Trade Federation

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Affiliation:
  Confederacy of Independent Systems

• 

Origins

The Galactic Republic had enjoyed centuries of growth and prosperity; it was inevitable that its wealth would foster those with greed to match. The varied instruments of trade and commerce banded together into galaxy-spanning organizations meant to aggrandize their profits. Coalitions such as the Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Techno Union, and the Intergalactic Banking Clan consolidated their individual markets under governing bodies of such size that they exhibited pull on the actions of the Galactic Senate.

The Trade Federation was a consortium of merchants and transportation providers that effectively controlled shipping throughout the galaxy. It was founded more than 350 years before the Battle of Yavin by the leading transport and mercantile forces of the era. It wasn't always under the auspices of the Neimoidians, but that species' cutthroat business acumen and competitive nature earned a position of control over the Executive Board Directorate. Under their rule, the Trade Federation it had attained enough clout to have full representation in the Galactic Senate, as if it were a member world.

The Neimoidians would point to increased piracy in the wilds of the Outer Rim as just cause for arming their vessels. With their political clout -- and unabashed bribery of key Senate officials -- they were able to legally affix laser cannons and similar weaponry on their transport vessels. The promise of a sizable "donation" caused many a weapons inspector to look the other way. The Neimoidians were able to build a fleet of battleships at a brisk pace.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace

In order to rein in the Trade Federation, as well as raise funds for an overburdened government, the Republic approved the taxation of outlying trade routes. Outraged, the Trade Federation brazenly blockaded the peaceful planet of Naboo in protest. Its fleet of massive battleships surrounded the pastoral world, cutting off direly needed supplies to the planet. The bold action caused great uproar in the Senate, marking yet another scandal in Chancellor Valorum's checkered career. Eager to resolve the dispute, he secretly dispatched a pair of Jedi ambassadors to Naboo to parley with the Neimoidians.

The Trade Federation, concerned with minimizing operating expenses, preferred cheap and disposable droid labor whenever possible. Allied corporations such as Haor Chall Engineering, the Baktoid foundries and others provided the Neimoidians with a seemingly endless supply of automated servants. As the ever-paranoid Directorate sought to protect their wares, these droid manufacturers also delivered mechanical soldiers and guardians.

Despite the knowledge that the Trade Federation was armed, no one expected an action as inflammatory as the Naboo invasion. The Neimoidians had long been careful to skirt contention by purchasing victories in the Senate. Strong-arm tactics were alien to them. The maintenance of an invasion army and the full-scale subjugation of Naboo was an odd play for the Trade Federation.

What no one in the galaxy knew was that the Trade Federation was but a pawn in a much larger game. The promise of a profitable outcome lured the Trade Federation's leaders -- Nute Gunray and Rune Haako -- into a partnership with a mysterious Sith benefactor. This shadowy Darth Sidious carefully manipulated the Senate, bogging the institute down in procedures while the Trade Federation tried to pressure Naboo's monarch into signing a treaty to legitimize the occupation.

Queen Amidala, Naboo's ruler, remained steadfast in her opposition. The normally cowardly Neimoidians then did the unexpected. Egged on by their Sith overlord, the Trade Federation began a full-scale invasion of Naboo.

While the budget-minded Trade Federation's reliance on droid labor was well known, the scope of their invasion army was shocking. Legions of automated infantry -- battle droids -- aboard modern war-craft charged down the vine-laced avenues of Naboo's cities. The subjugation was quick; Naboo's populace was ill prepared.

Gunray, Haako and even Sidious failed to foresee Amidala's bravery and fortitude. She escaped their clutches and called upon the native Gungans of Naboo to join with a growing resistance force. Together, the people of Naboo were able to overthrow their oppressors. Haako and Gunray were arrested. The Neimoidians, however, kept Darth Sidious' existence a secret.

After The Phantom Menace

The fall-out of the failed invasion sent many economies into a tailspin. The Trade Federation was strong enough to survive the scandal, even with its Directorate mostly intact. The Neimoidians learned little from their venture, it seemed. After the Battle of Naboo, they crafted a select assassination corps in a bid to exact vengeance against the Jedi. Three years after the Naboo incident, the Republic started to disband the Trade Federation armed forces. Or so the Neimoidians would have the Senate believe. Gunray avoided hard time for his transgressions, and even after four trials in the Supreme Court, still managed to hold onto his Viceroy title.

Betrayed by his Sith benefactor, Gunray allied himself to Count Dooku, a renegade Jedi leading a growing Separatist movement in the galaxy. Dooku courted a number of major commercial interests to back his rebellion, and his promises of absolute commitment to capitalism resonated deeply among the greedy.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Gunray was willing to pledge the forces of the Trade Federation to the Confederacy of Independent System on one condition: the death of Padmé Amidala. The young Naboo politician became the target of several assassination attempts, but she escaped time and again. Nonetheless, Gunray committed the Trade Federation to the Separatist cause, and in the first battle of the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation droid army fought against the clone army of the Republic.

Behind the Scenes

The early draft scripts of the original Star Wars named a number of corporate interests tied into the demise of the Galactic Republic. In the third draft version of the script, the Republic's demise is attributed to the actions of "ruthless trader barons."

The second draft goes into detail, describing how through a series of assassinations and "elaborately rigged elections," the Galactic Senate became pawns of the "Power and Transport guilds." The Empire was truly born when subjugated systems were "exploited by a new economic policy which raised the cost of power and transport to unbelievable heights."

The Trade Federation was introduced in Episode I. Though characters freely refer to it as "the Federation" in dialogue, care is taken in certain licensed product to ensure the term "Trade" always precedes "Federation," to avoid allusions to another certain galaxy-spanning entity from another science fiction series. Episode II revealed a number of corporate entities alongside the Trade Federation that figured prominently in the final days of the Republic.