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- "[The Galactic Senate of the Republic] should be made to [resolve its differences]."
"By whom? Who's gonna make them?"
"Someone wise."
"Sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me."
"Well, if it works…" - ―Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala
The Galactic Empire was a dictatorship ruled by Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord whom the galaxy knew as Emperor Sheev Palpatine.
Dictatorship was a form of government in which the ruler possessed absolute power and absolute authority, in contrast with democracy.[2]
In 22 BBY,[3] while Senator Padmé Amidala and Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker were staying on Naboo temporarily to avoid a potential assassination attempt on the former, they briefly discussed the corruption that had befallen the Galactic Republic and were wondering how to alleviate it. Skywalker responded that they probably would need to be made to resolve their differences by "someone wise," causing Amidala to guess that what Skywalker was proposing sounded similar to a dictatorship, with Skywalker not denying it and saying it may work.[1]
Under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, the parliamentary Galactic Republic slowly turned into a dictatorship as the Chancellor used the Clone Wars as a pretext to amend the constitution and accrue more executive power.[4] At the end of the conflict, the Republic was officially replaced by a formal dictatorship, the First Galactic Empire.[2] Other dictatorial regimes included Hay-Zu's leadership over his fellow Patitites,[5] and the rule of the Albee Dewaw—actually a group of DUM-series pit droids—over the Balnab. Both would ultimately be stopped by R2-D2 and C-3PO.[6]
Appearances[]
- The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- The Vow of Silver Dawn
- Obi-Wan and Anakin 4 (Mentioned only; in flashback)
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (Mentioned only) (First identified as dictatorship)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Mercy Mission"- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Nomad Droids"
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Han Solo & Chewbacca 8
- Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi? (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
Sources[]
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 4 (Databank A-Z: B1 Battle Droid–Bantha)
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 42 (Weapons & Uniforms: The New Republic)
- Star Wars Bust Collection 1 (Star Wars Universe: Darth Vader)
