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- "The Rebellion will continue to gain support in the Imperial Senate…"
"The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I've just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away." - ―Chief of the Imperial Army Cassio Tagge and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
The Dissolution of the Imperial Senate was the dissolvement of the legislative body of the Galactic Empire, enacted by the decree of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine in response to the Galactic Civil War.
Background
- "[…] Since my ascension, I have allowed a convenient fiction to persist—that the Empire is merely a continuation of the Republic. The Imperial Senate remains—an illusion of many voices coming together to govern. In truth, there is only one voice. Mine."
- ―Emperor Sheev Palpatine, to Darth Vader
At the end of the Clone Wars, Palpatine through a self-coup, transformed the Galactic Senate into a purely ceremonial assembly.
As the Clone Wars came to an end, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine of the Galactic Republic ordered a special session of Congress and proclaimed himself Galactic Emperor, turning the old Republic into a New Order in his image. The motion was eagerly supported by an overwhelming majority of the Galactic Senate,[5] aided by Palpatine's important popularity following his role in the Clone Wars. In the wake of the regime change, the Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate which over time started growing weaker as the planetary governors assumed more responsibility over their territories. In addition, the minority of Senators who had opposed Palpatine's declaration of the New Order, such as Alderaan Senator Bail Organa and Chandrila Senator Mon Mothma, grew more and more vocal, becoming a major concern for the Emperor.[6]
Until the dissolution of the Senate, the many atrocities of the Imperial authorities were illegal, but due to the lack of power of the Senate, it was difficult to impose sanctions against these crimes, making the Imperial officials almost above the law.[7] However, the Emperor preserved the Senate in order to make the Empire's member worlds believe that they still had a part to play in the government. Secretly, the Emperor planned to disband the Senate since the formation of the Empire in the proclamation of the New Order, but needed its body to retain order until the planet-killing Death Star battle station was completed.[5][8] Beyond that, Palpatine needed to further cement his control over the galaxy with acts like the Public Order Resentencing Directive, which, act by act, took away the Senate's remaining powers and more of the galaxy's freedoms.[9] Weapons developer Orson Callan Krennic predicted the Senate would be of little concern after the dish was installed on the Death Star.[1]
Dissolution
- "The Emperor has disbanded the Senate. You are no longer a senator. What defense will you use now, I wonder?"
- ―Darth Vader, to Leia Organa
While Palpatine had always intended to dissolve the Senate once the Death Star was complete,[11] his decision to do so[2] in 0 BBY[3] was ultimately made without little choice if he wanted to maintain his rule.[12] Shortly after the weapons dish was affixed to the Death Star and the weapon was successfully tested on the Holy City of the moon Jedha, an act that needed to be covered up lest the Senate discover the weapon's existence, Rebel Alliance agents identifying themselves under the callsign Rogue One, joined shortly thereafter by a great number of reinforcements, raided the Imperial Center of Military Research on the planet Scarif, where plans for the Death Star were kept. In the ensuing battle, the Death Star would once again see use in wiping out all rebel forces on the world, along with Krennic and any other Imperials caught in its wake, but Rogue One successfully managed to transmit the Death Star plans to Princess Leia Organa,[1] the Imperial senator of the planet Alderaan and one of the rebellion's leaders.[2]
With the plans to the Empire's great weapon in rebel hands, it was more than possible its existence would be leaked to the Senate and media, thereby triggering a governmental crisis and damaging Palpatine's public reputation as a benevolent ruler.[12] Palpatine's Sith apprentice[11] and enforcer,[10] the Sith Lord Darth Vader, was dispatched to recover the plans from Organa, yet they remained out of his reach when Organa hid them within the astromech droid R2-D2.[2] All the same, the incident showed that Organa was found out to work with the enemy Rebel Alliance,[10] something Vader and the Empire knew already but could not prove,[2] and resulted in her arrest above the planet Tatooine.[10]
Tarkin announces the disbanding of the Senate to gathered Imperial leaders.
With the threat of public knowledge of the Death Star[12] still possible so long as its plans remained out of Vader's hands[2] but a justification found in claiming rebel infiltrators sat among the Senate,[13] the Emperor finally issued the dissolution order[10] and was confident the finally-completed Death Star would take its place in maintaining his rule.[11] Along with the Imperial Senate, the Trade Federation[14]—which had already long since been forced out of business[15] and nationalized by the Empire[16]—was also fully disbanded.[14] While being detained aboard the Star Destroyer Devastator, Organa invoked her status as an senator in hopes she would be released. However, Vader informed her that the Senate was being disbanded as they spoke.[10] Aboard the Death Star, gathered leaders of the Empire, the Joint Chiefs, were informed of the situation by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.[2]
Aftermath
Empire without its puppet
- "We kept the skeleton of the Republic for nearly twenty years while the Death Star was constructed. Twenty years, my apprentice. All that planning is now a layer of dust orbiting around Yavin… Now, we no longer have the Senate to hold order. We do not have the Death Star to force it. Our greatest weapon is gone. Our production is in ashes. We are besieged. In all these years, we have never skirted closer to disaster."
- ―Darth Sidious, to Darth Vader
With the last remnant of the Galactic Republic out of the way, the Imperial governors now had full control over their territories.[2] Along with the Senate, many local governing institutions were dissolved as well, leaving many qualified people unemployed.[17] Meanwhile, the Imperial Security Bureau began the process of arresting many members of the Senate, including some who had served in the past, and taking them to the Arrth-Eno Prison Complex on Coruscant. The former delegates were to remain imprisoned there until the Bureau could assess the level of participation each had had with the Rebels. The Imperial authorities, however, wanted to reach out to possible sympathizers, hoping to convince them to join the "right" side.[18]
The authorized HoloNews outlets obediently repeated the official narrative: Rebel traitors had infiltrated the Senate, which led to a terrorist strike on a major Imperial Military installation on Scarif. Therefore, to bring a swift end to that threat and expose the insurgents among the Imperial bureaucracy, Palpatine needed to supersede and suspend the Senate for the duration of the emergency.[13] However, the destruction of the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin shattered the Empire's hopes[11] to maintain a rule by fear via the battle station.[2] With the Senate gone and the Death Star destroyed, the Empire could neither hold order[11] with a puppet legislature[4] nor enforce it[11] with a great symbol of fear.[2] Beyond that, the destruction of the Death Star inspired great hope that a rebellion could succeed.[19]
Surviving senators
- "Senat—Princess, rather. There is no more Senate, is there? Only the Alliance. Mon Mothma is especially at sea. She no longer has an official title, only a role."
- ―Alliance General Jan Dodonna, to Princess Leia Organa
A number of rebel senators were arrested and sentenced to death.
The Rebel agent Eneb Ray and other allied spies did attempt to rescue a group of senators scheduled to be executed, but fell into a trap set by the Empire. Ultimately, the Arrth-Eno Mission resulted in the death of all the senators and the Rebel spies, except for Ray.[21]
Still, two of the most prominent Rebel senators managed to stay away from the Empire's grasp. Leia Organa was rescued from the Death Star's detention, and the battle station ended up being destroyed by the Rebels.[2] Mon Mothma of Chandrila, a long-time insurgent and one of the Rebel Alliance's secret founders, also managed to escape the purge that followed the Senate's dissolution.[22] Although the assembly had long been an empty husk, Mothma felt particularly disoriented because she no longer had an official title.[20] Similarly, Leia Organa had always hoped the Senate would be there at the end to help rebuild the galaxy once the Emperor was gone.[10]
Appearances
- Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (First mentioned)
- A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: A New Hope junior novelization (Mentioned only)
- "Fully Operational" — From a Certain Point of View (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- "An Incident Report" — From a Certain Point of View (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- "Verge of Greatness" — From a Certain Point of View (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- "Eclipse" — From a Certain Point of View (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- "Contingency Plan" — From a Certain Point of View (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Princess Leia 2 (Indirect mention only)
- Darth Vader (2015) 1 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars Annual (2015) 1 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars (2020) 46 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Uprising (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Squadrons (Mentioned only)
- Aftermath: Life Debt (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Aftermath: Empire's End (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
Sources
- Star Wars Helmet Collection: Darth Vader Weapons & Uniforms: Imperial High Command
- Star Wars Helmet Collection: Y-wing Pilot Databank A-Z: Imperial Future Council–Inquisitorius
- Star Wars Helmet Collection: First Order TIE Pilot Databank A-Z: Sabe–The Separatist Council (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
- Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to Rogue One
- Star Wars Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
- Star Wars: On the Front Lines
- Star Wars: The Rebel Files (First identified as Dissolution of the Imperial Senate)
- Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian: Guide to Season One
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
Bail Organa in the Databank (backup link)- Galactic Senate in the Databank (backup link)
- Grand Moff Tarkin in the Databank (backup link)
- Mon Mothma in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 This event takes place during Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places the events of A New Hope in 0 BBY and 0 ABY.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Darth Vader (2017) 13
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide
- ↑
Star Wars Rebels — "Rise of the Old Masters"
- ↑ Darth Vader (2015) 1
- ↑
Star Wars: Andor — "Nobody's Listening!"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Darth Vader (2015) 1
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Star Wars: On the Front Lines
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Verge of Greatness" — From a Certain Point of View
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 31 Guide to the Galaxy: Visiting Cato Neimoidia
- ↑ Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
- ↑ Star Wars Bust Collection: Battle Droid Star Wars Universe: The Trade Federation
- ↑ Star Wars: Uprising—Crew Member: "Deposed Sheriff"
- ↑ Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
- ↑ Star Wars (2015) 55
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Princess Leia 1
- ↑ Star Wars Annual (2015) 1
- ↑
Mon Mothma in the Databank (backup link)