Imperial Senate

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

- Leia Organa

The Imperial Senate was the de jure legislative council of the First Galactic Empire. It was the successor to the Senate of the Republic, which was reformed when the then-Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine declared himself sole ruler. That assembly was disbanded for good after the capture of Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, a senator who supported the Rebellion against Palpatine's absolute rule. The Senate's former prerogatives were handed down to the regional governors and the military.

History
"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."

- Grand Moff Tarkin

After the end of the Clone Wars&mdash;which he had carefully masterminded&mdash;the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious abandoned his public persona of Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and chairman of its senate. He ordered a special session of Congress and proclaimed himself Galactic Emperor, turning the old Republic into a New Order in his image. The representatives overwhelmingly supported the announcement, except for a few delegates, including Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa. In the wake of the regime change, the Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate. By its fourteenth year of existence, the new Senate had started growing weaker as the Emperor's planetary governors assumed more responsibility over their territories.

The Imperial Senate remained in place for most of Palpatine's rule, constituting one of the last remnants of the old Republic. However, the Rebellion against the Empire kept gaining a growing support in the that council. Certain senators, including Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, did not hesitate to use their diplomatic immunity to help the Rebels. The last straw came nineteen years after the birth of the Empire, when Senator Leia Organa tried to smuggle the stolen plans for the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station that could destroy entire planets. Organa's blockade runner was captured by Sith Lord Darth Vader, the Emperor's apprentice and right-hand man. As he did not want to generate more sympathy for the Rebellion in the Senate, Vader ordered to send a false distress signal and then inform the senators that all aboard Organa's vessel had been killed. Shortly thereafter, the Emperor disbanded the Imperial Senate, passing direct control down to regional governors and the military.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Tarkin
 * Ezra's Gamble
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope