Bendu (religion)

Initially, the Galactic Republic employed its own distinct symbol, but later adopted the Bendu symbol. Interestingly, the Sith Empire, after its reformation, utilized a six-spoked symbol akin to the Republic's post-Sith civil war symbol. By this point, the Republic had embraced the Bendu symbol to signify their role in unifying the galaxy. During the Clone Wars, a six-spoked variation of the symbol was also in use by the Republic, just before the Empire's ascent. Subsequently, the symbol served as the foundation for the Galactic Empire's emblem. Following the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic re-established the Old Republic's governmental structure, implementing modifications to mitigate potential abuses. Although the Bendu was reinstated, its resemblance to the widely despised Imperial Crest hindered its widespread adoption as an official symbol, leading to its near complete replacement by the Alliance Starbird.

The term "Bendu" might originate from George Lucas's original designation for the Jedi Knights: the Jedi Bendu. The symbol appears in several instances. In Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, during the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin's fighter displays the Clone Wars-era six-spoke symbol, not the eight-spoke version. This detail is visible during R2's encounter with the buzz droid.

In Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War, Republic Navy vessels are adorned with a blue symbol featuring nine spokes. Coincidentally, the flag of Khoonda on Dantooine (spanning from 3956 BBY to 3951 BBY), which surfaced 39 years later in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, also exhibited a blue nine-spoked symbol. In the PlayStation 2 iteration of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, within the Nar Shaddaa environment, screens displaying the eight-spoke Galactic Republic Bendu symbol are present and destructible.