiarly acquainted with done mainline material: the play of the High Republic, taking spot for astir 400 years during the second epoch of the post-reformation Republic, and its twilight arsenic seen successful The Acolyte and the Star Wars prequel trilogy with its eventual dismantling into the Galactic Empire.

The erstwhile of these periods remains the slightest explored successful current Star Wars continuity, but is importantly much fleshed retired successful the franchise’s aged “Expanded Universe”. While galore of those stories stay explicitly retired of existent continuity, modern canon has made vague aspersions immoderate of those EU stories inactive remaining canonically existent successful immoderate form—but lone successful the broadest sense, with precise small authoritative worldly establishing cognition of however the Republic was governed and existed successful its oldest periods.

The Actual “Old” Republic

Now, 24,000 years is simply a lot of history, and for the astir part, our existent cognition of what is astir commonly referred to arsenic the “Old Republic” by rubric (it was, passim its history, ever the Galactic Republic) is deliberately vague. While the Expanded Universe thrived successful exploring this play done things similar the Tales of the Jedi comics, and astir famously BioWare and Obsidian’s worldbuilding successful the Knights of the Old Republic series, contemporary Star Wars canon has treated this epoch arsenic small much than myth, beyond hints to elements of stories and characters from this play successful the EU inactive having immoderate canonical sway. That, of course, whitethorn alteration arsenic we get person to projects similar Mangold’s aforementioned “Dawn of the Jedi” movie, which volition beryllium acceptable astir a akin clip arsenic the Republic’s enactment successful astir 25,000 BBY.

What we bash cognize of the Old Republic inactive carries immoderate similarities to the much modern Republic successful the Star Wars films. Coruscant has ever been its spot of power, with the galactic halfway forming immoderate of the Republic’s oldest subordinate worlds and seats of power. The Jedi Order, besides established astir a akin time, has agelong had a narration with the Republic too, successful some a spiritual and subject sense. The advent of much widespread hyperspace travel, arsenic good arsenic fiscal enactment from different ruling planetary powers, allowed the nascent Republic to grow its borders implicit thousands of years, taking successful much subordinate worlds, and inevitably besides facing struggle arsenic different galactic powers crossed paths. Conflict defines overmuch of what we cognize astir this play of galactic history: we cognize astatine immoderate constituent the Republic encountered the Zygerrian empire and bristled astatine its authorisation of slavery, starring to a warfare betwixt Republic and Jedi forces that yet dismantled overmuch of the Zygerrian powerfulness base. We besides cognize that the Mandalorians besides enacted aggregate crusades against the Old Republic and the Jedi successful this era, starring to each retired warfare aggregate times.

The emergence of the splinter faction of Jedi that would yet go the Sith—roughly 20,000 years aft the Order’s founding—also created different large warfare beforehand for the Jedi and the Republic. Throughout their beingness the Sith fought aggregate wars against the Jedi, bringing the Order itself into person alignment with the Republic aft the constitution of the Jedi Temple connected Coruscant. Early struggle betwixt the Jedi and Sith post-schism saw the second faction exiled retired of Republic space, earlier the Sith became resurgent with its ain galactic power, the Sith Empire, rising retired of the satellite Moraband. Collectively known arsenic the Sith Wars, these engagements thrust the Republic into alliances with the Jedi arsenic good arsenic the Chiss Ascendancy, bringing the last millennia of the Old Republic’s regularisation mostly into the chaos of perpetual war, connected aggregate fronts against Sith and Mandalorian hostility.

The last Jedi-Sith War of this play saw a ascendant Sith Empire efficaciously overwhelm overmuch of the Republic’s holdings crossed the galaxy. Coruscant itself was sacked and occupied, and though it was yet liberated by the Jedi, overmuch of what the Republic was inactive ravaged by interstellar conflict. A resurgent Jedi Order, alongside the remnants of the Republic military, went connected an violative that would pave the mode to full-scale reformation of the galactic institution.

Reformation, Rise, and Fall

The liberation of Coruscant marked a important turning constituent for the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic. The emboldened Jedi struck retired astatine the Mandalorians, leaving their homeworld of Mandalore successful a authorities of ecological devastation arsenic good arsenic the Mandalorian Clans humbled into ending their crusades against the Republic. This resurgence besides heralded the opening of the perceived extremity of the Sith Empire arsenic a galactic power, arsenic Jedi and Republic forces clashed with Imperial and Sith holdouts connected the satellite Ruusan astir 1,032 BBY. The almost-total eradication of the Sith forced handfuls of survivors to wantonness Moraband and spell into hiding, starring to the constitution of Darth Bane’s “Rule of Two” guiding the Sith successful shadiness for centuries. But triumph besides allowed the Republic breathing country to look wrong aft millennia of everlastingly wars had each but destroyed it successful turn.

The extremity of the Jedi-Sith War led to the ceremonial reformation of the Republic, including the archetypal constitution of a antiauthoritarian national with the instauration of the Galactic Senate. Part of the process of ushering successful a caller property of bid besides saw the Republic acquisition a wide demilitarization process—what small conflict that came successful this epoch was mostly dealt with by the Jedi Order, assisting the Republic’s instrumentality enforcement branch, the peacekeepers of the Judicial Forces with disputes and interior affairs. This bid would yet usher successful a play seen arsenic the apex of the Galactic Republic’s scope and powerfulness successful the wider postulation known arsenic the epoch of the High Republic. Beginning successful astir 500 BBY, the High Republic was a play defined by expansionist policies passim the Galactic Republic, from stronger efforts to illustration harmless hyperspace question routes passim the Core Worlds and into the Mid Rim starring to a propulsion of Republic power adjacent further into the Outer Rim territories. This effort was besides supported by the Republic’s pathfinder forces, who worked alongside the Jedi Order to found linked connection networks crossed the Republic’s advancement into the Outer Rim, giving emergence to the Holonet arsenic 1 of the de facto connection and media networks crossed the bulk of Republic space.

But though the High Republic was seen arsenic the precise tallness of its power and reach, overmuch similar the expansionist policies of the Old Republic earlier it, it was a play that saw the Republic and Jedi Order embroiled successful wider conflicts erstwhile more, particularly against the pirate forces of the Nihil encountered connected the fringes of Republic abstraction successful this period. The High Republic’s airy would slice by astir 100 BBY, arsenic the galactic entity’s sweeping enlargement brought with it a increasing consciousness of stagnation. As the Republic dispersed further and further into the Outer Rim, absorbing worlds on the way, commerce and commercialized recovered itself progressively drawn from the lucrative fringes of Republic abstraction and straight backmost to the cosmopolitan powerfulness hub of the Core Worlds. Corruption became widespread, arsenic an progressively unwieldy senatorial assemblage consolidated powerfulness towards the Republic’s center, and the constricted scope of the Judicial Forces and Jedi peacekeepers alike near transgression and piracy rampant passim overmuch of the Republic’s astir extended regions. Corporate powerfulness successful these regions became progressively commonplace, starring to the expanding power of fiscal blocs and institutions similar the Trade Federation oregon the Banking Clans.

It is successful the emergence of these economical powers—given governmental powerfulness and power successful the senate, done some backroom deals and their ain delegated practice wrong Republic governance—that the Republic laid the groundwork for its ain destruction. The Trade Federation’s penetration of the mid-rim satellite Naboo, supported from the shadows by the machinations of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, led to an upending of powerfulness wrong the Senate and the ousting of Chancellor Finis Valorum, the latest scion of a household whose ruling powerfulness wrong the Republic had coalesced implicit generations upon generations. From there, Sidious, acting successful his guise arsenic Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine, roseate to powerfulness arsenic the latest Supreme Chancellor, further manipulating the increasing discontent of worlds extracurricular of the galactic core, alongside his latest apprentice—the erstwhile Jedi Master and Count of Serreno, Dooku—to signifier a ceremonial secessionist question successful the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

The Separatist Crisis, and the galactic struggle that arose from it successful the Clone Wars—bringing with it the constitution of the archetypal lasting service the Galactic Republic had seen successful thousands of years—was the climactic enactment of Palpatine’s manipulations of galactic events to align himself arsenic some the usurper of governmental powerfulness wrong the Republic (emboldened done a bid of dictatorial powers granted done exigency acts to enactment the warfare effort) and the designer of the Sith’s revenge connected the Jedi Order. Nearly 25,000 years aft it had been founded, the strife that had erstwhile defined and past reformed the Republic shattered it wholly with the climax of the Clone Wars, the demolition of the Jedi Order successful effect to an alleged coup d’état giving Palpatine the accidental to dissolve the Republic and rebirth it arsenic the archetypal Galactic Empire. Its reign whitethorn person been brief—and replaced by a New Republic inactive carrying galore of the burdens and mistakes of its astir caller past—but Palpatine achieved the unthinkable successful bring to an extremity tens and thousands of years of some spiritual and governmental influences with the ends of the Jedi Order and the Republic.

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