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Has any reason been given as to why specifically fifteen stars appear on the insignia of the New Republic in the Original Expanded Universe of Star Wars (pre-Disney)?

Image of Insignia

The insignia/seal/symbol of the New Republic is described on Wookieepedia here. The creator of this image lists the Heir to the Empire Sourcebook (pub 1992) as their source material. The seal has been reproduced elsewhere with varying color palettes.

Image of Flag with Insignia

The symbol also appears on the flag of the New Republic. The creator of that image lists The New Essential Chronology (pub 2005) as source material. The colors differ partially, but the shape and number of stars match.

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    Not sure if this is enlightening or helpful... I have been poking around trying to find any significance for the number fifteen with no real luck, but I was thinking about the segmentums of the Warhammer 40k universe... Is it possible the stars are referencing sectors in the galaxy? I found a map of 19 sectors, but it is labeled for the clone wars. I was thinking it may be possible that in the current universe the number of sectors was adjusted for some reason from what it was in history; some of the sectors withdrawing from the union or something... great question though!
    – Odin1806
    Commented Mar 24, 2018 at 17:39

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The stars symbolized the one community of the galaxy. It is mentioned in the article on Heir to the Empire Sourcebook (pg. 11):

The Provisonal Council of the New Republic government has adopted a seal which incorporates the symbol of the Alliance with a pattern signifying the member worlds of the galactic community.

[...]

The blue crest has been placed upon a circle of stars, signifying the galactic community. The New Republic is more than the government and the military, it is the people. The field of stars represents those people - whether they be Human, Wookiee, or some other galactic species.

The specific number of the stars is not explained in the article. However, the Declaration of a New Republic was signed by eight leaders of the Alliance of Free Planets, who later formed the New Republic Provisional Council. Only the total of nine councilors and their worlds are introduced, but with an additional mention:

Other members of the Council have included unknown representatives of the Ithorian and Sedrian species.

Since, according to Wookieepedia, the Declaration of a New Republic is quite similar to the United States Constitution, and the Declaration of Rebellion is like the United States Declaration of Independence, assumably the creators of the media followed the same line here, too. The number of fifteen stars most likely represented the original founding worlds, just like the stripes on the US flag represent the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the United Kingdom.

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    Thanks for the additional information and resources, particularly the list of nine named councilors. In 35 years of pre-Disney canon, I'm intrigued if we never got complete reason for 15 stars.
    – 5260452
    Commented Mar 26, 2018 at 0:02

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