The establishment of the Galactic Empire is intrinsically linked to the declaration of the New Order. Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, exploited an emergency session of the Galactic Senate at the conclusion of the Clone Wars. He alleged that the Jedi Order had plotted to overthrow the Galactic Republic. Subsequently, the Jedi were branded as enemies, and Palpatine transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, assuming the role of absolute ruler. Despite some silent dissent from figures like Senators Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala, the proclamation garnered widespread approval from both the Senate and the general populace. The anniversary of the New Order's declaration was commemorated annually as Empire Day.
Palpatine's announcement of the New Order was broadcast to countless inhabitants of the galaxy.
The announcement transitioning the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire was met with widespread support, lacking any public opposition. Some senators backed it, anticipating a period of peace following three years marked by war and devastation. Others, notably those who endorsed the Delegation of 2,000, privately disagreed with the declaration but chose not to voice their concerns. During the address, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo reflected that freedom had perished amidst "thunderous applause."
Meanwhile, Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, survivors of Order 66, forcefully entered the occupied Jedi Temple to probe the attack that had transpired there, capitalizing on Palpatine's public absence.
On Kamino, the homeworld of the clone troopers, Palpatine's speech was broadcast live from Coruscant. The clones in Tipoca City were required to attend a mass assembly to hear the Supreme Chancellor's address on the state of the Republic. Present at the assembly were a detachment of Coruscant Guard clone shock troopers, the members of Clone Force 99, and the city's Kaminoan administrators, including Prime Minister Lama Su, Taun We, and Doctor Nala Se. The troopers celebrated Palpatine's announcement of the Republic's transformation into the Empire. However, news soon circulated among the clone ranks that the New Order intended to cease cloning operations on Kamino, as the Empire favored introducing service conscription to the Imperial Army as a more cost-effective alternative.
Due to the failure of their control chips to fully activate, Clone Force 99 experienced confusion rather than celebration at Palpatine's declaration. When Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin assigned the team to a mission to Onderon ostensibly to eliminate insurgents, they chose to desert the Empire upon discovering that the supposed rebels included civilians. During their subsequent escape from Kamino, CT-9904 Crosshair remained loyal to the Empire after his control chip was intensified.
The proclamation of the New Order was conceived for the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the culminating installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
During a 1981 conference transcript meeting for the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan discussed the backstory of Anakin Skywalker's descent to the dark side and the Emperor's manipulation of the Galactic Senate. This eventually evolved into the proclamation of the New Order depicted in the prequel trilogy.
In the DVD commentary for Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas revealed that the interwoven scenes of the proclamation of the New Order and the mission to Mustafar were an homage to the christening and assassination sequence in the 1972 film The Godfather, directed by his acquaintance Francis Ford Coppola.