The event known as the Napkin Bombing took place when Amaxine warriors detonated explosives at a conference building belonging to the New Republic's Galactic Senate which was located on Hosnian Prime. The Amaxines were following orders from the treacherous senator Lady Carise Sindian, who sought to cause a diversion while the First Order secretly prepared to emerge from their hiding place within the Unknown Regions and launch an attack against the Republic.
The bombing was designed to be a mere diversion, rather than a full-scale act of war; therefore, a warning message was left on a paper streamer, concealed by a napkin inside the conference building. This allowed Senator Leia Organa to evacuate the premises just in time. Although the bombing did succeed in creating confusion within the Senate, deepening the divide between the Centrist and Populist factions, Lady Sindian reprimanded the Amaxines, expressing her dissatisfaction that they had not created a more subtle form of distraction.
By 28 ABY, the New Republic controlled a large amount of space. The Galactic Senate, operating from its temporary capital on the planet Hosnian Prime, governed the lives of the Republic's citizens. However, despite the peace and prosperity of the era, the Republic and its Senate were now without the leadership of its original founder, the former Chancellor Mon Mothma. In her absence, two unofficial yet influential factions had emerged: the Populists, who advocated for individual planets to retain almost all authority, and the Centrists, who favored a stronger galactic government and a more robust military.
Simultaneously, within the Unknown Regions, loyalists of the defeated Galactic Empire, who had fled the New Republic following the Galactic Civil War, were building a military force with the goal of overthrowing the Republic and reclaiming control of the galaxy. This emerging government, which would later be known as the First Order, even had allies within the Republic's senatorial ranks, specifically Lady Carise Sindian of Arkanis. In an attempt to sow chaos within the Senate as the First Order prepared to reveal itself, Sindian formed an alliance with the paramilitary group known as the Amaxine warriors—whose members also desired the restoration of the Empire's power—and tasked them with creating a diversion.
The Amaxines, acting on Lady Sindian's instructions, selected a conference building within the New Republic senatorial complex as their target, timing the bombing to coincide with a scheduled gathering of the Populist party on that day. A Twi'lek mercenary, disguised as a catering staff member, planted a bomb inside the conference building before quickly leaving the area. However, because the bombing was intended only as a distraction, not a declaration of war, a warning was left on a paper streamer hidden under a folded napkin within the conference building.
When the Populist senators arrived for their breakfast meeting, they were initially unaware of the impending danger. Senator Leia Organa, a veteran of the Galactic Civil War who had fought against the Empire, was the one who discovered the Amaxines' message, which simply read "RUN." Despite the fact that the security droids did not detect any immediate threat, Organa sensed the imminent danger and ordered an evacuation. The other attendees, albeit reluctantly at first, followed her lead, and the explosion occurred shortly thereafter.
The blast caused significant damage, destroying half of the conference building, and leaving many people injured and disoriented. Triage droids were immediately deployed to the site to assess and assist the wounded.
As the perpetrators had hoped, the bombing exacerbated the existing divisions and confusion among the Republic senators. Initially, the reaction was primarily one of shock and concern. However, within a day, accusations began to surface and spread. Some accused the Centrists of attempting to eliminate their political rivals, while others suggested that the Populists had deliberately placed themselves in harm's way to portray themselves as heroic victims. Media outlets aligned themselves with one of these theories based on their political leanings, with the exception of the Ithorian news service, which seemed convinced that the Hutts were responsible for the bombing.
While the bombing did paralyze the Senate, further intensifying the conflict between the Centrist and Populist factions, Lady Sindian criticized the Amaxines, stating that they should have created a more subtle distraction.
The Napkin Bombing was featured in the 2016 novel Bloodline, written by Claudia Gray, but the original concept was developed by Rian Johnson, the director of Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.