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my Headcannon of Universe 7 North Galaxy
The Galactic Patrol’s Galactic Empire was actually in a cooperative relationship with Frieza’s empire (though it wasn’t called the Frieza Empire back then, as Frieza had not yet been born—it was during the era of his ancient ancestors). Together, they founded the Northern Galaxy Civilization Alliance. In this alliance, if any country that had joined was attacked, it would be considered an act of war against the entire alliance.
The only requirement for joining the Northern Galaxy Civilization Alliance was having the ability for interstellar travel. Upon joining, the nation was required to have its entire population learn the Northern Galaxy Standard Language. This was designed to unite different cultures and species. Races that could not communicate through the standard language or lacked interstellar movement capability were generally not considered equals by the majority of the galactic civilizations.
Among the lower classes of the Northern Galaxy, the bottom-tier citizens within Frieza’s empire actually lived the best lives. There was zero hunger within the empire. Citizens had access to free education, at least up to university level, along with numerous other social benefits. Anyone willing to work hard was guaranteed a chance to rise, although talent still mattered. Overall, it was a system of positive competition.
The empire’s excellent welfare system is one of the reasons why, even though the casualty rate in Frieza’s army was relatively high—and soldiers could be sacrificed as cannon fodder or accidentally killed by Frieza himself—so many still eagerly joined. Because, at the very least, they lived happily until the moment they died.
As for why the Saiyans lived such miserable lives, it was because they frequently defaulted on debts, betrayed their contracts, caused trouble, and proved impossible to domesticate. Most importantly, the Saiyans were, in essence, collateral pledged by their royal family—they were never truly considered Frieza’s subordinates.