Zellos

"Imperial Grand Moff Zellos offered to spare Master Allusis if he and his brave comrades would surrender. Neither pride nor foolhardiness drove the defender's decision."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural

Zellos was a Human male who served as a Grand Moff of the Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War between the Empire and Old Republic. Zellos commanded the second Imperial invasion of Bothawui, a drawn-out ground assault against a guerrilla force of Republic soldiers and Jedi led by Jedi Master Belth Allusis. Despite massive Imperial advantages, the planet's Republic defenders were able to inflict considerable damage to the Sith strike force. Zellos's men eventually defeated the majority of the Republic forces, prompting the Grand Moff to offer Allusis survival in exchange for his surrender. The Jedi refused, and Allusis and his forces were massacred, but not before they managed to drive Zellos's forces off Bothawui.

Biography
"Imperial battle cruisers from around the galaxy closed in on Bothan Space to recoup their losses. A high-powered planetary shield protected Bothawui from bombardment, forcing the Imperial forces to engage on the ground."

- Gnost-Dural

The Human male Zellos lived during the Great Galactic War between the Old Republic and the revitalized Sith Empire, serving as an Imperial Grand Moff. In the initial stages of the war, the Sith Emperor had targeted the Outer Rim Territories in a widely successful campaign. After the Imperial capture of the Seswenna sector, the Emperor turned his sights toward the Mid Rim. The first planned target was the Bothan sector; however, the first Imperial invasion of Bothan Space met with disaster, as the Republic had anticipated the move and stationed its entire fleet over Bothawui itself.

This first major Republic victory provoked the Empire to attempt to redeem its losses by mounting a second campaign to take the planet, with Grand Moff Zellos commanding the assault. With Imperial warships from across the galaxy at his command, the Grand Moff led the second invasion of Bothan Space, this time intending to bombard Bothawui from orbit. The Sith vessels were unable to do so, however, as a powerful planetary shield protected Bothawui's surface. Zellos's forces&mdash;a fifty thousand-strong Imperial army&mdash;instead landed on the planet to engage the Republic defenders and destroy the shield generator. The small Republic force of Jedi and soldiers that remained after the first battle at Bothawui was led by Jedi Master Belth Allusis, who developed new tactics and battle plans to combat the Imperials.

Zellos and his men believed the battle would be a swift victory for the Empire, and so they sent their troops into battle in direct assaults. This proved to be detrimental to the Imperial forces, as Allusis's tactics and determination allowed the Jedi and his men to repel the Sith soldiers. For every Republic trooper killed, the Empire lost ten. Zellos was eventually forced to call in reinforcements that overwhelmed the Republic defenders, who rallied to Allusis for one final stand. However, before allowing his men to finish them off, Zellos extended an offer of peace to Allusis. The Grand Moff promised to spare the Jedi Master's life if he surrendered, but Allusis refused the offer, and he and his men fought to the death. Before falling, the Republic forces inflicted enough damage on the Imperial army to drive them off Bothawui. Zellos's invasion was unsuccessful and served as a major morale boost for the exhausted Republic. The Grand Moff's failure on Bothawui later became the focus of a holorecord created by the Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural in the aftermath of the end of the war.

Personality and traits
"But overconfident Imperial commanders threw all their armies' might into the direct assault and their ground forces fell in droves. For every Republic soldier who died, ten Imperials were killed."

- Gnost-Dural

Grand Moff Zellos was a high-ranking official within the Sith Empire and took part in the Imperial conquest of the galaxy. As the commanding officer during the Battle of Bothawui, Zellos hoped to use his overwhelming numbers to crush the Republic resistance on the planet. However, he and his fellow commanders overestimated their advantage and used simple, straightforward assaults during the battle. This overconfidence was detrimental to their efforts, pushing Zellos to seek reinforcements. When he finally had Allusis and his defenders at his mercy, Zellos offered the Jedi Master peace in exchange for surrender. After his offer was refused, Zellos allowed his forces to kill Allusis and the rest of the Republic troops, inadvertently martyring Bothawui's defenders.

Behind the scenes
Grand Moff Zellos was introduced in the fifth installment of the Galactic Timeline, an in-universe account of the events leading up to the upcoming massive multiplayer online video game from LucasArts entitled Star Wars: The Old Republic. The timeline is narrated by Kel-Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, whose voice is provided by actor Lance Henriksen.

Appearances

 * Timeline 5: The Battle of Bothawui

Notes and references
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