- "Warning: This is an Imperial News Network emergency alert. There are increasing reports of rakghoul plague outbreak in Imperial space and bordering systems. The infection rate is growing exponentially. Officials indicate the death toll exceeds ten thousand, with many infected still at large. Anyone mutated by the rakghoul plague represents an extreme threat. For your own safety, interstellar travel has been restricted by the Ministry of Logistics."
- ―An Imperial News Network bulletin
The rakghoul pandemic was a massive outbreak of the rakghoul plague that occurred around a decade after the Treaty of Coruscant ended the Great Galactic War.
History[]
Tatooine Outbreak[]
The pandemic began after the Republic cruiser known as the Stardream crashed on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine. The cruiser carried with it an animal infected with the plague, which ultimately spread to the other passengers and crew. The ship was disabled over the desert planet and crashed into the Dune Sea,[11] from whence the survivors spread across the planet, infecting tribes of Tusken Raiders and native fauna.[14] The deadly disease also spread into highly populated areas, including Mos Ila and Anchorhead, prompting officials from both the Republic and Sith Empire to initiate a quarantine of the planet and implement travel restrictions across the galaxy. Despite these efforts, tenacious adventurers traveled to and from Tatooine, working to stem the spread of the virus but simultaneously carrying it further from the source. This prompted quarantine teams to intercept infected individuals boarding both Republic and Imperial space stations.
The Tatooine crisis was notable in the creation of THORN, as the children of its founder Addalar Hyland lost their lives during the incident, motivating the wealthy CEO to invest in battling the disease.[8]
Alderaan Rakghoul Resurgence[]
A field hospital on Alderaan during the Rakghoul Pandemic.
Some time later, an outbreak of the Rakghoul plague was reported on Alderaan.[15] Initially reported on HoloNet News as unexplained animal attacks,[16] the build up of G.S.I. armaments,[17] THORN operatives[18] and several meetings between Addalar Hyland and Alderaanian officials on the planet[19] indicated otherwise. THORN issued an official level-2 emergency alert and quarantines was put in place to restrict traffic of the plague off-world.[20]
In the context of the Alderaan Civil War, House Organa cited the outbreak's epicenter near King's Pass as an evidence that House Thul and the Sith Empire conspired to use the plague as a bioweapon, while House Thul claimed House Organa implemented the plague to blame them. Nevertheless, House Ulgo was also suspected in releasing the plague, so as to raise tension between those Houses and weaken them for Ulgo's eventual conquest.[21] Given the conflict's nature, the true source of the spread of the disease may never come to light. Despite this, THORN recruited qualified volunteer emergency responders to travel to affected areas to combat the spread of the plague in the newly discovered rakghoul tunnels.[15]
The THORN Crisis Command in the rakghoul tunnels.
THORN officials Doctor Aleea Ressel and Tralie Masoon were dispatched to organize Republic and Imperial volunteers in Thul Palace and Castle Organa.[15] The volunteers were first tasked to battle through plague bearers, who were maddened by the infection and attacked anyone in sight. Getting through the mind-addled citizens, the volunteers then vaccinated infected people still in the early stages of the disease.[22][23] After which the volunteers were sent into the aforementioned underground tunnels in King's Pass, descending with the help the Spike. In order to reduce tensions between Imperial and Republic forces, the volunteers were either assigned to Operations Command Center for Imperials or Crisis Command Center for the Republic.[15] The volunteers would then be given various tasks, namely, capturing rakghouls born within the tunnels rather than through infection called raklings,[24][25] investigating artifacts of rakghoul culture,[26][27] collecting mutagenic samples from recently infected Killiks and Joiners,[28][29] reconnecting navigational markers sent out by the Spike to map the tunnels,[30][31] acquiring tissue samples from newly discovered fungal rakghouls[32][33] and the primary goal of culling the rakghoul population.[26][27] After gaining the trust and prestige of THORN, groups of volunteers were recruited to hunt down massive rakghouls called the Eyeless in their lairs[34][35].
Additional tunnels were found on Tatooine, around the crash of the Stardream, [36] and in the Labor Valley on Corellia.[37]
Behind the scenes[]
The outbreak of the Rakghoul pandemic was an event in the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which began on April 15, 2012. The Alderaan Rakghoul Resurgence Event then started on January 21 until January 28, 2014.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire
Sources[]
In-Game Events on The Old Republic's official website (link obsolete; content only found on older version of webpage: backup link)- Game Update 1.2 - Legacy on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- Screenshot - Rakghoul Outbreak (1) on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- Screenshot - Rakghoul Outbreak (2) on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- EMERGENCY ALERT: Rakghoul Plague Outbreak on Alderaan – AVOID ALDERAAN! on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for February—Rakghoul Resurgence on Alderaan on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for March on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for May—Rakghoul Resurgence on Corellia on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for July on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for August on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for September on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for October on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for December on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for February on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for April on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for December on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
- SWTOR In-Game Events for February on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
Notes and references[]
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