Corporate Sector Authority

Corporate Sector Authority

TheCorporate Sector Authority, commonly abbreviated toCSA, was acorporate authority that controlled theCorporate Sector, which was located in thegalaxy'sOuter Rim Territories. All economic, political andjudicial systems were controlled by member corporations or corporate interest, who werecharted to directly administer thesector.

The Corporate Sector Authority rooted in theClone Wars whenSupreme ChancellorPalpatine began to get in close contact with corporations in the Corporate Sector which were loyal to theGalactic Republic. By the end of the war, he gathered a group of sympathizing lobbyists known as theGalactic Corporate Policy League (GCPL), which would later on become the CSA, gaining him control over members of the CSA when he becameGalactic Emperor.

During theImperial Period, the Corporate Sector Authority was never part of theGalactic Empire and therefore retained its independent, with the Empire maintaining officialdiplomatic relations with the CSA.

In40 ABY, the CSA allied itself with arebellion consisting of the planetoidsCorellia,Commenor,Adumar, andFondor for fighting against theGalactic Alliance during theSecond Galactic Civil War.

In44 ABY, the Corporate Sector Authority suffered a fullslave revolt, as it was happening everywhere else inthe galaxy.

History[]

Origins[]

TheCorporate Sector was first formed in490 BBY, in order to resolve differences betweenGalactic Republic lawmakers and the heads of many ofthe galaxy's largest corporations that largely existed in theExpansion Region. The Corporate Sector was established in the front end of theTingel Arm region of theOuter Rim Territories and originally consisted of a few hundred star systems, all of which were supposedly devoid ofsentientspecies. The corporations allowed to operate in the sector could purchase entire regions of space. However, they were meant to be supervised by the Galactic Republic.

Republic Era[]

In403 BBY, thescoutingvesselCommerce disappeared while attempting to make anorbital scan of theplanetNyriaan, in theLuire system.^[3]

In84 BBY, the Corporate Sector Authority laid claim to the entire Luire system, however the Republic rebuffed their claim and for the duration of the resulting legal battle, a quarantine of Nyriaan was enforced. In81 BBY, a Republic court ruled that the CSA only had jurisdiction overCaillte.^[3]

During theClone Wars, theDeluge Experiment was initiated by the Corporate Sector Authority to alter the climate of Nyriaan after decades of research, and it was kept secret from high-ranking CSA members in order to protect them from prosecution in event of the scheme causing a serious loss of life.Ghurn, a Galactic Republic official, looked into the project afterKlieri andYrssk went missing while investigating.^[3]

Meanwhile, a group of lobbyists known as theGalactic Corporate Policy League, backed by such influential figures asBaron Tagge, began to get in close with then-Chancellor Palpatine, presumably representing the loyalist companies in the sector, although during theClone Wars most of the Corporate Sector supported theConfederacy of Independent Systems.^[6]

Restructuring[]

After the Clone Wars resolution,^[7] the assets of most Separatist corporations were nationalized or given to loyal companies as a reward.^[4] Then several of Palpatine's influential corporate allies, led by Tagge, convinced the Emperor to expand the Corporate Sector to nearly 30,000 star systems, and with the signing of the Corporate Sector Charter, the Empire restructured the CSA to rule the newly-expanded sector.^[4][1] According to theofficial field manual for theImperial Military forces, another part of the reason why the CSA was established was specifically to ensure that transparent mercantilism could occur without any interference, as the Empire approved of corporate competition so long as it didn't interfere with it.^[8]

The CSA took possession of many of the remaining droids belonging to the Confederacy following theBattle of Murkhana, and as per its agreement with theEmpire paid an annual stipend of 3% of the sector's gross product, as well as a tithe of materials and ore produced. In the years after the war's end much of the survivingCorporate Alliance assets relocated to the Corporate Sector. Eleven sentient species were discovered in this expansion, though the Corporate Sector was careful to cover this fact up.

Imperial Period[]

In18 BBY, a union of pirates were launching raids into the recently reorganized CorpSec and the surrounding area, that forced the Empire to get involved in what was known as theListehol Campaign.AdmiralWullf Yularen took command of a group ofInvincible-class Dreadnaughts meant for the CSA and a small complement ofVenators andTIE/LN starfighters, quickly defeating the raiders.^[4]

The CSA's encroachments upon surrounding systems did not always go unforgiven. TheKobok, a militaristic species, did not appreciate the CSA's claim on planets bordering their territory, and the two groups often fought in border disputes. Circa15 BBY, the Koboks and the CSA engaged in open warfare. The Corporate Sector also came into conflict with the felinoidTrianii species. An armistice was eventually signed between the Corporate Sector and the Trianii three years after the start of theCSA–Trianii War.^[9]

DuringEmperorPalpatine's reign over the galaxy, many of the Corporate Sector's companies developed technologies for use by the Empire. However, following theBattle of Hoth a contributing company,Galactic Electronics, developed a newmagnetic pulse warhead and sold it to theRebel Alliance. In retaliation theImperial Star DestroyerGlory invaded the sector and seized the corporation's deep-space research facility. During theGalactic Civil War, many people sought refuge in the Corporate Sector; however, it was not long before those people discovered that the Corporate Sector was far more stark than the Empire.

Post-Imperial era[]

In the wake of theBattle of Endor and the Emperor's death, the Corporate Sector tried to remain neutral and sold products to both theNew Republic and the remnants of the Empire. The New Republic, however, was too burdened with establishing a new government to sign a long-lasting partnership with the corporate-minded fiefdom — especially since some in the New Republic boycotted the CSA for being just as bad as, if not even worse, than the Empire.

After having captured the sectors surrounding the Corporate Sector in6 ABY,Grand MoffZsinj conquered the sector in7 ABY. The Corporate Sector stayed under Zsinj's control untilhis death in8 ABY.^[10]

During theYuuzhan Vong War, all communication between the Corporate Sector and the rest of the galaxy was severed; however, the Sector was not invaded.

In40 ABY, several of its member companies became allied withCorellia in theSecond Galactic Civil War. By the time the war had ended ayear later the whole government had been absorbed into theConfederation. In43 ABY it was presumably a part of theUnification Summit that was led byTurr Phennir which made peace with theGalactic Alliance and theImperial Remnant. In44 ABY the Corporate Sector became one of many sectors in the Galaxy where there was a full slave revolt.

Government and politics[]

The government of the Corporate Sector Authority was made up of several powerful corporations. These companies were managed by theDirex Board, which was made up of 55 members, all of whom were high-ranking business executives. The Direx Board was led by theExO, orExecutive officer, and other posts includedPrex (President),Viceprex,Auditor-General and the Imperial Advisor that represented the interests of the Galactic Empire. The monetary authority of the Corporate Sector was theAuthority Currency Exchange.Etti IV was the administrative center for the sector as well as a major trading crossroads.^[1]

As with its other client states, the Galactic Empire maintained an embassy to the Corporate Sector Authority, where the Empire and CSA had a cooperative relationship.^[11]

Economy[]

(For a list of companies that were affiliated with the Corporate Sector Authority, gohere)

(For a list of companies that were signatory sponsors of the Corporate Sector Authority, gohere)

Culture[]

The Corporate Sector Authority had much less racial discrimination than theHumanocentric Galactic Empire, although it advertised on the appeal of being free of alien interests. The prevailing culture of the Corporate Sector tended to value a being's financial status much more than their species of origin.

On the other hand, the Corporate Sector Authority historically violated the rights of sentient beings. The CSA possessed exclusive rights to use the sector's resources as it saw fit; the corporations within the region would typically strip a planet bare, often usingslave labor or destroying the world's natural environment in the process. The majority of the Authority's residents consisted of the working class; citizenship, which granted limited "shareholder" rights, was purchased, putting it out of the reach of most laborers. Labor relationships were extremely poor, and most people lived in impoverished conditions; one of the most severe crimes in the Corporate Sector was to form, or even attempt to organize, a labor union.

Military[]

Main article:Security Division

The Security Division of the Corporate Sector Authority was responsible for law enforcement of it territories. The police of the CSA, known asEspos, had a reputation for brutality. Many of those convicted of political crimes within the Sector were sentenced to terms at a secret prison calledStars' End.

The Security Division also maintained alarge fleet to patrol their territory, that consisted of relatively outdated vessels bought from various Imperial fleets^[13] and Imperial surplus stock.^[1] The fleet's operators were trained by advisors from system defense navies that still utilized the aging designs.^[1] Ships included first-generationVictory-I-class Star Destroyers,Invincible-class Dreadnaught cruisers,^[1] second-handLucrehulk-class battleships,^[14]Recusant-class light destroyers^[15] andMarauder-class corvettes. TheAuthority IRD was one of the numerous types of starfighters used by the Security Division, as was the former CISMankvim-814 light interceptor.^[15] The CSA began purchasing large numbers ofDreadnaught-class heavy cruisers as soon as they were developed. At some point prior to theBattle of Yavin, the CSA military sold a number of its older Marauder corvettes to the fledgling Rebel Alliance.

Astrography[]

Main article:Corporate Sector

The Corporate Sector encompassed the area of theAparo andWyl sectors in the northeast quadrant of the Outer Rim. The region was chosen for widespread economic development by the Galactic Republic for its lack of native sentient life, a notion that would later prove to be untrue.

The worlds of the Corporate Sector includedAmmuud,Bonadan,Roonadan,Bretta,Duroon, Etti IV,Kalla VII,Kail,Kir,Orron III,Knolstee,Maryo,Mytus VII,Gaurick,Rampa III,Reltooine,Saffalore,Ulicia,Abo Dreth, Craci,Drog II,Erysthes, Kuminphal,Mall'ordian,Ession,Matra VI,Oslumpex V,Brosi,Colsa,Mos,Thosa,Tol, and the Trianii colonies ofTrian,Fibuli,Ekibo,Pypin andBrochiib. The Corporate Sector Authority was known to ravage entire ecosystems in their hunt for profits.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]