Non-intervention policy
The laws against preemptive strikes, also known as the non-aggression mandates or the policy of non-intervention, were a series of regulations within the Chiss Ascendancy that strictly forbade initiating warfare with a preemptive attack, with the consequence being exile. This principle, deeply rooted in the Ascendancy's preference for isolation and a hands-off approach to the wider galaxy, was a fundamental aspect of the Chiss military's operational guidelines. These mandates mandated that the Chiss military exhaust all possible measures to prevent engaging in preemptive combat against any potential enemy.
Although initiating attacks was forbidden, the regulations permitted retaliatory and punitive actions against aggressors who had demonstrably violated Chiss territory or trade routes. Following the attack on Csilla by unidentified forces, the Chiss Syndicure and the Defense Hierarchy Council made the decision to attack the Paataatus because, regardless of whether the Paataatus were responsible for the initial assault, their repeated "probing at the Ascendancy's borders" warranted a response. A key function of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet was to gather intelligence and assess threats beyond the Ascendancy's territorial limits. The combination of the Fleet's mission and the non-aggression mandates resulted in a strong emphasis on covert operations when the Fleet ventured into inhabited systems unknown to the Chiss. Any intrusion into another's domain, even for the purpose of data collection, was considered a hazardous step towards initiating preemptive conflict.
History
As a consequence of his unsanctioned, yet successful, actions during the Vagaari pirate operations, Chiss Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo received a thorough briefing on the preemptive strike protocols. The Senior Captain, whose core name was Thrawn, affirmed his understanding of these regulations.
The forces under General Yiv the Benevolent, operating from the Nikardun Destiny, aimed to exploit the laws prohibiting preemptive strikes by conquering or otherwise dominating several civilizations situated along the Chiss border. Yiv's strategy involved encircling the Chiss, rendering them unable to respond until it was too late. However, Senior Captain Thrawn, of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet's Picket Force Six, exposed Yiv's scheme, demonstrated the danger presented by the Nikardun, and defeated them above Primea. Subsequently, Thrawn captured Yiv and delivered him to the Ascendancy.
During the raid on Rapacc, Thrawn faced an attack from Nikardun blockade forces. He then seized a Nikardun blockade frigate and transported it back to the Ascendancy for detailed analysis of its structure and technology. Supreme General Ba'kif cautioned Thrawn that certain members of the Syndicure might perceive his actions as a breach of the preemptive strike laws, suggesting it would have been simpler to destroy the captured vessel. Indeed, Syndic Thurfian argued that the ship's capture was unlawful. Ba'kif speculated that some Aristocra might even demand the warship's return to the Nikardun. Thrawn could not comply because the entire crew of the vessel committed mass suicide just before the Chiss boarding parties arrived, leading Ba'kif to declare the frigate's capture a "gray area" until the Syndicure formally addressed the specifics in law.
Following Yiv's capture and subsequent interrogation, he divulged the locations of the dispersed remnants of his forces. The ruling body of the Ascendancy, the Chiss Syndicure, now fully aware of the threat posed by the Nikardun Destiny, permitted the Ascendancy military to cautiously disregard the non-aggression policy in order to pursue and eliminate the remaining Nikardun forces. During the Imperial Era, Imperial Navy units discovered an exiled Chiss male named Mitth'raw'nuruodo on an uncharted world. Thrawn stated that he had been exiled for engaging in preemptive strikes against a known threat to the Chiss Ascendancy, thereby violating the established policy.
Years later, Thrawn revealed to select trusted members of the Galactic Empire that his exile was a deception. It was a calculated maneuver to position himself close enough to the emerging Empire to assess its potential as an ally for the Chiss Ascendancy against the Grysk Hegemony. Thrawn had not anticipated becoming an officer in the Imperial Navy, let alone being brought directly before the Emperor. However, the Emperor desired the Chiss's knowledge of his native Unknown Regions to further his own agendas.
Behind the scenes
The laws against preemptive strikes were initially referenced in the rebooted canon with the publication of the 2017 novel Thrawn authored by Timothy Zahn. Comprehensive details regarding these laws were first presented in the 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising. Although these laws have been cited in several canonical sources, they were definitively labeled as "preemptive-strike laws" in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good. Nevertheless, the policy against aggression has rarely been referred to using the same specific phrasing on more than one occasion.
Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Chiss principle against initiating attacks was initially mentioned as a law in the novel Vision of the Future, also penned by Timothy Zahn and released in 1998 by Bantam Spectra. Zahn's 2006 novel Outbound Flight identified it as the "defensive-only doctrine."