I wanted to share some thoughts about a topic that isn't always profoundly discussed on its own: bureaucracy.

The transition from the Galactic Republic to the Galactic Empire, and eventually to the New Republic is honestly a really interesting topic more often explored in non animated/live-action storytelling. For sure, we see glimpses here and there (a few The Clone Wars episodes, and in Andor), but mostly it's left to prose.

Obviously, the films focus a lot on Jedi and the conflicts within a relatively small group of individuals. But there's billions of other sentients in the galaxy represented in the Senate during the Galactic Republic, too. Personally, I started reading Star Wars books before I'd ever watched a film, and the first novel I read (Leia, Princess of Alderaan) had a lot of political touches, hence my slight interest in the topic.

Galactic Republic: Stagnation, but freedom

The Galactic Republic held lofty ideals for representation, and did manage to stand for thousands of years. However, in my opinion, its bureaucratic nature partially led to its downfall (added to the efforts of the Sith, of course). The Senate, a body meant to represent the interests of its countless member planets, became increasingly mired in corruption, partisanship, and inefficiency. Senators, often more concerned with the interests of powerful corporations and their own planets, contributed to a stagnant bureaucracy that was incapable of responding effectively to the needs of its constituents or the threats at its borders. Or, they were simply bribed to look the other way. There were some good Senators even in the latest days of the Republic's reign, such as Senators Amidala and Organa, but they were few and far between.

But on the whole, the bureaucratic paralysis was notably exploited by Chancellor Palpatine. Once he had emergency powers, he would not give them up, and took that opportunity to form an Empire. But, why would the Senate give him these powers in the first place? The Clone Wars, while a front for Palpatine’s machinations, also highlighted the Republic’s inability to swiftly address the Separatist threat, further justifying the centralization of power to some.

And even before that point, his ascension to Chancellor was aided by the fact that the Republic's courts were so slow and inefficient that Queen Amidala opened a Vote of No Confidence for Chancellor Valorum. If the democratic process was swifter to act on injustices such as the crisis at Naboo, then, perhaps things would've been much different. And Anakin, as a young teenager, was shown the corruption of the Senate by Palpatine at a young age, which altered his worldview. How might have things changed if that hadn't had happened?

The Galactic Empire: Efficiency, but run by a dictator

In contrast, the Galactic Empire, established by Emperor Palpatine, was characterized by being run by a dictator. The Empire's governance was marked by a clear chain of command, with the Emperor at the apex, delegating to Moffs and Grand Moffs to oversee sectors and regions. This system was designed for efficiency and swift decision-making, allowing the Empire to mobilize vast resources, construct monumental projects like the Death Stars, and suppress dissent quickly. And then of course, a lot of incompetent officials abusing their positions of power to do as they pleased.

However, this efficiency came at the cost of freedom and justice, with the Empire's bureaucratic apparatus serving to enforce Imperial rule and stifle opposition. The Senate was eventually dissolved, and with it, the last semblance of democratic representation. This led to the rise of the Rebel Alliance, as systems and individuals rebelled against the Empire's oppressive governance. Though... it's worth noting, the rebels themselves sometimes did act in ways that weren't entirely moral to accomplish their means. It's claimed to be justified by what they were fighting for, and many would agree it was worth it, but how far is too far?

The New Republic: A Return to Democratic Ideals (but it's slow again)

The New Republic sought to rectify the failures of both the Galactic Republic and the Empire, aiming to restore democracy while avoiding the pitfalls of bureaucratic stagnation and authoritarian overreach. It was a delicate balance to strike, and the New Republic faced its own set of challenges in trying to govern a war-torn galaxy. They did a lot of good with Mon Mothma at their helm in trying to take apart aspects of the Empire and reform them into something new. However, the decentralization of power, while a response to the centralization that facilitated the Empire's tyranny, also reintroduced some of the inefficiencies and parochial concerns that had hampered the Galactic Republic.

One of the most notable clashes in this regard was shown in Aftermath: Life Debt, a novel that takes place about a year after the Battle of Endor. Kashyyyk is suffering, and Leia wants to help Chewbacca and his people. However, the New Republic didn't approve of the military strike. When she goes anyway with Gial Ackbar's flagship, she's technically breaking orders. This is one example of the struggle between simply being able to decide to go somewhere and do the right thing while slowly having to acknowledge that the new system won't be as kind to such practices going forward. The New Republic was fledgling at that point, so Leia did get away with it (at the cost of much personal political capital); but also understood that under the new system, a no would sometimes mean no in the future.

The New Republic's Senate struggled with many of the same issues that plagued its predecessor, such as corruption and inefficiency, demonstrating the difficulty of governing a galaxy-wide democracy. However, efforts were made to streamline processes and ensure more effective governance, with varying degrees of success. Perhaps, they should have stamped out the Empire's remnants more, and that's where they went wrong. In the end, the government ended up collapsing when their capital was destroyed by the First Order.

Conclusion

Bureaucracy: good or bad? Hard to say. Lack of bureaucracy in the Empire certainly made things get done faster, and massive projects could be completed. However, it came at the cost of freedom to many. On the other hand, even when there was bureaucracy, how slow it was rendered it ineffective. At the same time, these people did have some freedoms.

It's always a balance of both--Palpatine ran a galaxy based on fear and hurt. Unilaterally deciding everything isn't always the answer. However, having an effective system that serves its people and has the necessary levels of competence and checkpoints can be useful. Hopefully, we'll see what the Resistance forms into someday with the Rey movie.

Would be curious to hear other folks' takes on it! May the Force be with you.