Galactic Senate

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Coruscant

• Affiliation:
  Galactic Republic

• 

From the Movies

At the height of its rule, the Galactic Republic was governed by a body of Senators representing the many worlds of the galaxy. Within the cavernous Senate rotunda, hundreds of politicians would fill the viewing platforms that lined the curved walls. When a Senator wished to speak, the platform would detach and float to the center of the auditorium for all to see.

As the Republic grew, so too did graft and corruption. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand attack from the outside, the Republic began to rot from within. Interest in the common good fell to individual agendas. Senators accumulated wealth and influence by exploiting a bureaucracy too bloated and sluggish to stop them.

This all changed when Palpatine declared himself Emperor and instituted a New Order. As the Clone Wars drew to a close, he installed a system of regional governors to more effectively manage the vast territories of the galaxy, under the guise of increased security measures. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Senate was disbanded.

From the Expanded Universe

The Galactic Senate has existed for thousands of generations, being one of the founding points of the Galactic Constitution that established the Republic. Within its immense chambers, the Senate consisted of elected and appointed leaders from the worlds throughout the Republic. Some Senators represent only a single world, while so-called sectorial Senators represent multiple worlds within the same sector.

The Senate convened in a massive domed structure over two kilometers in diameter. The sprawling courtyard leading to the building was lined with abstract sculptures depicting the Republic's Core World founders. The interior was hued in lavendar, the only color that has never been associated with war, anger or mourning in any of the myriad cultures found within its walls. Each Senatorial delegation was afforded huge banks of office space customized to the native environments of each culture. A total of 1,024 repulsorlift platforms lined the interior space of the Senate rotunda.

Behind the Scenes

One of Episode I's most popular "Easter eggs" can be found during the Senate sequences. Joining the chants of "vote now" is a Senate platform bearing three representatives from the same alien species as the title character of Steven Spielberg's E.T. -- The Extra Terrestrial.