CHAPTER FOUR

From the First Saga, Journal of the Whills

"The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that...it was the Republic."

The Republic...A Galactic Cross-Section

Spanning millions of systems and home to trillions upon trillions of sentient beings, the Republic of the Prequel-Era is a spectacular sight to behold, even though it is technically in decline. The seeds of corruption have begun to sprout into the creeping tendrils of genuine decay, and the once-proud Republic now teeters on the brink of total collapse. It is only a matter of time before the galaxy falls under the yoke of some bold leader's New Order...

But for now, the Republic marches on. Although commercial interests greatly influence the day-to-day workings of the Senate, the Republic is still a benevolent democracy, led by sectorial representatives and adhering to the letter, if not the spirit, of the law. War is all-but-unheard of in this era; most combat-hardened pilots and ground troops have cut their teeth on battling pirates and limited insurrections as opposed to the full-scale warfare of the coming generation and of generations past. It is this relative peace, however, that has injured the Republic: profits across the galaxy are at an all-time high, thanks in no small part to the massive engine of commerce driven by the Trade Federation and its gargantuan merchant fleet. As these profits have grown, so has the greed of a handful of clever, manipulative individuals sitting on the Senate. With Trade Federation representatives from Neimoidia representing the several hundred worlds of their sector in the Senate, the interests of profiteering have been given political voice, and for some of the more shifty individuals sitting in Senatorial power, the Senate presence of the Trade Federation offers a grand opportunity for personal money-mongering. It is also in this era that the special provisions leading to the establishment of the Corporate Sector authority come into being, although the Corporate Sector won't truly erupt into the monstrous entity we know it as until the reign of Emperor Palpatine and his New Order.

There are few standing militaries left in this day...the Freedom Warriors and the Rocket Jumpers are a long-distant memory of a different age; these days, standing armies and starfleets are largely ceremonial or geared towards battling piracy. Anything else would be viewed as militaristic agression by an otherwise-peaceful galaxy. As such, the Republic is ripe for a fall should war break out, and with the growing temerity of the Trade Federation, the manipulations of Darth Sidious, and the moral decay infecting the Senate, such a fall will be realtively quick in coming (we as obsevers have the benefit of knowing that the Clone Wars are maybe only ten years off in the future, and that Palpatine's New Order will take charge in the wake of those chaotic times).

Organization
There are 1,024 seats in the Galactic Senate, each seat held by a Sector Representative. There are so many inhabited worlds in the Republic that giving a rep from each one a seat in the Senate would be a logistical impossibility. Instead, each Senator represents all the worlds of his/her/its sector; generally-speaking, each Senator is elected by the heads of state of each of the planets in his Sector. Even though the Republic allows each member world the right to maintain its own traditional government (monarchy, theocracy, oligarchy, etc.), Senate reps must be elected in accordance with the democratic principles of Republic Law. Some secotrs are vast and populous, with nearly 1,000 worlds and trillions of residents, while others may be small and sparsely populated (the Wookiees of Kashyyk have a Senatorial seat, despite the lack of settled worlds in their sector...the Trandoshans, the Wookiee's nearest neighbors, apparently aren't interested). Each Senator brings with him two Senatorial Aides, who serve in the Senator's stead should affairs draw him away from the Senate Chamber and its rows of floating platforms. Residing over the Senate is the Supreme Chancellor, elected by the Senators themselves as the mediator and adjudicator of Senatorial proceedings. Also taking a hand in Senate affairs, however, are the armies of bureaucrats lurking everywhere in the Republic government...petty manipulators who interpret and abuse the traditional procedures to further their own agendas, unstoppable in that the letter of the law supports them.

Regardless of it size, age, or noble intent, a bureaucracy is a vulnerable organism: vulnerable to the interests of key individuals in powerful places. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum has been stripped of his station by careful manipulations staged by an as-yet-hidden conspiracy (OK, we all know Palpatine engineered the whole thing, but just play along anyway), and replaced in an emergency vote by Senator Palpatine of Naboo. The Senate bickers endlessly, its common goals forgotten and its ability to lead crippled by personal agendas; the Courts are even slower and less-effective. The machine of government is grinding to a halt.

All in accordance with the plans of the galaxy's future master...

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