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- "Chiss don't invade the territories of others. We don't make war against even potential enemies unless we're attacked first."
- ―Force Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, to Jorj Car'das
The defensive-only doctrine,[1] also known as the Ascendancy honor code,[4] Chiss codes of conduct,[5] or non-aggression laws,[6] was a law of the Chiss Ascendancy that rendered first strikes in warfare illegal and punishable by exile.[4] Through the influence of the ruling Aristocra and the Chiss Academy, Chiss society considered pre-emptive strikes taboo.[7] The law was in place 1,000 years prior to 22 ABY[3] and was one of the central tenets of Chiss society.[2]
The Chiss Force Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known as Thrawn, violated the law in 27 BBY, when he destroyed the Republic starship Outbound Flight. Thrawn convinced the Ruling Families to allow him to retain his position, although he had still created enemies for himself. After violating the law again in another conflict Thrawn was stripped of his rank and exiled to a planet on the edge of Imperial territory, where he was collected by Voss Parck.[8]
In 22 ABY,[9] the issue on preemptive strikes along with their defensive-only doctrine became a subject of strenuous debate among the Nine Ruling Families.[2]
In 36 ABY, Luke Skywalker considered the possibility that the Chiss Ascendancy had rejected the law in response to changing galactic circumstances, causing the Swarm War with the Killik Colony.[4] Jacen Solo, aware of the Chiss policy on preemptive strikes, attempted to frame the attack of a Chiss supply depot at Thrago on the Killiks, hoping to incite a Chiss counterstrike.[10]
Behind the scenes[]
The Chiss law against first strikes was first mentioned in the novel Vision of the Future, written by Timothy Zahn and published in 1998 by Bantam Spectra.[8] It was identified as the "defensive-only doctrine" by Zahn's 2006 novel Outbound Flight.[1]
The law has a similar precedent in real-world political theory called the non-aggression principle, a fundamental axiom in individualist philosophy.
Appearances[]
- Outbound Flight (and unabridged audiobook) (First identified as defensive-only doctrine, in book)
- Outbound Flight abridged audiobook
- Vision of the Future (and unabridged audiobook) (First mentioned, in book)
- Survivor's Quest (and unabridged audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey (Indirect mention only)
- The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee (Indirect mention only)
- Dark Nest I: The Joiner King (First identified as Ascendancy honor code)
- Dark Nest I: The Joiner King abridged audiobook
- Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
- Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen abridged audiobook
Sources[]
"The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life: The Chiss" — Star Wars Gamer 5 (as deep-rooted Chiss philosophies)- Alien Anthology
- Ultimate Alien Anthology (First identified as Chiss codes of conduct)
- The New Essential Guide to Alien Species (Indirect mention only)
- Legacy Era Campaign Guide (Indirect mention only)
- "Grand Admiral Thrawn" — Star Wars Insider 113 (First identified as non-aggression laws)
- The Unknown Regions (First identified as Ascendancy's first-strike doctrine)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Outbound Flight
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Survivor's Quest
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The defensive-only doctrine is established to be 1,000 years old during the events of Survivor's Quest, which takes place in 22 ABY per The Essential Reader's Companion. Therefore, it must have been established around 978 BBY.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
- ↑ Ultimate Alien Anthology
- ↑
"Grand Admiral Thrawn" — Star Wars Insider 113
- ↑ Enter the Unknown
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Vision of the Future
- ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion dates the events of Survivor's Quest to 22 ABY.
- ↑ Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen