During the Republic era, the galaxy was filled with megacorporations which exercised great influence over the populace and the Senate. Much of the legitimate movement of goods was supervised by the Trade Federation, while money and engineering were controlled by the Intergalactic Banking Clan and the Techno Union respectively. Unhappy with the laws enacted by the Republic, they joined the Separatists during Clone War. After the war, the Galactic Empire refrained from nationalizing them but installed puppet leadership to ensure their compliance.
The only megacorporation to survive the Imperial purge was the Corporate Alliance, a collection of companies that had joined for mutual benefit. During both the Republic era the Alliance found itself with increasing profits and sway over the political arena. BlasTech and Sienar Flight Systems held a near-monopoly over weapons and starfighter technology which is believed why the Corporate Alliance was almost completely untouched during the Imperial era, being granted control of several systems. After the fall of the Empire, the Alliance would absorb the Trade Federation, Techno Union, and Banking Clan; forming the Corporate Sector Authority in the worlds within the Etti Sector.
Entertainment of in Known Space is largely the product of the Holonet, a three-dimensional holographic communication system. One of the most dominant channels is the Mojoverse, the gladiatorial soap opera created by genius executive Mojo the Spineless One. Trillions everyday tune into live feeds dealing with the complicated lives of the fighters battling in the arenas. Though most of the stars of the Mojoverse are paid actors, there have been some accusations that many of the secondary participants are unaware this is a broadcast or have been coerced into being a part of the show. Mojo denies any wrongdoing and is infamous for his aggressive litigation against slander.
Owned by the millennia elder of the universe The Collector, the Tivan Corpration is Known Space's largest trading network. Utilizing private contractors and mercenaries, the corporation's selling point is the ability to move whatever you want to wherever you want, no questions asked. Those in his employ also serve as an intelligence-gathering network, seeking out strange objects of interest for The Collector to procure and store in his museum-world of Cygnus XI.
However, of all the known species, the one most aligned to the realities of unfettered capitalism is the Ferengi. Known for their large and sensitive ear-lobes, the entire Ferengi culture revolves around the concepts of enterprise and wealth. The Ferengi Alliance doesn't have a stellar reputation amongst the other nations, as they do not feel constrained by concepts such as ethics and laws. The only corporation which has found a foothold galaxy-wide is the Kokakola Corporation, which primarily makes a variety of refreshments. In order to keep prices down, the company is known to build is factories in back-water worlds such as Earth.
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