Trade Federation

During the Golden Age of the Old Republic, specifically in the Colonies region, the Trade Federation of Planets emerged in 350 BBY. It was established as a Galactic Republic-sanctioned body with the purpose of mediating disagreements among the various merchants and shipping enterprises operating within the galaxy. At that time, immense transportation megacorporations such as Pulsar Supertanker, Quasar Cargo, Red Star Shipping Lines, and Ororo Transportation were stifling commercial activity by preventing competitors from accessing Outer Rim spaceports and withholding crucial navigational information. The Trade Federation, initially composed of a diverse range of species, including the Neimoidians, played a role in curbing such abuses, and within a century, it had evolved into a significant shipping collective in its own right. Originally, the Federation was governed by a directorate, headed by a commanding Viceroy.

The Federation's constituents increasingly collaborated to negotiate more advantageous rates and policies. They also entered into a contract with Hoersch-Kessel Drive, Inc. to construct a new fleet of LH-3210 cargo freighters. By 250 BBY, the Trade Federation had surpassed its initial mandate and become a powerful association actively lobbying to promote trade interests within the Galactic Senate. It also dedicated efforts to opening new regions of the galaxy to trade and commerce, with the Trade Explorer Corps pioneering numerous new routes into the Outer Rim and establishing networks of retail outlets, depots, waystations, and landing fields across thousands of isolated systems.

As its influence expanded, the Trade Federation found it necessary to defend its transports against piracy. Instead of relying on corrupt or ineffective Planetary Security Forces, the Federation established its own Trade Defense Force, which developed into a capable and respected paramilitary force, earning the admiration of the Republic's Judicial Forces.

Many regarded the Trade Federation of the late 200s BBY as the quintessential Republic institution: managed by a diverse group representing various species and interests, it effectively and fairly represented its members on Coruscant, made investments that fostered commerce throughout the galaxy, and augmented the capabilities of the Judicials and Planetary Security Forces with the Trade Defense Force. An illustrative instance can be observed in the Rseik sector in 214 BBY: the sector was grappling with a persistent piracy problem, and in the aftermath of the Bordal Contagion, the firms Kett Shipping, Rseikharhl Hullspace, Cotellieri Transports Limited, and the Ma'ar Shaddam Weaponsmiths Guild opted to seek assistance from the Trade Federation. Following a clandestine meeting with a Balmorran Federation operative on the planet Syned, all parties consented to becoming Federation subsidiaries. The Federation deployed a flotilla consisting of gunboats and system patrol craft via Svivren, accompanied by a pair of Munifex-class light cruisers and a Captor-class heavy munitions cruiser. During their inaugural convoy escort to Kabal, they were ambushed by the Fujari pirates at Tertiary Fujar. Within an hour, the Fujari pirates and their asteroid base were completely annihilated by the Trade Defense Force. A week later, the TDF eradicated the Hajara pirate gang. Within a decade, the Trade Federation had upgraded spaceport facilities at Kirdo III and Laria, established a depot for goods at Tyne Albamon, pioneered a faster route to Svivren, and established a TDF marine post at the Dravian Starport. By that juncture, Kett Shipping was conducting over twenty convoys annually without experiencing a single loss.

As its influence grew, the Trade Federation itself transformed into a cartel, exerting dominance over galactic trade and ruthlessly suppressing any opposition. By 150 BBY, commerce between the Core and the Rim was once again dwindling. In an attempt to revitalize trade, the Galactic Senate designated the entire Outer Rim as a Free Trade Zone in 124 BBY, but this merely exempted the Trade Federation from local taxation. It aggressively expanded into the newly established Free Trade Zone, forging agreements with impoverished sectors that effectively ceded their Senate votes. Other sectors were compelled to relinquish their economic autonomy, becoming perpetual customers of the Trade Federation. The Trade Federation maintained strict control over maps of hyperspace routes, preventing their dissemination and thereby solidifying their dominance over trade routes. Only the Jedi and the Office of the Supreme Chancellor possessed maps of comparable quality. The Federation maintained numerous planetary protectorates throughout the galaxy, often utilizing the ceremonial halls within their core ships to formalize protectorship agreements.

Within two generations, the Trade Federation amassed sufficient Senate votes to impede competitors, influence judicial proceedings, and obstruct legislation. In 67 BBY, it even secured a seat in the Senate at the same level as a member world as a functional constituency, represented by Lott Dod. The Trade Federation attained full voting privileges as part of a clandestine agreement brokered by Hego Damask II of Damask Holdings, the alter ego of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis, in which they accepted the reform of the Free Trade Zones in the Outer Rim Territories, even though this would cost some of their shipping monopoly and expose them to competition from start-up companies. Despite gaining representation in the Galactic Senate in return, the leadership remained dissatisfied with the erosion of their monopoly.

In 65 BBY, the Trade Federation was granted full rights to construct a new spaceport for Theed on the planet Naboo, and to export the planet's newly-discovered plasma resources: as Hego Damask, Darth Plagueis explicitly involved the Trade Federation to reconcile them to the earlier Free Trade Zone Deal. However, many on Naboo, particularly isolationists like Senator Vidar Kim, emphasized that the Trade Federation would resell Naboo's plasma for ten or even twenty times its purchase price, deeming the arrangement unjust and exploitative.

Between 59 BBY and 56 BBY, the moon Alaris Prime in the Kashyyyk system was rediscovered by Wookiee explorers from the planet Kashyyyk, who petitioned the Senate for the rights to colonize it. The Trade Federation also expressed its interest in the moon, coveting its abundant resources and aspiring to establish a trade hub connecting Kashyyyk, Kessel, and Bimmisaari.

Many on Coruscant lamented the Trade Federation's corruption, predatory business practices, and the suppression of representation for the systems under its control. When Senator Vidar Kim was assassinated by a never-identified Maladian gunman at the behest of Darth Plagueis, many were prepared to suggest that the Trade Federation had in fact been responsible. However, others admired it for the TDF's rapid extinction of piracy on the major hyperlanes. A terrorist group known as the Nebula Front declared its intention to fight the Trade Federation by any means necessary, while the Stark Commercial Combine led by Iaco Stark began raiding Trade Federation convoys and selling pirated goods for a huge markup. In this period, the Neimoidian faction became increasingly influential in the Trade Federation. The Neimoidians who ran the Trade Federation received their organizational skills from running mass hives and fungus farms on their homeworld of Neimoidia and the Neimoidian purse worlds like Cato Neimoidia, Deko Neimoidia, and Koru Neimoidia.

The Stark Hyperspace War of 44 BBY marked a critical juncture for both the Trade Federation and its adversaries within the Senate. During a bacta shortage, Iaco Stark initiated raids on Trade Federation bacta shipments, selling them at discounted prices and gaining popularity in the Outer Rim. In response, the Trade Federation demanded increased armament rights for its merchant vessels. However, this seemingly straightforward smuggling conflict was, in fact, a scheme devised by Stark, the Xucphra bacta corporation, and Viceroy Hask, who viewed it as an opportunity to cripple the Republic's military with Stark's navcomputer virus, thereby achieving economic dominance over the galaxy.

Senator Finis Valorum advocated for a peace conference to address the underlying causes of the war. However, aware of the Trade Federation's collaboration with Xucphra in orchestrating the bacta shortage and convinced that only force could resolve the conflict, Senator Ranulph Tarkin blackmailed Trade Federation Minister Nute Gunray into divulging the conference's location on Troiken. Assembling a fleet, Tarkin hastened to Troiken to ambush Stark's forces, but his fleet was decimated by Stark's navcomputer virus, forcing him to seek refuge on the planet. As intense attrition warfare unfolded on Troiken, a Jedi task force uncovered the conspiracy involving Xucphra and the Trade Federation. On Coruscant, Jedi Master Mace Windu leveraged this information to coerce Viceroy Hask and Nute Gunray into releasing TDF assets for a counterattack. Stark defected to the Republic and aided in resolving the crisis in exchange for amnesty, but both the Trade Federation and its opponents in the Senate had become radicalized. Hask resigned due to the conspiracy and was succeeded as Viceroy by Nute Gunray, and the Trade Federation intensified its demands for enhanced protection for its merchant ships.

The entire crisis had, in fact, been orchestrated by Darth Sidious, apprentice to Darth Plagueis and publicly Senator Palpatine of Naboo. Sidious exploited the crisis to exacerbate tensions between the Core Worlds and the Outer Rim systems controlled by the Trade Federation. He persisted in manipulating the Trade Federation and its adversaries until the galaxy teetered on the precipice of a war that would ultimately dismantle the Republic.

Over the subsequent decade, the Neimoidian Inner Circle gained increasing influence within the seven-member Trade Federation Directorate, although the Federation only became a Neimoidian monopoly in 33 BBY, when six other members of the Trade Federation Directorate were murdered, leaving only Viceroy Nute Gunray. During this period, the Trade Federation also initiated the covert buildup of a droid invasion army. To ensure that the army's creation and mobilization remained concealed from the authorities of the Galactic Republic, they disguised the suspicious equipment as shipments of the latest and most expensive iteration of binary loadlifters during inspections by the Republic Customs Office. The Federation's expanding power and influence prompted many in the Senate to contemplate reimposing taxation on the Outer Rim, effectively abolishing the Free Trade Zones. The Trade Federation vehemently opposed renewed taxation, and through its senator, Lott Dod, persistently filibustered Senate debates on the matter.

Following two decades of deliberation, the rights to Alaris Prime were awarded to the Wookiees, a ruling that the Trade Federation disregarded by dispatching a portion of the Droid Army to establish an illegal colony on the moon sometime between 39 BBY and 36 BBY. A Trade Federation power core on the moon was attacked by predatory gundarks, causing the Federation to abandon that particular area. After the Wookiees arrived on the moon two of their early surveyors, Chewbacca and Shoran, encountered and destroyed the power core on the advice of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who was concerned by the technological presence on a supposedly uncolonized world.

Nute Gunray dispatched a B1-Series battle droid named OOL-2 to investigate the remnants of the power core, who reported that it had been destroyed by gundarks. In response Gunray instructed OOL-2 to find and eliminate the gundarks, and to deliver the pelts to their Trandoshan ally Pekt. A squad of battle droids attacked the gundark nest and had almost finished exterminating the creatures when a force of Wookiees led by Chewbacca, who had also been dealing with gundarks, arrived on the scene. The droids attacked the Wookiees, who destroyed them all in response. Afterwards, the focus of the Wookiee colonists shifted from self-sustenance to expanding their military to fight the Trade Federation. Their leader Attichitcuk undertook a scouting mission, sighting a group of battle droids commanded by DRN-38.

DRN-38's battle droids laid an ambush for Attichitcuk, opening fire on him and his companions. Perceiving that the Wookiee leader was still alive, Chewbacca assembled a squad of bowcaster-equipped soldiers and advanced into territory controlled by the Trade Federation to locate him. The Wookiees annihilated every B1 battle droid they encountered. After Attichitcuk was located and brought to a secure location, DRN-38 retaliated by deploying three droidekas, but they were also destroyed. Subsequently, Chewbacca assumed leadership of the colonists and spearheaded a successful assault on a Trade Federation installation under the command of GWC-04, which had been involved in battle droid production. The droid LUH-989 also initiated an offensive against Chewbacca's settlement, utilizing early model Battle Droids along with beetle droids. Following the repulsion of that assault, scouts from Shoran's encampment discovered a listening post constructed by the Trade Federation to eavesdrop on the colonists, which the Wookiees then obliterated.

After the listening post's destruction, Chewbacca determined that the time had come to forcibly expel the Trade Federation from Alaris Prime. Their final stronghold was a garrison led by SRAM-13, who deployed a force consisting of droidekas and beetle droids to attack several Wookiee guard towers. The Wookiees gathered several Agr fighters and energy catapults to demolish the base's turrets. After that, they deployed their ground forces, which included a recovered Attichitcuk, Chewbacca, Shoran, and Qui-Gon Jinn, who until then had only provided remote guidance to the Wookiees. The Battle for Alaris Prime resulted in the Trade Federation's fortress being razed, marking the end of their colonization on Alaris Prime. The conflict also revealed the Federation's clandestine manufacturing operations in the area.

In 33 BBY, Darth Sidious prepared to enact his grand scheme and revealed his true self to the Neimoidian faction within the Directorate. Sidious used both blackmail and flattery to persuade Gunray to accept a "partnership," capitalizing on his dissatisfaction with the Directorate, which he believed failed to recognize his abilities and hindered his ambitions. Promising Gunray an "unexpected promotion," Sidious dispatched his apprentice Darth Maul to the mining planet of Dorvalla, where Maul incited conflict between the rival corporations Lommite Limited and InterGalactic Ore. The Trade Federation had long desired control over the planet's lommite trade. As a result of Maul's actions, the two companies merged to create Dorvalla Mining, which soon agreed to allow the Trade Federation to export lommite ore and to accept Trade Federation representation in the Senate. This solidified Gunray's power and strengthened Sidious' control over the Viceroy.

Concurrently, hostilities between the Nebula Front and the Trade Federation escalated. In further discussions with the Viceroy, Darth Sidious insisted that the Neimoidians willingly sacrifice one of their Lucrehulk-class freighters, the Revenue, along with its cargo of aurodium ingots worth two billion credits. In a subsequent incident on Dorvalla, a Nebula Front group led by Arwen Cohl attacked the Revenue and absconded with the cargo, prompting Nute Gunray to once again demand increased protection for Trade Federation vessels.

As Senator Palpatine, Sidious convinced Supreme Chancellor Valorum that renewed taxation was the only way to address the grievances that fueled the Nebula Front's violence. Because this would essentially eliminate the Free Trade Zones that had enriched the Trade Federation, Senator Lott Dod voiced objections and reiterated the demand that the Federation be permitted to expand its droid army for defense against the Nebula Front. Palpatine suggested that a summit be convened on Eriadu to facilitate an agreement among all parties. Due to Sidious' manipulations, the summit was a complete failure: the Trade Federation Directorate's security droids turned on their employers, killing the entire Directorate except for Gunray and Dod.

Following the disastrous Eriadu Trade Summit, Gunray proceeded to fill the vacant positions on the Directorate with his Neimoidian puppets, some of whom later formed the Occupation Council that seized control of Theed after the Naboo invasion.

Demonstrating little sympathy for the Trade Federation after Eriadu, the Galactic Senate resolved to impose taxation, drafting Senate Resolution BR-0371. The new ruler of Naboo, Padmé Amidala, spearheaded the call for new taxation, and Senator Palpatine, knowing it would provoke the Trade Federation, concurred with his monarch. As Darth Sidious, he contacted Gunray and encouraged him to initiate preparations for a naval blockade of Naboo in protest of the resolution.

The Federation acquired the necessary resources from various planets, including Esseles and Eos. Gunray experienced a brief moment of anxiety before launching the blockade, concerned about the cost of diverting so many ships from trade. However, Sidious coldly informed him that any revenue losses would be offset by the Trade Federation's investors shipping of weapons. Amid the preparations, Deputy Viceroy Hath Monchar attempted to expose the plot to the Jedi Order, but Darth Maul killed him before he could succeed. Two of the Trade Federation's member species—the Caarites and the Filordi—believed that the blockade would destroy the Federation, so they seceded to form the Metatheran Cartel and expelled the Federation from the Cularin system.

The Trade Federation's fleet primarily consisted of modified Lucrehulk-class freighters, which included 50 conference rooms in the ships' central sphere for trade negotiations. Largely because of this, the Trade Federation deliberately designed the rooms with special adaptations to disadvantage clients, including variable gas emitters and remote-operated "concentration deficit" chairs to impair their clients' thinking. The Executive Board, being thrifty businessmen, was unwilling to spend more credits and opted to convert their massive commercial freight carriers into formidable, three-kilometer-long warships, equipped with shields, turbolasers, and military-grade communications arrays. Additionally, the Trade Federation forged agreements with numerous species, such as the Colicoids and the Xi Char, to construct massive armies for the Federation. Due to their thriftiness and the concurrent development of their droid army, they replaced paid employees and expensive protocol droids in air-traffic control rooms with low-maintenance OOM pilot droids to reduce costs.

Furthermore, even in the long-awaited and profitable enterprise of battle, the Trade Federation warcraft were still manufactured inexpensively. Unwilling to invest more money in droid brains, the Trade Federation Executive Board controlled their massive armies from a single central control computer aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship.

With Naboo blockaded and facing starvation, Nute Gunray believed that the Senate would be compelled to concede on the taxation issue. However, while the Senate engaged in endless debate over the blockade, Supreme Chancellor Valorum secretly requested that two Jedi Knights be sent to force a resolution. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, arrived on the flagship Saak'ak and were immediately attacked with poison dioxis gas and battle droids. On Darth Sidious' orders, Gunray initiated a full-scale invasion of Naboo to force the Senate to come to terms, expecting that Queen Amidala would easily be persuaded to sign a capitulation treaty to legitimize the invasion.

The Trade Federation Droid Army swiftly secured the major cities, and Nute Gunray established himself as the head of an occupation government in the capital city of Theed. The civilian population was largely confined to makeshift prison camps, and due to the battle droids' lack of understanding of human needs, sickness and starvation soon became prevalent. However, with the assistance of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Queen Amidala escaped to Coruscant with a small entourage. Although she failed to rally the Senate against the Federation, she orchestrated a vote of no confidence against the largely powerless Valorum, enabling Naboo's Senator Palpatine to be elected as his successor.

Returning to Naboo, Amidala unilaterally reconciled ancestral differences with the native Gungans and formed an alliance. In the subsequent battle, the droid control ship was destroyed, disabling the droid army, while Amidala forced Gunray to sign a new treaty after trapping him in the throne room. Gunray was compelled to make a humiliating return to Coruscant to face a Senate investigation, with Panaka implying as he departed that the Senate's investigation could potentially lead to the Trade Federation's dissolution. It would not be until over a decade later that the invasion was revealed to have been a massive ruse orchestrated by Darth Sidious to elevate his public persona of Palpatine to the office of Supreme Chancellor.

Despite Naboo's expectation that the Senate would revoke the Federation's trade franchise as punishment for the invasion, the Trade Federation retained much of its power. Despite four trials in the Supreme Court, Nute Gunray remained Viceroy.

Following the Invasion of Naboo, the Federation began diversifying its fleets with new destroyers and cruisers that used the modular core ships as control cores. Additionally, Pammant Docks supplied the Trade Federation with massive Providence-class carrier/destroyers, such as the Invisible Hand. They also established an elite assassination corps to seek revenge on the Jedi, an endeavor that proved unsuccessful.

After the collapse of his final trial, Nute Gunray approached Count Dooku, who had recently left the Jedi Order due to the death of his former apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo, and shared what he knew about Darth Sidious. Unbeknownst to Gunray, Dooku had already succumbed to the dark side of the Force and pledged himself to Sidious as Darth Tyranus.

From 24 BBY, Count Dooku began uniting various systems and corporations to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Raxus Prime. However, Gunray did not formally align the Trade Federation with the Separatists until the outbreak of war in 22 BBY. His condition for the Trade Federation's support and its droid army was the death of the now-Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, seeking revenge for his humiliation a decade earlier.

In 22 BBY, on the eve of the Clone Wars, Nute Gunray pledged the Trade Federation's resources to the Separatist cause in exchange for the death of Padmé Amidala, as retribution for the Naboo fiasco. A botched attempt on Amidala's life by Zam Wesell led Obi-Wan Kenobi to track a bounty hunter to Geonosis, where Gunray and the other members of the CIS had convened. Kenobi was captured, which prompted Anakin Skywalker and Amidala to rescue him.

These events escalated into Mace Windu leading a Jedi assault on the arena where the prisoners were about to be executed, much to Gunray's dismay. Upon Yoda's arrival with a large clone army, the situation devolved into a full-scale battle, marking the beginning of the Clone Wars between the Confederacy and the Republic. The Trade Federation was now committed, and Federation automata soon constituted a significant portion of the CIS army.

The Federation officially declared neutral status in the Clone Wars, and Lott Dod continued to represent it in the Senate. However, the Federation was a major military and financial backer of the Confederacy, with Dod receiving instructions from Count Dooku. During the Battle of Ryloth, Dod deliberately attempted to obstruct the Republic's diplomatic efforts toward Toydaria to prevent it from being used as a staging ground against Separatist forces attacking Ryloth. The Trade Federation invested heavily in reactivating the Geonosis droid foundries, and its blockade of Pantora, ostensibly for debt collection, was an attempt to force the moon into the CIS.

During the war, the planet Rosha was deeply involved with the Trade Federation.

While the Trade Federation provided the majority of the CIS' military assets, including B1 and B2 battle droids and Droidekas, it was reluctant to spend more credits than necessary to upgrade the droids. As a result, B1 battle droids were assigned to specialized roles for which they were ill-suited, such as warship crewers, pilots, gunners, and emergency responders. Gunray's dismissive attitude toward droids led him to view the cyborg Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies, General Grievous, as just another worker drone. The enraged Grievous nearly killed Gunray before Dooku intervened.

Despite successful offensives like Operation Durge's Lance, by 20 BBY the CIS was forced on the defensive in the Outer Rim Sieges. Republic forces besieged Trade Federation holdings in the Core Worlds, including the Neimoidian purse-world of Cato Neimoidia, Deko Neimoidia and Koru Neimoidia. The Neimoidian homeworld itself experienced significant conflict, causing a catastrophic decline in the species' population.

Following Dooku's death and the Separatists' defeat in the Battle of Coruscant, both orchestrated by Sidious, Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, and the Trade Federation representatives on the Separatist Council were evacuated from Utapau to a secret facility on Mustafar. Having worked with Sidious for over a decade, Gunray and Haako believed that the Trade Federation had a special arrangement with him and that he would ensure their safety. However, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, having issued Order 66 to fulfill the Sith Order's goal of destroying the Jedi Order, was about to proclaim himself Emperor. As Sidious, he dispatched his new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader, to Mustafar to murder the entire Separatist Council and end the Clone Wars, while simultaneously declaring the Galactic Republic as the Galactic Empire. Prior to Vader's arrival, Sidious deceived the Separatist Council into believing that Vader would protect them.

On Mustafar, Gunray welcomed Vader, who calmly sealed the room and slaughtered the entire Separatist Council, killing Gunray last. After Gunray's death, Vader ordered the Trade Federation's droid control ships to deactivate all droid units, ending the Clone Wars.

With Nute Gunray's death in 19 BBY at the hands of former Jedi Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, the Trade Federation collapsed. Acting Viceroy Sentepeth Findos, who was on Neimoidia, resisted for a short time but was forced by Stormtroopers to sign a peace treaty with the Empire just days after the Clone Wars concluded. This ceded all of the Federation's resources to the Empire, and the Federation was placed under the oversight of the Imperial Senate, where it continued to operate at a limited capacity until it disappeared with the Senate in 0 BBY. However, some resistance persisted, and by 2 BBY, when the Rebel Alliance was established, some former members of the Trade Federation had joined the alliance to liberate the galaxy from the Empire's tyranny, while others went their separate ways.

Customs Vizier Marath Vooro refused to accept peace with the Empire and managed to reactivate droids and ships, establishing a short-lived resistance movement based around Enarc on the Five Veils Route. Vooro's resistance boosted the morale of the remaining Separatists, but he lacked effective commanders. An Imperial fleet under the command of Moff Octavian Grant decisively defeated Vooro's forces at the Battle of Farstine, then pursued him down the Five Veils Route, ultimately capturing Vooro at the Hook Nebula.

Those few Trade Federation remnants that survived until the Galactic Civil War would associate with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Neimoidian Trade Defense Force Captain Blox Hatha was denied formal Alliance membership but became a renowned privateer bearing a Rebel letter of marque and reprisal.

Trade Federation holdouts remained after the Battle of Yavin. Fanatical loyalists, zealots, and avengers affiliated with the Trade Federation remained on the planet Naboo, where they were considered enemies of the Royal Naboo Security Forces and the Nal Raka Criminal Empire led by Borvo the Hutt. In fact, the Nal Raka Criminal Empire assumed control over the Old Trade Federation Route following the Invasion of Naboo.

Refer to Trade Federation members for details.

By the time of the Naboo Invasion, the Trade Federation's military was predominantly comprised of battle droids. This was largely attributable to the significant influence wielded by the Neimoidians within the organization. The B-series battle droid, the most ubiquitous component of the Trade Federation's mechanized forces, was intentionally designed to resemble the decaying remains of Neimoidians, serving as a form of psychological warfare. During the Naboo Crisis, the B-series was represented by the B1 battle droid, alongside a single variant, the B1 Beetle droid, named after its insect-like mount. It was only nearly a decade later, during the Clone Wars, that the B-series saw the introduction of additional models, including the sniper-equipped battle droid assassins, the Droid marines (which, despite being technically B-series, bore green markings akin to the OOM-series) responsible for defending against boarding actions, and the B2 super battle droid. The latter droid was developed from the E4 baron droid, initially conceived as an assassin droid but repurposed for guard duty following the Battle of Naboo.

The OOM-series battle droids shared a similar design with the B-series, but their roles were generally limited to tasks that did not involve direct combat. At least three variations existed, each performing a distinct function. The OOM command battle droid directly commanded units within the Trade Federation's droid armies (and later, the Confederacy of Independent Systems' droid armies), identifiable by yellow markings on their torso and head. The OOM pilot battle droid served as pilots for various Trade Federation war machines, ranging from AATs to droid control ships, and were distinguished by their blue shoulders. The OOM security battle droid functioned as guard units on Trade Federation battleships or in occupied territories, identified by magenta markings on their torsos.

Another prevalent droid model within the Trade Federation was the Droideka, also known as Destroyer droids or wheel droids (due to their rapid transportation method of transforming into a wheel), which were supplied at a discounted rate by the Colicoids in exchange for rare delicacies. These droids were renowned for their combat effectiveness and their shield generators, which were capable of withstanding even lightsaber attacks, making them a formidable threat even to the Jedi. Two variants of the Droideka model existed. The first, the P-series destroyer droid, was controlled by a Central Droid Computer. The second, the more advanced W-series droideka, operated autonomously.

Other droid models employed by the Trade Federation included the Trade Federation probe (later used extensively by General Grievous during the Clone Wars) and the turret droids, which included a tripod variant and a specialized model known as the T4 turret droid.

Originally, the Trade Federation's armed forces consisted of organic beings, with the Trade Defense Force serving as the primary military branch. It was initially established to deter piracy and other criminal activities. However, mirroring its parent organization, it became corrupt and ruthless, exploiting various sectors. Due to growing Neimoidian influence stemming from a disastrous trade summit, the organic forces were largely replaced by mechanized units. TDF officers typically wore black uniforms and commanded several of their ships. Following the resolution of the Naboo Crisis, the TDF was largely disbanded, with many members arrested for their involvement in the invasion. It was ultimately dissolved permanently with the Declaration of a New Order.

During the Clone Wars, while organic ground troops were uncommon, organic units such as the Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion and the Neimoidian Home Defense Legion did exist. The latter was formed due to the Neimoidians' surprising determination to protect their wealth.

Similar to its ground forces, the Trade Federation primarily utilized unmanned starfighters. The most recognizable of these was the Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid, Mark I, later known as the Vulture-class Battle Droid during the Clone Wars. This craft featured three distinct modes: a ground mode, enabling it to function as a walker; a flight mode, with its wings retracted; and an attack mode, where its wings extended to reveal internal cannons for starfighter combat. Initially lacking sentience, by the late Clone Wars, these droids had developed sufficient awareness to issue commands in Neimoidian before executing maneuvers. During the Battle of Naboo, two additional variants were deployed: the Advanced Droid Starfighter and a light version, characterized by two wings (one at the bottom) and an airspeeder-like design, respectively. The Trade Federation droid bomber shared a similar design to the Vulture-class, particularly in its "cockpit" (composed of two slit-like "eye" sensors), but it lacked the ability to transform and was slow with limited maneuverability.

Beyond the Vulture-class, other starfighters included the Scarab-class droid starfighters and the E-STAP Starbomber series. As the name suggests, the E-STAP series functioned as bombers, with at least three distinct models: a standard model, a more heavily armored version, and a shielded version.

The Trade Federation's artillery units included the AML (an anti-air vehicle), the HAML (an upgraded version of the AML), the Bio cannon (a Droideka-like droid with similar function to the SPHA-T), and the Heavy Artillery Gun, along with its variants the HAG-M and the HHAG-M (an improved version of the HAG-M).

The primary battle tanks of the Trade Federation were the Armored Assault Tank, and its more heavily armored counterpart, the Heavy Armored Assault Tank. A smaller variant, the Armored Scout Tank, was used primarily for quick hit-and-run attacks.

Single Trooper Aerial Platforms, one-droid repulsorlifts, were deployed for scouting and eliminating isolated enemy units. A more heavily armed version, the Heavy Single Trooper Aerial Platform, also existed. The MVR-3 speeder bike and the Speeder platforms served similar reconnaissance roles as the STAPs.

The Trade Federation also utilized Energy Pummels, siege engines designed to breach enemy fortifications. These came in single-pummel and double-pummel configurations. Due to their slow speed and vulnerability, despite heavy armor, they were often provided with substantial escorts during the Battle of Naboo.

In addition to offensive units, the ground forces also employed transport vehicles. The Multi-Troop Transport could carry up to 122 B-series battle droids and/or 20 droidekas. Refits during the Clone Wars allowed them to carry 12 B2 Battle Droids. The Multi-Utility Transport, a versatile variant used during the Clone Wars, prioritized cargo capacity over speed and was derived from the Trade Federation Troop Transport. The Platoon Attack Craft was a smaller version of the MTT, lacking armaments and serving solely as a troop carrier.

OX9 labor droids were commonly used for base construction and support.

The Mechanized Assault Flyer and XT Beetle Transports were also used during the Clone Wars.

Although technically spacecraft, the Neimoidian trader was used to transport Nova Crystals between Trade Federation bases in occupied territories.

Although rarely seen during the Invasion of Naboo, aquatic units were present during the Naboo Crisis. Ocean Troop Transports were used to transport troops to underwater combat zones, though the OTTs themselves were poorly suited for such environments due to their tendency to sink. An armed version was described as a battleship. Trade Federation Patrol Boats were used to guard prison camps. Their maritime fleets also included frigates (S-FRGs, S-HFRGs and S-LFRGs), destroyers (S-DSTs and S-DSTs), cruisers (S-CRSs and S-HCRSs), and anti-air destroyers (S-AADs and S-HAADs).

During the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation's aquatic forces expanded, incorporating open-air single-droid submarines called Mini-subs, aquatic versions of the AATs known as the Ostracoda-class gunboat, underwater carriers called Separatist Sub-Carriers (which shared design elements with the Vulture-class Starfighter droid), ambush submarines, and the Manta droid subfighters.

Although not common, the Trade Federation possessed several aerial units, including the Long Range Air Attack Mechanisms and the Mechanized Assault Flyers.

The Trade Federation's main capital ship (and their only vessel at the time of the Naboo Crisis) was the Lucrehulk-class battleship, a modified version of the Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighter. Two variants existed: the standard battleship, and a specialized version known as the Lurehulk-class Droid Control Ship, which served as the central command vessel for the Droid Armies.

Core ships were developed as a direct consequence of the Naboo Crisis's conclusion, when the Trade Federation was compelled to dismantle its warships. These ships were intended to create the illusion of dismantling by allowing Lucrehulk-class battleship cores to be detached.

Apart from the Lucrehulk-class, the only other capital ships accessible to the Trade Federation during the Clone Wars were the Providence-class carrier/destroyer and an unidentified cruiser model deployed during the Second Battle of Lok.

Centuries before the Naboo Crisis, the Trade Federation operated the LH-3010 capital freighter, but it was eventually retired. Trade Federation cargo haulers, another vessel predating the Naboo Crisis, shared a similar design but were significantly smaller than the LH-3010.

By the time of the Naboo Crisis, the Trade Federation deployed quad-wing landing ships known as the C-9979 landing craft, each wing accommodating a specific number of troops and vehicles (e.g., 7 Platoon Attack Craft per wing, 24 AATs and 3 MTTs per fore wing, and 33 AATs per aft wing, plus three MTTs in the staging area and two MTTs in the landing pedestal). These vessels were based on commercial barges from the Federation's merchant fleet. The Trade Federation transport had a similar design to the C-9979. Although they served as the foundation for the Lucrehulk-class battleships, the Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighters also participated in the blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo. The Trade Federation Dropship performed a similar function to the C-9979s, directly deploying troops onto the battlefield instead of landing, with a complement of either two AMTs and six B1 battle droids, or six AATs. The Neimoidian transport was used to transport organic troops, unlike most other Trade Federation vessels, which primarily carried droids. Sheathipede-class transport shuttles transported Trade Federation VIPs to occupied worlds. The Trade Federation also had escort cruisers at its disposal.

The Trade Federation Freighter and Trade Federation Superfreighter were used for cargo delivery, with the latter representing an improved version of the former, capable of docking with it. Trade Federation gunships were also employed. The Trade Federation shuttle used by then-Senator Nute Gunray shared design similarities with the later Clone Wars-era Captor-class heavy munitions cruisers, although it transported VIPs and Hunter-Killer droids.

Rumors suggested that the Trade Federation also used Droch-class boarding ships during the Clone Wars.

The Trade Federation plays the role of the main adversary in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, later evolving into a key component of a broader alliance in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. While their on-screen introduction occurred in The Phantom Menace, their involvement in Palpatine's ascent to power was alluded to as early as the novelization of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which mentioned Palpatine's rise to the Republic Presidency being facilitated by "the massive organs of commerce." George Lucas's creation, including motivations and characterizations in The Phantom Menace, were partly influenced by the Republican Revolution of 1994 (which began eight days into Lucas drafting the screenplay for The Phantom Menace), specifically then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's Contract with America. The article The Trade Federation and Neimoidians: A History, penned by Tim Veekhoven on October 14, 2014, also suggested that the Dutch and British East India Companies served as historical inspirations for the Trade Federation.

Michael Potts speculated on the Trade Federation's formation date. Based on available data, he selected 350 BBY for his timeline and was pleasantly surprised when Ann Margaret Lewis, a fellow member of the Star Wars Fanboy Association, used Time Tales as a reference while writing The Essential Guide to Alien Species, thereby establishing this date within the official continuity.

Jason Fry significantly expanded the Trade Federation's background and origins in The Essential Atlas and The Essential Guide to Warfare. Fry proposed that the Trade Federation had started as a respectable organization that positively impacted galactic affairs, but eventually fell victim to its own success and evolved into the very shipping cartel it was created to regulate.