Fall of the Republic

"In order to ensure our security and continued stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society."

- Darth Sidious

The Fall of the Republic, also known as the Age of the Republic, was a period of time that referred to the last thirteen years of the Galactic Republic's existence.

History
This era was characterized by many conflicts that engulfed the galaxy beginning with the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation. The inaction of then Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum during the crisis led him to be voted out of office and replaced as Chancellor by Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine, who was secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious. Further governmental inaction and corruption ultimately led to the Separatist Crisis, in which thousands of worlds seceded from the Republic and formed a separate government, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Tensions fostered between the two factions through the machinations of Sidious and his Sith apprentice, Count Dooku ultimately led to the outbreak of the pan-galactic Clone Wars in 22 BBY.

The Clone Wars raged for three years, during which the Republic became an increasingly militarized state in the name of order and security against the Separatist threat. Chancellor Palpatine, whose term was already extended due to the Separatist Crisis, remained in office for the duration of the conflict, all the while centralizing political and military authority in the Office of the Chancellor through the various wartime emergency powers granted to him by the Galactic Senate. After he and Dooku manipulated Rush Clovis and orchestrated the Separatist takeover of Scipio, another power given to Palpatine was control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan.

In the waning days of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, the Separatists suffered a series of major defeats including the deaths of Dooku and General Grievous at the hands of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively. Meanwhile, the Jedi High Council, who became increasingly wary of Palpatine due to his unprecedented wartime powers, discovered his identity as the enigmatic Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The Jedi's attempt to apprehend him ultimately failed and fostered Skywalker's fall to the dark side and rechristening as Sidious' new apprentice, Darth Vader. Vader was subsequently sent to attack the Jedi Temple. Simultaneously, Palpatine instituted Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, beginning the initial part of the systematic destruction of the Jedi Order, as clone troopers executed their Jedi Generals across the galaxy.

With the Jedi Order decimated, Palpatine gave the proclamation of the New Order to an emergency session of the Galactic Senate, where he declared the Jedi enemies of the state, while transforming the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Galactic Emperor. At the same time, Vader destroyed the Separatist Council and deactivated the Droid Army, effectively ending the Clone Wars and cementing the return of the galaxy to the rule of the Sith.

The subsequent nineteen years before the start of the Galactic Civil War and the five years after were called the Age of the Empire.

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First
 * William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh: Star Wars Part the Second
 * Revenge of the Sith: Episode III (LEGO Star Wars)
 * William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
 * William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga