Commerce Guild

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Commerce Guild

The guild was dissolved following theexecution ofPresidenteShu Mai and wasimperialized by theGalactic Empire in19 BBY.

History[]

The guild went as far back as700 BBY, when it maintained atrading station in theBpfassh system.Companies that resisted the Guild were placed under tremendous pressure by the Guild, including its security forces. Like theTrade Federation,Corporate Alliance and theInterGalactic Banking Clan, the Commerce Guild had its ownsecurity forces. The Guild was also politically powerful as it was economic and had several corruptplanetary officials,senators, and industrial spies in its fold.

The Commerce Guild also had the power to buy entire planets. One such planet wasCastell, the homeworld of theGossam. The Commerce Guild enslaved the entire population of Castell. At the time,Shu Mai was the Commerce Guild'sChief of Property Resources. She initially used her position to liberate her people, but then followed this by raising the required tribute from her fellow Gossam. The Commerce Guild Chief of Staff was so pleased with Mai that they gave her the office ofPresidente of the Commerce Guild.^[9] Afterward, Mai negotiated aggressively and managed to end the financial crisis that had ravaged Castell for a decade. The planet then gained importance for the Guild as a manufacturing center.^[10]

In27 BBY, the Commerce Guild introduced a bill forGalactic Senate approval, one that would give the Guild ade facto monopoly over banking practices in theOuter Rim Territories. To improve the possibilities of its adoption, the Guild bribed several voting Senators to sponsor it. Many others, including SenatorBail Prestor Organa ofAlderaan, openly opposed it, even swearing to stop the legislative motion. To get rid of the Senatorial opposition's interference, the Guild arranged to incriminate the Senators, tarnish their reputations, and possibly ruin their careers, by using their names infalsified betting on various events and by rigging an accident at an "illegal" podrace during theGalactic Games of26 BBY onEuceron. The Guild's plot would have a podracer collide into the spectator-filled grandstands, taking many lives, and leaving the Senators to blame.Liviani Sarno, a member of the Guild and head of theGames Council, organized the conspiracy with the help ofMaxo Vista, who desired Guild membership. The plot was discovered byObi-Wan Kenobi andJocasta Nu, and stopped byAnakin Skywalker. As Organa and the rest of the opposition were left still standing, politically (the falsified betting having been uncovered), the law was vetoed.^[11]

Nevertheless, the guilty parties were not brought to justice,^[11] thanks, in large measure, to the perjury of the power-hungryBog Divinian, a Games Council member who wanted the Guild to be indebted to him—something he achieved. With the help of the Guild and other sponsors, Divinian obtained political power by being elected to the Galactic Senate, and thus retained the sympathies of the Guild. However, Divinian's career was soon forfeit, with the debacle that became the24 BBYanti-Jedi factional petition to sever all future Jedi affiliation with the Senate. The petition failed miserably, accompanied as it was by avicious attack by two of the galaxy's greatest criminal minds upon that august body, assembled as it was in full-body session in theSenate Rotunda to debate the petition. With that unmitigated failure and near-catastrophe (the Jedi having ultimately foiled the attack), the Guild lost all interest in further helping Divinian.^[12]

In25 BBY, the criminalSlam gang attempted to break into a security vault of the Commerce Guild. Before they could perform their heist, the Slams were captured and sent to prison.^[13]

In24 BBY, the Commerce Guild opened an office on the tax-free world ofKorriban. Guild members deserving a punishment were sent there, although the Guild motivated other corporations to open offices in the Korriban spaceport ofDreshdae. By23 BBY, local Guild executives were being robbed in their hotels with alarming frequency. Using local crime against Guild workers as an excuse, the Guild sent a droid army (includingdwarf spider droids andhoming spider droids) to Korriban, violatingRepublic laws. This likely was the beginning of the corroborative relationship of Shu Mai andCountDooku, for some of these droids, as well as new Republic regulation-violatingsuper battle droids, were employed by Dooku's alter-egoDarth Tyranus in fending offJedi intrusion into the long-abandonedGreat Temple andSith Academy, where he had set up a base for rendezvousing with galactic criminalsGranta Omega andJenna Zan Arbor, to establish an alliance with them.^[6]

In the years leading up to theClone Wars, Shu Mai greatly increased the military and commercial clout of the Guild. She also instigated strife onAnsion, resulting in theMission to Ansion, and aligned the Guild with Count Dooku'sSeparatist movement.

In22 BBY, Mai was present in a meeting of Separatist leaders onGeonosis which saw the birth of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. She knew that support of the Separatists would betreason against the Galactic Republic, but she could not resist the lure of promised wealth. She allied the Commerce Guild with the Confederacy during the Clone Wars, and supplied armies ofbattle droids to theirDroid Army andstarships to theirstarfleet.

During theClone Wars,Shu Mai attempted to use combined military might from both theConfederacy of Independent Systems and Commerce Guild to distribute deadlytrihexalon onCoruscant and therefore eliminate theRepublic Senate. The plot was prevented by a group ofJedi padawans led byMavra Zane andChewbacca.

Following the execution of Shu Mai atMustafar byDarth Vader in19 BBY, the Commerce Guild ceased to exist, and its remaining holdings were absorbed by theGalactic Empire. Despite the Guild's dissolution , a few of it's subsidiaries such as SoroSub and the Mining Guild were allowed to survive and continued to thrive into the Imperial Era due to the Empire becoming their largest customer.^[1] At least one Commerce Guild employee,Iaco Stark, took refuge within theCorporate Sector Authority.

Associations[]

Notable members[]

• Shu Mai:Presidente and formerChief of Property Resources.
• Cat Miin: Chief aide to Shu Mai during the end of Clone Wars.
• Iaco Stark:Smuggler andpirate that initiated theStark Hyperspace War in44 BBY.
• Thal K'sar: Worked for the Commerce Guild.
• Beolars Bribbs: President of theSullustan Council and CEO ofSoroSuub Corporation.
• AGossam: Possibly another aide to Shu Mai.

Organic infantry[]

• Escarte Guard
• Gossam Commandos

Battle droids[]

• A-DSD advanced dwarf spider droid
• DSD1 dwarf spider droid
• Heavy homing spider droid
• Heavy dwarf spider droid
• OG-9 homing spider droid
• Spelunker probe droid

Starships/capital ships[]

• Commerce Guild Advanced Bomber
• Commerce Guild Bomber
• Commerce Guild corvette
• Commerce Guild Enhanced Bomber
• Commerce Guild fleet patrol craft
• Diamond-class cruiser
• Recusant-class light destroyer

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]