Humanocentrism

"You refer to us as 'alien' and 'nonhuman'. Why are we defined by you and in comparison to you?"

— Nalani Connell

Humanocentrism is the tendency to view the galaxy from the perspective of the human majority.

Overview

Humanocentrism is a pervasive, and in many cases subconscious, indicator of the Imperial attitude toward non-human species. Human High Culture--the Galactic Empire's codified policy of humanocentric speciesism--is centered around the belief that humans are inherently superior to other species in the galaxy. Many of its actions are justified through human superiority; Imperials believe that it's their duty to preserve order to prevent the exploitation of lesser species.

The chief tenet of Human High Culture is that humans are the only truly intelligent and productive members of any society. They cite that it was almost exclusively humans who had formed and led the Galactic Republic and the human worlds of the Core were some of the oldest, richest, and most advanced in the galaxy. Humans founded the Galactic Empire, and many of the galaxy's most famous military leaders and heroes are humans. The galactic capital of Coruscant is widely believed to have been the homeworld of the human species.

Although humanocentrism was once technically outlawed by the Rights of Sentience clause of the Galactic Republic's Constitution, it still very much existed throughout the life of the Old Republic. Planets such as Taris reserved the best sections of the world for humans, while forcing non-humans into ghettos.

In keeping with their policy of Human High Culture, the Empire established three Classes of Citizenship. Citizens are assigned to a class based on their species, and each class holds different status, privileges, and rights within Imperial law. Citizens of a lower class are offered limited opportunities for service within the armed forces of the Galactic Empire.