The Rai Collective is a theocracy, its laws dictated by the beliefs of the dominant rai religion, Yahm. The Collective is devoted to the preservation of all life. Many learning about them for the first time jump to the conclusion that the rai are pacifist, but the Collective maintains a powerful military force. They are idealistic, but not naive; a core belief of Yahm is that the taking of one life is justified by the preservation of two.
The Collective try to be heavily involved in the political scene, stepping in to try and prevent as much conflict as possible. It is mainly due to their intervention that the tense Republic/Empire cold war has not yet escalated into open conflict.
The Collective has much power at their disposal. The rai have had many millenia to evolve and invent, creating some of the most advanced technology in the galaxy, as shown by their ability create artificial life early on in their history. Their weapons technology is considerably strong, and even the most vicious marauders hesitate to tangle with the Collective.