Imperial Senate/Legends

"I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a Diplomatic mission to Alderaan!"

- Princess Leia

The Imperial Senate or Imperial Congress was, during the time of the Galactic Empire, the successor of the Galactic Senate of the Republic.

Rise of the Empire
The Imperial Senate was established in 19 BBY after the Empire was founded by the self-appointed Galactic Emperor Palpatine, transforming the old Galactic Senate. Rather than risk directly seizing power and overthrowing the Senate, Palpatine subtly manipulated the Galactic Senate into voting incrementally more and more emergency powers to the Chancellorship during the crisis of the Clone Wars. By the end of the war, Palpatine had gained near-dictatorial powers. The final stroke came following the death of Separatist leader Count Dooku during the closing days of the war, when the Palpatine issued a decree creating a new class of Governors appointed directly by the Chancellorship&mdash;the Moffs&mdash;to oversee all star systems in the Republic. A minority of Senators protested this action in the Delegation of 2000, but Palpatine brushed aside their complaints.

Within a few days, the Clone Wars ended with the death of General Grievous and the Separatist Council, Palpatine's troops destroyed the Jedi Order, and in a speech before the Senate he proclaimed himself Emperor. Several senators who vocally resisted were intimidated into silence through brief imprisonment.

On the whole, however, the transition from Galactic Senate to Imperial Senate went quietly and without major incident. Emperor Palpatine did not want to risk tarnishing his public support by making an open grab for power, so he allowed the organization to continue to nominally exist, but it had been gutted of any real functional power. Under advice from Padmé Amidala shortly before her death, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, along with other senators from the Delegation of 2000, did not directly confront Palpatine's declaration of a Galactic Empire. Realizing they had already lost, and further resistance would only be seized upon by Palpatine as justification for arresting all of them and completely dismantling what little remained of the Senate, their best remaining option was to bide their time.

Although at the time of the Empire's formation a supermajority of senators were loyal to Palpatine, the Imperial Senate was still a prime (if often clandestine) source of resistance to Palpatine's authority, and despite its changes, came to be known as the "last remnants of the Old Republic". Certain Senators (many of whom later joined the Rebellion) were known for using the Senate as a platform to voice proposals attempting to moderate Palpatine's rule, although always under the guise of perfect loyalty.

Dissolution
"The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I've just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away."

- Wilhuff Tarkin

In 0 BBY (35:3:5), Palpatine ordered the Imperial Senate to be shut down "for the duration of the emergency", ostensibly due to the widespread dissemination of the Declaration of Rebellion over the previous months; it was never revived. To fill the open void in the Imperial government, COMPNOR's Select Committee stepped up to the role of overseeing the vast Imperial Bureaucracy; the Imperial Ruling Council became the central leadership within the Empire, with the regional governors and moffs in direct control over their territories.

Eventually the was succession of the Imperial legislature was filled by various councils, most composed of Moffs: the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, the Interim Ruling Council, and finally, the Council of Moffs.

According to the Bureau of Operations of Imperial Intelligence, the Rebel Alliance managed to rescue many former senators who were willing to use their political influence to oppose the Galactic Empire. To prevent these politicians from openly supporting the Rebellion, Imperial Intelligence sent teams to attack the senators' hideouts.

7 ABY marked the year that the Imperial Senate was succeeded by the New Republic Senate.

Powers
Besides the name, its organization differed somewhat from its Republican forebear. Whereas the Galactic Senate had held both legislative and executive power, the Imperial Senate held legislative power (yet most of this power was in the hands of the Emperor, as he was the overall ultimate authority) by orders of the Senate Constitution. Despite such, the Imperial Senate still held limited judicial authority, enough to try high ranking officials in the Empire and, possibly, handle cases tied into the Supreme Court (for as long as it lasted). The Emperor allowed the Senate to provide him counsel in enacting new laws. It also had nominal oversight of the Imperial Bureaucracy and work on the Imperial budget. However, the Emperor made it clear that his judgements would be final: Imperial decrees would be issued without debates, court proceedings, or Senatorial overrides. The Emperor could also call and dismiss the Senate at will.

Because of the Grand Moffs and Moffs, the Senators no longer served or had power as governor-delegates, which probably added to the dissolution of the legislature. The Senate could pass amendments to the Imperial Charter, and apparently had at least nominal oversight of the Imperial Military and government bureaucracy.

The day-to-day head of the Senate was no longer the Vice Chair, but the Grand Vizier as President of the Senate. The Senate was, at least in theory, responsible for choosing a new Emperor upon the death or abdication of the current holder of the throne. As Palpatine had no intention of ever dying or abdicating, this power was merely a formality.

Composition
The Imperial Senate was made up of groups of congressmen: Senators and representatives, representing sectors in the Empire. Some were elected directly, while others were appointed by a planet's ruler.

Because of "Human High Culture", most of the alien Senators were replaced by Humans, who ended up representing worlds that were entirely nonhuman. However, alien senators were not unheard of, especially in the early days of the Empire.

Committees and Subcommittees include:
 * Delegation of 2000
 * Senate Budgetary Committee
 * Imperial Military Oversight Commission
 * Finance Committee

Documents
Documents relating to the Imperial Senate included:


 * Capital Powers Act
 * Decree 77-92465-001
 * Emergency Military Powers Act
 * Imperial Charter
 * Senate Constitution

Behind the Scenes
Palpatine's transformation of the Galactic Senate into the Imperial Senate mirrors how the Roman Republic was transformed into the Roman Empire by its first emperor, Augustus. Rather than risk further confrontation with the Roman Republic's Senate, Augustus allowed the Senators to continue meeting, but they had been stripped of any real executive power, continuing as little more than an advisory council which he could simply ignore at his leisure. Nonetheless, the Senate still continued to meet during the next two centuries of the Roman Empire's existence. As time passed in the first decades after Augustus' reign, it was increasingly stripped of even the pretense of political power, and served as little more than a social club for the wealthier aristocrats of Rome.

Non-canon appearances

 * The Princess Leia Diaries
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * The Rebel Club