Trade Federation - Definition and Overview

The Trade Federation is a fictional organization that exists in the Star Wars universe at the time of the Galactic Republic. It was founded in 350 BBY.

The Trade Federation invasion force marches on Theed

The Trade Federation maintained a sizable monopoly on interstellar trade and held considerable sway in the Galactic Republic. 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 Chancellor were able to maintain maps of similar quality.

After the Clone Wars, what little remained of the Trade Federation's assets were seized by Emperor Palpatine to help build the Galactic Empire. Trade was nationalized by the time of the Battle of Yavin.