The Unknown Alien Encounters Orders were a set of standing orders within the Republic Navy dating from its so-called glory days which dictated responses upon encountering possible sentient life. Abbreviated as the UAE Orders, they were still in force at the time of the Clone Wars despite the fact that most officers regarded them as out-of-date bureaucratic burdens. Due to significant support within the Galactic Senate, they were difficult to revoke. They remained current into the early days of the Galactic Empire; however, by that time, word was circulating around the fleet that Palpatine was promising that the UAE Orders would be stricken from the books soon.