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Trade Federation

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Trade Federation
Organizational information
Led by
Locations
Primary role(s)

Major conglomerate of shipping corporations

Major products

Various starships, military vehicles, and shipping goods

Chronological and political information
Founding

350 BBY (315BrS)

Date dissolved

19 BBY (16:5:24)

Era(s)

Rise of the Empire era

Affiliation
[Source]
"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate, a tragedy has occurred, which started right here with the taxation of trade routes, and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation!"
―Senator Palpatine[src]

The Trade Federation was a very powerful Republic commerce guild, trade cartel, and megacorporation that was founded in 350 BBY as an association of business and trade groups with its own commercial trade fleet. It grew to dominate entire star systems and all major trade routes, and possessed a formidable private military. Towards the end of the Republic, it would become increasingly dominated by the commerce-savvy Neimoidians.

It would be dissolved and imperialized upon the Galactic Empire's formation in 19 BBY.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-Clone Wars

The Trade Federation was a shipping corporation and cartel. It made deals with Baktoid Armor Workshop and the Xi Char in order to form its own private military to accomplish their Sith-influenced aims. It was originally controlled by a directorate, which was led by a commanding Viceroy.

Neimoidians were very influential in the leadership of the Directorate, though the Federation only became a Neimoidian monopoly in 33 BBY, when six other members of the Trade Federation Directorate were murdered, leaving only Viceroy Nute Gunray. He proceeded to fill up the vacancies with his Neimoidian puppets, some of whom later comprised the Occupation Council that took control of Theed City after the Naboo invasion.

The Trade Federation's invasion force marches on the Naboo capital of Theed.
The Trade Federation's invasion force marches on the Naboo capital of Theed.

The Trade Federation protested the taxation of the Free Trade Zone by the Galactic Senate. As a daring example to other planets, Nute Gunray started a blockade to stop trade in Naboo. He was manipulated by Darth Sidious, who ordered him to invade Naboo. Two of the Trade Federations member species—the Caarites and the Filordi—felt this blockade would destroy the Federation, so they split off to form the Metatheran Cartel and forced the Federation out of the Cularin system.

Nute Gunray also allied the droid armies of the Trade Federation with the Confederacy of Independent Systems just before the Battle of Geonosis.

The Trade Federation's fleet was largely made up of converted Lucrehulk-class freighters. The Executive Board was unwilling to spend more credits (being the thrifty businessmen they were), and chose to convert their enormous commercial freight carriers into formidable, two-mile long warships, complete with shields, turbolasers, and military grade communications arrays. Also, the Trade Federation struck deals with numerous species, like the Colicoids and the Xi Char, to construct massive armies for the Federation.

In addition, even in the long awaited and profitable enterprise of battle, the Trade Federation warcraft were still manufactured inexpensively. Unwilling to spend more money on droid brains, the Trade Federation Executive Board proceeded to control their massive armies from a single central control computer aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship. In addition, Pammant Docks provided the Trade Federation with massive Providence-class carrier/destroyers, such as Invisible Hand.

Sentepeth Findos reluctantly grants the Federation's assets to the Empire at the end of the Clone Wars.
Sentepeth Findos reluctantly grants the Federation's assets to the Empire at the end of the Clone Wars.

The Neimoidians who ran the Trade Federation received their organizational skills from running mass hives and fungus farms on their homeworld of Neimoidia and the three Neimoidian purse worlds, Cato Neimoidia, Deko Neimoidia, and Koru Neimoidia.

The Trade Federation maintained a sizable monopoly on interstellar trade and held considerable sway in the Galactic Republic, even managing to gain a seat in the Senate on the same level as a member world, represented by Lott Dod. In particular, they held maps of hyperspace routes closely rather than sharing them, enabling them to cement their hold over trade routes. Only the Jedi and the Office of the Supreme Chancellor were able to maintain maps of similar quality.

[edit] Clone Wars

Around 22 BBY, Count Dooku began rallying various systems and corporations to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Nute Gunray agreed to pledge the Trade Federation's resources to said cause in exchange for the death of Padmé Amidala, as revenge for the fiasco on Naboo. Unfortunately, a botched attempt on Amidala's life by Zam Wesell resulted in Obi-Wan Kenobi tracking a bounty hunter to Geonosis, where Gunray and the other various members of the CIS had gathered. Kenobi was captured, but this merely resulted in Anakin Skywalker and Amidala setting out to rescue Kenobi. Eventually, these events spiralled into Mace Windu leading a Jedi attack on the arena where the prisoners were about to be executed, much to Gunray's dismay. Upon Yoda's arrival with a large clone army, it descended into a full scale battle, starting off the Clone Wars between the Confederacy and the Republic. The Trade Federation was unable to break off now, and soon Federation automata formed much of the CIS army.

With Nute Gunray's death at the hands of former Jedi Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, the Trade Federation fell. Acting Viceroy Sentepeth Findos was forced by stormtroopers to sign a peace treaty with the Empire the day that the Clone Wars ended, giving all of the Federation's resources to Palpatine's disposal to help him build the Galactic Empire. Trade was nationalized by the time of the Battle of Yavin.

[edit] Associations

"The Trade Federation cannot function without its head. Neimoidians don't think for themselves. Without the Viceroy to command them, they will cease to be a threat."
―Padmé Amidala[src]
Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray with Rune Haako (right) and Dooku (left) on Geonosis.
Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray with Rune Haako (right) and Dooku (left) on Geonosis.

[edit] Notable members

See Trade Federation members.

[edit] Battle droids

[edit] Organic forces

[edit] Starfighters

A Vulture droid starfighter.
A Vulture droid starfighter.

[edit] Ground units

A Trade Federation troop carrier.
A Trade Federation troop carrier.

[edit] Aquatic units

[edit] Aerial units

[edit] Capital ships

A Lucrehulk-class battleship bearing the markings of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
A Lucrehulk-class battleship bearing the markings of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

[edit] Support craft

[edit] Controlled planets

[edit] Allied companies

[edit] Behind the scenes

  • The Trade Federation may well be modeled after the British East India Company, which possessed an amazing amount of political power in the Western world in the nineteenth century. The Company was so influential, it was actually able to dictate where Great Britain—the most powerful country in the world at the time—sent her troops.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Trade_Federation"
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