Senator Ordan, I would be curious to preview the scientific journals and articles that support such a humanocentric viewpoint that sentient aliens and even human females are seen as inferior to human males. Please show evidence to this august body that supports such an extreme position.

People of the Senate, allow me to lay before you the medical facts.

With regards to near humans:

The remark* of F. Manetta, made after a long study of many near-human species, may be taken as generally true of the gamut: "the near-human children were sharp, intelligent and full of vivacity, but on approaching the adult period a gradual change set in. The intellect seemed to become clouded, animation giving place to a sort of lethargy, briskness yielding to indolence. We must necessarily suppose that the development of the near-human and human proceeds on different lines. While with the latter the volume of the brain grows with the expansion of the brainpan, in the former the growth of the brain is on the contrary arrested by the premature closing of the cranial sutures and lateral pressure of the frontal bone."

This explanation is reasonable and even probable as a contributing cause; but evidence is lacking on the subject and the arrest or even deterioration in mental development is no doubt very largely due to the fact that after puberty sexual matters take the first place in the near-human's life and thoughts.
But though the mental inferiority of the near-human to the human is a fact, it has often been exaggerated; the near-human is largely the creature of his environment, and it is not fair to judge of his mental capacity by tests taken directly from the environment of the human man, as for instance tests in mental arithmetic; skill in reckoning is necessary to the human race, and it has cultivated this faculty; but it is not necessary to the near-human.

On the other hand near-humanes far surpass human men in acuteness of vision, hearing, sense of direction and topography. A native who has once visited a particular locality will rarely fail to recognize it again.

For the rest, the mental constitution of the near-human is very similar to that of a child, normally good-natured and cheerful, but subject to sudden fits of emotion and passion during which he is capable of performing acts of singular atrocity, impressionable, vain, but often exhibiting in the capacity of servant a dog-like fidelity which has stood the supreme test.

Given suitable training, the near-human is capable of becoming a craftsman of considerable skill, particularly in metal work, carpentry and carving.

With regard to aliens

They are such a diverse group that it is very hard to classify them simply, an attempt to do so would be "a species or a being of a species other than a Human or near-Human." this group can be divided into to two main categories, these being Semi-Sentient Aliens and Sentient Aliens.

Sentient Aliens are species such as the following: Muun, Hutt, Kaleesh, Clawdites, Trandoshans etc. These species essentially are able to function similarly to humans, and will perform similarly in some tests of intelligence, however, they are all woefully inadequate compared to humans in certain respects. For example a Muun could perform an accounting problem as quickly as a human, bur lacks almost all emotional intelligence. Almost all species in this class can be taught to communicate in basic.

Often (but not always) this group is similarly shaped to humans, this is an indication of the optimal shape that humans have, and it should be taken as a sign of our superiority that many diverse species have evolved to become mere shades of humanity. It should be noted that the physical resemblance to humans is not genetic, and so attempts as misegenation have been shown to result in either horrifically mutated offspring, sterile offspring or no offspring at all. This leads us to the logical conclusion that humans should not breed with aliens, for the health of the species.

Sentient Aliens were often vocal supporters of the Separatists in the Clone Wars, but were unable to operate without a human leader (Dooku), this demonstrates another principle, that Sentient Aliens are able to cooperate, only when lead by humans. Sentient Aliens are not without their uses however, often they excel particular task and so can be useful to supplement human workforces if correctly supervised by a human, they can be effective workers.

Semi Sentient Aliens are the next group.

Semi Sentient Aliens are species such as Twi'lek, Wookiee, Mon Calamari, Oswaft etc. These species are essentially species which lack in intellect, wisdom and will rarely (if ever) even be able to outwit a human (in the bottom 5% of the population) in a test of intelligence. Many of the species in this class have never advanced beyond a very primative level of civilization, many still living in trees or nomadic communities in the fashion of their forebears. A few of the species can be taught to speak basic, however, they rarely progress beyond the level of expressing simple feelings and wishes. Such as a Mon Calamari might be trained to say "Hungry" when hungry and "Tired" when tired, but has little idea of language beyond this.

Often these species are innately lazy, with species such as Wookiee spending much of their lives sleeping in trees in their natural environment. This is likely due to the abundance of food and fertile land on their world acting ironically to stunt their development, for why develop the more sophisticated trappings of civilisation if you do not need anything more complicated than the spear.

Creatures of this class can be put to work in physical tasks (such as construction, factory work) if supervised by humans, and in some cases these species show a remarkable aptitude for carving and other handicrafts.

There is a considerable variety within this subset, some ranging from being on the verge of sentience, through to some which can never be educated beyond the level of morons.

And the third group.

Female Humans

If I may quote the great naboo philosopher "Ari'Sto'Tle"s words relating to the female gender “Women are defective by nature”. Now I may hear some of you out there protest at this, but I would have you hear me out. "The reason why the man dominates in society is his superior intelligence. Only the man is a full human being. “The relationship between the male and the female is by nature such that the male is higher, the female lower, that the male rules and the female is ruled.”.

Also, the great Eriadu thinker, Scho'Pen Haur said "Hence, it will be found that the fundamental fault of the female character is that is has no sense of justice. This is mainly due to the fact, already mentioned, that women are defective in the powers of reasoning and deliberation; but it is also traceable to the position which Nature has assigned to them as the weaker sex. They are dependent, not upon strength, but upon craft; and hence their instinctive capacity for cunning, and their ineradicable tendency to say what is not true. For as lions are provided with claws and teeth, and elephants and boards with tusks, bulls with horns, and cuttle fish with its clouds of inky fluid, so Nature has equipped woman, for her defense and protection, with the arts of dissimulation. "

Moving on from philiosophy, there is science. It is a indisputable fact that women have vastly higher and dramatically altering hormone levels than men, which cause swings in mood and erratic behaviour which one would not see in a healthy male. This highlights a major problem with women having the same voting power as men, essentially that they are less rational and more prone to emotion than one of the male gender.

Women are also notoriously unable to gain the same wages as men in society. This is again due to their natural subservient position, below the man in society, as a good wife in her marriage bed.

While rational much of the time, there is a scientific consensus that most women are fully rational in the same way as men only 75% of the time, as such it seems perfectly reasonable to consider them as what they are. Inferior to men in their passivity, emotional rather than intellectual personalities and irrationality due to hormonal factors, but certainly superior to any alien.

I'd be happy to answer any questions from the floor.

Humans founded the Republic, Humans founded the Empire, the major dramatis personae in history are human, many of history's greatest generals were human. The most developed worlds in the Empire, the Core Worlds were founded by humans. Humans are the superior species, we are the masters. Humans are the species which has defined this galaxy, aliens are simply window dressing.

Either way, alien species make up a large portion of the Senate, which means it is a complete mockery to them that you have introduced this bill. You might find, Senator, that without aliens, your life might not be as comfortable.

Mr. Cratwright's view on nonhumans seems to be... limited. If anything, I question whether or not he has spent much time outside his laboratory and actually around the subjects he professes to know so much about or whether he is simply judging based off of autopsies and papers written by others. So far, Mr. Cratwright, you have shown me little that impresses me, but I remain hopeful that you will.

As it stands, Senator Ordan, Sluis Van will vote heavily against this measure.

Aliens do of course have their place, as the servant of the human, and Humans have the role to care for these aliens as a shepherd cares for his sheep in a patriarchal, guiding manner. I don't beat the slaves indented to my own household, and they are aliens, indeed I am quite sure that they recieve better treatment from myself than I dare say they would elsewhere, or in a prison cell.

They of course have the right to be a part of the Empire, but the majority of the Empire, of the Galaxy is Human, and so they are naturally expected to be subordinate to the majority, this is simply democracy.

What you are speaking of makes us seem as if we are an ethnocracy, which I find morally repulsive.

You would extend all rights to these aliens, most if not all of whom are vastly inferior to humans. What of Kowakian monkey-lizards? Are they sentient? Are Apes sentient? What of Dantari? Ewoks? Nerfs?

You draw an arbitrary line, saying "sentience stops here". My bill proposes to recognise that there are degrees of sentience, and recognise the extent to which different species are able to understand what they are voting for or against, and recognise their diverse differences through a sliding scale of voting rights.. consider the facts Senator Ryuun. I infact am proposing a progressive scale tailored to the competence of each species.

Modify your bill and give aliens who pass a sentience test or who have already shown themselves to be competent the right to a full vote and you'll have my support. Until then, I cannot see this bill as more than specism.

With respect to non-humans, the recognition of their sentience and their permission to a half-vote should suffice, given that as Senator Ordan has pointed out, Humans are the alpha of today's species. There are differing degrees of sentience, I agree, and perhaps at a later date they can be re-defined, but that is not the purpose of this bill. This bill ensures that importance of voting be related to sentience in its currently categorised state, not ideal amendments some would like to force upon us.

Sticking to the existing facts, the sentients in question have little to do with the running of the Empire, which is where I assume the majority of votes will reside, and as Senator Ordan pointed out, this act will not affect members of the Senate due to us being elected representatives of our entire people.
That being said, defining male from female is something of an archaic look on things. I won't be blind or feminist about the issue, I know male superiority is abundant, but I'd like to suggest a tiny amendment.
That females bound to a male partner through legally recognised marriage be entitled to a vote equivalent of their male partner, as defined by sentience and race. Same-sex couples, while recognised by many a state and world, be subject to their original entitlements, marriage notwithstanding.