Origin

With the death of Emperor Palpatine in 4 ABY and the formal surrender of the Empire in 5 ABY, the New Republic was left with the unenviable task of restoring order to the galaxy.

A major cause of concern were the Western Reaches, bordering the Unknown Regions. These border zones had long been ignored by the Old Republic, and rumour had it that many Imperial remnants had fled here from New Republic prosecution.

This led to the Citadel program: a massive effort to reclaim these lost regions by fortifying every major system westwards with a New Republic space station. These stations would not just serve a military purpose; they'd be tasked with carrying the New Republic ideals outside of its borders.

The program was ambitious, and some argued that this was its ultimate failure. Instead of gradually consolidating systems, the New Republic expanded rapidly, deploying numerous stations along major and minor hyperspace routes.

This proved unsustainable in the long run, with many Citadel stations not receiving proper logistical support. The increase in attacks from Imperial remnants and local pirates did not help, either.

The New Policy

With stations failing left and right, the New Republic adopted a new policy in 12 ABY. Instead of relying on official New Republic personnel, the stations would be open to the private sector; freelancers, adventurers, and privateers, eager to explore the new frontiers that the Citadel stations provided access to.