The galactic economy turns on the wealth and products of billions of worlds. Throughout the history of known space, money has gone by many names, but the basic unit always came back to the "credit." As the Republic waned and the Rise of the Empire approached, Republic credits (also called "dataries") no longer had much value beyond the Core Worlds and the Inner Rim. Instead, local currencies became popular. More often, people living and working in the distant regions wanted to trade in hard currency, not electronic credit chips.

This changed when the Empire came to power. By the time of the Rebellion era, Imperial credits were accepted everywhere. Even the Alliance used this currency, as it was the standard throughout known space until the Empire finally fell.

The New Republic, of course, minted its own credits after the victory at Endor and the establishment of the new galactic government. However, individual planets, regions, and sectors also adopted their own currencies, and the Imperial remnants issued their own scrip. Exchange rates fluctuated wildly throughout this period. The New Republic credit was established ten years after the Battle of Endor and eventually emerged as the leading currency by the time of the New Jedi Order era.