Nationalizing Commerce in the Empire

[Kurgan]

In a deleted scene from ANH with Biggs & Luke talking near Tosche Station (?), Biggs talks about how the Empire has "already started to nationalize commerce in the Central Systems."

Do we have any more info about this? I assume this scene is also in the novel and screenplay, it's just been a long time since I've read either.

Btw, I'm getting these deleted scenes off the "Behind the Magic" CD-ROMs released back in '98. Comments are also made by Luke's friends about how they doubt "the Empire would even fight to save the system" (implying that Tatooine is under the control of the Empire at the time?), since the planet is "a big hunk of nothing."


Biggs also talks to Luke about how his Uncle (Owen) will eventually just be a tenant, "slaving for the greater glory of the Empire." I realize he's trying to convince Luke that joining the Rebellion is the right thing to do, but still. Do we know more about this? Thanks.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Biggs also talks to Luke about how his Uncle (Owen) will eventually just be a tenant, "slaving for the greater glory of the Empire." I realize he's trying to convince Luke that joining the Rebellion is the right thing to do, but still. Do we know more about this? Thanks.

Going with the EU and best guesses, IMO Palpatine is concentrating industry in capital in the Fascist manner. That is, capital and the means of production are under private ownership but Imperial control.

[The Original Nex]

This goes along with Hidalgo's explanation that the Empire absorbs all the various Corporate powers that fought the Republic in the Clone Wars. He says that {off-screen) the Empire absorbs and nationalizes the Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Banking Clan etc.

And, yes, Tattoine was under the control of the Empire, part of Oversector Outer IIRC, within Tarkin's jurisdiction.

[Kurgan]

And then the "Corporate Sector" is formed... right?

[Spanky The Dolphin]

No. As has been mentioned before (to you, even, I believe), the Corporate Sector is unrelated to the Confederation or the members within and has existed for at least decades, if not centuries (IIRC) before the Clone Wars.

Corporate Sector

This area of the galaxy originally was set aside by the Old Republic for corporations to use for mining raw materials. It was created after the experiment at corporate control in the Expansion Region failed. Several hundred systems - all devoid of intelligent life - made up the original Expansion Region Corporate Sector, and corporations could purchase the use of entire systems under the watchful eye of the Republic. Huge corporations began moving into the area, hoping to acquire a piece of the huge profits it was generating. The corporate executives were bound by the Old Republic's Senate until Emperor Palpatine rose to power. Under the New Order, executives convinced the Emperor to expand the Corporate Sector to include nearly 30,000 star systems. Eleven new intelligent species were discovered, but their existence was kept secret by the power-hungry corporations. The executives agreed to pay Palpatine a percentage of their corporate profits if he would allow them to manage the sector by themselves, to which Palpatine agreed. Thus was born the Corporate Sector Authority and the CSA Security Police force. The current Corporate Sector is bordered by the Aparo and Wyl Sectors. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, much of the pathway known as Vector Prime traveled through the Corporate Sector, and planets such as Brigia and Ruuria were overrun as the Yuuzhan Vong moved toward the Core. (HSE, CSA, HT)

[PainRack]

Do we have any more info about this? I assume this scene is also in the novel and screenplay, it's just been a long time since I've read either.

There's also the fact that Land operation is small enough not to attract the attention of the Mining Guild(with possible high fees for forced membership) or the Empire. The TESB novelisation also elaborated further on how the Empire would nationalise his Bespin operations.

[Kurgan]

edit: double post, sorry

[Kurgan]

No. As has been mentioned before (to you, even, I believe), the Corporate Sector is unrelated to the Confederation or the members within and has existed for at least decades, if not centuries (IIRC) before the Clone Wars.

Corporate Sector

This area of the galaxy originally was set aside by the Old Republic for corporations to use for mining raw materials. It was created after the experiment at corporate control in the Expansion Region failed. Several hundred systems - all devoid of intelligent life - made up the original Expansion Region Corporate Sector, and corporations could purchase the use of entire systems under the watchful eye of the Republic. Huge corporations began moving into the area, hoping to acquire a piece of the huge profits it was generating. The corporate executives were bound by the Old Republic's Senate until Emperor Palpatine rose to power. Under the New Order, executives convinced the Emperor to expand the Corporate Sector to include nearly 30,000 star systems. Eleven new intelligent species were discovered, but their existence was kept secret by the power-hungry corporations. The executives agreed to pay Palpatine a percentage of their corporate profits if he would allow them to manage the sector by themselves, to which Palpatine agreed. Thus was born the Corporate Sector Authority and the CSA Security Police force. The current Corporate Sector is bordered by the Aparo and Wyl Sectors. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy, much of the pathway known as Vector Prime traveled through the Corporate Sector, and planets such as Brigia and Ruuria were overrun as the Yuuzhan Vong moved toward the Core. (HSE, CSA, HT)

I forgot, AND I was too lazy to look it up!

[The Original Nex]

No. As has been mentioned before (to you, even, I believe), the Corporate Sector is unrelated to the Confederation or the members within and has existed for at least decades, if not centuries (IIRC) before the Clone Wars.

(emphasis mine)

Actually, IIRC, the Corporate Alliance is the governing body of the Corporate Sector, at least it is that time, that would make the Corporate Sector one of the founding members of the Confederacy. I know I heard that somewhere. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Illuminatus Primus]

No. As has been mentioned before (to you, even, I believe), the Corporate Sector is unrelated to the Confederation or the members within and has existed for at least decades, if not centuries (IIRC) before the Clone Wars.

(emphasis mine)

Actually, IIRC, the Corporate Alliance is the governing body of the Corporate Sector, at least it is that time, that would make the Corporate Sector one of the founding members of the Confederacy. I know I heard that somewhere. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

No. GCPL - the Galactic Corporate Policy League - was responsible for the inception and much of initial administration and direction over the Corporate Sector - it was not permitted to become a corporate controlled fiefdom until the rise of the Empire and the formation of the Corporate Sector Authority.

[The Original Nex]

Ah, my mistake. Though I will look for the source where I saw the CA=CSA....

[Spanky The Dolphin]

I found this entry on the Corporate Alliance:

Corporate Alliance
this was the name given to the alliance between the Old Republic and Corporate Sector, allowing the Corporate Sector Authority a large amount of latitude in which to conduct its business. Based on the planet Lethe, the Corporate Alliance was established for many reasons: to serve as the negotiating body for many of the galaxy's largest corporations and businesses, as well as to regulate the sales and distribution methods of these corporations. The Alliance was eventually allowed to arm its own battleships in order to protect its interests, thereby allowing the Republic to use its military forces elsewhere. The Corporate Alliance, like the Trade Federation, also developed its own droid army, in an effort to protect its ground-based assets. Shortly before the onset of the Clone Wars, the Corporate Alliance - led by Passel Argente - wiped out a computer espionage training facility on Yirt-4138-Grek-12. It was believed that the Corporate Alliance was a supporter of Count Dooku and the Separatists, a rumor which was borne out during the Battle of Geonosis. During the battle, the droid forces of the Corporate Alliance were merged with those of the Trade Federation. This combined army would have overwhelmed the 100 or so Jedi Knights who traveled to Geonosis, but they were no match for the vast army of clone troopers brought to the planet by Yoda. (COD, HNN4, AOTCN, VD2, SWDB)

So while there is some connection between the Corporate Alliance and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Corporate Sector itself, and later the Corporate Sector Authority, were unrelated to the Confederacy.

[The Original Nex]

So, the Corporate Alliance is in no way at all related to the CSA?

Oh well

EDIT

Here's part of the CUSWE entry on the Corporate Alliance (emphasis mine):

this [The Corporate Alliance] was the name given to the alliance between the Old Republic and Corporate Sector, allowing the Corporate Sector Authority a large amount of latitude in which to conduct its business. Based on the planet Lethe, the Corporate Alliance was established for many reasons: to serve as the negotiating body for many of the galaxy's largest corporations and businesses, as well as to regulate the sales and distribution methods of these corporations. The Alliance was eventually allowed to arm its own battleships in order to protect its interests, thereby allowing the Republic to use its military forces elsewhere. The Corporate Alliance, like the Trade Federation, also developed its own droid army, in an effort to protect its ground-based assets.

So there is some connection.

[Publius]

this [The Corporate Alliance] was the name given to the alliance between the Old Republic and Corporate Sector, allowing the Corporate Sector Authority a large amount of latitude in which to conduct its business. Based on the planet Lethe, the Corporate Alliance was established for many reasons: to serve as the negotiating body for many of the galaxy's largest corporations and businesses, as well as to regulate the sales and distribution methods of these corporations. The Alliance was eventually allowed to arm its own battleships in order to protect its interests, thereby allowing the Republic to use its military forces elsewhere. The Corporate Alliance, like the Trade Federation, also developed its own droid army, in an effort to protect its ground-based assets.

So there is some connection.

The CUSWE is not free of error, nor are its entries free of misrepresentation. Consider the following example:

Rationalist Party
this socio-political group, formed from the Newcomers to the planet Nam Chorios, was led by the younger incarnation of Seti Ashgad. It served as the main faction of support for Ashgad and his unknown superior, Dzym. They continually attacked Theran gun emplacements on the planet, in hopes of allowing free trade to come to Nam Chorios. They were not aware of Ashgad's connections to Dzym and the real reason for the attacks on the gun platforms. (POT)

Now contrast this claim with the following explicit statement from Planet of Twilight (which is cited as the source by Mr. Vitas):

"Minister of State Rieekan thinks it may be through someone in the Rationalist Party -- maybe even Q-Varx himself, though I think the man's honest. They have adherents both in the Republic and in nearly every piece of the Empire still big enough to field a fleet."

Senator Q-Varx represents Calamari to the New Republic, and is explicitly stated to be a member of the Rationalist Party, which has party organizations throughout the New Republic and the Imperialist warlord states. Yet nevertheless Mr. Vitas claims that it was limited entirely to Nam Chorios, in clear contradiction of the evidence. This is not due to malice, but rather due to necessarily superficial examination of the evidence.

While the CUSWE is a useful resource, one should always take its claims with a grain of salt, and whenever possible verify its claims independently by direct recourse to the primary sources. In this particular case, where is the curious definition of the Corporate Alliance actually stated? Is this an actual claim found in the Expanded Universe, or perhaps a guess by Mr. Vitas?

He defines the Corporate Alliance as being a literal alliance between the Republic and corporate interests. Is this sensical? By that definition, the Republic itself would have joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems in Attack of the Clones, because the Corporate Alliance is one of those "massive organs of commerce" that backed the CIS -- and the Republic itself is claimed to be one of the defining partners of the Alliance. As James Morley might say, the claim is plainly ridiculous on its face, and therefore fails the "Ho Ho test."

Furthermore, the Official Site's Databank makes no mention of the Corporate Sector with respect to the Corporate Alliance; instead, it defines the Alliance as a cartel, saying that it is "charged with regulating sales and distribution of countless corporations in the galaxy" and was "constantly frustrated with the cumbersome bureaucracies of the Republic, which kept the Alliance from maximizing its profits (in direct contradiction to Mr. Vitas's claim).