The Bothan Diplomatic Corps was one of the few government organizations to survive the culling, and was in fact expanded. Highly centralized, the Bothan Council governed all social, political, economic and security issues of Bothan life. At the head of the Council was the First Secretary, who led the council from their headquarters in Merchant's Square in the capital of Drev'starn.īeginning with the Clone Wars and continuing after the fall of the Galactic Republic, the Council absorbed many of the Bothan political bodies, such as the Bothan Independent Treasury, seeing them as wasteful, corrupt and inefficient.
A constant flow of new clans petitioned for membership with the numbers soaring during crises like the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. At the height of the Galactic Civil War, the council comprised representatives from 608 registered clans.
Renamed the "Combined Clans" during the New Republic era, the body was still commonly referred to as the Council. The Bothan Council, a representative body of selective Bothan clans, was the primary governmental body of the Bothan people. Their whole outlook on life breeds mistrust, and without trust, there can be no genuine peace." ―Elegos A'Kla For all the strength and mental agility they claim their political techniques provide to their species, I see them as an essentially unhappy people. The last calling of ar'krai was during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion after the death of Borsk Fey'lya and the practical defeat of the New Republic. When engaged in ar'krai, all fit Bothans volunteered to defend their species from impending annihilation. In times of crisis, the focus of Bothan society shifted to a survivalist state known as " ar'krai". In fact, most Bothans are habitually paranoid, believing that anyone who's not working with them, is working against them. The volume of backstabbing, subtle character assassination and political maneuvering in Bothan society was dizzying, and resulted in many species stereotyping Bothans as untrustworthy. Thus, individual Bothans put their own political and economic success above all other concerns, and as a species, Bothans put their own advancement ahead of other intergalactic interests, though many did side with the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil war. In this "Bothan Way", the pursuit of power and influence was paramount. The typical Bothan's goal is to go through life getting more and more people to listen to what he has to say." ― Sena Leikvold Midanyl īothan culture was guided by the philosophy and principles set forth in the ancient text known as The Way, written by Golm Fervse'dra. " You have to understand that Bothans think in terms of political and persuasive influence, not military power. They played a large role in the founding of the New Republic and in the development of its government.īothese was the name of the native language spoken by Bothans, where Botha was the written form. However, many of them died to bring the Alliance this information. The Bothans were famously credited with acquiring intelligence about the location of and Emperor Palpatine's presence aboard the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor, enabling the Rebel Alliance to destroy the battlestation. Through numerous conflicts, most notably the Galactic Civil War, the Bothans remained officially neutral, although their famed Spynet always played each side and commercial interests sought profits. The Bothans were members of the Galactic Republic from at least 4000 BBY, but likely from a significantly earlier point. They were known for being master politicians and spies, craving intrigue and subterfuge.
Hailing from Bothawui and several colonies, Bothans differed in facial appearance and body structure with canine, feline, and equine features. " Many Bothans died to bring us this information." ―Mon Mothma, before the Battle of Endor īothans (pronounced / 'bɑθən/) were furry mammalian anthropoids, about 1.5 meters tall.