Well, the New Alleghian Republic is the second-most populus empire in the Alpha Quadrant with its nearly 400 billion inhabitants and is the dominant trade power within both the Core Worlds as well as the Inner Rim. Consider that they were also at war for centuries with a similarly-sized entity whose borders alone stretch all the way into the outermost extremes of the quadrant, I see no reason why the NAR shouldn't be well-known amongst most every species in play, let alone empire.