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- "You have a powerful imagination. When you want to, you see grand adventures, even in a rotten galaxy like this. Remember: your focus determines your reality. You have vision. Embrace it. Make your life the one you wanna live."
- ―Jod Na Nawood, to Wim
The galaxy, as it was commonly referred to, was one of trillions of galaxies in the observable universe. The galaxy was a vast composite of over 400 billion estimated stars and over 3.2 billion habitable systems orbiting around a supermassive black hole known as the Galactic Centre, which existed at the heart of the galaxy. The four galactic arms rotated around this black hole across a diameter of around 120,000 light-years. It was home to countless sentient species and star systems.
The galaxy would serve as the setting for trade, politics, and war throughout galactic history. In historical memory, the galaxy would see the successive eras of the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, New Republic, among others, and was home to the Force-sensitive sects such as the Jedi Order and Sith and numerous cultural groups such as the Mandalorians.
Astrography[]
Overview[]
- "...be transported from the Outer Rim to as far away as the Core Worlds. However there are several other regions within our galaxy. They are the Mid Rim...The Expansion Region, the Inner Rim, the Colonies, Core, and Deep Core."
- ―A protocol droid teacher to her students
The galaxy had two satellite galaxies surrounding it.
The galaxy had a diameter of 120,000 light-years,[4] over 400 billion stars, more than 3.2 billion habitable star systems,[1] and at least two companion galaxies,[6] one of which was known as the Rishi Maze.[14] Outside its borders, the galaxy was surrounded by the intergalactic void.[15] Within its space, the galaxy was divided into several regions. The regions were subdivided into sectors and then star systems which contained planets. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, oversectors were created and were composed of several sectors ruled by a Grand Moff.[7] Notable sectors/autonomous regions included the Arkanis sector, Bothan Space, Centrality, Corporate Sector, Gordian Reach, Greater Javin, Hapes Consortium, Hutt Space, Mandalorian Space, Moddell sector, Senex-Juvex, Tion Cluster,[9] and Western Reaches.[8]
The Standard Galactic Grid was used to give the location of a galactic point in grid coordinates.[16] Areas of the galactic disk could be referred to as the galactic north, south, east and west.[17] Notable points of interest were the fifty wonders of the Core Worlds, thirty wonders of the Mid Rim Territories and the twenty-five wonders of the Outer Rim Territories.[5] There were millions of sentient species in the galaxy.[11] Millions of billions of individual beings called the galaxy home.[18]
Deep Core[]
Main article: - "It's crowded in there and things move fast."
- ―Luke Skywalker
The Deep Core served as the innermost and most brightly lit region of space. It was densely-packed with stars, nebulae, and other anomalies. As such, it was dangerous to navigate, leaving it relatively few explorers.[19] It was from here that the ancient, super-massive black hole[10] known as the Galactic Centre[20] bound the galaxy together.[10]
Core Worlds[]
- "The Clone Wars did the unthinkable—it put the Core Worlds at risk. The insulated heart of the Republic had grown complacent in a sense of security and comfort. By war's end, the encroaching fear of Separatist attack reshaped the galaxy."
- ―Janyor
The Core World Coruscant was the historic center of galactic power.
The Core Worlds were home to the richest and most important worlds in the galaxy. Densely inhabited and located on the strategic ends of several major trade lanes, its planets were hubs of fashion, education, finance, and technology.[1] It is where the human species arguably[1] began.[22] It was from Coruscant, Corellia, Kuat, Hosnian Prime, and other systems that the fate of the galaxy was often decided.[19]
An attack on the Core Worlds was virtually inconceivable during the Republic Era; according to the Bith artist Janyor, the "sense of security and comfort" created an atmosphere of complacency within the heartland of the Galactic Republic. Toward the end of the Clone Wars though Core Worlders became increasingly fearful of a direct attack by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.[21]
Colonies[]
The Colonies consisted of worlds colonized by the Core. Many of its planets sat along major trade routes, and were extremely wealthy. Notable planets included Abednedo,[19] Cato Neimoidia, and Carida.[9]
Inner Rim Territories[]
When first settled, the Inner Rim Territories served as the frontier of galactic civilization for centuries, known simply as "the Rim." As colonization spread outwards, Inner Rim worlds prospered. Notable planets included Bestine, Onderon, Thyferra, and Taanab.[9]
Expansion Region[]
The Expansion Region contained many newer colonies sponsored by their coreward neighbors. Notable planets included Umbara, Mimban,[19][9] and the mining station known as the Ring of Kafrene.[23]
Mid Rim Territories[]
The planet Naboo was located in the Mid Rim Territories.
The Mid Rim Territories were a tranquil region of space that brimmed with varied galactic worlds that boasted successful governments and thriving economies. Distance from the Core gave these worlds less fame or notoriety than planets closer to the galactic center.[19] The Mid Rim was unofficially considered the lawful extent of the Galactic Republic and Galactic Empire.[10][1] Spillover piracy from the Outer Rim affected the region.[19] Those headed towards the Outer Rim saw it as the last taste of civilization, while those heading corewards saw it as the last grasp of frontier living.[24] Notable planets included Naboo, Malastare, Bothawui, Kashyyyk, Ruusan, Ringo Vinda, and Ord Mantell.[9]
Outer Rim Territories[]
- "The Outer Rim is a lawless place."
- ―Jennica Pierce
The Outer Rim was home to worlds such as the desert planet of Tatooine.
The largest[19] region of the known galaxy, the Outer Rim Territories were considered to be lawless, strange, and savage. Criminal organizations, including the Hutt Clan of Hutt Space, the Black Sun, Pyke Syndicate, and Zygerrian enslavers operated in abundance within the region.[1] Notable worlds included Arkanis, Mon Cala, Kessel, Ryloth, Eriadu, Sullust, Geonosis, Mustafar, Crait, Nal Hutta, Cantonica, Hoth, Lothal, Dagobah, Endor, Nar Shaddaa, Florrum, Yavin 4, Saleucami, Scarif, Felucia, Dathomir, and Tatooine.[9]
Unknown Regions[]
- "The Unknown Regions are vast."
- ―Caluan Ematt
Mysterious and largely unexplored, the Unknown Regions was located beyond the known galaxy.
The Unknown Regions was composed of the westward arm of the galaxy that was mapped, but largely unexplored.[19] Solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and other handicaps to hyperspace travel left it largely unexplored throughout galactic history.[27] Mysterious species shrouded in myth, such the Chiss[28] and Grysk,[29] as well as the deeply-religious Kilji species originated from the Unknown Regions. Notable planets included Csilla,[9] Ilum,[30] Rakata Prime,[24] Exegol,[31] and Ahch-To.[32]
Wild Space[]
- "Those systems are beyond the Outer Rim, in Wild Space. Not on any map."
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Unlike other regions of the galaxy, Wild Space existed along the entire circumference of the galactic disk and on the borderlands of the Unknown Regions.[9] It was inhabited by sentient species but not fully charted, explored, and civilized.[7][8] Explorers and cartographers sought their fortune here at their peril.[19]
History[]
Early galactic civilization[]
- "Societal memories and official calendars started fresh, and the time before this rebirth was forgotten as a dark age, lumped into a collective whole known as the 'Old Republic.'"
- ―Janyor
The Old Republic was an early incarnation of the Galactic Republic.
The history of the galaxy spans many millennia. Approximately twenty-five millennia before the Battle of Yavin, one or more ancestor species discovered hyperspace travel. This invention opened the galaxy up for exploration and travel.[7]
To navigate the unimaginably large distances between star systems, spacecraft utilized a hyperdrive. This propulsion system allowed travel through hyperspace, an alternate dimension where a starship could take advantage of the wrinkles in the fabric of spacetime to reduce journey time and distance significantly, effectively "jumping" from point to point without having to travel directly between them.[34] Galactic travelers used hyperspace sextants for navigating hyperspace roughly four thousand years before the Cold War.[24]
In ancient times, beings from a far galaxy built a reflex point on the planet Seatos which pointed the way to an extragalactic location known to Peridea. While some such as former Jedi Knight Baylan Skoll regarded Peridea as a fairytale, Nightsister survivor Lady Morgan Elsbeth regarded Peridea as a real place that was the ancient homeworld of her ancestors.[35] A star map pointing the way to the far galaxy was also stored inside a Nightsister stronghold on Arcana.[36]
The Old Republic-era[37] began with the formation of the early Republic[11][38] around 25,000 BBY.[39] The Republic was founded by the Core Founders, a group of twenty-two Core Worlds which included the planet Alderaan.[40]
The Jedi Order was founded by the Prime Jedi thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin.
The Jedi Order was also formed around 25,000 BBY.[39] A noble group of Force-sensitives capable of harnessing the powers of the Force,[41] the Order originated with the Prime Jedi on the planet Ahch-To, where the first Jedi Temple was built.[32] As told by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, "the Jedi served as the guardians of peace and justice for over a thousand generations in the Old Republic."[42] Later, a sect of Force-sensitives who followed the dark side of the Force split from the Jedi[7] to form the Sith during the Hundred-Year Darkness.[43] In one of their wars, the world Malachor was devastated during the Great Scourge of Malachor, which left the battlefield littered with the petrified corpses of the Sith and Jedi combatants.[44]
The Sith built an Empire through the use of slave labor.[45][27] During their period of galactic dominance, the Sith built a shrine on Coruscant. The Jedi Temple was constructed over the foundations of the shrine subsequent to the Jedi victory that drove the Sith from Coruscant.[7]
The Sith Order survived for generations under Darth Bane's Rule of Two.
The last conflict between the Jedi Knights[46] and the Sith ended with the defeat of the Sith[7] on the Mid Rim planet[47] Ruusan[48] in 1032 BBY.[49] The victory of the Republic was so complete[21] that the Jedi believed the Sith to be extinct. However, the Sith lineage continued through a sole survivor, Sith Lord Darth Bane whose Rule of Two ensured the continuation of the Sith[50] for a millennium in secret.[51] Bane's death by the hand of his Sith apprentice[52] Darth Zannah[53] began a tradition in which the apprentice finished their training by killing their Master.[52]
In addition to the Sith,[21] the Zygerrian Slave Empire[54] and the Mandalorians were adversaries of the Jedi Order.[55] The Jedi defeated the Zygerrians,[54] but lost to the Mandalorians with the sacking of the Jedi Temple.[55] In the sack, the Jedi Order lost one of their artifacts, the Darksaber. Forged by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order,[56] the Darksaber was taken from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by members of House Vizsla.[55] The Jedi eventually won the Mandalorian-Jedi War,[56] a conflict that left the planet Mandalore devastated and transformed into a largely uninhabitable wasteland.[57]
The Galactic Republic[]
Forming a new era[]
- "The Republic victory was so definitive that it reinvented itself, resettling its capital on Coruscant after a devastating ouster. History reset its chrono on this date, and from that moment, the modern Galactic Republic was born."
- ―Janyor
Under the protection of the Jedi Order, the modern Galactic Republic presided over a millennium of peace.
The defeat of the Sith brought about the formation of the modern Republic[21] in 1032 BBY.[58] This version of the Republic, while viewed as the "latest evolution" of a millennia-old democratic polity, was nevertheless a new beginning for galactic society. Its establishment therefore served as the epoch of the new era, while the history prior to the reinvention of the Republic was ultimately lost and referred to as the "Old Republic."[21]
As the home of the Galactic Senate, Coruscant served as the political capital of the galaxy.[21] The Republic was the dominant galactic government for a thousand years until the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars.[6] During the Republic's reign, the Core Worlds underwent a wave of expansion by settling new worlds and establishing trading colonies. In the process, they also cut deals with native populations or simply overran them.[7] A millennium before 19 BBY,[59] the Yavin Code was established during the Yavin Convention to govern the treatment of prisoners.[60]
High Republic Era[]
When the Evereni left their homeworld of Everon, they were surprised to find other life-forms and, due to their natural inclination to distrust others, began to wipe out the beings they encountered, turning themselves into outlaws and forcing them to act through more covert means.[61] During the High Republic Era, the galaxy was believed to be at peace, resulting in less of a need for military forces. Protected by the Jedi and the Republic Defense Coalition, the Republic expanded into the Outer Rim to spread its era of ambition and Great Works, yet it would instead find itself in conflict with the Nihil after the Great Hyperspace Disaster[62] in 232 BBY.[63] In truth, the Nihil were pawns of a family of Evereni who wanted revenge on the Jedi and Republic for past events[61] that stretched back to the days of the Path of the Open Hand cult:[64] over a century prior,[63] the Path had entered into conflict with the Jedi due to their opposing views on the Force, which the Path believed no living being was allowed to manipulate. To secure an advantage over the Jedi, Mother Elecia Zeveron unleashed beings known as the Nameless, which hunted Force-sensitives and were controlled by a set of rods.[64]
First unleashing a Nameless[64] known later as the Great Leveler,[40] the Path journeyed to the Nameless homeworld after stirring the Battle of Jedha into being. On the world, informally known as Planet X, the Path discovered more Nameless eggs, but one team member, Bokana Koss, experienced a Force vision that warned him beings known as the Under-Dwellers would take advantage of their mission to spread across the galaxy as a blight, with that blight "chaining" and trying to destroy the Force itself if unleashed. Ignoring his warning, the Path made it off Planet X despite the efforts of a being known as the protector and the Veil. In the ensuing Night of Sorrow, the Path, reformed into the Path of the Closed Fist, warred with the Jedi and their allies until Path Guide Marda Ro—who was horrified at the way the Nameless feasted upon people, witnessed that the Nameless targeted members of her own order without regard if they happened to be Force-sensitive, and realized the Mother had lied to her—wiped out the Nameless with the exception of the Leveler. After killing Zeveron with the Leveler and escaping with the beast,[64] Ro forged the original incarnation of the Nihil[65] and passed her revenge down over the generations[61] with the hope they would at last "free" the Force."[64]
Those efforts culminated in the finalized Nihil and[61] Marda's descendant[65] Marchion Ro,[61] who claimed to still practice the family rituals[40] and was dedicated to their revenge,[62] but, perhaps without realizing it, was most interesting in securing his own freedom from anyone who would chain him down.[66] Marchion led the Nihil through war with the Republic and Jedi and rediscovered the Great Leveler,[40] in time venturing to Planet X himself with the Nihil to claim even more Nameless. Thanks to Ro, the Nihil brought down Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh's great Starlight Beacon project and claimed an entire segment of the galaxy as Nihil-controlled space.[66] As the Jedi and Republic continued their conflict against the Nihil and worked to free the sectors the pirates had claimed,[65] however, the blight foretold by Koss[64] was discovered by both the Jedi and Nihil.[65]
Late Republic Era[]
As the Republic continued along, corruption began to take greater power in the Galactic Senate, while megacorporations like the Trade Federation were granted representation within the government body.[51] The Jedi Order grew to be unwilling to challenge the corrupt of the Senate at large[67] and increasingly isolated from the greater galaxy[68] even though discontent with the Republic and its corruption emerged.[67][69]
The Sith Lord Darth Sidious masterminded his own rise to power as Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.
In the years leading up to the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas foresaw an upcoming conflict and, against the wishes of the Jedi Order, commissioned the Kaminoans to create an army of clone troopers on Kamino.[6] In 32 BBY,[19] a dispute between the Republic and the Trade Federation over the taxation of trade routes to outlying systems led the Federation to impose a blockade on the Mid Rim world of Naboo. The Federation was eventually expelled by a coalition of Naboo humans, Gungans, and Jedi. Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo took advantage of the occupation of his homeworld in order to succeed Finis Valorum as Supreme Chancellor.[51] In secret, Palpatine was Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who was dedicated to reestablishing the Sith’s rule of the galaxy.[70]
The Clone Wars[]
- "For years, the Clone Wars raged across hundreds of worlds. The Jedi led their seemingly faithful clone troops in an onslaught of harrowing battles, their Order growing ever weaker."
- ―Darth Sidious
The Separatist Crisis led to open war between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The Confederacy of Independent Systems was formed between 24 BBY and 22 BBY[71] as a result of widespread dissatisfaction with the Republic. The Separatist movement was led by Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master who became Darth Sidious' second Sith apprentice as Darth Tyranus. During the Separatist Crisis, several thousand star systems and corporations declared their intention to leave the Republic. The discovery of a clone army on Kamino and the Separatist Droid Army on Geonosis set the stage for the First Battle of Geonosis, which became the catalyst of the Clone Wars. At the urging of Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks, the Senate transferred emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine, who used his new-found powers to formally create the Grand Army of the Republic.[6]
During the Clone Wars, Republic and Separatist armies fought numerous battles across the galaxy.
The Clone Wars engulfed much of the galaxy for the next three years.[19] The Jedi-led Republic Military and Separatist forces fought on multiple worlds and fronts including Christophsis,[72] Ryloth,[73] Umbara,[74] Onderon,[75] Coruscant, Utapau, and Kashyyyk. The Confederacy of Independent Systems collapsed with the deaths of Dooku, General Grievous, and the Separatist Council on Mustafar. Chancellor Palpatine, having accused the Jedi Order of treason, commanded the Grand Army of the Republic to execute Order 66, resulting in many Jedi being gunned down by their clone troopers. With the Jedi Order effectively destroyed, Palpatine was proclaimed as Galactic Emperor and the Republic was reorganized into the first Galactic Empire.[70]
With the Jedi all but destroyed, the Republic was supplanted by the first Galactic Empire.
Most of the Jedi were killed in the Great Jedi Purge.[42] Whereas the Order comprised ten thousand Jedi Knights at the time of the Clone Wars, only a few survivors remained during the height of Imperial rule.[76] The Jedi were vilified by Imperial propaganda, with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda publicly denouncing them while hosting a celebration of their eradication at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.[77] The Jedi who survived the initial purge were scattered across the galaxy. Master Kenobi fled to Tatooine,[42] Grand Master Yoda retreated to Dagobah, a wild and swampy world;[78] and Padawan Cal Kestis joined the Scrapper Guild on Bracca.[79]
A number of Jedi even joined the Empire. The Inquisitorius, a group of Jedi hunters who served the Empire, was composed of fallen Jedi such as the Second Sister, who was once Trilla Suduri of the Jedi Order.[79] Kenobi’s former apprentice Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker became Sidious' final apprentice;[70] as Darth Vader and was instrumental in the Great Jedi Purge.[42]
The Galactic Empire[]
- "Under the Sith… [the galaxy] is a pyramid. Everyone climbing to the same place, pushing others down so they can ascend. And at its peak, someone waits ready to destroy anyone who would dare approach. The only truly free person in the entire galaxy. Emperor Palpatine. His name, his Sith name, is Darth Sidious. The name of his apprentice is Darth Vader. They are the two most powerful people in the galaxy."
- ―Qi'ra
As Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious ruled the galaxy with Darth Vader as his apprentice and enforcer.
The fascist Galactic Empire became the dominant government of the galaxy for the next two and a half decades. The Empire assumed control over galactic society, interplanetary economies, the HoloNet, and a sprawling Imperial Military.[21] As Galactic Emperor, Palpatine wielded considerable power over the Empire's military, resources, and inhabitants. The revamped Imperial Senate saw more of its powers being transferred to planetary and regional governors who had been appointed by the Empire.[81]
The Imperial Survey Corps took an interest in exploring the uncharted reaches of space, including the Unknown Regions[7] and Wild Space. As a result, the demand for maps and cartographers exponentially increased. This allowed explorers such as Auric and Rhyssa Graf to make a decent living from selling maps until they were kidnapped by the Imperial Captain Visler Korda.[82] In addition, the Empire created a galactic-wide network of Imperial Academies to indoctrinate and train youths to serve in the Imperial Military.[83] In secret, the Empire embarked on an ambitious program to create a planet-destroying superweapon called the Death Star.[7]
The New Order was maintained through Imperial propaganda and military might.
The Empire also expropriated land and resources and ruthlessly stamped out dissent. HoloNet and other media became a propaganda medium for the Empire.[83] In addition, the Empire was xenophobic and favored humans at the expense of alien species. In the Imperial order, aliens were regarded as serfs, slaves, and obstacles needing to be tamed, removed, or ignored. Humans came to dominate the Imperial government and military while alien species, such as the Wookiees and the Talz were enslaved.[84] Other alien species such as the Lasat[85] to make an example and the Geonosians also experienced genocide to keep the Death Star secret.[86] Despite this entrenched xenophobia, some aliens rose to positions of prominence in the Empire such as the Chagrian Grand Vizier Mas Amedda,[7] the Pau'an Grand Inquisitor,[87] and the Chiss warlord Grand Admiral Thrawn.[88]
In 10 BBY,[89] Captain Han Solo set a new galactic record by making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs aboard the Millennium Falcon, which he later acquired from Lando Calrissian. Solo and his companions his partner Chewbacca, his lover Lady Qi'ra, his mentor Tobias Beckett, Calrissian, and L3-37 had earlier stolen coaxium from the spice mining world of Kessel in order to settle Beckett's debts to the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Solo and his companions were later involved in the death of Crimson Dawn public leader Dryden Vos.[90]
The Galactic Civil War[]
- "The Galactic Civil War was not a battle for territory. It was a struggle for the hearts and minds of the galaxy."
- ―Janyor
The Galactic Civil War was a conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
As the Empire tightened its grip on the galaxy, resistance movements sprang up on a number of worlds. Most of these movements were strictly local, determined to free an individual planet or star system from Imperial rule.[91] Eventually, however, dissatisfaction and opposition to the Empire culminated in a scattered network of rebel cells. Around 4 BBY,[19] rebel cells began to coalesce into larger groups such as the Phoenix Cell, ending a previous policy of maintaining secrecy[92] and beginning the Galactic Civil War.[93] As the Rebellion grew in power, some Imperial tacticians such as Thrawn[88] and ISB Supervisor Commander Dedra Meero[94] realized the Empire was facing a galaxy-wide insurgency.[88]
In 2 BBY,[63] the rebel cells officially formed the Alliance to Restore the Republic under Chancellor Mon Mothma[95] and Viceroy Bail Organa.[91] In 1 BBY,[63] in an attempt to obtain the Death Star plans, the Rebel Alliance launched an attack on Scarif,[96] which marked the first victory for the Rebellion in the Galactic Civil War. Shortly later,[42] in what became known as 0 BBY,[19] the Empire destroyed the planet Alderaan under Emperor Palpatine’s protege Governor Wilhuff Tarkin to showcase the power of the Death Star. In response, the Rebel Alliance used the stolen Death Star plans to destroy the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.[42]
With the Emperor slain and the Death Star destroyed, the Battle of Endor marked a turning point in the Galactic Civil War.
For the next four years, the galaxy was locked in a civil war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Fighting took place at locations like the Mid Rim, Sullust,[10] Hoth, and Cloud City.[78] Crimson Dawn would also re-emerge and launch a war against the Sith, which would end in its defeat at the hands of Sidious and Vader.[97] In the wake of Crimson Dawn's defeat, a rogue droid known as the Scourge emerged and spread an infection of droids and cyborgs[98] with the ultimate goal of taking over the Force, only to be opposed by the warrior-priest droid Ajax Sigma.[99] In secret, the Emperor commissioned the construction of a second Death Star above Endor and laid a trap for the Rebel Alliance in a calculated gamble. However, Vader’s son Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker managed to redeem him before he saved his son by fulfilling his destiny of killing Emperor Palpatine, destroying the Sith again,[100] and bring balance back to the Force.[101] The death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the Death Star II had a cataclysmic effect on the galaxy.[102]
The New Republic[]
- "Join us in the foundation of a new Republic to be shaped by the will of the governed. Claim your freedom and your future. Help is on the way."
- ―Leia Organa
The founding of the New Republic marked the dawn of a new era in galactic history.
Following the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance transitioned into the New Republic. The Galactic Civil War reached a new crescendo as the New Republic made numerous advances on multiple fronts against the bewildered remnants of the Empire.[102] The Alliance and subsequent New Republic foiled Operation: Cinder, a posthumous contingency plan by the Emperor to devastate Naboo and at least a dozen other worlds.[103][104] In the months after the events at Endor, New Republic and Imperial forces clashed on numerous fronts including the Anoat sector,[22] Malastare, Geonosis, Naalol, Sevarcos, and Akiva.[102] A civil war also broke out on the galactic capital of Coruscant.[84]
By 5 ABY,[105] the New Republic had reconstituted the Galactic Senate on Chandrila and gained control of the HoloNet and large swaths of the galaxy, including Akiva and Kuat. Solo, Chewbacca, and a team of Wookiee exiles and other allies also liberated Kashyyyk from Imperial rule. However, the chaos caused by the Civil War and the death of Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure which occurred before Palpatine’s allowed various criminal factions including the pirate lord Eleodie Maracavanya and the Red Key Raiders to gain traction. A string of Imperial defeats led Grand Admiral Rae Sloane to propose peace talks with Chancellor Mon Mothma. However, the attack on Chandrila destroyed the mood for diplomacy and enabled Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to seize power.[84]
In the aftermath of the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Empire formally capitulated to the New Republic.
Proclaiming himself Counselor to the Empire, Rax brought most of the Imperial remnants to the desert world of Jakku for a showdown with the New Republic. In truth, Rax planned to execute the final stage of Emperor Palpatine's Contingency to his master plan which involved exploding the planet Jakku in order to destroy what remained of the Empire. Rax planned to lead a worthy remnant into the Unknown Regions to build a new order. Several months later, New Republic agents discovered Rax's forces and the Senate dispatched a fleet to Jakku. Amidst the fighting, Sloane joined forces with New Republic Agents Norra and her son Brentin Lore Wexley to foil Rax's plan. Meanwhile, Mas Amedda escaped house arrest and signed the Galactic Concordance with Chancellor Mothma, facilitating the Empire's surrender to the New Republic. While the New Republic celebrated its victory, Sloane and other loyal Imperial forces fled into the Unknown Regions.[27]
Formed from a secret Imperial Contingency, the First Order of the Unknown Regions challenged the New Republic's place the galaxy.
Following the Battle of Jakku, the defeated remnants of the Empire signed the Galactic Concordance, which imposed harsh war reparations and demilitarized the galaxy. With the Empire defeated, the New Republic turned its attention to reshaping the galactic order. Under New Republic rule, the galaxy endured peace for the next twenty-nine years. A group of Imperial hardliners eventually left Imperial space and rebuilt themselves upon joining the First Order, a military junta founded by former Imperials in the Unknown Regions secretly dedicated to overthrowing the Republic. In the veil of the Unknown Regions, the First Order rearmed their military forces and built Starkiller Base in anticipation for their war to retake the galaxy, though this was all in direct violation of the Galactic Concordance.[24]
By 28 ABY,[106] the New Republic had become weakened by infighting between two powerful factions: the Populists, who sought greater autonomy, and the Centrists, who desired a stronger central government. The New Republic's inability to enforce financial regulations and patrol the galactic shipping lanes allowed criminal factions such as Rinnrivin Di's cartel and the Amaxine warriors to emerge. In secret, these were front organizations that had been created by the First Order to generate revenue for its rearmament program and to subvert the New Republic. With the New Republic leadership unwilling to take action against threats to its existence, Princess Leia Organa founded a paramilitary outfit called the Resistance.[107]
First Order-Resistance War[]
Rise of the First Order[]
- "Today is the end of the Republic! The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder! At this very moment, in a system far from here the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance. This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand, will bring an end to the Senate! To their cherished fleet! All remaining systems will bow to the First Order! And will remember this as the last day of the Republic!"
- ―Armitage Hux
The completion of Starkiller Base provided the First Order with the power of destroying the New Republic in a single preemptive attack.
During the Cold War, the Trans-Hydian Borderlands had become a buffer zone between the New Republic and the expanding First Order. Unwilling to risk conflict with the Order, the Republic ordered its military to avoid hostilities with any of it forces.[109] After failing to stop Resistance droid BB-8, scavenger Rey, former stormtrooper Finn, and Solo from escaping with a map leading to Luke, the last Jedi, who had gone into self-exile after his efforts to restore the Jedi Order were destroyed, the First Order used their superweapon on Starkiller Base to launch a preemptive attack on the New Republic’s current capital Hosnian Prime[108] in 34 ABY.[19] Marking the start of the Starkiller crisis, the Hosnian Cataclysm was witnessed across the galaxy since the First Order had discovered a way of firing dark energy through sub-hyperspace within minutes.[110] In response, the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base.[108]
Prior to the outbreak of the First Order-Resistance War, Resistance spy Kazuda Xiono was posted to the Colossus, a supertanker fuel depot based on the Mid Rim planet Castilon.[111] The Colossus was subsequently occupied by the First Order,[112] which wanted to exploit the station as a military supply line.[113] Following the Hosnian Cataclysm, Xiono and rebel veteran Commander Jarek Yeager led an uprising and brought the Colossus into space.[114] In response, the First Order launched a hunt for the Colossus, seeking to destroy it.[115]
Kylo Ren, the grandson of Darth Vader, usurped Snoke's place as the Supreme Leader of the First Order.
Despite the destruction of Starkiller Base, the Hosnian Cataclysm decapitated the New Republic. As a result, Supreme Leader Snoke deployed his legions to seize military control over the galaxy. Rey predicted the major systems would fall to the First Order within weeks. The First Order also launched an offensive against the Resistance, destroying their base on D'Qar and pursuing them through space with a hyperspace tracker. Though the First Order inflicted heavy casualties on the Resistance, the First Order sustained serious losses when Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo rammed the Resistance's flagship the Raddus into Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship the Supremacy while he got assassinated by his apprentice and Anakin’s grandson Kylo Ren, who claimed the title of Supreme Leader. Ren pursued the surviving members of the Resistance to the planet Crait. There, Luke made his last stand which gave the Resistance and Rey enough time to escape aboard the Millennium Falcon.[116]
Rise of the galaxy[]
- "People are rising up all over the galaxy. Poe, we did it."
"We did it." - ―Finn and Poe Dameron
The Final Order was a Sith fleet constructed by the followers of Emperor Palpatine, who got resurrected on Exegol.
Although Emperor Palpatine's body was destroyed during the Battle of Endor, he transferred his spirit into a clone after the fall of the Empire, however the process that created it was unfinished, forcing him to inhabit an unstable vessel so he survived for another generation while his followers, a Sith cult known as the Sith Eternal, created the Final Order—a massive armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers capable of destroying planets.[52]
With the galaxy at war again and the Final Order complete, Palpatine came out of hiding and announced his return[11] in 35 ABY.[118] In his broadcast he demanded the submission of every world in the galaxy and revealed his true identity as a Sith Lord, which he no longer treated to be secret. The inhabitants of the galaxy were sent into a state of disbelief and fright when they learnt of Emperor Palpatine's survival.[11] Kylo Ren, having vowed never to serve another master and believing in letting go of the past,[31] regarded Palpatine as an intolerable threat to his power as Supreme Leader.[117] As a result, Ren's priorities shifted from the defeating the Resistance and suppressing their galaxy wide rebellion against his rule[31] to finding the Sith Lord so he could finish what his grandfather started and destroy the Sith once more.[117]
Ren tracked Palpatine to Exegol, where he discovered the Sith fleet as well as the secret of Rey's lineage.
Using his grandfather’s wayfinder acquired on Mustafar, Ren journeyed to Exegol where he discovered Emperor Palpatine along with the Sith Eternal and the Final Order.[117] He revealed his role behind the creation of Snoke and the turning Ren to the dark side; he then offered the Sith fleet and title of Emperor to Ren if he killed Rey, the last Jedi before being warned that she was, in fact, his granddaughter.[117]
With the help of the embittered General Armitage Hux, the Resistance discovered Palpatine returned with a humungous armada to attack the free worlds in sixteen hours and reinforce the First Order so he can rule the galaxy again and resurrect the Empire from its ashes to complete the final stages of the contingency of his master plan to achieve the Revenge of the Sith. Rey, Finn, Dameron, Chewbacca, BB-8, and C-3PO embarked on a mission to recover Palpatine’s wayfinder to reach Exegol. Following a series of adventures with the First Order and Knights of Ren, Rey acquired a wayfinder and fought with Ren on Kef Bir, in the process discovering her true lineage as Sidious' granddaughter. After sensing the death of his mother, and conversing with the spirit of his father, Ren returned to the light side and reclaimed his identity as Ben.[117]
The planet Kijimi was destroyed as a demonstration of the Sith Eternal's power.
Having sworn fealty to Palpatine once more like he did during the dark times of the Empire after Ben's renunciation of the dark side, Allegiant General Enric Pryde deployed the Derriphan—one of the Star Destroyers from Exegol—to Kijimi. The Derriphan used its axial superlaser to commit the destruction of Kijimi, demonstrating the power of a single Star Destroyer of the Final Order after Pryde activated Protocol 13. Under the leadership of General Dameron and General Finn, the Resistance launched an attack on Exegol, attempting to prevent the Sith fleet's attack on the free worlds and union with the First Order.[117]
Though initially outnumbered by the Sith Eternal's forces during the Battle of Exegol, the Resistance was reinforced by the Citizens' Fleet led by General Calrissian. Meanwhile, Rey and Solo joined forces to defeat the Sith Lord for good at his Sith Citadel beneath Exegol. Realizing the two shared a bond as a Force dyad, Palpatine drained their life energy and attacked the Resistance with Force lightning. Rey was able to defeat Emperor Palpatine for good with the help of her Jedi predecessors, thereby preventing the return of the Sith. Despite succumbing to her injuries, Rey was resurrected by Solo, who transferred his life force to her at the cost of his life.[117]
The Citizens' Fleet joined the Resistance to defeat the Sith Eternal's forces during the Battle of Exegol.
The defeat of Palpatine and the Sith Eternal precipitated a galactic uprising against the First Order. As a result, the First Order's forces were beset by insurrection on various worlds, from Bespin, Endor, and Jakku,[117] to Naboo, Corellia, and Coruscant.[119] The Resistance and the galaxy celebrated their victory[117] and the defeat of the First Order.[11] In the wake of the conflict, the people of the galaxy began the long process of rebuilding their home after the destruction brought about by the First Order-Resistance War. Resistance historian Captain Beaumont Kin was given the task of overseeing an excavation of the Sith Citadel and wrote and published his new book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire to educate the people about the Imperial regime. Rey, meanwhile, claimed the Skywalker name, became a Jedi Master like Luke did, and started to rebuild the Jedi Order to maintain peace and justice to the galaxy and balance in the Force.[120]
Behind the scenes[]
The galaxy first appeared in the 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.[42] In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the galaxy was said to have 3.2 billion habitable systems.[121] However, the Canon books Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia and The Star Wars Book stated that the galaxy only had 3.2 million.[1][11] This statistic was later corrected in later reprintings of Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia.[1]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- LEGO Star Wars: A New Hope DK Reader
- Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars
- LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith picture book
"The Racing Winner" — LEGO Star Wars 57- "Corellian Run" — LEGO Star Wars 58
- Star Wars: Visions — "Lop & Ochō"
- Star Wars: Visions — "The Elder"
- "The Elder" — Big Gangan Vol.06
- Star Wars: Visions — "Journey to the Dark Head"
