As the conflict continued, COMPOR lobbied the Galactic Senate to give more authority to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, believing that a more powerful executive office would lead to the Republic's decisive victory over the Separatists. By the war's end, Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the First Galactic Empire. The New Order absorbed COMPOR by reorganizing the group as a government agency, the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR), that served as the Empire's propaganda wing throughout the Imperial Era.
COMPOR used propaganda to support the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars.
The Galactic Republic's final years were marked by the Separatist Crisis that escalated into a pan-galactic war known as the Clone Wars—the first full-scale conflict in a millennium. Rallying to the Republic's defense, the Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR) was formed as a populist movement consisting of loyalists who supported the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. COMPOR was founded in response to the Republic Navy's discovery of Separatist Shadowfeeds broadcasting propaganda over the Holonet. Over time COMPOR grew in membership and influence as the civil war spread throughout the galaxy, becoming associated with high-ranking officers and politicians such as Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin and Senator Orn Free Taa, respectively, as well as Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.
During the Clone Wars, the Director of COMPOR was one of several Republic officials, such as Lieutenant Commander Orson Callan Krennic, who attended a meeting held by the Strategic Advisory Cell in the Republic Center for Military Operations—a military complex located on the galactic capital world of Coruscant—prior to the first anniversary of the First Battle of Geonosis. Together, they discussed the clandestine plan to create a mobile battle station.
Although the war ended with the Confederacy's defeat, the Republic was also brought to an end by Chancellor Palpatine, who declared himself Galactic Emperor of the First Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. As the new government rose in place of the old democratic institution, COMPOR was subsequently reformed into the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR). During the Imperial Era, COMPNOR heavily relied on propaganda to support the Empire and its Emperor, much as its predecessor had done for the Republic and its chancellor during the Clone Wars.
COMPOR believed that the Republic should unite behind Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.
The mission of COMPOR was to strengthen public morale and support the war effort by presenting and fostering a positive image of the Republic. To that end, COMPOR engaged in the creation and dissemination of propaganda throughout the Galactic Republic. The group was especially supportive of Sheev Palpatine as a wartime chancellor, and produced the propaganda piece "Do Not Bind His Hands" which asserted the position of granting all necessary powers to the leader of the Republic in order to secure total victory. COMPOR also considered emphasizing the Republic's relationship with the Jedi Order in its propaganda, but ultimately decided against this due to the Jedi's reluctance as military leaders. As such, the poster "Jedi Unite for Peace" never saw distribution.
In supporting the war effort, COMPOR not only promoted patriotism but also pride in the newly-established armed forces of the Republic. The clone troopers, elite soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic for which the Clone Wars was named after, became tools for COMPOR's propaganda, leading to pieces such as "Unite" and "Support the Boys in White."
COMPOR fostered anti-Separatist sentiment in the general population while promoting civic pride in the Republic. Its propaganda machine churned out various pieces designed to mock the Confederacy leadership and generally portrayed Separatists as evil. The poster "Evil Has Its Eyes On You" featured two prominent Separatist leaders, Count Dooku and General Grievous, as ghoulish caricatures.
COMPOR was organized as a political movement of Republic loyalists from diverse backgrounds, such as artists, communications specialists, and writers. Through its membership, COMPOR's influence extended to various levels of the Republic's infrastructure, including media, military, government, and even the Office of the Chancellor. Its recruitment efforts were also successful with younger generations, leading to the creation of SAGroup, a youth program and sub-branch of COMPOR.
The Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR) was first mentioned in the 2014 canon novel Tarkin, written by James Luceno.
The 2016 canon reference book Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, written by Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo, erroneously refers to COMPOR as the "Commission for the Preservation of the Republic."
- Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
- Dawn of Rebellion
- Rise of the Separatists
- Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy