Week 2: Your Lessons - History Lesson

[Gail Allen]

Knowledge is extremely important to a Jedi – it is so important it is one of the three pillars. Therefore you must also take your studies very seriously and do your best to take in the information you are given by your teachers: This is a very important part of your life as a youngling.
Some of the most important lessons you will have concern history and politics. When you become jedi knights you will need extensive knowledge in these areas to create peace and operate as defenders of the justice in the universe.

To show your understanding of these subjects, describe a historical period or event in as much detail as is necessary to understand what made this period or event important, what led to it and what consequenses it had on the future. You may choose an event from your own planet or any other planet in the universe.

*You are welcome to use a period or event from human history, but you are also more than welcome to make one up and set it at another planet, be the planet real or made up, and use your imagination. Just make sure everything stays HOL appropriate.

Post your answer below by 11.59 pm on the 31st of May to earn 5 points .

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

The Uprising of the Generals is the only uprising in the history of Mor’go (that is officially acknowledged, anyway). Generals are the lowest caste on the Mor’go planet, and most oppressed as the knowledge that they are allowed to know is thought to be worthless by the other castes. After generations of cold mistreatment, the Generals, led by Li’lian’i Petra, rose against their oppressors, first with peaceful protesting, which turned into suppressive violence against the Generals.

The Generals did not relent and with time, more and more people listened to them. They only wanted the same opportunities as other castes did and really, what was bad with having knowledge of what you liked anyway?

General-sympathetic president of Mor’go, Far’nir Vode was mortally wounded in an explosion thought to be the work of the Generals, so he was succeeded by his Vice President Kee’ran Lod. Lod, with the help of the military and police suppressed all and any Uprising members or their sympathizers, but he could not suppress the idea.

While the Uprising of the Generals ultimately failed, politics, values and attitudes of Mor’goans were slowly beginning to shift to what will, in five generations, become the complete abolishment of the Mor’goan caste system.

[Iverian Gnash]

The planet of Arisvage is generally a peaceful place, which made them quite a target for enemy forces which is exactly what happened over a century ago. Because of the event, young children are told of it and warned to stay a peaceful nation, but also a cautious one, not ready to put down their guard.

The Mandrols, a nation of creatures that weren't in the vicinity of Arisvage at all, attacked unexpectedly. They started off seemingly nicely by showing up to Arisvage and pretending to be friendly. Being a very trusting population, the Vages welcomed them and allowed them to stay the night. During the night a battle erupted and many Vages were killed as their military was not ready for such an attack.

The Mandrols took off after the battle ended and were never heard from again. Only one Mandrol was found later that had perished in the battle. It took a while for Arisvage to recover from the horror of the attack and re-build their planet and their lives.

However, even through this tragedy, Arisvage remains a friendly planet though they do not allow visitors to stay the night anymore unless under certain circumstances.

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

65 or 66 million years ago, my home planet looked very different than it did now. The climate was much warmer, and most of the familiar species you would recognize were not yet there. Instead, the dominant forms of life were large, lumbering creatures that we now know as "dinosaurs". They are popular objects of studies for young people on our planet - who enjoy saying names such as "Brachiosaurus", "Brontosaurus", and "Tyrannosaurus Rex".

But then, one day, a large rock fell out of the sky to hit my home planet. Most of the animals very close to that rock died on impact. Many others survived, only to face a world that was no longer hospitable to them: the impact caused the climate to change and become less favourable to them. And if you were a predator and your source of prey no longer existed, you wouldn't last longer too!

Not everything succumbed to the giant rock, though! The species we see on my home planet today (including myself) are all descendants of species that were somehow able to survive the impact. In the case of "primates" such as myself, our ancestors during those days were so small that the dinosaurs didn't pay them much notice. Interestingly enough, even some of the dinosaurs were able to survive the event: most people on my home planet call them by the simpler name of "birds" (one of the mascots of a Hogwarts house is such a 'bird', if I remember correctly!)

[February Fortescue]

Once when the Serea Tovvians had been trading with other planets, they brought back a book from a planet called Earth which Lyra found intriguing. Many years ago, there was a king and his queen. The couple were very happy for nearly twenty earth earth years; unfortunately, despite many miscarriages and much loss, the queen could not provide the king with a much desired son and had only given him a daughter, Mary. A son was very important to the king, because during that period of time, it was believed that a male was needed to sit upon the throne, and without that male heir, another country could overthrow the crown and take over rulership. The king had also also developed romantic feelings for another lady, whom he believed could provide him with a male heir, and he wanted to make her queen.

The king had a plan: he would have his marriage to the present queen annulled and have her sent off to live out the rest of her life in a monastery. The queen refused this idea and fought vigorously to save her marriage, while the Pope, who was also her cousin, refused to grant the annulment. The king, whose mistress was very interested in a new form of Christianity, subsequently decided to declare himself head of the church in his own country instead of the Pope, and to adopt this new form of religion, so he could marry his mistress and hopefully, have the wished for male heir.

His first queen continued to fight against this, and was never permitted to see her daughter, Mary, again. She was squired away to a couple of different castles and died 4 years after her banishment.

The daughter, Mary, had much anger against her father and step mother, because of their treatment of her mother, and also because their treatment of her. When she became queen, her actions towards those she disagreed with often reflected that deep anger.

Lyra tends to see this Earthly historical event a bit differently that most Earthers. Many of them place the blame for Mary's anger at the feet of the king and his mistress, but Lyra also believes the queen played a part as well. Knowing the king desperately wanted a son, knowing the reasons why, and also knowing that Mary would find a suitable husband and most likely never become queen regardless, Lyra believes the queen should have accepted the king's wishes and taken the annulment. She would not have been separated from her daughter, her behavior would have helped protect her daughter from the king's wrath, and Mary would perhaps not been nearly so angry when she herself became queen.

The lesson, in Lyra's eyes, is "not passion, but serenity." The queen insisted on holding onto her ideas, including being a queen, even when they were perhaps no longer the best choice, and when Mary became queen, the country paid the price.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

A series of events on the planet of old Earth ....

There was a library in the city of Alexandria, filled with books and scrolls containing much knowledge of all kinds from all nearby lands and some far away lands. Literature, philosophy, science, arts -- these are but a few of the treasures held by the library.

In Earth time, about 50 BC, a man from a leading country - dominant in warfare - burned it down. His name was Julius Caesar and the city from which he came was called Rome. He was pursuing Pompey (an Egyptian) into Egypt when he was surrounded, trapped, by an Egyptian fleet in Alexandria. Tremendously outnumbered in enemy territory, Julius Caesar ordered the ships in the harbour to be burned. The fire spread and destroyed the Egyptian fleet -- but also spread to the city and destroyed the part of the city where the library stood.

However, the library wasn't completely destroyed -- not then. Some 250 years after this destruction, the library was again attacked, and this time the attack was aimed at the library itself, or rather, to the information and knowledge it contained. Being a city of volatile and violent politics, Alexandria was also a city containing people of many different religions. Knowledge was prized -- as long as it agreed with whoever was in control at the time. When Theophilus was Patriarch of Alexandria, much additional knowledge was acquired and stored there, and much knowledge which was previously there was destroyed as it didn't go along with his viewpoints. At his death, however, his nephew Cyril became Patriarch and that was the start of a complete uprising of the populace. Depending on whose histories you read, and from what viewpoint, there are several people involved in the destruction of the vast amount of parchments, books and other repositories of information in the library. What happened though is that much of it was destroyed. It is known that Hypatia, who some count as the last Head Librarian, was killed at that time.

One final time of destruction was 640 AD, when the Moslems took the city of Alexandria. Allegedly the conquering general asked Caliph Omar for instructions of what to do with the materials contained in the library and there is an infamous quote (from the Caliph) which says that 'the holdings either agree with the Koran (a holy book of old Earth) in which case they are superfluous, or they contradict the Koran, in which case they are heresy. In either case, destroy them.'

Thing is, books, scrolls, parchments, and other methods of holding knowledge were destroyed. Once, an accident, in that the library itself wasn't targeted but was collateral damage. The other two principle times, it was a direct assault upon the riches of knowledge gathered by cultures other than the one currently in control.

Why is this important? If nothing else, it shows the futility of destroying that which contains histories and knowledge gathered -- because what is true continues on and/or is rebuilt. But it also shows the madness of which people are capable, the lengths to which people will go to attempt to control others and how they think.

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Hklcde wasn’t the first planet where Trials of this nature took place, although it was a particularly gruesome affair comparatively speaking.

Going a little further back, you perhaps will have heard of the word Christ. A term which varies by location in specific meaning, but for now let’s say that a “Christed” being refers to one who embodies their fully absorbed and Crystallized Persona into the Collective consciousness of their species.

Although many have come close, there has only ever been record of a single planet where the inhabitants put their Christed Self to death, a reflection of the collective feelings of worthlessness at the time. To their credit, they were also the first species to be chosen by the same planet for a fully bonded evolutionary cycle out of their physical forms. From letting go of the Third Dimension up on into the Light of the Fifth. Prior to then, beings at this level had always been released from any karmic ties or contracts to pursue other ventures whenever a Home Planet begins this Shift.

It is difficult to explain how they are both currently moving-through, yet also having already-completed that process, but while from a certain perspective we would say these people are Bridging a springboard of the Fourth Dimension, it’s important to note that Dreinkhan’s ability (along with any other sentient being throughout the cosmos) to connect so deeply with their home planet is entirely due to the evolutionary blueprints set in place “before” by this heroic race of people and their home Mother.

During the time of their Fourth Density Christ, the consciousness of the masses would be much closer to what we would call Second Density moving into Third. Imagine the difference between a child in Middle School compared to a child in High School. Neither are babies anymore, however there’s still quite a substantial leap in expectations for behavior and understanding! What these people are playing out on their present stage would be similar to attending a “College of the Heart” before being considered Multidimensional Light Beings, or “Adults” within the Galactic sphere.

In every documented case of the Trials, the species in question would have already progressed from Second to Third density due to the influence of their Higher Christed Self providing a way forward. To move on and “Graduate High School” there would still be many lessons learned and tests that need to be taken. Whether better or worse, this typically winds up including the shedding of many lives.

For their kind during the Trials, they predominantly weaponized fire or rope against one another. Practices taking place even among civilized members of what would have otherwise been seen as relatively pleasant communities filled with loving friends and families.

The Dreinkhan were already very troubled during this juncture of their growth. Further along than some in many ways, yet leaning in a darker direction. Which is why when the Light finally came in, it hit them so hard. Due to the level (or lack) of understanding toward the Law of One, they were in for a rude awakening when the mold that always forms at the start of these particular Trials to push the story forward began to make its way into their crops.

This is a kind of mold which induces symptoms of intense illness, along with violent physical contortions and vivid hallucinations. Beginning a domino effect of people believing themselves and each other to be possessed by evil spirits without realizing that what they’re experiencing is the Ego perceiving its own reflection. Seeing themselves as they truly are for the first time and lashing out in retaliation. Before long hysteria ensues to the point where not only could the slightest inclination of demonic foul-play get you killed, but the same results almost more frequently begin getting doled out to those who simply looked at someone wrong or accidentally offending the wrong person’s sensibilities through a misunderstanding in tone.

The violence that took place on Hklcde over the course of this age was unspeakable, so I wont lay out the details. We are often our own worst enemies, after all, and to see our inner darkness to such a degree all at once can in many cases even leave someone lifeless on the spot.

We don’t always know exactly why the Fates weave the Tapestry the way they do. Everything gets put to a purpose, and in spite of how tragic these histories are, they always lead us back to a place of Healing and Abundance like we’d never have even thought to imagine until we finally see the bigger picture.

While it would be easy to look back with remorse or regret, for Dreinkhan it is seen as an honor and duty to have been present during the Trials, regardless of the role one played. For it is facing up the Truth that leads us to Knowing, and this knowing is half of the battle.

Then it’s up to us to tip the scale another way.

[Emily Spencer]

Xerbos has a long and bloody history, and some stories are better left unspoken. However, one point of history that even children are familiar with is the infamous bombing of Smuggler's Run that took place in 17 ABY. And while the battle itself did not take place on Xerbos, the resulting repercussions changed the face of West Xerbos forever. Some, especially those fortunate enough to live on the more genteel section of East Xerbos would say that it was a tragedy of epic proportions, while the more pragmatic (and far less moral) denizens of West Xerbos speak of the battle with something akin to admiration and gratitude. How you view the matter is entirely your choice of course; I shall keep my counsel to myself.

Before we speak of the battle itself, a bit of back history about Smuggler's Run is in order. The Run (as it was commonly called) was an extremely treacherous asteroid field located in the Gaulus Sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Originally controlled by the Hutts, the area soon became a smuggler's paradise, with all the luxuries they could not afford on Nar Shadaa, which was known by those who called it home as Little Coruscant. The asteroids (called skips by those in the know) were populated, the largest of these being Skip 1, which offered a large spaceport as well as the usual cantinas and casinos one could expect in a place such as this. Jabba the Hutt had many holdings there and for a time, his word was law. After his death, however, Skip 1 (as well as the rest of the Run) was freed from Hutt control and began to operate solely on its own. It was a prosperous time for those in the smuggling trade. That, however, would come to a screeching halt in 17 ABY.

The main person responsible for the bombing was the Dark Jedi, Kueller, who had once been a student at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum. He was a force-sensitive human, who in his better days went by the name of Dolph. However, much like another Dark Jedi named Vader, personal tragedy turned the young man to the Dark Side of the Force. Left with a vendetta to fill, he made it his personal mission to destroy those responsible, namely the ruling Je'thar of his planet who had ordered the purge of those they considered rebels, among which had been his parents. His mission was a smashing (forgive the pun) success, and in time, he even took on an apprentice of his own. It was now time to turn his attention to bigger targets, the primary one being his old mentor, Luke Skywalker. He blamed the New Republic as a whole, and Skywalker personally for failing to come to his planet's aid.

The logical thing to do would be to hit the New Republic where it really counted. The Senate base on Coruscant was his target, and with the aid of his apprentice, he negotiated a sale of droids to the New Republic for use on their X-wing starfighters. What he failed to mention was that many of these droids were rigged with explosives and set to be detonated once they reached their destination. The rigged droids would have to be smuggled in, and what better place to find a smuggler-for-hire than Skip 1 located in the heart of Smuggler's Run. All did not go according to plan, however, and the droids detonated before leaving the area, resulting in the destruction of Skip 1 and the death of many smugglers. It was a crippling blow for Smuggler's Run, for not only was their main base of operations destroyed but the eyes of the New Republic were now turned sternly toward them. Exposure is the last thing a smuggler needs, and the scrutiny saw the once-profitable area fall to ruin. A new base of operation would have to be found.

That's where Xerbos comes in to play. It goes without saying that many Xerbosians were among those killed during the bombing, and those left alive wasted no time on sentiment. Negotiations were made and deals brokered, resulting in the clientele of the now-defunct Skip 1 moved their business to West Xerbos. New companies were formed and businesses (however unsavory) were built. Xerbos was off the radar of the Republic, and still easily accessible to the parts of the Run that had not been destroyed. It was a match made in heaven. In fact, Ky'lia's great-great-grandfather, Kavin Ordurn owned and operated one of the first salvage plants (a polite way of saying smuggling operation) there. For better or worse, the smuggling business was there to stay.

The other huge ramification of the bombing was the Voluntary Protection Detail set up in 18 ABY. In an unprecedented move, the smugglers and scavengers came together for the sole purpose of ensuring that Smuggler's Run would never face such senseless destruction again. Rotating patrols of volunteers police the area, dealing harsh justice to those deemed a threat. It's not the perfect system, but it seems to work. It is said that there is no honor among thieves, but those of the VPD would beg to differ. It is rumored that even the famed Hans Solo has taken his turn on the watch, but to my knowledge, there is no actual proof of this. Knowing Solo, though, I would not be at all surprised.

[Lorainia Riverrider]

The most important part of history for Vodaohen is the war between them and the planet Amal. The war lasted for 15 years and changed the way Vodahen protects itself. Vodaohen is usually a peaceful, quiet nation. After the war with Amal, however they have become more careful about who they let explore their planet. They have become very suspicious of any life that come near the planet. They sometime start unwanted chaos trying to keep the planet safe.

[Mya Abititeux]

Sinjok or "The Death War" is the only documented major conflict in the history of Linkogh. At the time, the planet had been suffering from a severe drought which resulted in little sustenance being produced. Most blamed the farmers while the farmers blamed the government.

At the time, Linkogh only had one leader instead of three like they do in the present day. The leader, Amoser Luktris, was selfish, cruel, and terribly afraid of losing his position of power. He sent out members of his task force to collect nearly a hundred citizens of various backgrounds, telling the force that they had committed various made-up crimes and needed to be imprisoned. Then Amoser wrote hostile letters under false names, telling the loved ones of those he had taken that they were being held as war hostages and wouldn't be released until the war concluded.

This spread confusion and chaos because no one had ever declared war on anyone else. Luktris assassinated the members of the task force that had collected the citizens for him. Riots began to break out, demanding their loved ones be released from people who didn't even exist.

It's unclear how long the riots lasted, but by the time they had concluded nearly a third of the population had perished, though it is unclear how many died due to malnutrition from the drought or if they were killed in the crossfire. There was never an official declaration of war, nor any official battles, just riots, burnt buildings, and madness.

A diary was discovered in Amoser Luktris's home that detailing everything he had done. There were several pages of numbers in the back of the book and to this day their meanings remain unclear. Amoser was arrested and told the only way to save his life was to reveal where he was hiding the people he had taken. He didn't speak a word throughout his many integrations. The day Luktris was set to be executed for his crimes, he disappeared from his cell. He, nor anyone took, was ever discovered.

[Mia Fountain]

One of the most significant periods of history for Nol was the clearing of the path and building the road between the two cities. Before the road was built traders and travellers between the two cities would have to pick their way through the forest and hope they weren't set upon by the creatures within. The cities wanted to expand the path into a two lane road to encourage trade between the two cities, and ensure safer travel between them. They recruited some mages from a neighbouring planet to erect a barrier between the forest and the road, so that the creatures in it could not pass through it. Unfortunately, the barrier cannot stop the travellers from leaving the road. Now, that the road has been built people can move freely between the cities and trade has flourished.

[Isa Vestal]

One of the most important historical moments in Niuq 5D7 (I'sa's homeworld) 's history is the Niuqian Genocide and the subsequent Nuawalker Liberation. The basics of this event was that a group of Iridonian Zabraks, angry that their same species had interbred with Squibs around 100 years prior had flown to the small moon and began a genocide of all Niuqian Zabraks they could find. Iridonians, who felt as if their species' pride had been hurt due to the interbreeding of the two species, killed nearly 450 Niuqians. Due to Niuq 5D7's small population at the time, this genocide wiped out nearly 30% of Niuq 5D7's population. However, in this purge, Iridonians only targeted Niuqian Zabraks (a species that descended from both Squibs and Zabraks) and opted to leave Squibs and pure-blooded Zabraks who had merely relocated to Niuq 5D7 alone. This caused Niuqian Zabraks who specifically had characteristics such as bright-colored hair and pointy teeth to be targeted whereas Niuqian Zabraks who maintained their original Zabrak features were mostly left alone. Throughout the genocide, Niuqian Zabraks fled in masses to underground hideouts while Squibs and Zabraks who simply lived on Niuq 5D7 were forced by Iridonians to hunt their fellow citizens down. Iridonians, who had now taken control of Niuq 5D7, frequently patrolled the moon in search of the hideaways. This seize of the small moon lasted three weeks and caused many infants and children to die of starvation while in hiding, meaning an additional 3% loss of the population.

Tired of the treatment of their neighbors, a Squib named Maraug Nuawalker, who had been previously treated poorly by the Niuqian Zabraks, rose up and banded together a group of near-100 Squibs and Zabraks. This group, named the Totalitarian Offensive Effort of Maraug (or, more affectionately, the "TOE-raugs" ) sneaked into enemy camps, stealing weapons and setting fire to ships. This caused a great deal of commotion within the Iridonian ranks and they began purging any and all Niuqians, whether Niuqian Zabrak or not, until their ammunition had run out. The TOE-raugs used the weapons they had stolen and quickly distributed them among citizens, allowing Niuqians to defend themselves and their families during this time. After the Iridonians had no more ammunition and ceased fighting, the genocide was over. Maraug Nuawalker was killed in this fight, along with many of the TOE-raugs and citizens, whose deaths were mourned even centuries after.

This event has had a very large impact on Niuqian society today. First of all, the relationship between Iridonia and Niuq 5D7 remains tense. Though the two societies have become trade partners and are somewhat allied, there is a level of distrust that Niuqian Zabraks have for their Iridonian counterparts. Secondly, in order to separate themselves from their Iridonian counterparts, Niuqian Zabraks have been conditioned to become less and less like them, opting for a far more peaceful, less volatile society. A third would be the establishment of a defensive army. All fledglings (5-6 years old) must go through a four month period in which they learn the basics of hand-to-hand combat and weapon usage. When they become 16 years old, they must then attend a second round of training centered around Niuq 5D7's war history and political stance, as well as take strategical thinking courses. Due to Niuq 5D7's vast holdings of kyber crystals, this defensive army is also useful if other planets were to find out about their whereabouts in addition to a general need for citizen's protection.

[Prof. Sky Alton]

One of the most important events in Ansmere’s history didn’t happen on the planet at all. It was in the first few centuries of the planet’s rise to prominence as the source of fair and impartial arbiters for conflict. An Ansmerian delegation was invited to oversee negotiations between the planet of Lore 78G and a group of nomads collectively known as the Rikan.
Lore 78G was a very prosperous planet with good trading routes and a fairly militaristic society, believing strongly in the codes of honour that had been part of its culture for centuries. The Rikans were something of an enigma; thought to be the remnants of some little known race who had fled a colony after its destruction, they travelled the world in a large fleet of ships that were slowly disintegrating.
This fleet arrived above Lore 78G and several ships made uncontrolled landings just outside its primary city. Thinking that the ships were in need of assistance, the inhabitants rushed to help, only to be attacked by the crew of the ruined ships in what seemed to be a planned operation. While ordinarily the Lore 78G’s military should have been more than a match for the limited weapons and outdated technology of the Rikans, they were taken by surprise by the unforeseen aggression. Due to their belief in honour, it was inconceivable to them that another party would attack them without first giving some sign of their intentions or making any demands. Even though they eventually subdued the remaining Rikans on the planet’s surface and saw the rest of the fleet off, they were uneasy. When two more ships arrive to make a similar attack, they decided not to destroy them before they could land but to hold them off until they could talk. Unfortunately, they found very little common ground with the Rikans and it was decided that the only way to deal with the situation without destroying the fleet entirely (something which went against their beliefs due to the unequal nature of the combat) was to try what an outside influence could do.
The Ansmerian delegation arrived and made swift progress, even though the Rikans were even more reluctant to talk to them than they had been to talk to the governors of Lore 78G. They decided that the most obvious motive for the Rikan’s attacks was to extort technology and resources out of Lore 78G. As the planet could easily give them a fleet of ships and many years’ worth of supplies without feeling so much as an ache in their treasury, the Ansmerians encouraged them to make an offer. As part of that offer was new ships, it was decided that the Rikans would be allowed to land and transfer themselves and their gear to the new fleet on Lore 78G’s soil. As soon as the military allowed the ships to approach, they all (as one) veered away from the designated hand over point, went into steep dives and landed in the primary city, where they began to fight the unprepared populous. All the Rikan’s attempted to fight to the death rather than be captured and those that were captured never said a word about their motivations.
This is seen as one of Ansmere’s great failings. Never again would an Ansmerian delegation make such assumptions about the intentions of an underdog, simply because financial and material considerations seemed the most likely answer. Children are taught this story as a way to hammer home the importance of research and also to constantly remind them of the humbling fact that you can never allow yourself to believe that you perfectly understand a situation. There are always unknowns in a negotiation that could blow it wide open. It has also made them a lot more circumspect about the geography of a negotiation and the importance of neutral ground.

[Prof. Polaris Black]

The Rise of Palpatine

Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious served as the last Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Sidious was exceptionally skilled and powerful in the Force and was able to conceal his identity from the Jedi for decades. As Naboo's ambassador in the Galactic Senate, Sidious manipulated galactic politics, which culminated in a crisis where the Galactic Senate voted to elect him as Supreme Chancellor. Ten years later, Palpatine orchestrated the outbreak of the Clone Wars. The vast majority of Republic citizens rallied behind Chancellor Palpatine, giving him enough support to transfer most of the Senate's executive authority to his own office. As Emperor, Sidious effectively wielded absolute control over the entire galaxy and ruled unopposed for nearly two decades.

A smarmy public advocate once told me that history was written by the victors so after the Clone Wars, Emperor Palpatine ensured history was rewritten in their favor. Instead of being cast peacekeepers, the Jedi were depicted as the instigators who led the galaxy astray. The Empire virtually exterminated the remaining Jedi and destroyed Jedi Temples along with their history, records, and valuable perspective. Without the Jedi to oppose him, Sidious declared himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire, bringing an end to the Republic that had stood for over 25,000 years. Palpatine’s impact on history is immeasurable.

It is worth noting that a democracy didn’t turn into a dictatorship by being overthrown – it was given away.