Palpatine's AOTC Republic Duration Statement

[McC]

I will not let this Republic, which has stood for a thousand years, be split in two. My negotiations will not fail.

For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.

I didn't see this brought up in a search of the archive board, and it's bugged me ever since I heard it. What's the deal? We know the Republic to have existed for some 20,000+ years, so where does Palpatine get off saying 1,000? Did the Republic fracture and reform 1,000 years ago? What's up?

[Gorefiend]

Seems so, but the jedi have been around a lot longer then the republic in fact. Though they might just have given him the wrong line. ^^

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Exactly. That's pretty much when their last big-ass war with the Sith occured.

[Gorefiend]

hmm was that in the jedi vs sith comic? the one with darth bane?

PS: who is the new girl in your ava? seems familar...

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Asuka Langley Sohryu: Second Children and designated pilot of EVA-02.

[Jay]

Isn't "has stood for a thousand year" just a throw away comment, just like "Bill Shatner must weigh a million tonnes" or "Christopher Lee must be a hundred years old by now." Real people say stuff like that all the time. Its not meant to be accurate.

[darthnidankendo]

isn't a "generation" a span of time of about 10-20 years?

[Spanky The Dolphin]

It's typically regarded as being 25 years when used as a base unit of time.

[darthnidankendo]

It's typically regarded as being 25 years when used as a base unit of time.

Then would'n what Palpatine said be more or less correct? "for a thousand 'genetations'". Basically about 20,000 + years.

[Illuminatus Primus]

The official fix for this is the socio-political restructuring named after and occuring after the last climactic battle of the last major Sith war, the Battle of Ruusan. The Ruusan Reformation changed major factors about the Galactic Republic, including apparently changing representation to sectorial-based, as opposed to member-world-based.

It really better to just think of Palpatine's "1000 years" as figurative - the ancient Chinese used the number 10,000 as equivalent to infinity - or to consider that Palpatine, a major galactic politician and aristocrat, views political events in terms of how long the current regime or constitution has stood, whereas the Jedi view things in terms of how long they have guarded the institution or civilization itself, as opposed to the apparatus governing it.

Alternatively, one can notice he says that "this Republic which has stood for one thousand years..." perhaps meaning that the last major war caused a toppling or fracturing of the Republic. Basically, one could view his statement that the Republic has been free of civil strife for one thousand years, and he is not prepared to allow it to relapse on his watch.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

It's typically regarded as being 25 years when used as a base unit of time.

Then would'n what Palpatine said be more or less correct? "for a thousand 'genetations'". Basically about 20,000 + years.

First, 25,000 years. Secondly, Palpatine said years, while Obi-Wan said generations.

[McC]

The official fix for this is the socio-political restructuring named after and occuring after the last climactic battle of the last major Sith war, the Battle of Ruusan. The Ruusan Reformation changed major factors about the Galactic Republic, including apparently changing representation to sectorial-based, as opposed to member-world-based.

It really better to just think of Palpatine's "1000 years" as figurative - the ancient Chinese used the number 10,000 as equivalent to infinity - or to consider that Palpatine, a major galactic politician and aristocrat, views political events in terms of how long the current regime or constitution has stood, whereas the Jedi view things in terms of how long they have guarded the institution or civilization itself, as opposed to the apparatus governing it.

Alternatively, one can notice he says that "this Republic which has stood for one thousand years..." perhaps meaning that the last major war caused a toppling or fracturing of the Republic. Basically, one could view his statement that the Republic has been free of civil strife for one thousand years, and he is not prepared to allow it to relapse on his watch.

Okay, my mind is put at ease. Thanks all.

[darthnidankendo]

It's typically regarded as being 25 years when used as a base unit of time.

Then would'n what Palpatine said be more or less correct? "for a thousand 'genetations'". Basically about 20,000 + years.

First, 25,000 years. Secondly, Palpatine said years, while Obi-Wan said generations.

thanks for the heads up, i guess i'll have to go and watch the movie another 11,000 times.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

That better not have been intended as a snide comment towards me.

[VT-16]

The clue is "this Republic", implying others. The Republic has existed in several incarnations, the last established after the last galactic war, 1000 years before TPM.

[Vympel]

Oh and btw, that the Jedi Order has existed for 25,000 years is indisputable canon: ROTS novelization.

[darthnidankendo]

That better not have been intended as a snide comment towards me.

Yes it was intended in that manner. Jack ass!

[Lord Sander]

Indeed it's probable there were 2 successive republics, rather like the French 4th and 5th republics. The 1st galactic republic would have ended around the time of the ruusan reformation, and the 2nd galactic republic then coming into being (if there hadn't been any more of these reformations before that).