Republic Era

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    "Before the outbreak of war, the twilight of the Republic was an era of distractions, with citizens from all walks of life following escapist pursuits. Historians rebuke the people of this last age for being taken in by such circuses when their attentions should have been focused on the malfeasances and corruption in the Senate and other governing institutions."
    ―Janyor[3]

    The Republic Era, also known as the era of the Republic, the Age of Republic, the Old Republic Era, or the Great Peace, was a period in galactic history marked by the rise and fall of the Galactic Republic. Following the fall of the Old Republic, the Republic Era commenced with the establishment of the modern Galactic Republic. Aided by the Knights of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Senate of the Republic governed the galaxy in a time of peace that lasted for roughly a millennium. The height of Republic power came with a portion of its reign known as the High Republic Era.

    The Republic gradually declined under a stagnant bureaucracy and political corruption, and its final years were remembered as the Twilight of the Republic or the Twilight of the Old Republic. The Invasion of Naboo, followed by the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars, marked the Republic's transition from a democracy to a military dictatorship under Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. This thirteen-year period from 32 BBY to 19 BBY became known as the fall of the Republic or the fall of the Jedi . In the aftermath of the implementation of Order 66, which saw the collapse of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Jedi's annihilation, Palpatine—the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—proclaimed himself Galactic Emperor, transforming the Republic into the First Galactic Empire. The Republic Era concluded with the dawn of the Imperial Era.

    Historians regarded the Republic Era as the "last era of peace." After it ended, the Empire ruled the galaxy under the New Order's fascist ideology, leading to the Galactic Civil War with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which became known as the Age of Rebellion. The New Republic sought to restore peace and democracy to the galaxy; however, the New Republic Era's last years were marked by a Cold War with the First Order, a successor state of the Old Empire, and ended with the New Republic's destruction. As a result, open war broke out between the First Order and the Resistance, until a pan-galactic uprising against the First Order took place.

    History

    Origins

    "There hasn't been a full-scale war since the formation of the Republic."
    ―Sio Bibble[12]
    Great Scourge of Malachor aftermath
    The Republic Era was preceded by a dark age of war between Jedi and Sith.

    Roughly a thousand years before the Invasion of Naboo, the Jedi and the Sith were at war with each other. The Sith were eventually defeated when their greed for power caused them to turn on each other, which allowed the Jedi to defeat the weakened Sith, leaving them all but destroyed.[20] However, one Sith Lord emerged as the sole survivor: Darth Bane. Realizing that the Sith's greed led to their demise, Bane decided that the Sith needed to operate in secret to get revenge, favoring guile and conspiracy rather than brute force.[21] With that, he formed the Rule of Two, which mandated that only two Sith Lords could exist at any given time: a master to represent the power of the dark side of the Force, and an apprentice to train under the master and one day fulfill their role. Darth Bane took on an apprentice of his own,[18] Darth Zannah, who was rumored to have killed Bane on Ambria in a lightsaber duel;[22] nonetheless, Bane's apprentice continued his tradition[18] and moved forward with the Grand Plan.[23]

    The Great Peace

    "The Galactic Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time."
    ―Janyor[3]
    Galactic Senate
    The Galactic Republic presided over an age of peace for roughly a thousand years.

    During this time, the Galactic Republic was reformed,[3] and the Jedi Order enjoyed political ascension,[10] rebuilding the Jedi Temple on the capital world of Coruscant[24] to train Jedi younglings in the way of the Force.[9] The High Republic Era was a particular part of the Republic's reign where the government was at the height of its power.[25]

    The Republic Era,[26] also known as the "era of the Republic,"[27] the "Age of Republic,"[28] or the "Great Peace," was characterized by the lack of galaxy-spanning wars, although some smaller sector and system conflicts, such as the Stark Hyperspace War or the Mandalorian Civil War, consumed the time and energy of the Republic and the Jedi.[9] Nevertheless, it was remembered by Janyor and other New Republic period historians as the last era of peace in galactic history.[3] Even the High Republic Era, however, was not immune to conflict as the peace and prosperity of the time was rivaled by the decisions of certain actors, most notably the Nihil marauders.[29] The Nihil conflict between the Republic and Nihil, despite ending with the defeat of the Nihil, opened the idea of secession from the Republic government.[30]

    Fall of the Republic

    "Too late? For what, the Republic to fall? It already has and you just can't see it, there is no justice, no law, no order except for the one that will replace it."
    Maul[31]

    The "Twilight of the Republic,"[3] also known as the "Twilight of the Old Republic,"[32] referred to the Republic Era in its final years.[3] Long after Bane's rule was introduced, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis took on an apprentice, Darth Sidious, the Sith persona of Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. Sidious eventually killed his master in his sleep when he had no use for him anymore.[17][33] With the "High" Republic Era behind it,[25] the Republic entered a protracted decline as the "old ways" of thinking began to fail[34] and corruption took root across the government, particularly in the Senate, where self-interested senators and the presence of corporate actors, such as companies and trade guilds, spread the influence of greed.[35]

    One event that took place in this time was the election of Padmé Amidala as Queen of Naboo.[3]

    Senator palpatine
    Sheev Palpatine was a facade for Darth Sidious, who sought to rule the galaxy by ending democracy.

    The "fall of the Republic"[36] began with Sidious instigating several conflicts in the galaxy in order to gain power, beginning with the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation.[37][38] He used this incident to cause then Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to be voted out of office, manipulating Queen Amidala into calling for the vote over her anger at the Galactic Senate's inaction over the invasion; Valorum was replaced by Senator Palpatine himself.[10] Further governmental inaction and corruption ultimately led to the Separatist Crisis, in which thousands of worlds seceded from the Republic and formed a separate government, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Tensions fostered between the two factions through the machinations of Sidious and his Sith apprentice, Darth Tyranus, who led the Separatists through his public identity as Count Dooku, ultimately led to the outbreak of the pan-galactic Clone Wars[12] in 22 BBY.[39]

    Battle of Geonosis
    The Battle of Geonosis marked the end of the Great Peace and the start of the Clone Wars.

    The First Battle of Geonosis marked the end of the Great Peace and the beginning of the Clone Wars; having mobilized a clone army to serve as its new military, the Republic went to war against the Separatists, led by the former Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku. The Sith had not completely died out at the end of their war with the Jedi, and had been plotting for centuries to overthrow the Jedi and the Republic.[9]

    The Clone Wars raged for three years,[39] during which the Republic became an increasingly militarized state in the name of order and security against the Separatist threat. Chancellor Palpatine, whose term was already extended due to the Separatist Crisis, remained in office for the duration of the conflict, all the while centralizing political and military authority in the Office of the Chancellor through the various wartime emergency powers granted to him by the Galactic Senate.[12][17] Duchess Satine Kryze of the neutral planet Mandalore observed the changes in the Republic and warned her former lover Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi of the changing tide.[40] After he and Dooku manipulated Rush Clovis and orchestrated the Separatist takeover of Scipio, another power given to Chancellor Palpatine was control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan.[41]

    Declaration
    The Republic Era was over when Darth Sidious declared himself Emperor of the First Galactic Empire.

    In the waning days of the Clone Wars[17] in 19 BBY,[39] the Separatists suffered a series of major defeats, including the deaths of Dooku and General Grievous at the hands of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, respectively. Meanwhile, the Jedi High Council, who became increasingly wary of Palpatine due to his unprecedented wartime powers, discovered his identity as the enigmatic Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The Jedi's attempt to apprehend him ultimately failed and fostered Skywalker's fall to the dark side and rechristening as Sidious' new apprentice, Darth Vader. Vader was subsequently sent to lead Operation: Knightfall. Simultaneously, Palpatine instituted Order 66 to the Republic Army, beginning the initial part of the systematic destruction of the Jedi Order, as clone troopers executed their Jedi Generals across the galaxy.[17]

    With the Jedi Order decimated, Palpatine gave the proclamation of the New Order to an emergency session of the Galactic Senate, where he declared the Jedi enemies of the state, while transforming the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Galactic Emperor. At the same time, Vader destroyed the Separatist Council and deactivated the Droid Army, effectively ending the Clone Wars and cementing the return of the galaxy to the rule of the Sith.[17]

    The subsequent years were called the Age of the Empire.[4]

    Appearances


    Non-canon appearances

    Sources


    Notes and references

    1. The Star Wars Book places the restoration of the Republic to 1,032 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 1032 BBY per Star Wars: Timelines. Therefore, the restoration must have occurred in 1032 BBY.
    2. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
    3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
    4. 4.0 4.1 A New Dawn
    5. 5.0 5.1 The High Republic: The Rising Storm
    6. Tarkin
    7. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Voyage of Temptation"
    8. Age of Republic - Qui-Gon Jinn 1
    9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Rise of the Separatists
    10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
    11. Obi-Wan and Anakin 1
    12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
    13. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Assassin"
    14. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Bounty"
    15. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Lawless"
    16. Darth Maul — Son of Dathomir 1
    17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
    18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sacrifice"
    19. The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
    20. StarWars  Sith in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
    21. StarWars-DatabankII  Darth Bane in the Databank (backup link)
    22. Star Wars Helmet Collection: Boba Fett Databank A-Z: Alzoc III–Antilles
    23. StarWars  Darth Bane in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
    24. Star Wars: Complete Locations
    25. 25.0 25.1 StarWars  Lucasfilm to Launch Star Wars: The High Republic Publishing Campaign in 2021 on StarWars.com (backup link)
    26. Darth Vader (2015) 9
    27. Star Wars: Alien Archive
    28. Star Wars: Age of Republic
    29. Star Wars: Complete Locations, New Edition
    30. The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi
    31. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Phantom Apprentice"
    32. Star Wars (2015) 26
    33. StarWars-DatabankII  Darth Sidious Biography Gallery in the Databank (backup link) (Image 1 caption)
    34. Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear
    35. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Corruption"
    36. StarWars-DatabankII  Cham Syndulla in the Databank (backup link)
    37. StarWars-DatabankII  Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Databank (backup link)
    38. StarWars-DatabankII  Darth Maul in the Databank (backup link)
    39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
    40. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duchess of Mandalore"
    41. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis at the Heart"
    Years
    Years in the BBY/ABY dating system
    Pre-Republic period 100,000 BBY · 57,000 BBY · 29,996 BBY
    27,000 BBY · 26,000 BBY
    Dawn of the Jedi era 25,025 BBY · 25,020 BBY
    Old Republic-era/Expansionist Period 25,000 BBY · 22,000 BBY · 20,019 BBY · 20,000 BBY
    15,000 BBY · 12,000 BBY · 9991 BBY
    Fall of the Old Republic
    (Middle Era of the Old Republic)
    7977 BBY · 6000 BBY · 5500 BBY · 5100 BBY
    5019 BBY · 5000 BBY · 4300 BBY · 4260 BBY
    4000 BBY · 3966 BBY · 3900 BBY · 3705 BBY
    3700 BBY · 3650 BBY · 3450 BBY · 3277 BBY
    2500 BBY · 2320 BBY · 2200 BBY · 2000 BBY
    1300 BBY · 1100 BBY · 1050 BBY · 1032 BBY
    Republic Era 1032 BBY · 1014 BBY · 1000 BBY · 997 BBY
    982 BBY · 973 BBY · 972 BBY · 965 BBY
    900 BBY · 896 BBY · 873 BBY · 867 BBY
    832 BBY · 800 BBY · 797 BBY · 796 BBY
    719 BBY · 679 BBY · 620 BBY · 600 BBY
    582 BBY · 532 BBY · 522 BBY · 520 BBY
    519 BBY · 511 BBY · 509 BBY · 500 BBY

    High Republic Era
    500 BBY · 482 BBY · 437 BBY · 431 BBY · 430 BBY
    429 BBY · 428 BBY · 422 BBY · 413 BBY · 412 BBY
    407 BBY · 402 BBY · 401 BBY · 400 BBY · 399 BBY
    397 BBY · 396 BBY · 395 BBY · 394 BBY · 393 BBY
    392 BBY · 389 BBY · 387 BBY · 385 BBY · 384 BBY
    383 BBY · 382 BBY · 381 BBY · 380 BBY · 379 BBY
    377 BBY · 374 BBY · 362 BBY · 357 BBY · 350 BBY
    339 BBY · 332 BBY · 322 BBY · 319 BBY · 318 BBY
    300 BBY · 285 BBY · 280 BBY · 279 BBY · 278 BBY
    272 BBY · 270 BBY · 266 BBY · 265 BBY · 262 BBY
    258 BBY · 257 BBY · 255 BBY · 253 BBY · 252 BBY
    251 BBY · 250 BBY · 249 BBY · 248 BBY · 247 BBY
    246 BBY · 245 BBY · 244 BBY · 243 BBY · 242 BBY
    241 BBY · 240 BBY · 238 BBY · 237 BBY · 236 BBY
    235 BBY · 234 BBY · 233 BBY · 232 BBY · 231 BBY
    230 BBY · 229 BBY · 228 BBY · 227 BBY · 222 BBY
    220 BBY · 217 BBY · 210 BBY · 205 BBY · 203 BBY
    201 BBY · 200 BBY · 186 BBY · 184 BBY · 181 BBY
    180 BBY · 176 BBY · 173 BBY · 170 BBY · 166 BBY
    163 BBY · 162 BBY · 161 BBY · 160 BBY · 158 BBY
    157 BBY · 156 BBY · 153 BBY · 151 BBY · 150 BBY
    149 BBY · 148 BBY · 147 BBY · 146 BBY · 142 BBY
    138 BBY · 137 BBY · 136 BBY · 135 BBY · 134 BBY
    133 BBY · 132 BBY · 131 BBY · 118 BBY · 104 BBY
    102 BBY · 101 BBY · 100 BBY


    Twilight of the Republic
    100 BBY · 99 BBY · 94 BBY · 92 BBY · 90 BBY
    88 BBY · 87 BBY · 86 BBY · 85 BBY · 84 BBY
    82 BBY · 81 BBY · 80 BBY · 76 BBY · 72 BBY
    70 BBY · 69 BBY · 68 BBY · 67 BBY · 66 BBY
    65 BBY · 64 BBY · 62 BBY · 61 BBY · 60 BBY
    59 BBY · 58 BBY · 57 BBY · 56 BBY · 55 BBY
    54 BBY · 53 BBY · 52 BBY · 51 BBY · 50 BBY
    49 BBY · 48 BBY · 47 BBY · 46 BBY · 45 BBY
    44 BBY · 43 BBY · 42 BBY · 41 BBY · 40 BBY
    39 BBY · 38 BBY · 37 BBY · 36 BBY · 35 BBY
    34 BBY · 33 BBY · 32 BBY · 31 BBY · 30 BBY
    29 BBY · 28 BBY · 27 BBY · 26 BBY · 25 BBY
    24 BBY · 23 BBY · 22 BBY · 21 BBY · 20 BBY
    19 BBY
    Imperial Era Reign of the Empire
    19 BBY · 18 BBY · 17 BBY · 16 BBY · 15 BBY
    14 BBY · 13 BBY · 12 BBY · 11 BBY · 10 BBY
    9 BBY · 8 BBY · 7 BBY · 6 BBY · 5 BBY
    4 BBY · 3 BBY · 2 BBY · 1 BBY
    Age of Rebellion
    0 · 0 ABY · 1 ABY · 2 ABY · 3 ABY · 4 ABY · 5 ABY
    New Republic Era Age of the New Republic
    6 ABY · 7 ABY · 8 ABY · 9 ABY
    10 ABY · 11 ABY · 12 ABY · 13 ABY · 14 ABY
    15 ABY · 16 ABY · 17 ABY · 18 ABY · 19 ABY
    20 ABY · 21 ABY · 22 ABY · 23 ABY · 24 ABY
    25 ABY · 26 ABY · 27 ABY
    Rise of the First Order
    28 ABY · 29 ABY · 30 ABY · 31 ABY · 32 ABY
    33 ABY · 34 ABY · 35 ABY
    New Jedi Order Era 40 ABY · 50 ABY
    103 ABY
    See also: Timeline of galactic history
    [Source]
    Republic Era (1032 BBY19 BBY)
    Galactic timeline

    Previous: Fall of the Old Republic

    Next: Imperial Era (19 BBY-5 ABY)

    Years of the Republic Era
    1032 BBY · 1014 BBY · 1000 BBY · 997 BBY
    982 BBY · 973 BBY · 972 BBY · 965 BBY
    900 BBY · 896 BBY · 873 BBY · 867 BBY
    832 BBY · 800 BBY · 797 BBY · 796 BBY
    719 BBY · 679 BBY · 620 BBY · 600 BBY
    582 BBY · 532 BBY · 522 BBY · 520 BBY
    519 BBY · 511 BBY · 509 BBY · 500 BBY
    High Republic Era 500 BBY · 482 BBY · 437 BBY · 431 BBY · 430 BBY
    429 BBY · 428 BBY · 422 BBY · 413 BBY · 412 BBY
    407 BBY · 402 BBY · 401 BBY · 400 BBY · 399 BBY
    397 BBY · 396 BBY · 395 BBY · 394 BBY · 393 BBY
    392 BBY · 389 BBY · 387 BBY · 385 BBY · 384 BBY
    383 BBY · 382 BBY · 381 BBY · 380 BBY · 379 BBY
    377 BBY · 374 BBY · 362 BBY · 357 BBY · 350 BBY
    339 BBY · 332 BBY · 322 BBY · 319 BBY · 318 BBY
    300 BBY · 285 BBY · 280 BBY · 279 BBY · 278 BBY
    272 BBY · 270 BBY · 266 BBY · 265 BBY · 262 BBY
    258 BBY · 257 BBY · 255 BBY · 253 BBY · 252 BBY
    251 BBY · 250 BBY · 249 BBY · 248 BBY · 247 BBY
    246 BBY · 245 BBY · 244 BBY · 243 BBY · 242 BBY
    241 BBY · 240 BBY · 238 BBY · 237 BBY · 236 BBY
    235 BBY · 234 BBY · 233 BBY · 232 BBY · 231 BBY
    230 BBY · 229 BBY · 228 BBY · 227 BBY · 222 BBY
    220 BBY · 217 BBY · 210 BBY · 205 BBY · 203 BBY
    201 BBY · 200 BBY · 186 BBY · 184 BBY · 181 BBY
    180 BBY · 176 BBY · 173 BBY · 170 BBY · 166 BBY
    163 BBY · 162 BBY · 161 BBY · 160 BBY · 158 BBY
    157 BBY · 156 BBY · 153 BBY · 151 BBY · 150 BBY
    149 BBY · 148 BBY · 147 BBY · 146 BBY · 142 BBY
    138 BBY · 137 BBY · 136 BBY · 135 BBY · 134 BBY
    133 BBY · 132 BBY · 131 BBY · 118 BBY · 104 BBY
    102 BBY · 101 BBY · 100 BBY
    Fall of the Republic 100 BBY · 99 BBY · 94 BBY · 92 BBY · 90 BBY
    88 BBY · 87 BBY · 86 BBY · 85 BBY · 84 BBY
    82 BBY · 81 BBY · 80 BBY · 76 BBY · 72 BBY
    70 BBY · 69 BBY · 68 BBY · 67 BBY · 66 BBY
    65 BBY · 64 BBY · 62 BBY · 61 BBY · 60 BBY
    59 BBY · 58 BBY · 57 BBY · 56 BBY · 55 BBY
    54 BBY · 53 BBY · 52 BBY · 51 BBY · 50 BBY
    49 BBY · 48 BBY · 47 BBY · 46 BBY · 45 BBY
    44 BBY · 43 BBY · 42 BBY · 41 BBY · 40 BBY
    39 BBY · 38 BBY · 37 BBY · 36 BBY · 35 BBY
    34 BBY · 33 BBY · 32 BBY · 31 BBY · 30 BBY
    29 BBY · 28 BBY · 27 BBY · 26 BBY · 25 BBY
    24 BBY · 23 BBY · 22 BBY · 21 BBY · 20 BBY
    19 BBY
    [Source]
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