History Main / GalacticSuperpower

** The Covenant, a religious empire stretching across the Orion Arm founded by the San'Shyuum (Prophets) and Sangheili (Elites) and based around worship of the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]], themselves an ancient version of this trope who effectively controlled the entire Milky Way (controlling some 3 million habitable planets). The Covenant are on a remarkably tiny scale compared to the objects of their worship, "only" controlling a few thousand systems, which still makes them a juggernaut and by far the single most powerful faction in the galaxy during the games' timeline. They were never ''unchallenged'', with [[EnemyCivilWar civil war]] being rampant, other races existing outside of their direct rule (sometimes as clients), factions of the Covenant races creating their own independent empires that would then wage war on the "main" Covenant (like Atriox's Banished), and of course, the UNSC (with about 800 mostly empty planets and 39 billion people) fighting them for thirty years, but their position as the strongest galactic superpower was never really in question while they existed. After the Covenant splinters into a multitude of warring factions post-''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', this trope becomes averted as the galaxy is beset by a huge variety of warring great powers and minor powers. The UNSC becomes one, alongside the stronger Sangheili- and Jiralhanae (Brutes)-led groups like the Swords of Sanghelios or Jul 'Mdama's self-declared Covenant successor state.

* Subverted in ''Franchise/MassEffect''. Most of the ''known'' Milky Way is controlled by the [[FictionalUnitedNations Citadel Council]] (basically encompassing the "first world" equivalent of the MEU), but because of the limitations of mass effect drive and laws against opening mass relays willy-nilly barely 1% of the galaxy is actually explored. 50,000 years ago the Prothean Empire dominated, and in previous cycles other empires ruled. The Citadel Council is implied to be an unusual method. Still, they're on the scale you'd expect such a superpower to be on- it's repeatedly stated throughout the games that Citadel Space encompasses trillions of people and thousands of garden worlds, with many barely-populated industrial/resource extraction worlds for every garden world. The asari, turians, and salarians are the strongest races in roughly that order, with humanity being a distant fourth about on par with minor members like the elcor in terms of economy and demography. Also, while Citadel Space controls most of the known galaxy, there exist many independent worlds and species' outside of their sphere of influence- most of them in the Terminus systems, which is to Citadel Space as the third world is to the first world.

** The kett empire is the only known Andromeda superpower in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda''. They control at least a thousand species, per the Archon, and countless client races besides, but are a bit InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien compared to Citadel Space, which has a technological advantage on them in every area except one (biotech). It's difficult to say if they're the ''only'' superpower since the kett are still mysterious to the Andromeda Iniative and the native angara (and are so full of themselves [[UnreliableNarrator it may not be the best idea to take them at their word]], especially since they're ScaryDogmaticAliens of the uber-religious type that quite literally think they're the UltimateLifeform as a race), but what little information we get indicates that they do rule a large empire regardless. Interestingly, lacking both the Mass Relays and various "easy" FTL methods of other fictional sci-fi races (their FTL drives are "merely" several thousand times faster than light- for comparison the Milky Way is 100,000 light years side to side), conquests far from their home cluster relies on long, autonomous military expeditions (which, going by the Archon's forces, include a bare minimum of sixteen [[MileLongShip kett cruisers]], a flagship, and [[TheBattlestar appropriate numbers of fighters]] and ground forces) that only periodically report back to the Senate running the empire every X number of years- much like the colonial empires in the Age of Exploration. The creators of the Remnant may also qualify if only by judging by the sheer scale of their engineering (terraforming an entire star cluster and [[spoiler: creating the angaran race]]), but they're even more mysterious than the kett and that's not even getting into whoever created the [[spoiler: Scourge]]...

*** ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'': The Galactic Empire is based on Trantor, and has essentially conquered or absorbed all rivals. It stands strong.
** ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'': [[Creator/IsaacAsimov Dr Asimov's]] franchise begins in a Milky Way where every known habitable planet is colonized. These planets are all ruled by Trantor, the inhabited planet closest to the galactic core. [[VestigialEmpire As the government's ability to function declines]], a new colony is built on Terminus, a planet at the outer edge of the galaxy. Hari Seldon [[ThePlan plans]] for this world to become the nucleus of a Second Galactic Empire, [[RisingEmpire rising to conquer the entire galaxy]] within 1,000 years. The series only covers [[DashedPlotLine a few centuries]] before a GalacticConqueror with [[OutsideContextProblem unforeseen abilities]] disrupts Seldon's Plan, but the chronologically last novels have the Plan back on track, with a Foundation Federation centred on Terminus as the most preeminent galactic power by far (by this time even the last vestiges of the old Galactic Empire had collapsed).

** The Covenant, a religious empire stretching across the Orion Arm founded by the San'Shyuum (Prophets) and Sangheili (Elites) and based around worship of the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]], themselves an ancient version of this trope who effectively controlled the entire Milky Way (controlling some 3 million habitable planets). After the Covenant splinters into a multitude of warring factions post-''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', the UNSC, which already ruled over about 800 human worlds ''before'' FirstContact, becomes one of the dominant powers in the Orion Arm, alongside the stronger Sangheili- and Jiralhanae (Brutes)-led groups.
** In the prehistoric era, the Forerunner Ecumene's main rivals for the title of Galactic Superpower are revealed to have been AdvancedAncientHumans, which themselves were allied with the Advanced Ancient San'Shyuum.

* Subverted in ''Franchise/MassEffect''. Most of the ''known'' Milky Way is controlled by the [[FictionalUnitedNations Citadel Council]], but because of the limitations of mass effect drive and laws against opening mass relays willy-nilly barely 1% of the galaxy is actually explored. 50,000 years ago the Prothean Empire dominated, and in previous cycles other empires ruled. The Citadel Council is implied to be an unusual method. Still, they're on the scale you'd expect such a superpower to be on- it's repeatedly stated throughout the games that Citadel Space encompasses trillions of people and thousands of garden worlds, with many barely-populated industrial/resource extraction worlds for every garden world.

** The kett empire is the only known Andromeda superpower in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda''. They control at least a thousand species, per the Archon, and countless client races besides, but are a bit InsufficientlyAdvancedAliens compared to Citadel Space, which has a technological advantage on them in every area except one (biotech). It's difficult to say if they're the ''only'' superpower since the kett are still mysterious to the Andromeda Iniative and the native angara (and are so full of themselves [[UnreliableNarrator it may not be the best idea to take them at their word]], especially since they're ScaryDogmaticAliens of the uber-religious type that quite literally think they're the UltimateLifeform as a race), but what little information we get indicates that they do rule a large empire regardless. Interestingly, lacking both the Mass Relays and various "easy" FTL methods of other fictional sci-fi races (their FTL drives are "merely" several thousand times faster than light- for comparison the Milky Way is 100,000 light years side to side), conquests far from their home cluster relies on long, autonomous military expeditions (which, going by the Archon's forces, include a bare minimum of sixteen [[MileLongShip kett cruisers]], a flagship, and [[TheBattlestar appropriate numbers of fighters]] and ground forces) that only periodically report back to the Senate running the empire every X number of years- much like the colonial empires in the Age of Exploration. The creators of the Remnant may also qualify if only by judging by the sheer scale of their engineering (terraforming an entire star cluster and [[spoiler: creating the angaran race]]), but they're even more mysterious than the kett and that's not even getting into whoever created the [[spoiler: Scourge]]...

* Subverted in ''Franchise/MassEffect''. Most of the ''known'' Milky Way is controlled by the [[FictionalUnitedNations Citadel Council]], but because of the limitations of mass effect drive and laws against opening mass relays willy-nilly barely 1% of the galaxy is actually explored. 50,000 years ago the Prothean Empire dominated, and in previous cycles other empires ruled. The Citadel Council is implied to be an unusual method.

** The kett empire is the only known Andromeda superpower in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', though it's difficult to say if they really count since the kett are still mysterious to the Andromeda Iniative and the native angara (and are so full of themselves [[UnreliableNarrator it may not be the best idea to take them at their word]], especially since they're ScaryDogmaticAliens of the uber-religious type that quite literally think they're the UltimateLifeform as a race.) The creators of the Remnant may also qualify if only by judging by the sheer scale of their engineering (terraforming an entire star cluster and [[spoiler: creating the angaran race]]), but they're even more mysterious than the kett and that's not even getting into whoever created the [[spoiler: Scourge]]...

* In Robert G Nuttall's ''Literature/WhenTheEmpireFalls'', the empire only covers about a third of the galaxy, but it's also the only power in the galaxy. Fully true in the past, when the Imperials had a full galaxy-spanning empire.

* In Robert G Nuttall's WhenTheEmpireFalls, the empire only covers about a third of the galaxy, but it's also the only power in the galaxy. Fully true in the past, when the Imperials had a full galaxy-spanning empire.

* The writer doesn't want to go to the extra work of creating and developing lots and lots of tiny nations and creates a dominant Galactic Superpower to save time. [[TropesAreTools And to be honest]] detailing more than one nation is not really necessary unless the story involves politics.

* In ''FanFic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]'']] [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]] and its sequel ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', the Trans-Galactic Republic spans ''ten'' galaxies, all outgrowths from the [[StarWars original]]. The trope definition implies any galaxy with a single major government counts, so the Citadel Council's (former) space also qualifies. Averted with Pandora's surrounding galaxy--there's not really a government to speak of.

** ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'': [[Creator/IsaacAsimov Dr Asimov's]] franchise begins in a Milky Way where every known habitable planet is colonized. These planets are all ruled by Trantor, the inhabited planet closest to the galactic core. [[VestigialEmpire As the government's ability to function declines]], a new colony is built on Terminus, a planet at the outer edge of the galaxy. Hari Seldon [[ThePlan plans]] for this world to become the nucleus of a Second Galactic Empire, [[RisingEmpire rising to conquer the entire galaxy]] within 1,000 years. The series only covers [[DashedPlotLine a few centuries]] before a GalacticConqueror with [[OutsideContextProblem unforeseen abilities]] disrupts Seldon's Plan.

* In ''Fanfic/EarthsAlienHistory'', the [[TheAlliance Terran Treaty Organization]] becomes the hegemon of the Alpha Quadrant after the Mekon War, due to the Citadel Council's members being severely weakened by the war, with the only other potential rivals being the Klingons and Romulans. And [=TeTO's=] power only grows over time, with the Council continuing to decline, the Klingons becoming friendly rivals, and the Romulans having to create their own bloc (the Pact of the Raptor) just to keep up.

** ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'':
: [[Creator/IsaacAsimov Dr Asimov's]] franchise begins in a Milky Way where every known habitable planet is colonized. These planets are all ruled by Trantor, the inhabited planet closest to the galactic core. [[VestigialEmpire As the government's ability to function declines]], a new colony is built on Terminus, a planet at the outer edge of the galaxy. Hari Seldon [[ThePlan plans]] for this world to become the nucleus of a Second Galactic Empire, [[RisingEmpire rising to conquer the entire galaxy]] within 1,000 years. The series only covers [[DashedPlotLine a few centuries]] before a GalacticConqueror with [[OutsideContextProblem unforeseen abilities]] disrupts Seldon's Plan.

* In the ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'' series there's the Galactic Empire, which is in the process of falling at the beginning of the first Foundation story, and later the Foundation itself, which is designed by Hari Seldon to be the new Galactic Empire after "only" 1,000 years (instead of the 30,000 years he anticipates chaos will reign without the Foundation in place).
** Two of the ''Empire'' books features the Empire in earlier incarnations -- ''The Currents of Space'' has it during the [[RisingEmpire ascendant]] 'Trantorian Empire' period, at a point when Trantor has unified roughly half the galaxy (and so is the most powerful state by far, but still not so powerful that a degree of rivalry with it is impossible), while ''Pebble in the Sky'' takes place at the height of the Galactic Empire, centuries before the ''Foundation''-seen decay.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' is unique in that it initially took place in the "fringe" rather than anywhere near the superpower. The Solarian League is so vast that most maps don't show the entire thing, but their sheer numbers have meant that no one dared to fight them for centuries. As such, the "barbarians" like Manticore tore their fleets to pieces when the League was manipulated into trying to extend their reach that far.

** The franchise first had the Old Republic after the defeat of the Sith Empire, then the Galactic Empire after defeating the Confederacy of Independent Systems (AKA, the Separatists), then the New Republic when the Empire is reformed by the Rebel Alliance.
*** If you the ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' route, the New Republic is followed up by the Galactic Alliance while the Imperial Remnant becomes the Fel Empire, co-existing for a century before the Sith took over the Empire again and conquered most of the Alliance, then the Alliance military teams up with the Fel loyalists to defeat the Sith, at which point they seem to set up the Alliance again, now apparently governed by a triumvirate consisting of the Alliance leader, the Jedi Order Grand Master, and the Empire's new Empress (Fel's daughter).

* In ''Fanfic/EarthsAlienHistory'', the [[TheAlliance Terran Treaty Organization]] becomes the hegemon of its region of the galaxy after the Mekon War, due to the Citadel Council's members being severely weakened by the war, with the only other potential rivals being the Klingons and Romulans. And [=TeTO's=] power only grows over time, with the Council continuing to decline, the Klingons becoming friendly rivals, and the Romulans having to create their own bloc (the Pact of the Raptor) just to keep up.

* The Pangalactic Federation in the ''Franchise/StarOcean'' series.

** Maps in various licensed supplements (e.g. ''Star Trek Star Charts'') indicate that the Federation covers an enormous amount of territory compared to the other major powers in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants (though not the entire galaxy by a long shot). This includes almost completely encircling the Romulan Star Empire. Of course, this also means that Starfleet has to ''protect'' a much larger territory, explaining why the ''Enterprise'' is [[TheOnlyOne always the only ship available]].

* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/TheStarsAreColdToys'' duology, despite interstellar travel, humanity is still confined to one world. All of known space is controlled by the Galactic Conclave, divided into nine Strong races and dozens (if not hundreds) of Weak ones (guess which ones we are). The Strong races run the Conclave and "oversee" the Weak races. In reality, they pigeonhole each Weak race into CripplingOverspecialization, limiting their development in order to maintain dominance. Disobedience is severely punished, sometimes by [[EarthShatteringKaboom extinction]]. Later on, though, it's revealed that the Conclave only controls a small part of the galaxy. There are other powers in the galaxy, but none can truly be called a superpower. For as far as Earth is concerned, the Conclave definitely fits.

** The nature of the Tyrannids, a massive hive organism possibly on a similar scale to the galaxy itself, suggests that they must also have been galactic superpowers in many other galaxies before arriving in the Milky Way.

* The Terran Confederacy in ''Franchise/StarCraft'' was thought to be the largest and dominant power in the Koprulu sector until contact with the Protoss. After its fall the succeeding Terran Dominion temporarily united ''all'' Terran colonies, though the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate later broke free again. The scale of the United Earth Directorate is not known.

** The franchise first had the Old Republic after the defeat of the Sith Empire, then the Galactic Empire, then the New Republic, then the Galactic Alliance coexisted with the Fel Empire for a century before the Sith took over the Empire again and conquered most of the Alliance, then the Alliance military teams up with the Fel loyalists to defeat the Sith, at which point they seem to set up the Alliance again, now apparently governed by a triumvirate consisting of the Alliance leader, the Jedi Order Grand Master, and the Empire's new Empress (Fel's daughter).
** Predating the Old Republic was the Rakatan Infinite Empire, a race of AbusivePrecursors that enslaved most of the galaxy, then were done in when the Force rejected them. The Hutts were apparently the first major power to develop after the Rakata fell.