Galactic Republic

The Galactic Republic, also known as the Grand Republic or simply as the Republic, was a democratic federal union spread across light-years of space. Due in part to its long history, different names were used for bygone incarnations or eras of the Republic. The Old Republic and the first Galactic Republic were terms affixed to the original incarnation of the Republic that existed until its fall to the Sith Empire, which in turn fell in 1032 BBY, leading to the restoration of the Republic in that year. Later, the modern Republic that had been supplanted by the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY was also referred to as the Old Republic. Additionally, the High Republic was a term used to describe the modern Republic during the era in which it had reached the zenith of its power, which lasted from around 500 BBY to around 100 BBY.

The Republic was originally founded many millennia before the Battle of Yavin, approximately around 25,000 BBY to 20,000 BBY. The Galactic Senate governed the Republic under the Galactic Constitution, and comprised thousands of senators representing the Republic's member worlds. The Supreme Chancellor was the title of the head of the Republic, elected from ranks of the Senate to lead the government on Coruscant. An ecumenopolis or city-covered planet, referred to as Galactic City, Coruscant was the capital of the Republic and therefore the seat of the Senate.

The Galactic Republic and its star systems shared sovereignty, and spanned a multiplicity of worlds from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim Territories, uniting a variety of sentient species, human and alien alike, under one banner. As its power grew, the Republic fought many wars against various opponents such as Mandalorians, the Zygerrian Slave Empire, the Nihil, and several Sith Empires. The Jedi Order, a religious group of Force-sensitives dedicated to the light side of the Force, was sworn to the service of the Senate, and as such the Jedi Knights were hailed as the guardians of peace and justice within the Republic. Centuries of conflict culminated in the fall of the Old Republic, and the last war between the ancient Jedi and Sith concluded with the restoration and rise of the modern Galactic Republic, ushering in the Republic Era which was an age of peace that lasted for a thousand years. The Republic's history was officially reset, and the ages before this event were merged into a collective whole known as the Old Republic-era.

The Republic entered a period of decline after centuries of expansion and prosperity. Aided by the resurgent Sith Lords, the Separatist Crisis divided the galaxy between the Republic loyalists and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Grand Army of the Republic was organized under the leadership of Jedi Generals who led the Republic Military against the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars. However, the conflict had been orchestrated to allow Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine—the alter ego of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith—to control and deceive the Republic in a dictatorial manner. With the end of the war, Sidious initiated the Great Jedi Purge through Order 66 and transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire by declaring himself Galactic Emperor. The Imperial Senate stood as the last remnant of the Old Republic until it was disbanded by the Emperor at the height of the Imperial Era. In the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was fully reorganized into the New Republic, restoring the Galactic Republic after a generation of Imperial rule.

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