How This Imperial Officer Became The Leader of The New Republic
The history of the Galactic Alliance from Star Wars Legends was one of many turbulent moments in its short history. Formed from the ashes of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Galactic Alliance was a grand coalition of three factions: the New Republic, the Imperial Remnant, and the Hapes Consortium. Together, these three forces defeated the Yuuzhan Vong and brought peace to the galaxy, though only for a short time. Not long after, chaos spread throughout the alliance, such as the rise of Darth Caedus, and the Abeloth crisis. It was during this second crisis that a new leader emerged from an unlikely place, someone that was a former enemy of the New Republic. That person was Admiral Natasi Daala, former Imperial Ruler turned Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance.
Tarkin’s Protege To Imperial Leader
During her early years with the Empire, Natasi Daala was a protege of Grand Moff Tarkin, studying under his tutelage and becoming a great admirer of his. Some have even said that their relationship was more than mentor and student and may have been romantic as well. She would rise through the ranks to become the first female admiral in the Imperial Navy.
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Daala was stationed at the Maw Installation, a secret research facility where many Imperial projects were developed and kept hidden from most of the Empire and even the Rebel Alliance at that time. She spent many years far away from most of the action, from the destruction of the First and Second Death Star, and most of the fall of the Empire.
Even though she did hear of the death of her mentor Tarkin and swore revenge, she spent most of her time at the Maw Installation until she eventually returned to reunite the various factions of the Galactic Empire under her rule. While her campaign against the New Republic was a failure, she did leave a lasting impact by reuniting the warlords and forming the true Imperial Remnant. She then returned to a life of exile at the Maw for some time.
Return To The Public
Daala returned to the known galaxy during the Second Galactic Civil War when the New Jedi Order and its allies fought against Jacen Solo, who had become the Sith Lord Darth Caedus. She aided the Imperial Remnant and was one of the keys to the Galactic Alliance’s victory in the war.
After the devastation caused by the Second Galactic Civil War, Daala became a unifying figure within the Galactic Alliance, emerging as its Chief of State. However, her regime was filled with tension with the Jedi Order. After all, she was a former Imperial officer, and the Jedi themselves had taken a bit of a hit in the public image with the fall of one of its prominent members, Jacen Solo, and his role in the previous war.
After Luke was tried and sentenced to exile, the rest of his Jedi remained on Coruscant under the thumb of Daala who then tried to do everything in her power to dissolve the Order.
The situation between Daala and the Jedi escalated to the point where the Jedi planned a coup against her. This eventually led to a war between Daala and the Jedi and their allies. Sadly, the storyline was left unfinished in Legends with no clear conclusion.
Imperial And Elected Leader
Daala is an interesting character in the Star Wars Legends. A character who was the protege of the most infamous man in the Empire. She would later return and restore stability to the galaxy after a time of war but at the cost of alienating the Jedi. Her trajectory from Imperial military leader to elected official is a fascinating one, making Daala one of the more unique characters in the galaxy far, far away.
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