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Lit Galactic union, governance, and civilization -The Official Galactic Republic Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Literature' started by AdmiralNick22 , Feb 8, 2014.

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  1. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    “The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that… it was the Republic.”

    This statement, originally printed in the novelization of A New Hope, is one of the most often quoted lines about the Old Republic. Casual fans and hardcore fans alike often just think of the Republic as the galaxy’s Golden Age, a time where great chancellors, wise senators, and brave Jedi Knights guided the galaxy towards greater union and civilization. This general statement is true… from a certain point of view. Or, rather, it was true for large chunks of galactic history and not true for large periods as well. The fact remains that until recently, in fantastic guides like the Essential Atlas and the Essential Guide to Warfare by the likes of Dan Wallace and jasonfry, we really didn’t know much about or even begin to understand the complicated nature of the Galactic Republic, it’s history, and how it managed to govern (and at times not govern) the greater part of the Known Galaxy for over 25,000 years. What exactly was the Republic? How did it form? Why did it evolve? How did it govern? These are often times easily glossed over in most EU texts, which are content to paint broad, general portraits of the Republic in generic terms and scant detail. We all have spilled untold gallons of digital ink on boards like these and elsewhere discussing the various merits, demerits, and structure of the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, and other governments, but comparatively little has been done on the Republic.

    Think about that for a moment. The Republic. The Empire sought to replace it, the Alliance sought to restore it, and governments since have tried their best to emulate what they perceived as the best parts of it. The whole narrative of the Original Trilogy and the core Expanded Universe that grew out of it was one that revolved around the notion that the Republic was a government worth fighting to restore. So, with that being said, why don’t we really understand the exact setup and nature of the Republic? Partially this can be easily attributed to the fact that until 1999, we really didn’t see much of the Old Republic, save in a few comics and brief snippets in novels. It wasn’t until the Prequels, fantastically successful games like Knights of the Old Republic, stellar comic series, and brilliant reference guides that we really started to delve into the Republic.

    [​IMG]

    The more we learn about the Republic, the more we realize how it, like any real life government, evolved over the centuries and millennia to meets its own needs and the needs of its citizenry. The basic story, in its most simple level, is that a collection of worlds, peoples, and species in the Galactic Core gathered together to form a union that met their collective needs for trade, defense, and exploration. They wrote the Galactic Constitution that laid out the principles of how the new union would be governed and from there the rest is, quite literally, history.

    [​IMG]

    The Republic is described as a democratic union of planets. It is part a federal government, part United Nations, part NATO, and part various other real world institutions rolled into one. But to accept that the Republic is simply (or, not so simply!) this doesn’t even begin to tell its story. The Republic was a union of worlds and species with diverse views, outlooks, histories, and methods of government. It was a government that had democratic principles, republican principles, authoritarian principles, and imperial principles all rolled into one. It’s Supreme Chancellor was elected by the Senate, the various Senators themselves either elected or appointed by their respective worlds & traditions, and the peoples that they represented had varying levels of whether their voices where heard or not. On a federal, or rather “galactic” level, it had many elements of a democracy, but this was a union of worlds ranging from aristocracies, corporatocracies, democracies, republics, empires, and monarchies.

    Somehow, despite all of these complicated factors, the Republic grew, thrived, and ultimately established a galactic level civilization. It established trade, promoted exploration, provided for common defense, developed a common language, and knit the galaxy together.

    So, what is the purpose of this thread?

    To discuss, debate, research, and ultimately better understand the Galactic Republic.

    This introduction post is just that, an introduction. In a few days, after folks have had a chance to drop in and share their own interest in this topic, I will open with our first topic: The Pre-Republic and the factors that led to the formation of the Republic. Each week after, we will add new topics, ranging from the formation of the Republic, the Galactic Constitution, the evolution of the Republic, the setup of the Senate and “galactic” level democracy, to times & periods where the Republic failed to live up to its own mission and ideals. Through this all, my hope would be that we all better know and understand the Galactic Republic and just exactly how it lasted for 25,000 years.

    So, whether you are Coruscanti, Duros, Corellian, Alsakani, Mon Calamarian, Wookiee, or anything else in-between, welcome to the official discussion thread for the Galactic Republic!

    --Adm. Nick
     
  2. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    For me, the Old Republic is inextricably linked with the old Technical Journal of the Imperial Forces -- I call it old even though it's newer than some of our WEG books and certainly far newer than the ANH novel, but it was my first real exposure to these things. I think I read it in '95 or so, and it had this little one page blurb on the origins of the Old Republic. I'll pull out my old copy and reproduce some of my favorite quotes:

    That will always and forever be what the Old Republic is to me. Now, new continuity has changed our image of this 25,000 year golden age, but it's that grand, sweeping, mythic narrative that I imagine most. It's perhaps not realistic, but I kind of hope and wish that material covering the Old Republic had that same legendary patina to it -- that it would read differently than a story set in the more recent eras. That's part of why I liked the cut content in Warfare that jasonfry and Dan Wallace produced: it captures that same sort of feeling, that same aura.

    I'm actually rather curious about the founding of the Republic and would love to learn more about the Core Founders, but it'd be neat to do so through an in-universe fashion -- a founding narrative, maybe even a national epic of the Republic (something like the Aeneis for instance).
     
  3. DigitalMessiah

    DigitalMessiah Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2004
    I'm feeling patriotic fervor for the Republic now.

    Edit: Oh, and:
     
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  4. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    I think that no government in the Star Wars galaxy has ever been able to compare to the Galactic Republic. First of all, despite many wars with the Sith, the Mandalorians, and every other galactic threat except the Yuuzhan Vong, it reigned strong for 25,000 years with only one major reformation, and that was after 24,000. When someone mentions the Galactic Republic, my mind automatically pops to two things. This:

    [​IMG]

    And this:

    [​IMG]

    I mean, look at them. Under the Empire the white armor was a symbol of asceticism, an underlying threat of uniformity whether it was wanted or not. But under the Republic, it just looked so majestic. Like an army of purity. As for the Hammerhead, it's a ship whose shape and colors just scream "good guy." It has power, but also a noble grace in its shape.
     
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  5. Scrubbed

    Scrubbed Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 1, 2006
    Is this really a topic you want to discuss further?

    I mean thinking the Republic is great and all might make stories happier, eventually as more of the time line fills/one looks into the details it's just not going to be true.
     
  6. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Oh, no one's doubting as the Republic got farther down along the line it became corrupt–the PT was proof enough for that. But that's 25-50 years of corruption compared to 24,900 of good governance. How can you really compare that?
     
  7. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    I have never seen that before, but I agree 100% that it captures that old spirit that the Republic was epic and stood the test of time. That Republic still exists, mind you, it just also have periods where it failed to live up to its ideals. Yes, it makes it more realistic and less legendary, but those amazing periods (like the Republic banding together during the Waymancy Storm) still exist.

    When we get to the Galactic Constitution, I definitely want to spend some time on the line above about "All races, all sentient species, all peoples were equal under the law and lived their lives with rights that guaranteed both opportunity and freedom." A noble principle and one that undoubtedly was enshrined in the founding document, but we know that there were instance, not unlike American history, where this was not always in practice (see Dugs on Malastare issue). Still, the very idea that this concept was part of the Repubic's founding creed speaks to higher values, even if they failed at times to live up to them.

    I plan to spend the first few weeks really reviewing the early pre-Republic, the Core Founders, the Galactic Constitution and the formation of the Republic. Once we have established a good "base" with these topics we can actually delve into the slightly more complicated stuff, like how the Republic governed, how it was organized, etc.

    Looking forward to this thread!

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  8. Scrubbed

    Scrubbed Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 1, 2006
    Because the 24,000 years is most likely going to become a lie the more the story expands.

    Star War's is the same story repeating over and over with variations on the theme. The theme requires conflict. Conflict requires difficulties. As the good guys are the Republic and the Republic is huge it requires weakness and corruption to have conflicts.

    The Sith Empire from SWTOR ran from the Republic because they were getting massacre'd by the Republic.

    http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_holocaust

    Basically every era I am familiar with is the Republic being both immoral and ineffective and I expect every new era to follow that pattern. Many of the conflicts the Republic gets into are the Republic's own fault.

    Look at the pictures in this thread. Do they tell you good things about the Republic? Are they representative of good things the Republic is doing or has done?

    The first picture is pretty but it nearly had me laughing. The person talking is Admiral Karath he's using the native population as the equivalent of human shields and the Mandalorian's nuked them. The Admiral was warned by Zayne but he didn't believe him and although Carth did radio down to help save some of the populous it was still a massacre. Ironically, the Mandalorian's were better at listening to Zayne than the Republic.

    "The Republic is crumbling. For the past thousand years it has slowly been decaying and rotting away. A rebirth is the only way to reverse this process."
    ―Tarsus Valorum, in defense of the Ruusan Reformations
    For all of the hate the PT Jedi get, the only reason they lost is because the force royally screwed them with the creation of the Skywalker line. Without Skywalker, Palpatine would likely have failed.
     
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  9. Ghost

    Ghost Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Oct 13, 2003
    "Without Skywalker, Palpatine would likely have failed."



    How?

    One of my few criticisms of Episode III is that Palpatine could have done it all without Anakin.
     
  10. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Guys,

    A Palpatine/Anakin discussion isn't the purpose of this thread. We will eventually touch on the fall of the Republic, but the goal is to understand the government and how it worked & functioned.

    --Adm. Nick
     
  11. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004

    You could have done the whole PT without Anakin and it would have been better for it. [face_dunno]


    I personally always liked the idea that the Republic was never said to be "good" per se, not a mystical fairy tale kingdom were everything was better "before the Dark Times and the Empire" but from inception always something with great ideals and goals, but naturally flaws because things just can't be perfect.
     
  12. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Well, naturally. It has to be a real thing. But what makes it interesting is not that it was flawed, but that everyone has memories of it as basically Camelot. The fairy tale kingdom thing is not too far from the truth -- I highly suspect that's the reason Lucas populated the Core worlds with so many monarchies, for that fairy tale sense. It is, essentially, a fantasy kingdom (but in space) corrupted by the realities of politics and commerce -- I didn't quote the passage pertaining to the fall of the Republic, but from the beginning we always had some version of the Republic falling prey to corporate and political self-interest.

    To me, though, it's fascinating that despite all its flaws -- indeed, despite what we know now about the numerous wars with the Sith (including the "Great Galactic War") and all the instances where the Old Republic came close to collapse in its final 5000 years, it was still essentially remembered as this mythical golden age up until its very end: perhaps its final century or two, where a distinct sense of decadence was in the air. This does call into question whether or not the first 20000 years were all that great, but there's that patina of legend around it regardless of whatever happened. That's fascinating to me: and the only reason why it could be that way is that there must've been a sense of dedication to the Republic, a notion that it was and is something special. The Athenians knew they were fighting for something special, the Romans had their sense of destiny, and Americans knew it too: they were fighting for something unique in history, according to what they felt about themselves and wanted to tell themselves. Anybody who knows anything about history knows that's all exaggerated, even untrue: Athenians, Romans, Americans are all controlled by short-term self-interest like any other group in any point in history but such was their attachment to their system that they wove a myth around themselves even as they were living it. That's the sort of thing that I see with the Old Republic.

    It wasn't that it was perfect. It was that everyone believed it anyway.

    Oh, well, in that case I have another passage for you. It's a little off-topic, but I feel like you might like it.

    Remember that this entire story was written by Rebel historians -- they end their history of the Empire with a depiction of the Rebellion that calls back to the storied Old Republic. At some point it might be interesting to look at how both sides in the Galactic Civil War harkened to the Old Republic and invoked its legitimacy: the Empire, though it swept the Republic away, never hesitated to appropriate the history and legacy of the Old Republic, to say that it was restoring a golden age that had been corrupted and mismanaged. The Rebellion, on the other hand, explicitly called itself the Alliance to Restore the Republic -- in their view, THEY were the successors of the Old Republic, not the Empire, and we see thanks to TOR that Alliance military uniforms are calling back to an earlier era in the Republic military.
     
  13. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Well, I think part of the reason the galaxy looks fondly back on that period is because, for all intents and purposes, the Republic setup the galactic civilization that all worlds benefited from. Yes, there were horrible wars, periods of oppression, dark times, and moments where it failed to live up to its ideals. But the Republic was able to create so much that the galaxy benefited from:
    • A common language
    • Trade routes and hyperlanes that knit the galaxy together
    • Colonization and exploration efforts
    • Laws & principles of the Galactic Constitution
    • A common history & culture
    Regardless of how often it worked or didn't work, the idea that the galaxy could be united under one banner, with all species & worlds benefiting from is and was a powerful message that many countless beings embraced.

    Yeah, we will definitely have to discuss that at one point. Both groups grabbed various symbolisms that tied them to the Republic. Often times different symbols from different eras. The Imperial roundel is tied to one Old Republic symbol the same way the Alliance Starbird is as well. As you point out, everything from uniforms to ships to various organizational setups borrows from the Republic in one way or another.

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  14. King of Alsakan

    King of Alsakan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2007
    I would love to know more about the founding of the Republic and how the Galactic Constitution came into being.

    My thoughts on the Unification Wars at its founding, was that it was over whether or not the Republic would supersede the planetary governments and be a strong central government or it would be a peace keeping organization, like say the UN. The resulting Republic was therefore somewhere in between the many real world comparisons we can relate to. Per the SWTOR encyclopedia and common sense, I think something like the Republic was desired by most in the post-Rakatan Galaxy.

    The Republic went through its up and downs, but I certainly believe it is a positive force in the Galaxy by promoting trade between worlds and offering a military alliance, while also having its members retain their own sovereignty.
     
  15. AusStig

    AusStig Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2010
    If we want a good analogue to the old Republic, then look at the Empire (s) of China. Like the Republic it ruled vast areas for long periods of time (it's extent waxed and waned and the precise nature of the government changed) but there was a sense of continuity (both real and imagined) until it came to a crushing end. (Complete with an elected leader declaring himself Emperor, you can also look at it as an example of the post GR galaxy and post Imperial China)

    But the Republic has changed A LOT since it was founded. It must have, in the Atlas it mentions that the system of 'Sectors' were created after the Republic got too big to have every planet represented.

    I also think the Republic is the most successful Empire in Galactic history. It expanded because it could, it was after resources and 'land'. But before the RR it was an ok trade, the planet loses it's independence but gets a protector, it's resources get exploited but it gains access to big markets. While it is exploitive there were some benefits. After the RR the Republic became parasite living off the resources of the Outer Rim and offering little to no protection or trade benefit.

    I think a view of the Republic would depend on were one was in the Galaxy; people in the core (particularly the elite who founded the Rebellion) viewed it as a good and great thing, while those in the Mid and Outer probably viewed it similar to how people in post colonial nations view the Empires that ruled them.
     
  16. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Tomorrow the first discussion topic goes live. First up: Pre-Republic Period, Part 1 - Rise of the Core Worlds

    See you all in the morning!

    --Adm. Nick
     
  17. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Topic #1: Pre-Republic Period, Part 1 - Rise of the Core Worlds

    Before we can properly understand the formation of the Republic, I wanted to start with some discussion on the period between 27,500 BBY and 25,000 BBY. My hope is that this will serve as a springboard for discussions that will ultimately lead to the Core Founders, the reasons they started cooperating, and the formation of the Galactic Republic.

    Thanks to information in stellar guides like the Essential Atlas, Essential Guide to Warfare, and Fantasy Flight Games recent Suns of Fortune, we know much more about the Pre-Republic period that we ever knew before. The gist is fairly simple. After millenia of enslavement by the Rakata, the various worlds and species they controlled in the Galactic Core rose up in rebellion against them circa 25,200 BBY gained their freedom. Within two centuries, the various worlds of the Core would be linked by the hyperdrive and form the Republic. However, many of the worlds that would go on to found the Republic can trace their roots to Coruscanti colonization efforts in the 27,000's BBY, while the world was still under Rakatan occupation. Using sleeper ships, the humans of Coruscant established numerous colonies across the Core. For starters, it is interesting to think about how the Coruscanti were able to do that under occupation. While we don't know the extent of the Rakatan control of Coruscant, one can imagine that these early starships were perhaps means of the world's humans to escape enslavement and find a new home and new hope. The first Coruscanti colony ships were "generational" ships, sublight vessels that took centuries to reach their destinations, where the original colonists died long before their offspring settled new worlds.

    [​IMG]

    Think about this for a moment. Brave settlers, fleeing oppression, risked their lives to travel hundreds or thousands of lightyears in hopes of finding new, safer homes. Per the Essential Atlas, Coruscant's colonization efforts ultimately founded the following human worlds:

    Alsakan
    Axum
    Koros
    Metellos
    Corulag
    Chandrila
    Brentaal
    Esseles
    Rhinnal
    Ralltiir
    Alderaan
    Kuat
    Humbarine
    Rendili
    Corfai

    That list reads as a "Who's who" of prominent human Core Worlds. It was on these worlds, hidden from Rakatan eyes, that humanity began it's rise as a major species in the Galactic Core. At the same time, unknown to their fellow humans in the Northern Core, the Corellians, using reverse engineered technology from their former oppressors, began to colonize nearby worlds like Xyquine and Vagran. Within millenia, despite having no idea if their original homeworld was still enslaved or what caused the Rakatan Empire to fall, worlds like Kuat, Alderaan, and Alsakan, along with the rest of the Coruscanti colonies, would become regional powers in their own rights.

    [​IMG]

    Humanity was not the only species in the Pre-Republic period that was exploring, colonizing, and expanding as well. The gregarious and brave Duros, following a story similar to their future Coruscanti & Corellian allies, overthrew the Rakata and established a hereditary monarchy. Using technology they learned during their forced construction of the Star Forge, the Duros became eager explorers of the stars. They were part of the Herglic Trade Empire for a time, which gave the Duros even greater reach. Known as "the Travelers", the Duros established a host of colonies, including Neimoida, and made contact with their Corellian neighbors. This story is another interesting one, as the Corellian humans and the Duros didn't fight a war or try to conquer each other, but rather began to work together. In alot of ways, I think the seeds for galactic cooperation were first planted during when the Corellians and Duros became allies. Within a few centuries, they had jointly perfected a more efficient hyperdrive that would allow the Core to unite as one region.

    It is also worth noting that future Republic species like the Devaronians of Devaron and the Gossams of Castell, both located on opposite ends of the future region to be known as the Colonies, also attempted to explore and expand in the circa 27,000 BBY, using a primitive version of lightspeed travel known as the "tumble hyperdrive", which allowed them to taking risky short hyperspace jumps. Another notable example is the Baragwin, who had colonies across Expansion Region centuries before the worlds of the Core Worlds began to rise.

    The invention of the hyperdrive allowed distance worls like Coruscant, Corellia, and Duro to maintain contact and trade. It presumably allowed the "lost" Coruscanti colonies of the Core to regain contact with their former homeworld, which must of been an incredibly interesting event. Slowly bu surly, the early portions of Corellian Run and Perlemian Trade Route, as well as a host of lesser routes, began to knit together a galactic community before the various worlds had even really began to think about what they could do if their cooperated.

    One final thought before wrapping up this post. There are relatively few examples of wars in the Pre-Republic period between the Core Worlds. Even first contact between different species like humanity and the Duros, or humanity and the Caamasi, are apparently cordial. While this would not always be true in the future history of the galaxy, I wonder if these various species millenia of enslavement by a foreign power had the opposite affect that one might expect. In other words, instead of making these worlds & species xenophobic of each other, it may of taught them to be less violent to their newfound neighbors. Because, one way or another, these worlds would soon agree to form the Galactic Republic.

    --Adm. Nick
     
  18. MercenaryAce

    MercenaryAce Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2005
    Well, we know the Rataka used mixed groups of slaves at various points. It is possible, however unlikely, that these species already knew of each other, and saw each other as comrades due to their shared experiences as slaves.
     
  19. FTeik

    FTeik Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2000
    It is also very likely, that those first contacts didn't result in war, because hyperdrives were still too slow or too difficult to navigate to make the waging of war a profitable business. And if you add the idea of millions of exploitable worlds within reach (colonies and expansion regions) - even with slow hyperdrives - there is even less pressure to fight your neighbour.
     
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  20. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Yeah, trade must've been the start of things. One of the interesting lore bits from KOTOR is that it suggested that the Republic began as a trade union, and that Basic had its roots as a trade language. Before there ever was a Galactic Republic, the Core Worlds probably had an informal association going. Maybe combined with a NATO-like defense pact should the Rakata ever return.


    Misa ab iPhono meo est.
     
  21. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Good point, Ace. I had forgotten about that. It makes "first contact" between races a bit less scary, as they had already spent centuries or millenia knowing that their species wasn't "alone" in the galaxy. Hmm, maybe this can help explain why the Corellians & Duros worked so well together. Of course, the Duros are interesting in that they were extremely close to the Corellians AND the Coruscanti, which makes them another one of those species that probably helped tip the balance to one side or another during the early debates around the formation of the Republic.

    Yeah, I think the EA or EGTW said something along those lines. Basically, that war was costly and pointless when there were untold millions of habitable worlds ripe for colonization. Eventually, as the galaxy got "smaller", wars start popping up, but in the early days it was probably just a mad rush to explore, colonize, and expand their own regional holdings.

    Yup, this is the most likely scenario. We already know that the Corellians and Duros had an alliance of sorts, plus the Coruscanti worked well with them early on. Given how recent works like the Suns of Fortune guide have basically cemented the concept that the Republic's founding "Big Three" where Coruscant, Duro, and Corellia, it would seem likely that they had close trade & defense ties prior to formally establishing the Repulic. Basic is developed, first for trading and then eventually used for government. Trade routes established, hyperspace beacons presumably jointly run or shared. As for defense, given that it wasn't until the Tionese War that the Republic formally established a centralized navy, there definitely was some sort of NATO pact among the Core Worlds. I imagine it was based on an Article Five style principle that an attack on one was an attack on all, or at least that the signatories were bound to provide aid in the event of a conflict.

    Speaking of conflict, one thing that we know next to nothing about is the Unification Wars. Given that we know that most of the early colony worlds all became powerful, independent Core Worlds in their own rights (Alsakan, Alderaan, Corulag, etc), I wonder if the Unification Wars was the name of a conflict where Coruscant tried to obtain direct control of their former colonies?

    Great stuff so far, guys! I really look forward to seeing this discussion progress.

    --Adm. Nick
     
  22. King of Alsakan

    King of Alsakan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2007
    Those are all great points with respect to there not being a considerable amount of conflict during this era. The different alien races making first contact through Rakatan slavery should have lessened xenophobia, and there being so many places to settle should have certainly acted as a safety valve against conflicts over resources and places to live.

    I would think a common front against any future Rakatan advances would be one of the most likely factors for these early powers not to launch any major conflicts between themselves. Though I could see some minor boarder skirmishes occurring if anything. However, it may also just be we don’t know a whole lot about the era to know whether or not there were many conflicts, as there looks to have been as the early Republic expanded.

    In addition to EGTW, the SWTOR Encyclopedia also gives some good information on the beginnings of the military alliances between the Core Worlds.
    All in all, I would say the Republic would have been founded in order to create an effective military alliance against a common threat, make trade between worlds easier, and to promote liberty and freedom throughout the Galaxy.

    I also do think the Pre-Republic Era is a little bit muddled or rushed, even considering the very fast travel times provided by hyperspace. I would like to see the time the Rakatan Empire ruled over the Core shortened or even better maybe have Coruscant start exploring the Core with dimensional drive FTL before 30,000 BBY. I think this would grant many of the Core Worlds the proper amount of time to grow, expand, make early Proto-Republic alliances, and establish themselves as major powers. It’s certainly an age I would love to see more about, especially regarding political entities like the Azure Imperium and other early empires.

    I think that is an excellent hypothesis as the cause for the Unification Wars. As I said above, I don’t think it’s a war about whether or not the Republic should exist, but its political role in Galaxy. A looser union or alliance vs a strong centralized government based on Coruscant, or something along those lines. I would think that the conflicting parties would look a lot like the Alsakan Conflicts, with Coruscant and its allies/colonies squaring off against maybe Corellia, Alsakan, and other Core Worlds. Then the outcome of the war shaped the Galactic Constitution defining the relationships between the Republic and its constituent members.
     
  23. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Yeah, the more we learn about the Rakatan Infinite Empire, the more it makes sense that fear of it's return would be one of the factors that compelled the various Core Worlds to unite and form the Republic. Like you say, originally I imagine that the Republic was essentially a combination of the EU & NATO, but over time evolved to take on increased federal (or as I like to say, "galactic") powers and begin to become a true central government.

    Yeah, per the most current timeline, the Core Worlds were only free of Rakatan influence for about two centuries before the Republic was formed. Granted, they already had millennia of space travel under their belts and they inherited a lot of Rakatan tech, but I do see you point.

    Yeah, the exact nature of the Unification Wars continues to intrigue me. Like you said, it may of been the precursor to the classic "strong central government vs. planetary rights" that we see throughout the history of the GFFA. My only hope is that the Unification Wars don't end up being some bloody conflict. I liken the foundation of the Republic to the founding of the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek. Just as humans, Vulcan, Andorians, and Tellarites learned to cooperate and unite under the banner of the Federation in the aftermath of the Earth-Romulan War, I want to see the various human populations, Duros, Caamasi, and other Core worlds & species unite for a common reason. The future of the galaxy will be filled with wars of various scales, but I want to the founding of the Republic to be something less militaristic and more legendary.

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  24. King of Alsakan

    King of Alsakan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2007
    I concur, I think it may have been a limited conflict as well. Maybe it was more posturing and threats than a major war since the first real big ones seem to be the First Great Schism and the Tionese War. Though Zakrinand Minus sounds like a rather threatening figure.

    I also wouldn't mind the Unification Wars ending with a different Corellian Prince-Admiral negotiating terms on Coruscant.:)
     
  25. AusStig

    AusStig Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2010
    There was also significant scientific collaboration. The post Rakatan Hyperdrive was 'perfected' by Duros and Humans working together.

    I imagine it developed like the EU did (out of mutual trade agreements, then currency, then government.)

    How long did it take to form?
     
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