Great Galactic War

The Great Galactic War, 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.

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

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.

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. A heroic struggle on Bothuawi helped slow the Sith invasion. The Jedi eventually stopped the Sith's invasion in the Mid Rim.

Mandalorian Blockade
However, the war was further complicated by the rebirth of the Mandalorians.

A new Mandalore rose on Geonosis and reunited the scattered Mandalorians. He then decided to provoke the Jedi into fighting them by blockading the Rimma Trade Route. 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 the the Sith. The blockade, however, was broken by a combined Republic-Smuggler alliance led by Hylo Visz.



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.

Aftermath


The treaty forced the Republic to give up many outlying systems to the True Sith Empire. 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, a body of twelve Sith Lords who would oversee the day-to-day affairs of state. The Dark Lord 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 homeworld of Tython.

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.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic