The Clone Wars Sourcebook The Galactic Republic By Keith Kappel and Ryan Brooks THE REPUBLIC [Diplomacy +8] [Sense Motive +9] R The Galactic Republic has been the presiding governing body throughout the galaxy for nearly twenty-five millennia. It was comprised of hundreds of thousands of star systems and thousands of sentient races. Those who served the Republic faced many adversities over the millennia. The Clone Wars were no different. After a thousand years of peace and prosperity the Republic had become corrupt and decadent. There were those who came to realize this deterioration of Democracy and pledged to break away from the crumbling government. When this splitting came to all out war, the Republic was ready to answer their enemy’s call to arms with their Grand Army of the Republic. Below is a chronicling of those who remained loyal to the Republic and for what it stood. Palpatine – Supreme Chancellor of the Republic Palpatine began his political career on his home world of Naboo at approximately twenty years of age. Fresh out of Naboo’s public service, his early political life was mired with a series of dissatisfying electoral defeats at the hands of several opponents. For nearly a decade, Palpatine maintained a drab governmental portfolio until his first big break occurred when he was thirty years old. The incumbent senator of Naboo, Vidar Kim, was assassinated in a drive-by shooting, leaving Palpatine running unopposed. He was elected to serve as the next Senator of the Chommell Sector’s thirty-seven inhabited worlds. Taking his position on the Senate floor on Coruscant, Palpa- tine led a fairly meek political record. He forged several bonds with allies such as Lieutenant Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of Eriadu, Republic Justice Department Commander Terrinald Screed, and Jedi Jorus C’boath and Ronar Kim, son of Palpatine’s former Senatorial opposition, Vidar Kim. With the assistance of his political aides, Sate Pestage and Kinman Doriana, Palpatine took part in a Republic task force sent to the Aqualish planet of Ando to negotiate the demilitarization of the planet’s inhabitants approximately nine years into his position as senator. Palpatine’s relatively uneventful track record continued for nearly twenty years, but all of that was about to change. When Palpatine was fifty years old, the Republic had incurred tremendous debt on such government-funded projects as the Holonet. The Senate passed a bill that allowed for the taxa- tion of established trade routes within Republic space in hopes that the supplemental income would alleviate some of those debts. This act sent organizations like the Trade Federation into a frenzy, and in retaliation the Neimoidian monopolized Trade Federation blockaded Palpatine’s home planet of Naboo, hoping to re-establish talks to relax or eliminate the tariffs. Despite several negotiations between the Trade Federation senator Lott Dod and Palpatine, a compromise couldn’t be reached. The cur- rent Supreme Chancellor, Finis Valorum, secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, to force a settlement and diffuse the situation before it escalated. Unfortunately, circumstances only worsened when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo and seized control of its inhabitants. Despite the best efforts of the Trade Federation the leader of the Naboo, Queen Amidala, managed to escape the planet and together with Palpatine they pleaded their world’s case to the Senate. It seemed, however, that Supreme Chancellor Valorum was far too pliable to the whims of the Trade Federation and was content to bury the incident under red tape. Palpatine suggested to Amidala that a vote of no confidence be imposed on Valorum in hopes that a new Chancellor would be elected who would be more sympathetic to their cause. As fate would have it, that was exactly what transpired. Bail Antilles of Alderaan and Palpatine of Naboo were nominated to ©lucasfilm LTD. run for the Chancellorship, and after a concise voting process Palpatine emerged victorious, becoming the final being to hold office as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. The crisis at Naboo was resolved by Queen Amidala, however, when she returned to her homeworld and united the remnants of her free people with the native Gungans. Together with Gungan leader Boss Nass, the Gungans and Naboo launched an assault on the Naboo capital of Theed, capturing the heads of the Trade Federation and handing them over to Republic authorities for their crimes. The Battle of Naboo seemed to only serve as a beginning to a domino effect that would plunge the galaxy into war. Jedi Mas- ter Qui-Gon Jinn lost his life at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul during the conflict. When news of Jinn’s death reached Coruscant, Qui-Gon’s former master, Dooku, saw it as the last straw and abandoned the Jedi order, citing reasons includ- ing the Republic had become too corrupt and the Jedi placed themselves under the control of the spiraling government. After several years on his home planet of Serrano, Dooku began a secessionist movement against the Republic that quickly picked up steam. supreme chancellor palpatine Hundreds of star systems rallied to Count Dooku’s cause and for the first time in a thousand years, the Republic was the handful of remaining Jedi were about to be slaughtered, in danger of fracturing. Because of these grievous events, the Palpatine’s Grand Army led by Jedi Master Yoda swept in to Senate instituted amendments that allowed Chancellor Palpatine their rescue. Clones met against droids on the desert plains of to remain in office past his usual term, fearing that the election Geonosis, giving way to the Battle of Geonosis, igniting the campaign process would weaken the Republic in a time of great Clone Wars. need. Many senators felt the Republic needed a standing army For three years, Palpatine headed the Republic’s military in this time of crisis, and the Military Creation Act was proposed. forces as their commander-in-chief with the Jedi Order acting Unfortunately, this divided the Republic even further due to the as military leaders. Amendment after amendment was instated Loyalist party insisting that the creation of an army would only giving Palpatine more authority in military movements as the escalate matters. senators of the Republic proved inept military coordinators. In Ten years after being elected Chancellor, Palpatine’s worst the closing days of the third year of the Clone Wars, in an act fears came to fruition when the Jedi discovered Count Dooku’s of desperation, Count Dooku led a massive fleet of Confederate true intentions of waging war against the Republic. Fortu- warships, plunging into the core and laying siege to Coruscant. nately, it seemed a Jedi by the name of Sifo-Dyas possessed Dooku’s supreme commander, General Grievous, personally led the foresight to see the impending doom and collaborated with an ambush on the surface in an attempt to kidnap Supreme the cloners of Kamino and contracted the growth of a massive Chancellor Palpatine. The Chancellor was spirited away from clone army for the Republic some ten years earlier. A quarter of his home at 500 Republica by the Jedi to his security bunker a million troops were ready just as the Republic needed them in the bowels of the city-planet. However, General Grievous and a million more were nearing completion. Representative Jar had impeccable intelligence and cut them off at the bunker’s Jar Binks of Naboo called for emergency powers to be granted entrance. Grievous made short work of the Jedi and took Palpa- to Palpatine that would give him the privilege of approving the tine into custody. Military Creation Act uncontested as well as extend his term The forces of the Republic worked feverishly to reclaim the in the office of Chancellor until such time as he saw fit. As Chancellor, but Grievous managed to secure Palpatine onboard Palpatine’s first executive order under the Emergency Powers the Confederate flagship, the Invisible Hand. Imprisoned on the T Act, he approved the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic observation deck of the hulking warship, Palpatine watched as HE to counter the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Count Dooku faced off with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Sky- Systems. walker, who were attempting to rescue him. General Kenobi was R A handful of Jedi Knights hurried to Geonosis in an effort to incapacitated during the struggle, but the young Jedi Skywalker rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padme was stalwart and soundly defeated the Confederate leader in a epublic Amidala, who had been captured by Count Dooku and his allies duel to the death. Scooping up Kenobi, Skywalker and Palpatine and were to be executed. Some two-hundred Jedi faced off made a daring escape from the clutches of the Separatists by against the droid forces of the Separatists. Though they put seizing control of the Invisible Hand and crash-landing it on forth a valiant effort, they were eventually overwhelmed. As Coruscant surface. T HE Erosion of Civil Liberties R [Bluff +14] [Sense Motive +4] epublic The Empire wasn’t born overnight, despite the fact that it’s declaration was. Over a period of nearly five years, Chancellor Palpatine cleverly manipulated the Senate into consolidating all power in the Office of the Chancellor. When Palpatine finally did declare himself Emperor, it was merely a formality, he already have full control of the Republic government. Emergency Powers Act (24BBY): Gave chancellor the power to stay beyond his natural term of service and choose when to step down to allow elections again. Also gave him the power to declare martial law on planets in an effort to stop the Separatist Crisis.