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History of the Star Wars Galaxy, chapter I The Galactic Republic
The Galactic Republic was a timeless institution. It always had been, it always would be. The Republic had lasted for a thousand generations, it's origans lost in antiquity and cloaked in legend. It arose in an era of exploration,conflicts, vast empires and barbarian warlords such as Xim the Despot. The Republic united many civilizations, established the rule of law and opportunity to trade. Those who joined the Republic shared great prosperity under the rule of the Senate, while the government respected the customs and laws of those cultures it embraced. Reaching out from what came to be known as the "Core Worlds" the Republic eventually spread across much of the galaxy, adding millions of member systems and countless more colonies. Guardians of Peace: The Republic deticated itself to peace, but force was sometimes necessary to protect it from threats both external and internal. While the army,navy, and starfighter corps where the primary military forces of the galaxy, the true protectors of the Republic were the Jedi Knights, the masters of the Force. They defended the innocent and good from those who would inflict tyranny upon the people of the galaxy. Each Jedi's powers were great and the wisdom of their words carried much influence. In times of crisis, thousands of Jedi could be called together to protect the Republic. The Decline: Despite the countless years of peace, or prehaps because of them, the Republic began to falter. It had grown too massive, too successful,too wealthy, and too easily lured away from the ideals of which it had been founded. Nobles, governers, and military leaders established their own dominions, their appointed representatives seemingly above the law. The values of honor, honesty, and decency became secondary to the accumilation of personal power and wealth. The Republic ignored it's duties, no longer paying heed to the needs and wishes of the people. Senator Palpatine was one of the new breed of senators. He seemed hardworking and promising, but still could not bring about real change. The Senator had no enimies and was accepted by almost every faction of the Senate. Corrupt senators also desired change, they wanted a powerless figurehead who would provide the semblance of stability so their rampages could continue unchecked. Palpatine seized the moment. He seemed to be a comprimise canadate, and able to provide leadership. In truth, he had gained the position through fruad, clever promises, and astute political treachery. President Palpatine implemented what he called his "New Order". He restarted the government, and proved to be a very efficient leader. The Senate turned more and more power over to him, and he seemed to be the only persprson capable of getting anything done. Palpatine's power and popularity grew; he hid his greed from the eyes of the populance. Some thought the decline was over. Secretly Palpatine desired more. Many senators suspected his true motives were less than noble. When Palpatine was immune from challange he declared himself Emperor. The military swore loyalty to him and the corporations and trading guildes fell into line. Palpatine quietly silenced his enemies, he orchestrated the extermination of the Jedi. He used political threats and vauge warnings of foreign invasions to spearhead a massive military build-up. Evil and tyranny spread across the galaxy like the darkness of night. |
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History of the Star Wars Galaxy, chapter II The Era of Rebellion
Even when the galaxy seemed entwined with the dark will of Emperor Palpatine, there were some who were willing to resist. Several systems declared themselves in rebellion. Swift retribution was inflicted upon those who dared challange the Emperor's authority, but they inspired many to continue the fight. Out of the ashes of defeat arose the "Alliance to Restore the Republic," which swore to depose the Emperor and restore the lawful government of the Old Republic. In those first few years, the Alliance slowly built up support, avoiding the attention of the ever-vigilant Imperial war machine. Many small skirmishes occured, but the Empire saw these incidents as the actions of disgruntled and disorganizied malcontents. Many worlds and peoples allied themselves with the Alliance, knowing that civil war would come soon. "The Era of Rebellion," as New Republic historians now call it, began shortly before the Battle of Yavin. The upper echelons of the Empire began to suspect that an organized resitance had formed, some of the Emperor's advisors feared open revolt. The Battle of Yavin: Rebel spies learned of a new super weapon project. The weapon, a space station code-named Death Star, was to be part of the Empire's epitome of the "Doctrine of Fear," which pre-supposed the Emperor would be able to disband the Senate and hold absolute power by terrorizing the population into submission. What better way of spreading fear than by having a mobile space station capable of destroying entire worlds. Senator Leia Organa of Alderaan, a secret rebel sympathizer, learned of the Empire's plan and received the Death Star's technical readouts, which had been stolen by Rebel agents. Leia travelled to the remote desert world of Tatooine to find General Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jedi Knight and good friend of her father, Bail. With Kenobi's aid she planned to deliver the plans to the Rebellion in hopes they could find a way to defeat the Death Star. En'route to Tatooine her ship was attacked by the Star Destroyer "Devastator". Commanded by the Emperor's personal emissary, Lord Darth Vader, the Devastator captured Leia's ship and took her into Imperial custody, but the plans had been hidden in an astromech droid R2-D2 (Artoo Detoo), were sent to Tatooine in hopes that Kenobi could deliver them to Alderaan. The adventures of R2-D2 and the protocol droid C3PO (See-Three po) brought them to a young farmboy, Luke Skywalker. Little did anyone know that he would be the one to crush the Empire and the first in a line of new Jedi warriors. Kenobi and Luke travelled to the dangerous spaceport city of Mos Eisley. There they hired the cocky Corellian smuggler name Han Solo and his wookie co-pilot Chewbacca to transport them and the droids to Alderaan system, the planet had already been destroyed be the Death Star. Solo's ship the "Millennium Falcon" was captured by the Death Star's tractor beams. Solo and Skywalker staged a daring rescue of the princess, who was being held aboard the space station. Kenobi disabled the Death Star's tractor beams, allowing the "Millennium Falcon" to escape...He later fell in battle with his former student, Darth Vader. Leia and the others travelled to Yavin IV where the Death Star plans were revealed. The Death Star tracked the "Millennium Falcon" to Yavin, brave Rebel pilots aboard X-wing and Y-wing fighters attacked in a desperate battle to destroy the space station. Luke Skywalker managed to fire the shot which destroyed the Deat Star. The Rebel Alliance had a stunning win against the Empire. The Rebellion Grows: Following the Battle of Yavin , many more planets gave their support to the Rebellion. While these worlds did not declare outright revolt, they secretly funnelled arms, money, and soldiers to the Alliance. The Rebels discovered and relocated to the ice planet Hoth, near the Anoat system. Meanwhile the Rebels spent the next three years engaging in "hit and run" tactics against the Empire, sabotaging ships, disruptting communications, and connducting raids on key Imperial bases. While this process was inefficient, but responsible for a considerable ammount of miscommunication, it also made it impossible to hunt down and eradicate the Alliance's military. Three years after the Battle of Yavin the Alliance suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Hoth. The base was routed by an Imperial taskforce led by the Lord Vader. After the battle Luke travelled to the mysterious Degobah system, although he did not disclose the nature of his activities there. The Battle of Endor: The Alliance was many times more powerful then when it had begun the war against the Empire, it was still drastically outgunned. However, the time for waiting was over. Bothan spies learned that the Emperor was building a second, more powerful Death Star over an obscure forest moon named Endor. More importantly the Emperor was personally overseeing the construction of this second space station. The Empire was at it's most vulnerable. The Rebels destroyed the new Death Star, taking a large portion of the Emperor's personal battle fleet with it. Luke Skywalker was responsible for returning Anakin (Darth Vader) to the light and the death of the Emperor. The Empire had been defeated, but the Alliance soon learned that it would be harder to lead than to fight. |
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History of the Star Wars Galaxy, chapter III The New Republic
Immediately after the Battle of Endor, Rebel forces raillied to the defense of the distant Imperial world of Bakura, the target of an invasion by the mysterious Ssi-ruuk. Shortly after the Bakura incident, the Alliance repelled a preliminary invasion by the Nagi, who allied with desperate Imperial factions. One month after the Battle of Endor Alliance leaders declared the founding of the "New Republic". The New Republic spent the next three years unifying it's forces and chipping away at the territory once held by the Empire. Petty disputes among Moffs and nobles erupted into full-scale warfare. Those who once served the Empire now set their sights on creating their own personal strongholds. With the Empire disorganized and disheartended, the New Republic's military forces marched toward the Core Worlds. Three years after Palpatine's death , Coruscant, the former capital of both the Old Republic and the Empire, fell to the New Republic. Imperial forces salvaged what they could and fled to the Deep Galctic Core and Outer Rims. The Thrawn Campaign: Five years after the Battle of Endor one of the Emperor's great military stratagists, the Grand Admiral Thrawn returned from unknown regions of the galaxy. Rallying whole fleets under his command and using a series of brilliant tactical manuvers, Thrawn nearly managed to depose the New Republic and his forces retored Imperial rule to half the galaxy. Return of the Emperor: Despitwe Thrawn's defeat at the Battle of Bilbringi, Imperial forces rallied to recapture several Core systems, including Coruscant. The New Republic was steadily pushed back, with it's military leaders establishing a new main base in Hutt Space on the fith moon of Da Soocha. With the New Republic on the run, Imperial factions returned to bickering and these conflicts soon degenerated into all-out civil war. Coruscant was devastated, leaving whole sections of the planet leveled. The worst fears of the New Republic were realized...It was learned that Palpatine had rturned to life in a new clone body. Operating from the Deep Core, Palptine launched an all-out attack on Calamari with his new World Devastator Weapons. Luke Skywalker, seeking means to defeat the reborn Emperor embraced he Dark Side-but had also allowed the New Republic to sieze control of the World Devastator Weapons. Luke was brought back from the Dark Side and the combined efforts of he and his sister, Leia Organa Solo defeated the Emperor. Despite Palptine's fall, Byss and the vast military fleets remained virtually intact. Imperial Executor Sedriss , one of Palpatine's trusted warriors, initiated Operation "Shadow Hand" a complex battle plan designed to destroy the New Republic. Republic forces rallied to defeat the Imperial forces, which lead to a dramatic military campaign that ended over the world of Byss itself. The Jedi Praxium: Jedi Skywalker, acknowleding the need for new Jedi began a Praxium, or academy, on Yavin IV. The New Republic thrives: A new generation of Jedi stands ready to defend the Republic. Trade and commerce have returned to the galaxy and the wounds of the past have begun to heal. Perhaps the Republic has been restored in both deed and name. |
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