Imperial Senate

The Imperial Senate, also referred to as the Galactic Senate or the Imperial Congress, was the legislative assembly of the Galactic Empire that constituted one of the last remnants of the Old Republic. However in reality, the Imperial Senate held a purely consultative role and was to ensure the passage of any laws and legislation required by Emperor Sheev Palpatine.

At the end of the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, beginning an autocratic era. Palpatine as Emperor maintained the Galactic Senate as an illusion of constitutional legitimacy, however in truth it merely gave legal sanction to decisions already made by the Emperor. Many of the Imperial citizenry however believed that Palpatine was indeed restoring stability to the galaxy, after he vowed to end corruption in the Senate. In truth, this ploy was part of the Emperor's need to preserve order and by extension, allowing the Imperial Senate to continue until the Death Star was completed.

However, the Imperial Senate began to grow weaker as regional governors assumed more responsibility over their territories, with most decrees becoming repeatedly ignored by the Imperial Military. However, the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the Empire kept gaining support, with some senators secretly supporting the rebel cause and did not hesitate to use their diplomatic immunity to help them, and some even became leaders of the growing Rebel Alliance.

Following successful DS-1 Orbital Battle Station superlaser demonstrations on Jedha and Scarif, the Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate entirely, transferring its remaining authority to regional governors and Imperial military leaders. With the Death Star now operational, fear would serve as the primary tool of control—replacing the need for the Old Republic’s bureaucratic systems. In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, former senators reconvened the Galactic Senate during the restoration of the Galactic Republic as the New Republic.

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