Chiss Ascendancy

The Chiss Ascendancy, also known as just the Ascendancy, was an aristocratic oligarchical nation of the near-human Chiss located inside the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. The Chiss Ascendancy was an interconnection of individual sovereignties which favored a more libertarian approach and embraced a philosophy of non-intervention and peaceful diplomacy with outsiders, prohibiting first strikes. The Ascendancy was regarded as mostly a legend even within the Unknown Regions.

The history of the Chiss Ascendancy was long and ancient, dating at least as far back as 5100 BBY. However, due to its isolationism, it almost never involved itself in affairs beyond the bounds of its own space. The Ascendancy's isolationism was so strong, it kept its presence hidden from other powers in the galaxy. The Chiss Ascendency was not inherently expansionistic, instead pursuing exploration and research. Indeed, the Ascendancy had strict guidelines banning preemptive strikes; setting rules of engagement that required confirmation of impending or previous attack before the Ascendancy's Fleet could fire on any target.

The government and politics of the Chiss Ascendancy were dominated by the constructs of Chiss families. Each Chiss family had a hierarchy, and there was another level of hierarchy amongst families. The Nine Ruling Families of the Chiss Syndicure held the highest level of executive, legislative, and economic power; followed by the Forty Great Houses, and other families having the least influence. Family politics—both within and between families—drove much of the politics of the Ascendancy, and even bled into the operations of the Chiss Defense Force even though it was not supposed to.

The Chiss Ascendancy eventually discovered a mysterious threat in the Unknown Regions, when it deduced that the nascent Galactic Empire would be both a suitable ally and easy prey for the threat to attack instead of the Ascendancy.

Text and facts from the “Chiss Ascendancy” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.