The Senate Planetary Intelligence Network, alternatively known as the Senate (Inter)Planetary Intelligence Network, and commonly called SPIN, was a covert intelligence organization established in 4 ABY by Chief of State Mon Mothma to serve the interests of the New Republic government. Based at the Palace of the Woolamander located on Yavin 4 and reporting directly to the New Republic Provisional Council, this agency ultimately proved to be largely inefficient, paving the way for Mothma to create the highly secretive Alpha Blue intelligence service. While SPIN did manage to execute some operations against Emperor Trioculus, Mothma, in collaboration with General Airen Cracken, began efforts to establish the New Republic Intelligence Service (NRI) to address the shortcomings of SPIN. By the time the New Republic had liberated Coruscant, SPIN had been reduced to little more than an observation post. It was subsequently dissolved, and its assets were transferred to the NRI.
Following the defeat of Galactic Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which was then restructured as the Alliance of Free Planets, initiated preparations to transform into the New Republic and seize control of Coruscant from the Galactic Empire, thereby solidifying their legitimacy. The Empire launched a HoloNet propaganda initiative led by the Prophet of the Dark Side Lord Cronal, even going so far as to portray Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker as an Imperial hero. To counteract Imperial propaganda and quell fears of autocratic rule, Chief of State Mon Mothma oversaw the reorganization of Alliance Intelligence into the Senate Planetary Intelligence Network, or SPIN. Although a formal "Senate" was not yet in place, leadership of the newly formed intelligence agency was entrusted to the New Republic Provisional Council, which included Mon Mothma and Admiral Gial Ackbar. The more forceful Alliance Special Operations units were gradually phased out, though Generals Airen Cracken and Crix Madine continued to undertake various SpecOp missions, reporting their findings to the SPIN leadership and council admiral Hiram Drayson.
SPIN established its headquarters at the New Republic's temporary capital on Yavin 4, specifically within the renovated Palace of the Woolamander, where the Provisional Council convened. Additionally, they established the Defense Research and Planetary Assistance Center (DRPAC) at Mount Yoda on the planet Dagobah. However, both locations suffered from significant security vulnerabilities that would later lead to substantial problems. Despite being described as an analysis and infiltration network that utilized skilled agents such as Kea Moll, Mirith Sinn, and Kyle Katarn, SPIN also created the Rapid Response Team to handle clandestine operations. This team, consisting of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Han Solo, was significantly hampered by the fact that all of its members were extremely well-known. SPIN's existence would be largely defined by the brief reign of Trioculus as Emperor and his quest to locate the Lost City of the Jedi. Following Trioculus' bombardment of Yavin 4 in his search for the Lost City, SPIN relocated its operations to DRPAC on Dagobah.
However, even at DRPAC, the agency continued to be plagued by security breaches and intelligence leaks. It was these issues, along with SPIN's overall ineffectiveness, that prompted Mothma to secretly establish a second, highly classified intelligence network known as Alpha Blue, which was formed from Airen Cracken's "Shadow Operations", without the knowledge of her fellow council members. Furthermore, Mothma began to work covertly with General Cracken to create the New Republic Intelligence Service (NRI). By the end of the Milagro campaign, SPIN had largely lost its power, and by the time the New Republic captured Coruscant, it had been reduced to a mere outpost responsible for guarding the secrets of the Lost City of the Jedi. The organization was subsequently dissolved, and its resources were transferred to the NRI. SPIN's brief existence is generally regarded as a complete intelligence failure or, at best, a naive undertaking. Nevertheless, the agency did serve as a valuable testing ground for the formation of the NRI and, in its own way, conducted a successful campaign against Emperor Trioculus, keeping him off balance and thereby granting other New Republic forces greater operational freedom.