Galactic Federation of Free Alliances

The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, better known as the Galactic Alliance, was the galactic government directly following the New Republic.

History
Following the New Republic's decisive victory at the Battle of Ebaq 9, Chief of State Cal Omas realized that a new government was needed if the Galaxy was to survive the horrors of the Yuuzhan Vong War. During the invasion, political infighting and weak leadership led the New Republic to a great number of defeats. It began to appear that the government would not survive the significant defeat it suffered during the Fall of Coruscant. Omas realized that the cumbersome organization of the New Republic could not withstand the pressures of the galactic war. As a result, Omas instituted a massive reorganization and streamlining of the government. The new federal system proved sturdier than the confederal style of the New Republic. This new government, named the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, or Galactic Alliance for short, began the long task of bringing the galaxy back together. Yet, this new government would not be composed of just the old members of the New Republic. Bringing their former adversary, the Imperial Remnant, as well as the Hapes Consortium into the new government, the Alliance achieved what previous governments had long hoped for&mdash;a unified government of the known Galaxy. This was further achieved with the cooperation of the Chiss Ascendancy, an insular civilization from the Unknown Regions on the edge of the Galaxy.

The first capital of the Alliance was Dac, longtime supporter of both the Rebel Alliance and New Republic. Its location in the Outer Rim and the presence of a massive New Republic fleet ensured that the new capital was secure. Once the government was up an running, the task of finding an end to the destructive conflict became it first goal. Thanks to the efforts of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, and other allies, the Yuuzhan Vong surrendered following the death of their leader, Supreme Overlord Shimrra.

Following the defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong, the need for a capital closer to the center of the galaxy was needed. With Coruscant devastated and 'Vong-formed' beyond recognition, the government of the Galactic Alliance planned to relocate to Denon, a world in the Core that had escaped bombardment and occupation by the Yuuzhan Vong. The Alliance began massive reconstruction efforts on Coruscant, in the form of the Reconstruction Authority. By 35 ABY, the Galactic Alliance had relocated it's government to Coruscant, though this appears to have been a public relations move, as there was still much work to be done. While the problems with repairing Coruscant were great, there were some bright spots, like the construction of the new Jedi Temple and the new Senate and Executive Buildings. Another major construction project that had been completed included the massive Defense Force Command Compound, giving the Alliance’s military a new command center to coordinate their forces across the Galaxy.

The Galactic Alliance was led by Chief of State Cal Omas and his High Council, comprised of Jedi, Senators, and members of the Alliance's military and governmental leadership. This would change following the Swarm War, when Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker decided to pull the Jedi off the council, feeling that it sent the wrong message if the Jedi were involved in making government policy.

In the years following the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Alliance became increasingly controlling of local governments, with some more independent worlds beginning to view it as a resurrected Galactic Empire. By 40 ABY, relationships between the Alliance and several local governments had deteriorated to the point that the Alliance deciced to launch a pre-emptive attack on Corellia as a show of military might to force compliance.

Government and Politics
Governmental changes between the New Republic and the Galactic Alliance included a new constitution, a stronger judicial branch, and a better system of checks and balances that curbed the power that had been almost exclusively in the hands of the Senate. The new federalism properly defined the roles between the government and its memberworlds.

The Galactic Alliance government was led by a Chief of State and a High Council, comprised of Jedi, Senators, and members of the Alliance's military and governmental leadership.

Executive Branch
The Alliance, like the New Republic before it, was headed by the Chief of State. The Chief of State was elected by recieving a majority of votes in the Alliance Senate. The Chief of State was also the President of the Senate, again following the similar structure of the old New Republic system. A major difference between the two systems was that the Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance seemed to posess more executive powers, designed to curb the power of the legislature. This form of checks and balances was one of the major differences that set the new government apart from the old. The Chief of State was aided by both a High Council and a Advisory Council, which consist of the heads of the various governmental, military, and intelligence departments.

Legislative Branch
The main legislative body of the Galactic Alliance was the Senate. The Senate was composed of representatives from all memberworlds and states that compose the new government. The powers of the Senate were curbed under the new constitution by a series of checks and balances, namely increasing the powers of both the executive and the judiciary. Despite these changes, the Senate remains a powerful and important part of the Alliance government. Some corruption had begun to creep back into the Senate following the end of the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, but the majority of the senators remain commited and loyal to the Alliance.

Judicial branch
The judicial branch of the Alliance government recieved the greatest increase of power under the new Alliance constitution. The increase of judicial oversight and power was designed to help curb any legislative abuse or corruption, which was becoming increasingly common during the last years of the New Republic.

Federal System
The new alliance was a federal republic, properly defining the roles of both the federal government and the memberworlds and states. A stronger federal system was the largest change in the overall structure of the government following the disolution of the New Republic.

Galactic Alliance Military
The military arm of the government was know as the Galactic Alliance Defense Force. Led by the Supreme Commander, the Defense Force consisted of the Galactic Alliance Navy and Army. During the latter stages of the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, the government maintained four strategic fleets. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion their tactics often were hit-and-fade strikes popularized by the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Five years after the end of the war, the Defense Fleet seemed to have built back up to pre-war strength, with at least five strategic fleets under the government's command. The Alliance Fifth Fleet, under Bothan Admiral Nek Bwua'tu, was assigned to patrol the Hydian Way, though it was redeployed during the Killik crisis. In addition to the federal Alliance forces, memberstates like the former Imperial Remnant and the Hapes Consortium retain their private navies, which can be called into federal service in times of crisis.

Behind the scenes

 * The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances was given its name as a nod to&mdash;and as a means of incorporating into the canon&mdash;fans' use of the acronym GFFA (in other words, the Galaxy Far, Far Away) when referring to the Star Wars galaxy as a whole.

Appearances

 * The New Jedi Order series
 * The Dark Nest Trilogy
 * The Legacy of the Force series