At the end of the Capitol War, it became clear that old battle lines inherited from Earth needed to be dissolved if humanity were to achieve unity. To that end, the UW organized a meeting of minds to determine the best course of reforms to ensure a stable future. This meeting, later known as the First Redding Conference, deliberated for more than a year before presenting their proposal.
As expected, there was no single issue whose resolution would stabilize the UW. The Conference’s proposal – the Imperial Democracy Thesis – outlined comprehensive overhauls of language, political structure, economics, and more, derived from collated historical precedent and radical new ideas alike.
Despite political dissent and renewed threats of violence, public opinion largely favored the essence of the Thesis. Even the term “Empire”, which had long been burdened by negative connotations, found support in the sense of stability and strength it instilled.
Over the next four years, the UW underwent the most vast, complex, and often painful reorganization in human history. When the dust had settled, the last traces of the UW had all but vanished, and in their place stood the United Orion Empire.
Voyager Dawn 