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The Jedi Knights were guardians of the peace and prosperity in the Galactic Republic for thousands of years. Headquartered on Corsucant, the Jedi were governed by the High Council which consisted of twelve members. Jedi are recognized at a young age, trained at infancy, and then assigned to a Jedi Master. To ascend to the rank of Jedi Knight, you have to pass the trials. Jedi Knights dress in simple robes and usually carry only one weapon, a lightsaber which is the signature weapon of the Jedi. The Jedi's ability to use the Force diminished when the number of Sith increased. They were completely wiped out by Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader during the Great Jedi Purge. All the Jedi were killed except Master Yoda, who went into hiding on Dagobah and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who became a hermit on Tatooine. Luke Sywalker, the son of the prophesized Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker was trained by Kenobi and Yoda in order to restore the Jedi Order and the Republic. Luke helped redeem his father and destroy the Imperials. After saving his son, Anakin revealed that he was the chosen one and brought balance to the Force.
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The Sith are an ancient order devoted to the dark side
of the Force and the sworn enemies of the Jedi.
The Sith use the Force as a weapon against the weak and helpless while
the Jedi use it as defense to protect the weak and helpless. During the
Sith War, most of the Dark Jedi were proclaimed outcasts. Darth Bane,
resurrected the Sith clan and made so that only two Sith - a master and
a apprentice - could exist. The Sith remained quiet for centuries until
Darth Sidious
raised Darth Maul as
his apprentice. Qui-Gon Jinn
reported the Sith attack on Queen
Amidala to the Jedi Council. The Jedi thought that they would
have detected them but the dark side had clouded their vision. During
the reign of the Empire, Darth Vader was the most
powerful Sith Lord.
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The Confederacy of Independent Systems(CIS), led by Count Dooku, broke away from
the Republic because of the
corruption that they believed to exist in the Republic. They thought
that the Republic was being led by the leader of the Sith.
Count Dooku established alliances with the Commerce Guild, Trade Federation, Intergalactic Banking
Clan, Corporate Alliance, and the Techno Union. The Seperatists
continued to gain support as more and more systems joined their cause.
The increasing threat of the Seperatists convinced the Republic to
create a grand army of the Republic to counter their threat. The
Republic army encountered the Seperatist droid army at the Battle of Geonosis. The
Seperatists were defeated, but the battle marked the beginning of the
Clone Wars between the Seperatists and the Republic. The Seperatists
were eventually defeated, but the galaxy was plunged into a period of
evil known as the Emperor's
New Order.
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The Trade Federation was established about 350 years
before the Battle of Yavin.
The Federation was a consortium of merchants and transportation
providers that controlled shipping throughout the galaxy. When the Republic approved the taxation of
trade routes, the Federation became outraged and blockaded the planet Naboo. When the Republic
sent Jedi ambassadors to settle
the trade dispute, the Federation refused to negotiate with Jedi
Knights and tried to kill them. Their leaders, Nute Gunray and Rune Haako,
went in league with the Sith Lord, Darth
Sidious. The Federation made an unexpected move and launched
a full scale invasion on Naboo. Queen
Amidala, leader of Naboo, escaped the invasion, enlisted the
help of the Gungans, and overthrew their oppressors. Gunray and Haako
was arrested, but the Federation remained operational and Gunray still
held the title of Viceroy even after four trials in the Supreme Court.
Betrayed by Darth Sidious, Gunray leagued himself with the renegade
Jedi and leader of the Seperatist
movement, Count Dooku.
Gunray was willing to pledge his allegiance to the Seperatists on one
condition: the death of Padme
Amidala. She escaped every assasination attempt, but he
pledged his allegiance anyway.
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The Commerce Guild is a combination of major corporate
entities that banded together to protect their common interests. The
backbone of the Guild includes the production and acquisition of raw
materials. The organization uses bullying tactics to gain more
businesses and bribes corporate officials and Senators to advance their
cause. To enforce its membership and protect its assets, the Guild used
spider droids
as its main weapon. When the Seperatists
convened at Geonosis,
the Commerce Guild was there to secretly pledge its army and assets to
the Confederacy.
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The Corporate Alliance is main negotiating body for the
largest commercial firms in the universe. It was charged with
regulating sales and the distribution of numerous corporations
throughout the galaxy. The Alliance protected its assets through the
use of armored tank droids.
When the Seperatists convened at
Geonosis,
the Corporate Alliance was there to secretly pledge its army and assets
to the Confederacy.
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The InterGalactic Banking Clan helped control the
amount of credits and other currency flowing through the galaxy. The
Clan consists of ancient banking families who provided loans to any
faction who needed funds. The Banking Clan officially pledged its
allegiance to the Confederacy,
but it profited from both ends of the war - Republic
and Seperatist.
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The Techno Union is one of the most powerful commerce
guilds in the galaxy and is an organization made up of major technical
manufacturers. Starship, weapons, droid, and computer developers all
joined together to further their common interests. The Union was given
enormous freedom to protect their assets as they built huge droid
armies, which they then pledged to the Seperatists
at Geonosis.
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The Republic was ruled by the Galactic Senate, which
elected a Supreme Chancellor to lead the Senate. Peace and justice was
protected by the Jedi Knights.
The more powerful the Senate gained the more corrupt the Republic
became. The corruption started when the Trade
Federation invaded Naboo
and Queen Amidala
enlisted the help of the Senate to solve the Naboo crisis. She went for
a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership and Senator Palpatine
succeeded him. When the Republic learned that the Seperatists
were gearing up for war, the Senate gave Palpatine emergency powers and
allowed him to create a Republic army. The clone army, led by Master Yoda, was sent to Geonosis to help the
Jedi Knights. The Republic with the help of the clone army won the
battle and took Geonosis. The Clone War had begun and the war plunged
the galaxy into chaos. Palpatine never gave up his powers and used it
to create the Galactic Empire.
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The Galactic Republic was governed by a body of
Senators who represented the many worlds within the Republic's rule.
Within the Senate rotunda, hundreds of Senators voiced their opinions
and voted on issues on the floating platforms. The Senate was a
founding part of the Galactic Constitution, which was established when
the Republic was founded. As the Republic expanded, corruption among
the Senators became commonplace. This created discontent among the many
worlds of the Republic and numerous systems joined the Seperatists.
During the Clone Wars, Palpatine continued to channel more executive
power away from the Senate. After the rise of the Emperor's New Order,
the Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate and was eventually
abolished, allowing the regional Imperial governors to assume direct
control over their territories. The age of democracy came to a violent
end.
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The Naboo and Gungans were complete opposites of each
other. The Naboo were a peaceful people while the Gungans were a proud
warrior race. At first, the Gungans did not want to get involved in the
Trade Federation invasion of
Naboo. When
the droid army invaded the underwater city of Otah Gunga, the Gungans
retreated to the their sacred place. Queen
Amidala asked for help to repel the Trade Federation and the
Gungans committed 2,000 soldiers to hold off the advancing droid army.
The Gungans used weapons that were harmonious to their ecology and used
domesticated animals for transport. The energetic plasma found in the
planet's crust that was mined by the Gungans served a both a power
source and ammunition for the army's weapons. The Gungans held off the
Trade Federation Army long enough so Naboo Starfighters
could destroy the Droid
Control Ship. The temporary alliance between the Naboo and
Gungans cemented their relationship.
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The Galactic Empire was formed when Emperor Palpatine used the
chaos created from the Clone Wars to transform the Old Republic into the New Order.
Palpatine used his apprentice, Darth
Vader, to destroy the Jedi
Knights. The Emperor dissolved the Senate and allowed the
regional governors to rule. The Empire ruled the galaxy through fear.
They built a battle station called the Death
Star which had the firepower to destroy an entire planet, but
it was destroyed by Luke Skywalker
at the Battle of Yavin.
The Imperials pursued the Rebels
and launched a ground assault on the planet Hoth. They forced the
Alliance to retreat, but they weren't captured. The Empire built a second Death Star
which was larger and more deadly than the first. At the Battle of Endor, the Rebels again
used their snubfighters to destroy the Death Star. Emperor Palpatine
and Darth Vader were both killed aboard the Death Star thus ending the
Imperial reign.
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The clone troopers were born on the remote world of Kamino, where Jedi
Master Sifo-Dyas contacted the cloners to build an army for the Republic. Ten years later, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered
the secret army. The Kaminoans
explained how a bounty hunter named Jango
Fett was paid to be the original host for the army. The
clones had diminished independence for increased obedience and
accelerated growth was used to speed up the process. The Kaminoans
exploited the resources of the best armor, weapon, starship, and
vehicle manufacturers to support the army. Kenobi contacted the
Republic and reported his findings. When the Chancellor was given
emergency powers, he activated the army and deployed it to Geonosis to counter
the Seperatists. The clone
troopers were instrumental in the Republic's victory at Geonosis, but
it signified the beginning of the Clone Wars. As the Clone Wars neared
an end, Palpatine communicated orders to the clone commanders to
excecute Order 66, a pre-programmed emergency protocol that identified
the Jedi as traitors of the Republic and ordered to eliminate them.
After the Jedi were exterminated, the Emperor established the New Order
and the clone troopers were transformed into stormtroopers.
Stormtroopers became the symbol of the Empire.
Stormtroopers were tasked with putting down revolts and maintaining
order in Imperial systems. They were extremely loyal and obeyed their
orders without question.
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To be an Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot, you have to be
extremely loyal and a dedicated warrior to fly a TIE Fighter into
battle. With no shields,
life support, or hyperdrive,
the life expectancy of the average TIE grunt is not long. Only 10% of
prospective candidates make it to active duty and undergo extensive
psychological training to achieve the undying loyalty that it takes to
join the Imperial Navy. The greatest TIE Fighter pilot in history was
Baron Soontir Fel, leader of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing.
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The 501st Clone Trooper
Legion began as a regular unit when it was deployed at Geonosis. Palpatine was impressed
with the successes of the unit and the 501st underwent special training
in a top-secret facility on Coruscant.
Towards the end of the Clone Wars, the 501st was constantly moved from
planet to planet, carrying out secret missions for the Chancellor. They
were eventually transferred back to Coruscant and put under the command
of Emperor Palpatine's new apprentice, Darth
Vader. Palpatine ordered Vader to attack the Jedi Temple and
purge the Jedi Knights from the
galaxy. The unit's special training enabled them to flank the Jedi and
gun them down. With the rise of the Emperor's New Order, the 501st
Clone Trooper region transitioned to the 501st Stormtrooper Legion. The
unit continued to serve Darth Vader as they pacified many worlds that
resisted the Empire. The 501st Legion gained a well-deserved reputation
and earned the nickname of "Vader's Fist". The unit was eventually
dissolved after the Battle of Endor,
but was resurrected by Grand Admiral Thrawn during his quest to
overthrow the New Republic.
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The Alliance to Restore the Republic(Rebel Alliance)
was formed shortly after the Emperor
transformed the Old Republic
into the New Order. They hoped to overthrow the Empire
and restore freedom and peace to the universe. They used battle-worn
but effective Y-wing
and X-wing
snubfighters to counter the Imperial starfleet. The Rebellion's first
major victory was at the Battle of Yavin
when Luke Skywalker
destroyed the first Death
Star. Skywalker rose to the rank of commander and led Rogue
Squadron during the Battle of Hoth.
The Imperials commenced a ground attack and forced the Alliance to
retreat. The climatic battle in the Galactic Civil War was the Battle
of Endor in which
the Death Star II
was destroyed by Commander Wedge
Antilles and General
Lando Calrissian. Emperor Palpatine was killed by Darth Vader in order to save
Luke and perished soon after due to injuries he suffered during the lightsaber duel. His death
signified the end of the reign of the Galactic Empire. After the Battle
of Endor, Mon Mothma
established the New Republic and became the Chief of State of the new
government.
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After the Battle of Yavin,
the sole survivors, Luke Skywalker
and Wedge Antilles,
created a specialized fighter unit consisting of the Alliance's best fighter pilots.
This new unit was known as Rogue Squadron. Skywalker assumed command of
the unit and was granted a commission of Commander, while Antilles was
second-in-command. The Rogues established a reputation by achieving the
most impossible missions. During the Battle of Hoth, Rogue Squadron
protected the Rebel
Transports while they evacuated the ground staff from Echo
Base. Rogue Squadron changed its name to Red Squadron during the Battle
of Endor to
commemorate the fallen heroes from Yavin. After the Battle of Endor,
Antilles took command of the unit and began to regroup the unit. He
trained new pilots and the squadron received new starfighters. Rogue
Squadorn bolstered its reputaion by taking even more dangerous missions
and played a pivotal role in the retaking of Coruscant. The Rogues
continue to lead the way against any enemy that threatens the security
of the New Republic.
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Black Sun was a vast criminal organization that had its
hand in every kind of criminal activity. The crime syndicate expanded
from the center at Coruscant to the far reaches of the Outer Rim
Territories. Its information network was even better than that of Imperial Intelligence. The modern
era of the organization was led by Prince Xizor, who had a personal
vendetta against Darth Vader.
His obsession with Vader allowed Rebel
agents to destroy Xizor's fortress, which led to the destruction of his
skyhook and his death. The organization never recovered from Xizor's
death and was eventually crushed.
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