Solo-Niathal coup

The Solo-Niathal coup was a coup in 40 ABY, during the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War, against Chief of State Cal Omas by Jacen Solo which made Jacen Solo and Cha Niathal, the join Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance.

Background
"They'd handed him extraordinary power, and one that he'd use to change the way the galaxy was governed. He'd use it to take down Chief of State Omas: he wasn't sure of the details yet, but he could do it, and soon. The Galactic Alliance would fall, not with the clash of lightsabers, or ion cannons fired, or troops surrounding the Senate, but with a sheet of flimsy and a nod of heads."

- Thoughts of Jacen Solo, 40 ABY

As the war continued, Omas could do little to retaliate, but when his opposite number in the Corellian government, Dur Gejjen, contacted him for peace talks, Omas saw an opportunity. Meeting with Gejjen on Vulpter, he requested that Jacen Solo, head of the Galactic Alliance Guard, and Cha Niathal, Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, be neutralized, and in return, Corellia would be accepted back into the Alliance and hostilities would cease. Gejjen agreed, but as he walked away from the meeting he was felled by a head shot from the GAG sniper—Ben Skywalker. Although Omas was able to return to Coruscant safely, he now found himself utterly friendless.

Upon learning this, Solo decided that the Omas was no longer fit to serve. He began studying galactic law, and began lobbying for more power, which the Senate gave him. Eventually, he had the required power to oust Omas. Solo also made an agreement with Niathal.

The Coup
Jacen Solo used a legal loophole to Striding into the Chief of State's office with GAG escort, Solo arrested Omas, who responded with icy indifference in front of the soldiers. When they had left, however, he verbally accosted Solo, labeling him a "power-crazed&hellip;little jerk". The stated reasons were that he had entered into secret negotiations with Dur Gejjen; however, the Justice Department did not charge him until an extended period following his arrest.

Cha Niathal, now the acting Chief of State, declared both herself and Solo to be joint Chiefs of State. They both declared that their junta was legal and temporary, and promised that there would be rapid elections following the end of the conflict. They also sealed off the Chief of State's office, proclaiming that only duly-elected representatives could sit in it.

Aftermath
Although the move originally shocked many senators and citizens, Niathal's speech to the Senate and Jacen Solo's meeting with protesters largely quelled any major disputes, and the populace as a whole seemed to accept the change with little fuss.

Behind the scenes
It is possible the joint-Chiefs system is the basis for the Triumvirate.

Appearances

 * Sacrifice