Great Galactic War
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- "The Great Galactic War dragged on for decades. Thousands of Jedi and Sith were slain. Countless star systems were ravaged."
- ―Jedi Master Gnost-Dural —
Listen (file info)[src]
The Great Galactic War[2], more commonly known as the Great War, was a war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic between 3,681 BBY and 3,653 BBY.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Background
- "You must go where Revan did, into the Unknown Regions, where the Sith, the true Sith, wait in the dark for the great war that comes."
- ―Kreia, to the Jedi Exile[src]
With the Sith Empire's defeat in the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith were on the verge of collapse. But one Dark Lord escaped the Republic and made it to the Unknown Regions. There, he re-founded the Empire, himself assuming the title of Sith Emperor, and created a council of other Sith Lords. Using the power of the dark side, the Emperor kept himself alive for over a thousand years after the Great Hyperspace War, rebuilding the Empire's strength and waiting for a chance to avenge the Sith's defeat.
The Republic, meanwhile, was challenged in a number of wars over the next few thousand years, including the war with Exar Kun, battles with Mandalorians and the upheaval of the Kanz Disorders.
In the year 3,681 BBY, the Sith Emperor saw that the chance for revenge against the Republic and the Jedi had come, and launched an invasion of the Republic.
[edit] The conflict
The True Sith's invasion caught the Republic by surprise. The Sith seized many worlds in the Outer Rim Territories and destroyed the shipyards at Sluis Van.
Battlegrounds included Ilum, Dathomir, and Manaan, the latter seeing its surface cities destroyed, despite attempts to remain neutral. The Republic was further defeated at Agamar and Utapau, and continuously harassed.
After the Sith seized the Seswenna sector, they turned their assault on the Mid Rim. Believing the Republic was still recovering from its loses, the Empire sent an invasion force to the planet Bothawui, but it was caught off guard by the Republic fleet and obliterated. Seeking revenge, the Empire sent a much large force back to Bothawui. A heroic struggle was put up by the remaining Republic and Jedi defenders. While the Sith did destroy the defending force to the last man, the Jedi managed to inflict so much damage to the invading force that it had to withdraw. This stopped the Sith's invasion in the Mid Rim.
[edit] Mandalorian Blockade
However, 4 years after the Battle of Bothawui, the Empire changed tactics, and decided upon a new strategy - turn the Mandalorians against the Republic.
The Sith had long since attempted to get third parties and other factions to join their side, but with little success. However, Imperial Intelligence came up with a plan to bring the Mandalorians onto their side of the war. Taking advantage of the fact that many Mandalorians fought as gladiators for money and glory, Imperial agents began infiltrating the most prominent arenas in the galaxy, posing as managers, sponsors, and sometimes even as gladiators themselves.
Imperial Intelligence singled out a young Mandalorian gladiator on Geonosis to be their pawn. Sith agents began rigging fights and drugging the competition to ensure that the young gladiator would be unstoppable. With his new Imperial allies, he was able to establish himself as the galaxy's most powerful warrior and claim a title that not been heard of for centuries - Mandalore.
After uniting the scattered Mandalorians, the new Mandalore encouraged his followers to make war upon the Republic and confront the greatest challenge of all - fighting the legendary Jedi Knights. Following orders from his Sith superiors, he ordered the Mandalorian fleet to blockade the Hydian Way, the Republic's most critical trade route. With that, the Core Worlds found themselves without raw goods or supplies. After several pleas from the Republic, the Jedi confronted the Mandalorians, and were soundly defeated.
The Mandalorians continued the blockade, denying the Republic raw goods and setting the Republic war effort back. Eventually, the blockade started riots and Coruscant and the Senate began to talk about surrendering to the Sith. The blockade, however, was broken by a combined Republic-Smuggler alliance led by Hylo Visz.
[edit] Assault on Coruscant
After the Mandalorian blockade was broken, the Sith's tatics in the war became far more aggressive and desperate.
Decades after the war started, the Dark Council gave the Republic a surprising offer: the chance to negotiate peace. The Republic could not afford to ignore this opportunity, and the Jedi Council agreed to it, seeing the war as unwinnable. Diplomats on both sides came to Alderaan and began discussing terms of peace. But the Sith had one last trick to play.
An elite Sith army invaded Coruscant. After a team of Sith destroyed the defense grid in the Jedi Temple, Lord Angral ordered an invasion and bombardment of the planet. After Coruscant's defenses were defeated, the Sith destroyed the Jedi Temple and held the planet hostage.
With no other choice, the Republic diplomats on Alderaan signed the uneven Treaty of Coruscant.
[edit] Aftermath
- "Thus began the unprecedented stalemate. The Jedi reconnecting with their roots, the Republic nursing its wounds, the Sith consolidating their power in a galaxy divided between darkness and light."
- ―Jedi Master Gnost-Dural — Listen (file info)[src]
The treaty forced the Republic to give up many outlying systems to the True Sith Empire.
However, there were forces on both sides that didn't accept the treaty. In the Empire, Lord Baras, the main envoy for the peace talks, ordered a Sith warship to attack a Republic diplomatic ship in an effort to destroy the peace. Meanwhile, there were Republic troops, namely on Dantooine and Balmorra, who refused to withdraw and mutinied to continue the war while another group within the Republic bombed the Senate building to assassinate the Senators who supported the treaty, believing them to be Imperial spies. However, due to unknown reasons, these dissidents were subdued and the peace held through.
Although his Empire was stronger than ever, the Sith Emperor no longer seemed to desire total conquest. He handed over control of the Empire to the Dark Council, who would oversee the day-to-day affairs of state, and went on to pursue his own mysterious goals as the Sith consolidated their power.
By the end of the war, thousands of Jedi were dead. The Galactic Republic focused its anger on the Jedi, blaming the order for its defeat at the hands of the Sith. Though they were still committed to defending the Republic, the surviving Jedi chose to return to their ancient homeworld of Tython in order to rebuild their strength.
The end of the Great Galactic War set the stage for a Cold War between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic in the years that followed. This cold war saw a number of border skirmishes and proxy wars, pushing the two super powers to the brink of another war.
[edit] Appearances
- Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 1: Treaty of Coruscant (First appearance)
- Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant (Mentioned only)
- Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (Mentioned only)
