New Republic Senate

Initially, the Galactic Senate functioned as the legislative arm of the Galactic Republic, but it became weighed down by bureaucracy and special interests that plagued the Galactic Republic in its final years. During the Clone Wars, the Senate relinquished much of its authority to the executive power of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, enabling him to oversee the war effort with special emergency powers. At the war's conclusion, the chancellor—secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who had orchestrated the entire conflict between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems to consolidate power—transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, and consequently, the Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate.

The Imperial Senate possessed even less authority than its predecessor, with its power largely superseded by regional governors who controlled their respective territories within the galaxy. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Emperor disbanded the Senate, believing that the completed Death Star superweapon would generate sufficient fear, along with the threat of the Imperial Military, to maintain control over rebellious worlds. Following the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire initiated the construction of a second Death Star to continue its strategy of ruling through fear. However, the Senate remained dissolved, effectively eliminating any remaining vestiges of the Republic from the Imperial regime.

The destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor during the Battle of Endor plunged the Empire into disarray. Amidst this chaos, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, formed to oppose the Empire and deliver the decisive blow against the regime during the Battle of Endor, established the New Republic. The New Republic revived the original Galactic Senate, initially based in Hanna City on Chandrila. This location was selected due to its long-standing reputation as a planet whose inhabitants championed justice, symbolizing a commitment to restoring justice to the galaxy.

Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance and a former senator from Chandrila, was elected as the Chancellor of the Galactic Senate. The Charter of Chancellor preserved the emergency powers that the old Senate had granted to Palpatine at the start of the Clone Wars, but Mothma intended to abolish them, considering them detrimental to democracy. She also believed that the Republic could only persuade the galaxy to join it if it was not perceived as doing so under coercion. Furthermore, Mothma aimed to demilitarize the Republic once the Galactic Civil War concluded, proposing legislation to reduce the Republic's military force by ninety percent. The remaining ten percent would serve as a peacekeeping force, while local militias would handle defense. However, this was contingent on the war's end, as Mothma recognized that the Empire would exploit any perceived weakness within the Republic.

Following the construction of the prototype Starhawk, the New Republic Senate voted in favor of constructing three additional Starhawk-class battleships, hoping to expedite the war's conclusion.

By 5 ABY, the New Republic had achieved a series of military victories against the Empire and captured several worlds, including Arkanis and Kuat. Princess Leia Organa attempted to persuade the Galactic Senate to deploy military forces to liberate the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk from Imperial occupation. With the Senate focused on defeating the Empire and safeguarding Republic worlds, Organa's husband Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca initiated a campaign to liberate Kashyyyk. Against the wishes of Chancellor Mothma and the Senate, Organa enlisted the assistance of New Republic pilot Norra Wexley and her team to locate Han Solo, who had vanished near Wild Space.

Following the capture of Kuat Drive Yards, the Senate tentatively accepted an offer from Imperial leader Grand Admiral Rae Sloane to discuss a peaceful resolution to the Galactic Civil War. Chancellor Mothma also agreed to address the issue of Kashyyyk's liberation with Sloane and issued orders prohibiting any official New Republic incursions into Kashyyyk. Organa disagreed, considering the Wookiees' well-being a non-negotiable matter. However, these talks were a facade for an Imperial assassination attempt on the New Republic leadership, utilizing liberated prisoners from Ashmead's Lock as unwilling agents. After Solo and Chewbacca successfully ignited a widespread Wookiee uprising on Kashyyyk, Organa, along with Captain Wedge Antilles and Admiral Gial Ackbar, defeated the Imperial fleet. Despite her role in liberating Kashyyyk, Organa's actions temporarily made her an outcast within the Senate.

Following the attack on Chandrila, the Galactic Senate began relocating its capital to the Mid Rim agrarian world of Nakadia, which had stringent biosecurity regulations. This transition coincided with Chancellor Mothma's political rivalry with the hawkish Orishen Senator Tolwar Wartol and the discovery of the Empire on Jakku in the Inner Rim. In an effort to prolong the war, Wartol conspired with the Black Sun and Red Key crime syndicates to coerce five senators into opposing Mothma's bill to dispatch military forces to Jakku. With the assistance of Han Solo, Sinjir Rath Velus, Temmin Wexley, Jom Barell, and Conder Kyl, Mothma persuaded the senators to reverse their votes. Consequently, the Senate deployed troops to Jakku. New Republic forces achieved a significant victory against the Empire. In retaliation, Wartol attempted to assassinate Mon Mothma but inadvertently killed her advisor Auxi Kray Korbin instead. Shortly thereafter, the Galactic Concordance was signed on Chandrila by the New Republic and the Empire, represented by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, formalizing the Empire's surrender and dissolution.

Despite the ongoing conflict with the Empire, some of the Galactic Senate's initial actions involved enacting several laws to address the excesses and injustices perpetrated by the Empire. While there was frequent disagreement on the news holos regarding the merits of each proposal, some New Republic supporters, such as former TIE fighter pilot Thane Kyrell, considered this preferable to the Old Empire, where individuals could not express their opinions without fear of Imperial retribution. The Senate prioritized spending not on the military but also allocated substantial government funds to the extensive cleanup of polluted worlds and reparations for alien species who had been enslaved by the Empire.

The Galactic Concordance signaled the end of the war and mandated that the Empire remain within predetermined borders inside the Core Worlds, Colonies, and the Inner Rim. Certain prominent Senate members believed that the war had genuinely ended and that the Empire would issue a final surrender to Republic forces. Despite the optimism surrounding an impending peace, the Chancellor nevertheless cautioned that the Republic worlds should remain on high alert and that the New Republic Defense Fleet would remain war-ready for the foreseeable future. Ultimately, the remaining Imperial forces retreated into the Unknown Regions and were not heard from for years. In the early days of the New Republic Era, Mothma hoped that the Senate would vote on how to structure the new government.

The war's conclusion prompted the Senate to pass the Military Disarmament Act, fulfilling the objective set forth by Chancellor Mothma when the Senate was reconstituted. Princess Leia Organa, a prominent member of the Rebel Alliance during the war, strongly opposed military disarmament, believing it was imprudent for the Republic to trust that the Empire would no longer pose a threat. As a consequence of her warnings, Organa's reputation suffered as she was labeled a warmonger and accused of being unable to move on from the Galactic Civil War.

Although the Republic was initially based on Chandrila, it chose to rotate its capital among different member worlds through an election process. Instead of selecting Coruscant, the former seat of power for both the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire, the rotation of the capital helped reassure star systems hesitant to join the Republic that it would not repeat the errors of its predecessors and that this Republic would not be a Core-centric government. One of the worlds that served as the New Republic's capital was Hosnian Prime, a planet within the Hosnian system, and the Senate itself was situated in Republic City. It was there that Chancellor Lanever Villecham concentrated on enhancing trade relations with historically neutral systems in the Trans-Hydian Borderlands.

By 28 ABY, the Galactic Senate had become entangled in deadlock and internal conflict. Following Mon Mothma's retirement as Chancellor, consensus within the Senate had dissolved. Two influential factions had emerged: the Populists, who sought to maintain the status quo where individual worlds enjoyed considerable autonomy, and the Centrists, who advocated for a stronger central government and military. The disputes between these factions and the highly decentralized decision-making process hindered the New Republic's ability to perform essential functions and fulfill mandates, such as enforcing financial regulations, patrolling galactic shipping lanes, and preventing the resurgence of organized crime networks.

The Galactic Senate's indecisiveness and infighting enabled the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di's cartel to establish a presence in the Gaulus sector, which encompassed the planet Ryloth. Di's smuggling and gambling operations severely impacted Ryloth's economy and were used to finance the expansion of the First Order Navy. Ryloth's Emissary Yendor brought his planet's predicament to the attention of the Galactic Senate, but his pleas were largely met with indifference. However, Populist Senator Leia Organa and her Centrist colleague Ransolm Casterfo agreed to investigate the matter on behalf of the Senate.

During their investigation, the two senators discovered that Di's cartel was connected to a paramilitary group known as the Amaxine warriors, who supplied Di with pilots and admired the Old Empire. Organa's investigation revealed that Di's cartel had risen to power under suspicious circumstances, while Casterfo discovered that the Amaxine warriors were amassing troops and starfighters on Daxam IV and Sibensko in preparation for war. Organa and Casterfo's investigation coincided with a successful Centrist motion to create a powerful new position called First Senator, who would oversee the Republic's economy and military. At the urging of several Populist senators, including Tai-Lin Garr and Varish Vicly, Leia agreed to run as the Populist candidate for First Senator.

After securing the supreme governorship of Birren with Organa's assistance, Centrist Senator Lady Carise Sindian discovered that Organa was the daughter of the infamous Darth Vader. Secretly, Sindian was a clandestine agent of the First Order with connections to the Amaxine warriors' leader, Arliz Hadrassian. With Sindian's approval, Hadrassian orchestrated a diversion by bombing the Galactic Senate's conference building on Hosnian Prime. However, this only drew Organa and Casterfo's attention to the Amaxines. Due to Hadrassian's fanaticism, Sindian began to view her as a liability to the First Order's plans.

Seeking to sow discord between Organa and Casterfo, Sindian informed him of Organa's true parentage. Feeling betrayed by his friend, Casterfo disrupted a Senate hearing regarding Organa's nomination for First Senator by revealing that she was Darth Vader's daughter. Consequently, Organa lost the support of many senators, with the exception of Garr and Vicly, and was compelled to withdraw her nomination for First Senator. Undeterred, Organa and her team—C-3PO, Joph Seastriker, and Greer Sonnel—traveled to Sibensko, where they uncovered evidence linking the Amaxines to Di's cartel. Following a confrontation with Di and the Amaxine warriors, Organa managed to escape with the assistance of her husband, Han Solo. Shortly afterward, a damaged Amaxine B-wing starfighter crashed into the Amaxines' underwater weapons depot, triggering an explosion that destroyed their base and the underwater city.

Later, Organa requested a hearing at the Galactic Senate and secured a quorum due to a favorable vote from Casterfo, who sought to atone for betraying Organa. During her hearing, Organa delivered a speech documenting the Amaxines' connections to Rinnrivin Di's cartel. She also presented evidence, including banking records and footage from Sibensko. When several senators accused her of warmongering and dishonesty, Casterfo defended her and shared visual logs of the Amaxine's military strength and training from his trip to Daxam IV. Casterfo's actions earned him Organa's respect but incurred the wrath of Sindian, who devised a plan to eliminate the dissenting Centrist senator. An opportune moment arose ten days later during Tai-Lin Garr's campaign for First Senator. Sindian hired Hadrassian to assassinate Garr. Based on Organa and Casterfo's information, Hadrassian was then linked to the Amaxines, the Napkin Bombing, and Di's cartel.

Sindian then planted fabricated evidence linking Casterfo to Hadrassian. As a result, Casterfo was arrested for allegedly aiding Hadrassian's Amaxine warriors. He was subsequently deported back to his homeworld of Riosa to face imprisonment, trial, and sentencing. Following Garr's death, the Galactic Senate—with the support of Sindian and the Centrists—passed a motion suspending all future elections due to the political turmoil. Sindian also planned to submit a motion for the Centrist worlds to secede from the New Republic and join the First Order. At that point, Organa concluded that Sindian was responsible for revealing her parentage and framing Casterfo. She then persuaded the Elder Houses to strip Sindian of all her royal titles, reducing her to a commoner. While most senators believed that the elimination of the Amaxines and Di's cartel had eradicated all threats, Organa disagreed, believing that other forces were conspiring to overthrow the Republic. Frustrated with the Senate's infighting and complacency, Organa established a paramilitary organization called the Resistance to safeguard the New Republic.

The Senate's legislative standstill led to a fresh Separatist uprising, thereby cleaving the New Republic into two factions: the Populists and the Centrists, the latter of whom aimed to establish a new governing body. Senator Leia Organa, compelled to leave her position due to the controversy surrounding her lineage, found herself powerless to halt the secession of those star systems advocating for centralized authority. The Senate, known for its aversion to measures perceived as oppressive or reminiscent of the Empire, permitted the Centrists to secede from the New Republic. Subsequently, the systems and sectors that chose independence were integrated into the First Order, forming the Order's core political structure alongside its military and spiritual elements concealed within the Unknown Regions.

The divergence between these two galactic powers ignited political conflict, giving rise to the Cold War. The Senate Intelligence Committee conducted a review of reports detailing the First Order's activities, deeming them inconclusive and exaggerated. Ultimately, the committee concluded that the First Order represented a fragmented remnant of the fallen Empire, a persistent but poorly equipped and organized group of Imperial extremists rather than a genuine threat to the New Republic. Despite Organa's attempts to alert the Senate to the danger, they declined to take action against the First Order. Consequently, Organa established the Resistance to act as a counterforce against the First Order's operations.

Although the Senate did not officially endorse General Organa's military endeavors, it tolerated them with reluctance. Nevertheless, the Senate, including the chancellor, remained committed to peaceful resolutions and refrained from engaging the First Order as long as they adhered to the Galactic Concordance. However, sympathetic senators who shared Organa's concerns about the First Order provided support and funding to the Resistance. Conversely, some senators, such as Hamato Xiono from Hosnian Prime, viewed the Resistance as an extremist group.

The Republic and its Senate became the primary targets of the First Order, whose leaders, such as General Armitage Hux, considered it an illegitimate government incapable of maintaining order in the galaxy. As the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance intensified, the First Order deployed its superweapon, Starkiller Base, to obliterate the Hosnian system. The senators present on Hosnian Prime, including Chancellor Lanever Villecham, perished when the planet was consumed by Starkiller's destructive power.

With the New Republic Senate effectively annihilated, the First Order-Resistance War commenced. Surviving senators disbanded their task forces and returned to their homeworlds to defend them. Meanwhile, the Resistance dedicated itself to restoring the New Republic, but despite their efforts, the First Order successfully conquered vast territories throughout the galaxy. Under the command of former Senator Organa's estranged son, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the First Order was poised to transform into a genuine empire following the discovery of the Final Order, the Sith Eternal's armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers, constructed on Exegol by the followers of the resurrected Darth Sidious.

The New Republic Senate, also referred to as the Galactic Senate, included representatives from various worlds throughout the galaxy. Initially, representation was dominated by worlds from inner systems, but some Outer Rim worlds joined the Senate relatively early in its existence. The representatives within the Senate were selected according to the will of their constituents, and the early Senate debates concerning proposals to rectify the injustices perpetrated by the Empire were met with enthusiasm because of the freedom to express opinions without fear of Imperial reprisal. The Senate oversaw the rehabilitation of worlds across the galaxy by allocating resources to clean up polluted environments and provide reparations to species that had been enslaved by the Empire.

The New Republic Senate also encompassed committees such as the Committee for Imperial Reallocation, which was tasked with redistributing the Empire's assets, and the Senate Intelligence Committee, which at one point investigated the First Order's activities. However, not all representatives demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the Senate, with some harboring sympathies and even allegiances to the First Order.

By 28 ABY, it was reported to consist of thousands of senators, representing thousands of worlds.

During the Cold War between the New Republic and the First Order, the Senate's members included Lanever Villecham of the Tarsunt system as Chancellor, Thadlé Berenko of Naboo, Zygli Bruss of Candovant, Thanlis Depallo of Commenor, Nahani Gillen of Uyter, Brasmon Kee of Abednedo, Gadde Neshurrion of Ubardia, Andrithal Robb-Voti of Taris, and Erudo Ro-Kiintor of Hevurion.

The canon Galactic Senate of the New Republic made its initial appearance in the 2015 novel Aftermath penned by Chuck Wendig. The New Republic Senate had previously been featured in various Star Wars Legends narratives, including The New Jedi Order book series.