The Mandalorian: The New Republic from “Star Wars” explained

• In the Star Wars canon, The Mandalorian is set during the New Republic, shortly after the fall of the Galactic Empire.
• The New Republic is characterized by many things and is one of the most exciting periods in “Star Wars” history.
• So how was the New Republic administered, how did the people live in it and who were the rulers?

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The 3rd episode of season 3 “The Mandalorian” brings us back to a well-known location from the prequel trilogy: the city planet Coruscant. There we see the New Republic in all its glory and learn how it controls and governs the galaxy after defeating the Empire.

But how exactly is the still young New Republic structured and how does it work? The previous seasons and episodes of “The Mandalorian” as well as extended “Star Wars” reading give us a good insight into this.

The New Republic emerged after “Return of the Jedi”

The 3rd “Star Wars” film “Return of the Jedi” showed the victory of the Rebellion against the Empire. However, what happened after the lavish party and the honoring of Luke, Han and Co. remained limited to the extended cosmos of books and video games. We can finally learn more about the New Republic with The Mandalorian, set precisely in this time period, post-Empire, pre-New Republic, and pre-First Order.

A year after the destruction of the Death Star and victory on Endor, the New Republic was officially formed. The rebellion was successful. The rebuilding of the galaxy and the expulsion of the last imperial germ cells began. Capital was initially Chandrila, home world of Mon Mothma, the first elected Chancellor of the New Republic.

How did a lasting peace with the Empire come about?

While the destruction of the Death Star and the resulting death of the Emperor were crucial, not all Imperial forces surrendered and accepted defeat. The events that immediately followed the triumph of the Rebellion were chronicled in Chuck Wendig’s “Aftermath” book trilogy.

It tells the story of how the New Republic pursued and wiped out the last remnants of the Empire across the galaxy. On the doctrine of the late Emperor, isolated warlords continued to fight and on the junk planet Jakku it came to a decisive battle in which the New Republic was victorious again.

The Empire’s few remaining loyalists fled to the unknown reaches of the galaxy, where they would later form the First Order. The rest accepted a peace treaty under Palpatine’s ex-court follower Mas Amedda, which finally ended the costly galactic civil war.

Who led and ruled the New Republic?

The first elected Chancellor after defeating the Empire became Mon Mothma. The newly formed Galactic Senate first met on Chandrila, but changed locations several times following terrorist attacks by Imperial agents.

Several worlds acted as temporary capitals of the New Republic. Most recently, the Senate convened on the core planet Hosnian Prime. Old pre-Imperial structures were restored and modernized, so overall the New Republic was similar to the old one and partly governed by the same politicians.

What were the roles of Leia, Luke and Han Solo in the New Republic?

The heroes of the Rebellion, Princess Leia, Jedi Luke and smuggler Han, went their separate ways after the war against the Empire. With Mon Mothma’s support, Luke established the Jedi Order with a temple on the remote planet of Ossus. Far from the core worlds, lest the Jedi be politicized and corrupted once more.

Leia Organa continued her political career in the New Republic’s Galactic Senate and was one of Mon Mothma’s most important and trusted confidants. Meanwhile, her husband Han ended his career as a general and retired, disinterested in daily political events.

What is the New Republic doing with the Empire’s ships?

In the third episode of season 3 “The Mandalorian” we see on Coruscant how the gigantic warships of the Empire lie in a dry dock and are being dismantled. Mon Mothma’s motto as Chancellor was to end the militarization and armament of the galaxy, which is why she had the ships of both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance decommissioned.

In their view, maintaining a permanent military was dangerous and not conducive to a peaceful republic. However, as can be seen from several story arcs in The Mandalorian, given the heavy Imperial presence in the galaxy, this may have been a mistake.

How different was daily life in the New Republic and the Empire?

After the iron, authoritarian control of the Empire, the New Republic focused on more freedom and self-government of the systems. However, the fact that many worlds retained the imperial way of life and government would later become a major problem. For some planets, the regime change brought new opportunities and they had to adapt to a more democratic and bureaucratic galactic state.

While comparatively little changed on Coruscant, more distant worlds and systems were able to breathe again and enjoy more rights and freedoms after brutal laws of the Empire were gone. For many, the New Republic became the epitome and symbol of peace, hope, justice and law.

What is the difference between the New Republic and the Resistance?

Gradually, former politicians and bureaucrats of the Empire were also incorporated into the government of the New Republic. Unfortunately, as Senator Leia Organa realized too late, that turned out to be a mistake. The Imperial hardliners, who have not completely renounced their path, were able to gain increasing influence in the Senate and even conspired to prevent Leia from being elected Chancellor.

Leia then joined forces with the allies and old friends she sought out to form a new rebel alliance, the Resistance, which we see fighting the First Order in the sequel trilogy. However, in order not to get caught up in another conflict, the New Republic remained neutral in the ensuing fight, which was to be their bitter undoing.

How did the New Republic end?

The New Republic survived only a few years, and in that time was able to restore stability and peace to the galaxy. As the First Order grew in power, and only the resistance under Leia defied them, the New Republic became the first prominent casualty of the Empire’s risen successor.

In The Force Awakens, the First Order is at the peak of its power, rallying myriad troops, systems, and forces behind it. Their most powerful secret weapon is the Starkiller Base. An entire planet capable of wiping out multiple planets at once as a super weapon with multiple powers of the Death Star.

The New Republic’s capital, Hosnian Prime, fell victim to the first operation of Starkiller Base. Returning Imperial fleets launched a simultaneous attack on numerous worlds, which fell quickly in this relentless blitzkrieg. Despite the Resistance’s counterattack, the First Order ruled the galaxy for a year.

How is canon different from the Star Wars Legends stories?

The canon of “Star Wars” could hardly be more confusing and complex. Since the Disney takeover, at least some order and transparency has been introduced and a distinction has been made between the official canon of films, series and books and the Legends, which are based on previous books and comics.

However, the canon version of the New Republic was heavily influenced by the Expanded Universe, as Legends used to be called. The biggest difference in this concerns the demilitarization of the New Republic, which did not occur, and Mon Mothma’s succession, which was successfully succeeded by Leia. Crucial key points, then, that have changed the official canon of the Legends.

Another change involves Coruscant, which served as the capital of the New Republic in earlier canon. At least until intergalactic aliens named Yuuzhan Vong devastated the city planet. The New Republic then dissolved and was succeeded by the GFFA, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Whether in official canon or Legends, while the New Republic was an improvement on the Empire and incredibly important, it was also doomed to fail.