User:Cavalier One/Alliance

< User:Cavalier One

Small personal project to keep track of Alliance-related stuff. Now expanded to deal with the state of our Rebel Alliance articles. Oh God, kill me now, what the hell am I doing?

History

Foundations

The Alliance to Restore the Republic first began as a peaceful movement by a political minority, known as the Delegation of 2000, within the Senate of the Galactic Republic.[9] Certain senators, such as Padmé Amidala of Naboo,[10] Bail Organa of Alderaan[11] and Mon Mothma of Chandrila[12] grew increasingly concerned over the constitutional amendments that weakened the legislature and empowered the executive branch with near dictatorial authority.[9] Although a majority of the Senate supported such alterations to the government's overall structure because of the Separatist Crisis and subsequent Clone Wars, both of which threatened to divide the galaxy in half between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems,[13] the members of the Delegation of 2000 felt that the amendments were too radical, unconstitutional, and generally detrimental to the future of the Republic. Despite the fact that the Separatists were on the verge of defeat[9] in 19 BBY,[14] the final year of the Clone Wars, most senators continued to invest even greater authority within Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Fearing that the Republic would inevitably drift into an authoritarian regime, the Delegation of 2000 formally presented their concerns to the Chancellor with the request for the relinquishing of his emergency powers.[9]

Unknown to the Delegation of 2000, however,[9] Chancellor Palpatine was secretly a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. For a thousand years, the Order of the Sith Lords waited and plotted for the time when they would reassert their dominance over the galaxy, specifically by overthrowing the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. As Palpatine, Sidious spent decades infiltrating the political hierarchy of the Republic. His election as chancellor, the creation of the Kamino clone army, the escalation of the Separatist movement and the outbreak of the Clone Wars were all factors in a Sith's plot to seize control of the galaxy.[15]

Three years of galactic warfare strengthened Chancellor Palpatine's position as a public figure. Public support for his leadership in the Clone Wars remained strong throughout the conflict; he was immensely popular with the Republic citizenry and the Senate majority remained firmly committed to its leader in regard to his policy-making decisions. Yet the systematic suppression of thousands of years of Republic traditions and democratic ideals convinced Amidala, Organa, and a group of like-minded senators that the Republic was in danger of losing its core principles for the sake of security. The passing of the Sector Governance Decree all but made the Senate obsolete; entire sectors would be controlled by a cabal of military governors—otherwise known as Moffs—hand-picked by Chancellor Palpatine.[9]

Thus, the Delegation responded with a petition of two thousand signatures from members of the Senate who objected against the Moffs' virtual usurpation of the Senate's responsibilities. They also hoped that their collective opposition would force Chancellor Palpatine to restore the Republic back to its pre-war state. The Delegation's cause to prevent further amendments to the Constitution was ultimately lost when Palpatine issued Order 66, a a contingency directive that caused the Republic clone soldiers to betray and murder their Jedi officers.[9] Palpatine then called for a special session of congress, in which he presented a fabricated recollection of a Jedi assassination attempt on his life. The invention of a "Jedi rebellion" presented Palpatine with the justification for his ultimate modification to the Republic; he declared himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire.[16]

Following Palpatine's Declaration of a New Order, half of the petition's signatories withdrew their support for the measure. Hundreds of remaining signatories were questioned and arrested, and many were never seen again. Three of the most prominent signatories, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia escaped prosecution as they were prominent Core Worlds senators, but were still under suspicion. In the Imperial Senate, Palpatine assured the senators that he had no intentions of disbanding the legislature and valued their advice, but made it clear that his edicts were final. The Senate was subordinate to the Emperor.[2] Prior to Amidala's death, the Naboo senator advised her political allies to oppose the Emperor in secret while feigning obedience at the same time.[9] Organa spoke out against Imperial policies but feigned being a loyalist. Mothma did the same, but was fiercer in her words. Bel Iblis was Palpatine's most vocal critic in the Senate, but was protected by his homeworld's importance.[2]

Early resistance

Soon after Palpatine announced the reorganization of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire,[16] armed resistance groups sprang up around the galaxy. Ill-equipped and badly organized, they were unprepared to fight the might of the Galactic Empire. These groups had no unified command, no supply lines or communications, and were isolated from each other. Comprised of the oppressed, the poor, and the down-trodden, these groups hid and fought an guerilla war against an enemy that saw them as little more than a nuisance and an annoyance. They succeeded in becoming a moderate threat to individual Imperial Moffs and governors, but with limited resources and no direction, there was little more they could do. Some resistance groups proved too strong to be contained by local planetary militias, at which point the Empire sent in the Imperial Army and Navy. Troublesome systems were efficiently neutralized, disrupting or completely destroying the resistance groups operating there before they even knew they had been targeted. The rebels could fight, but they knew nothing about waging war. They needed strong leadership.[1]

Organa, Mothma and Bel Iblis met clandestinely at Organa's Coruscant residence, Cantham House, on many occasions.[2] In what would become known as the Cantham House Meetings, the three senators discussed revolution against the Empire. Initially, Organa baulked at the idea of armed revolution against the Empire. Years in the Senate had jaded the Alderaanian sector, and his idealism had been replaced by cynicism. While he believed in the same values and ideas as Mothma and Bel Iblis, Organa was a realist and worked hard to keep things together for "just one more day." The idea of overthrowing an institution he had dedicated his life to serving was a foreign concept to him.[1]

Then, the Ghorman Massacre occurred. Ghorman, a small planet in the Sern sector, was the site of a peaceful demonstration against new tax levies. Protesters staged a sit-in on the landing pads, blockading the spaceport. A warship, commanded by Wilhuff Tarkin, arrived to collect the planet's taxes. Tarkin ordered the ship to land regardless of the protesters on the pad. Dozens were killed, and hundreds more injured. Tarkin was not reprimanded for this actions, but was promoted instead.[1]

The Ghorman Massacre had been the final straw for Organa, and he realized the Republic he had served was dead and gone. He, Mothma,[1] and Bel Iblis[2] began to look for ways to oppose Palpatine. The Senate was effectively powerless, Palpatine controlled the Imperial Army and Navy, and the Jedi were dead. With no expectations of success, they looked to the resistance groups scattered throughout the galaxy. If they could form them into a cohesive, organized rebellion, then they would be able to fight the Empire. Many of the resistance groups, with long memories of senatorial abuses and corruption, resisted the senators overtures. But some understood that success could only be obtained through a properly-organized, galaxy-wide resistance movement. And that meant they needed beings with experience of organizing and coordinating on a galactic scale, for which the senators were uniquely qualified.[1]

Mon Mothma began to organize the resistance units of the galaxy, allying smaller units to create larger ones. Bail Organa, while still openly opposing Mon Mothma on the Senate floor, secretly channelled funds, weaponry and intelligence[1] to many of the resistance groups targeting Imperial holdings.[2] Eventually, Palpatine grew weary of Bel Iblis's rhetoric, and arranged for him to be killed by blowing up the Treitamma Political Center on Anchoron when the senator was due to give a speech. Fortunately for the senator, he had been called out of the building to meet with an agent of Organa's who had travelled to Anchoron to deliver news that Tarkin's project had been located. His wife and two children were killed in the bombing, but Bel Iblis was presumed dead.[17]

Bel Iblis went into hiding and established his own rebel cell with funding from Corellian backers.[2]





Organa's public role was one supportive to the Emperor, and when Palpatine finally decided to arrest Mothma, one of Palpatine's loyalist senators informed Organa. While Organa gloated with the other senator, he sent word to Mothma, who was able to escape Coruscant just ahead of the Imperial Security Bureau.[1] However, Organa was now alone in the Senate, watched by Imperial agents.[2]


Free from her senate duties and on the run from the Empire, Mothma began organizing the disparate resistance groups using the structure that had been hammered out in the meetings at Cantham House. She travelled extensively from system to system, contacting existing resistance groups or establishing ones were they were none. Her fame was a help and a hindrance; while it gave her access to high-ranking officials, many others were afraid that she was an agent for the Emperor, designed to draw them out of hiding with talk of rebellion. Many times, Mothma faced the prospect of death at the hands of Imperial troops or guerillas.[1]


Mothma, Bel Iblis and Organa met secretly whenever they could.[2]


The Corellian Treaty

Organa returned to Alderaan, and prepared his people for the coming war by convincing them to renounce the pacifism that had been instituted after the Clone Wars.[1]



Old Article

Early foundations

Darth Vader's secret apprentice

Years before the formation of the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader discovered a young Human child named Galen Marek during an attack on Kashyyyk.[18] Marek's father and mother, Kento and Mallie Marek, were both trained members of the Jedi Order.[5] Thus, he possessed an incredibly powerful connection to the Force. Realizing the boy's potential was too great to discard, Vader abducted Marek and indoctrinated him into the ways of the Sith as a secret apprentice. As time passed, Marek developed into a highly efficient Sith assassin, known only to a select few by the codename Starkiller;[4] his past and former identity were ultimately forgotten as he had been too young to remember what his life was like before falling under Vader's relentless tutelage.[18] As his training neared completion, Starkiller was all but a true Sith. Under the Rule of Two, however, only two Sith Lords were allowed to exist.[19] Starkiller's Master still answered to another Master, the Galactic Emperor. Ultimately, Vader assured Starkiller that they would eventually unite their powers to overthrow Palpatine in order to rule the galaxy as master and apprentice.[7]

In 2 BBY,[20] Darth Vader commanded Starkiller to search the galaxy for various rebels and dissidents who opposed the Galactic Empire. He was then required to unite them into a single rebellion that would plunge the Empire into a state of civil war. Vader reasoned that an insurrection created the best opportunity to assassinate the Emperor, especially because his attention would be focused primarily on destroying the rebels. Hence, the apprentice embarked on his mission in earnest, and eventually brought Jedi Master Rahm Kota and Bail Organa into the fold after earning their trust. Through Organa, Starkiller also made contact with the fugitives Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis. Organa's adopted daughter, Princess Leia Organa also pledged her support to the nascent rebellion while still serving as her father's successor in the Imperial Senate.[7]

Birth of the Rebellion

Starkiller's fellow subversives were initially resistant to the notion of open rebellion. They felt that the galaxy had to be shown one way or another that the Empire was vulnerable. In accordance with Darth Vader's counsel, Starkiller destroyed an Imperial shipyard that orbited Raxus Prime. As a single Star Destroyer moved to intercept him, the apprentice used the Force to rip the massive vessel from the sky, causing it to crash on the surface below. The symbolic victory had the desired effect as Vader predicted. Starkiller and the senators rendezvoused on Corellia where they ceremoniously proclaimed the birth of the Rebellion, as well as their intentions to restore liberty to the galaxy.[7]

However, Starkiller had been betrayed by the Dark Lord of the Sith. The true purpose of his mission was to gather the Emperor's enemies in a single location so that Imperial troops could arrest them all at once. Darth Vader revealed the truth to his shocked apprentice: he never intended to overthrow the Emperor with Starkiller at his side. After leaving his former assassin for dead, Vader transported the Rebel leaders to the incomplete Death Star where Emperor Palpatine awaited their arrival.[7] Yet Starkiller survived and ultimately renounced his Sith persona, thus resuming the use of his birth name "Galen Marek," recovered from repressed memories of his past.[18]

Marek infiltrated the battlestation and single-handedly slew countless Imperial soldiers before defeating his former Master in a lightsaber duel. With Darth Vader severely damaged and at the apprentice's mercy, Emperor Palpatine urged Marek to assume the mantle of a true Sith Lord by killing Vader in cold blood. Though briefly tempted to pursue his lifelong goal once more, Marek chose to rescue the Rebel leaders by attacking the Emperor. The Rebels escaped with their lives, but Marek was forced to sacrifice his own in order to provide them with enough time to flee the Death Star in the Rogue Shadow.[7]

In the aftermath of Galen Marek's demise, the Rebel leaders reconvened on Kashyyyk where they held a meeting in their fallen leader's childhood home. The Alliance to Restore the Republic was officially realized. At Leia Organa's behest, the Rebels chose to honor the secret apprentice's memory by basing their organization's emblem on the Marek family crest, effectively turning it into a symbol of hope that many beings rallied around during the subsequent Galactic Civil War.[7]

New allies and weapons

The most notable equipment contributions included the defection of some Incom Corporation staff and all relevant material involved in the development of an advanced starfighter, the T-65 X-wing, which was acquired at the Battle of Fresia. With this advanced fighter, Rebel pilots had a clear advantage over the more numerous yet unshielded TIE fighters. With the help of Gial Ackbar, who had recently been freed by Rebel forces from slavery under the Empire, Mon Mothma then secured an alliance with the Mon Calamari, who openly joined the Rebel Alliance and used their renowned skill in ship construction to supply badly needed capital ships that could take on the Imperial Navy. Their considerable fleet of Mon Calamari Star Cruisers gave the newly formed Alliance substantial firepower. Part of the Alliance's strategy was the doctrine of space denial. That is, the Alliance would attack Imperial shipping in hit and run raids; both to disrupt Imperial supplies and operations, and to confiscate desperately needed materials. In these situations, their fighters had hyperdrive capability along prearranged routes which would allow this kind of harassment and escape before the Empire could react.

Destruction of Alderaan

Because several key Alliance figures were held prisoner on it after the signing of the Corellian Treaty, the Alliance learned of the construction of the Death Star, an enormous terror weapon capable of destroying an entire planet, intended to secure the Empire's power. An operation headed by Princess Leia was successful in retrieving the schematics of the station, but Darth Vader discovered the act and captured Leia. In an effort to get the young princess to divulge the location of the secret Rebel base, Grand Moff Tarkin threatened to destroy her home planet of Alderaan. Yet, even after Leia gave him the location of an abandoned Rebel base, Tarkin ordered the Death Star to fire its primary weapon—a planet-destroying superlaser. Leia watched as billions of her fellow Alderaanians were murdered by the vicious superweapon, including Bail Organa. The Alliance would use this act as a propaganda tool to recruit more people into its ranks.[21]

A New Hope

The Force was with the Alliance. Luke Skywalker, a young man from Tatooine, came under the tutelage of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, after stormtroopers destroyed his farm and killed his uncle and aunt. The aged Jedi had been watching Luke for a long time. Knowing his family history and importance to defeating the Emperor, Obi-Wan began training the boy as a Jedi. The duo, along with the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, secured passage on a freighter, Millennium Falcon. With the help of smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca, the group managed to free the Princess and deliver the plans to the Alliance. As a result, the Alliance succeeded in attacking and destroying the battle station, and also, in Luke, they gained their only loyal member with training in the use of the Force and the skills of the practically purged Jedi Knights.[21]

Galactic Civil War

As a result of the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance gained credibility as a legitimate military opponent to the Empire. Between the effects of the battle and the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, thousands of star systems openly joined the Alliance in the months following the Death Star's destruction.[22] As a result, the Empire began occupying worlds it had allowed to remain untouched earlier, both actions resulting in an escalation of the war.

The Alliance could afford to waste no time following its major victory at Yavin. Following numerous raids on their Yavin 4 base, the Alliance relocated temporarily to a base on Thila while setting up a more permanent establishment on the ice planet Hoth. There were some setbacks, namely Garm Bel Iblis leaving the Alliance following a major disagreement with Mon Mothma to create his own rebellion. This was a blow to the Alliance, though it was offset by the joining of Borsk Fey'lya and his sizable faction of Bothans. Mon Mothma took steps to create a true navy for the Alliance, raising the Mon Calamari Ackbar to the rank of Admiral and appointing him to be Supreme Commander of the Rebel Fleet. Under Ackbar's leadership the fleet grew in size and ability. Along with the headquarters of the Rebel Alliance, Ackbar's fleet was the most important asset of the Rebellion. During this time Luke, Han, Leia, and their companions proved to be the most valuable Alliance members, performing countless crucial missions.

The ensuing battles around the galaxy were a number of engagements between either side. Many were Rebel soldiers fighting to sabotage Imperial weapons or destroy Imperial facilities. A large number of people were inspired by the defeats of the Empire to join the Rebellion. However the might and oppressive nature of the Empire inspired others to join the Imperial Military.

Loss of Hoth

The Alliance suffered a setback when Echo Base, Alliance High Command's main base of operations on the planet Hoth, was discovered by an Imperial Probe droid and overrun by Darth Vader's forces. In the ensuing battle to escape, the Rebels used their large ground-based Ion Cannon weapon to disable several of the Star Destroyers in orbit, effectively punching temporary holes in the Imperial blockade long enough for Rebel Gallofree transports and other craft to escape the planet. The Alliance was forced to scatter, and remain mobile until the end of the war for fear of losing another main base. Therefore the High Command was transferred to the Rebel Fleet, using Ackbar's flagship Home One as their mobile base of operations. This was a dark time for the Alliance with the loss of men and equipment on Hoth as well as being forced into hiding from the Empire. Also Rebel hero Han Solo was captured while in Lando Calrissian's hospitality on Cloud City, subsequently frozen in carbonite, and sent to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Furthermore, the secret shipyards in the Vergesso Asteroids were destroyed by Darth Vader's fleet.[23]

Crucial Victory at Endor

News that a new and more powerful Imperial space station, Death Star II, was nearing completion, forced the Alliance to take its greatest risk. The entire Rebel Fleet was amassed near Sullust, in order to launch an attack on the installation before it could become operational. Most important to the decision to initiate this attack was the knowledge that the Emperor himself was overseeing the final stages of construction on board the Death Star. However, in secret, the Empire had organized its forces there so that when the Rebel fleet was lured in, it would be destroyed. The plan backfired, and the subsequent Battle of Endor was a massive victory for the Alliance. Palpatine was dead; his Death Star destroyed, along with many Imperial warships. Darth Vader, who was redeemed by Luke Skywalker, his son, became Anakin Skywalker once again and sacrificed himself to kill Palpatine, saving Luke in the process.[24]

Reorganization into New Republic

About one week after the death of the Emperor at Endor, Mon Mothma declared the Rebellion (which became the Alliance of Free Planets) to be at an end, one month after that, she declared the New Republic to be established as the successor state. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had succeeded—a new Republic was to be born, though in many people's eyes the movement only gained real legitimacy with the capture of Coruscant twice by Rogue Squadron and New Republic forces in 6.5 ABY.

Command hierarchy and administration

There were two main organizations that composed the main structure of the Alliance. These were the civil government and the military.

Civil government

The Alliance civil government was responsible for handling the numerous jobs of any planetary civil government—including protecting the Alliance peoples, revenue gathering, maintenance of vital services, foreign relations and defense. Many of these functions were left to each member world or government of the Alliance, such as Mon Calamari or the Atrivis sector. The civil government of the Alliance was broken down as follows:

The Chief of State

The Chief of State was the head of the Alliance. Essentially an elected dictatorship, the Chief of State had virtually unlimited power over the Alliance. Elections were held every two years, though in practice this was only a formality as Mon Mothma had unanimous support amongst the Alliance members. According to the Corellian Treaty, the position of Chief of State "will be abolished when the Emperor is deposed, killed, or resigns his position of power." When this happened, it was the duty of the Advisory Council to assume executive control of the Alliance and convene a Constitutional Convention to form a new Galactic Republic.

The Advisory Council

The Advisory Council was composed of representatives of seven Alliance governments who had given the most lives in battle to defeating the Empire. This council was the primary advisory body to the Chief of State, responsible for approving or disapproving the proposals of the Chief of State. Furthermore, the Advisory Council had the right to dismiss a Chief of State with a two-thirds majority vote, providing a check to the powers of the Chief. During most of the history of the Alliance, worlds like Alderaan, Dac, and Sullust were members of the Advisory Council, due to their extreme devotion and high losses of life suffered in Alliance service.

The Alliance Cabinet

The Rebel Alliance Cabinet was the device from which the Chief of State could maintain and run the Alliance. Each member was selected by Mon Mothma for their devotion, intelligence, and ability to get things done. The Cabinet was composed of the following ministries:

  • Minister of Finance—responsible for overseeing Alliance funds.
  • Minister of Education—maintained Alliance Intelligence and oversees propaganda.
  • Minister of State—handled relations with other non-member governments.
  • Minister of Industry—controlled all Alliance factories and production.
  • Minister of Supply—maintained supply chain for Alliance military forces.
  • Minister of War—advised Chief of State on directing Alliance military forces.

The Allied Commands

The Alliance Allied Commands were the individual governments of worlds, organizations, and groups that were members of the Alliance. Each Allied Command varied slightly depending on how each member world was organized, though in practice Allied Commands mimicked the structure of the Alliance government. Allied Commands ranged from member worlds like Mon Calamari or Alderaan to whole sectors like Atrivis or Churnis.

Alliance military

The Alliance military was charged with defeating the forces of the Galactic Empire and bringing down the Emperor’s reign of terror, a task to which all Rebel military personnel pledged themselves. Some were defectors from the Empire.


Alliance Civil Government

Alliance High Command

Fleet Command

Alliance Intelligence

Sector Intelligence


  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Second Edition
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 The Essential Guide to Warfare
  3. ↑ The Last of the Jedi: The Desperate Mission
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in-game databank
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (novel)
  6. ↑ Starships of the Galaxy (Saga Edition)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 The Force Unleashed
  8. ↑ Star Wars 82: Diplomacy
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel)
  10. ↑ Databank title Amidala, Padmé in the Databank (original site is defunct)
  11. ↑ Databank title Organa, Bail in the Databank (original site is defunct)
  12. ↑ Databank title Mothma, Mon in the Databank (original site is defunct)
  13. ↑ Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  14. ↑ The New Essential Chronology
  15. ↑ Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  17. ↑ "Interlude at Darkknell" — Tales from the New Republic
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (novel)
  19. ↑ Darth Bane: Rule of Two
  20. ↑ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  22. ↑ Vader's Quest
  23. ↑ Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  24. ↑ Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi