Battle of Bothawui (Second; Great Galactic War)

"Jedi Master Belth Allusis, seven dozen of the Order's finest Knights, and four thousand of the Republic's strongest soldiers dug in to defend the shield generators&hellip;or die trying. The disparity was staggering. An unprecedented Imperial army, fifty thousand strong, descended on on Bothawui's brave defenders. The defenders were undaunted. With no expectation of survival, they were mindful only of their duty."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural's account of the battle

The Battle of Bothawui was a major engagement during the Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the resurgent Sith Empire. Following its victory in the Seswenna sector and the Outer Rim Territories at large, the Empire set its sights toward the galactic core, with one of its first targets being the Mid Rim world of Bothawui. Anticipating this, the Republic Navy stationed a massive defense fleet over the planet to prevent the Empire from claiming the strategically important world. As a result, the Empire's first attempt at seizing Bothawui was a resounding failure.

The Empire refused to accept defeat, however, and prepared yet another invasion force for Bothawui. The massive Imperial armada descended upon the planet with the objective to destroy the planetary shield that was protecting it. The shield's only defenders were a relatively small force of Republic troops and a contingent of Jedi led by Master Belth Allusis. Despite overwhelming odds, the Republic forces held out for days on end and gave no ground to the Empire. However, by virtue of numbers alone, their defeat was inevitable, and the defenders were gradually killed off. In a bold last stand, Allusis and his surviving troops fought the Imperials off Bothawui before being slain themselves.

As a result of the battle, the Empire halted its incursions into the Mid Rim. Despite the loss of all the Republic forces on Bothawui, the story of Bothawui's defenders and their determined fight against the Empire inspired many across the Republic, giving birth to new tactics and a new resolve to continue waging the war.

Prelude
"After the Sith offensive seized the Seswenna sector of the Outer Rim, the Imperial Armada turned its sights closer to the core. The Mid Rim."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural recounts the lead-up to the battle

Upon its return to known space, the Sith Empire launched a widely successful campaign in the Outer Rim Territories. For the first ten years of the Great Galactic War, Old Republic worlds fell in quick succession, leading the Sith Emperor to believe that his invasion of the galaxy was unstoppable. After the Imperial victory in the struggle for the Seswenna sector, the Emperor turned his sights toward the galactic core. The first target was the Mid Rim, specifically the Bothan sector.

Believing the Republic to still be recovering from the Outer Rim campaign, the Empire charged into Bothan Space haphazardly. However, the Republic had anticipated the attack and so positioned its entire fleet above Bothawui. The resulting engagement ended in the complete destruction of the Imperial attack squadron. This first battle at Bothawui was also the first major victory for the Republic since the beginning of the war and provided a much-needed boost of morale for its defenders.

As the Republic fleet dispersed once more and departed Bothawui, a small contingent of troops, numbering only 4,000, stayed behind to defend the planet in the event of Imperial retribution. The troops were accompanied by eighty-four Jedi Knights under the leadership of Jedi Master Belth Allusis. The Republic's forces dug in around Bothawui's planetary shield generator and prepared for the Empire's return.

The battle
"Imperial battlecruisers 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."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural

Seeking vengeance for its initial defeat at Bothawui, the Empire recalled battleships from across the galaxy to converge on Bothan Space. Although the Imperials had originally planned to bombard the planet from orbit, Bothawui's planetary shield prevented this, forcing the Sith commanders to plan a ground assault. The massive invasion force, consisting of over 50,000 Imperial troops, landed on the planet and initiated the battle. The Imperial commanders, led by Grand Moff Zellos, were confident that the battle would be a swift victory for the Empire and so sent their forces to destroy the shield generator in a direct assault.

This decision resulted in heavy losses for the Empire, as the commanders had not anticipated the determination of Bothawui's defenders. The forces under Allusis's command fought regardless of their understanding that their likelihood of survival was slim, all while developing new and unorthodox tactics that devastated the Imperial ranks. For every one Republic soldier that was gunned down, the Empire lost ten Sith troopers. However, when Zellos was eventually forced to call in reinforcements, the tide turned, and the Republic forces were slowly beaten back and whittled away.

The majority of the Republic's forces were soon killed, leaving only a handful of soldiers and Jedi to defend the shield. The survivors rallied to Allusis for one final stand against the Empire; however, before the Sith attacked, Zellos offered to spare Allusis if his men would stand down. Under the guidance of the Force, Allusis and his troops rejected the offer and fought to their deaths. During the final engagement, the Empire took too many casualties to maintain an occupation force on Bothawui and was forced to retreat from the planet.

Aftermath
"Neither pride nor foolhardiness drove the defenders' decision. They were guided by the Force. They had passed beyond the fear of death. Their glorious last stand will never be forgotten. Allusis and his men fell, but not before the Imperials were driven to retreat. The Battle of Bothawui was a draw."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural The Battle of Bothawui was officially a draw; however, the Republic benefited greatly from the conflict. Allusis and his forces came to be known as the "Heroes of Bothawui," whose story inspired the Republic's defenders to continue their fight with a renewed vigor and gave hope to the many disillusioned Republic citizens throughout the galaxy. The Republic's fight on Bothawui also gave rise to new tactics that were used by Republic strategists for the remainder of the war. These tactics put and end to the Sith Empire's encroachment on the Mid Rim and solidified the Battle of Bothawui's reputation as a turning point in the Great Galactic War.

Despite the advances made by the Republic in the wake of the battle, the Sith Emperor also benefited from it, as the conflict had made him recognize the necessity of alliances. In the years following the battle, the Empire forged an agreement with the Mandalorian warrior clans, which eventually led to their blockade of the Hydian Way. In the aftermath of the Treaty of Coruscant and the end of the war, the Kel Dor Jedi historian Gnost-Dural created a holorecord that documented the events surrounding the battle.

Behind the scenes
The Battle of Bothawui first appeared in the fifth entry of the Galactic Timeline, an in-universe historical account of events leading up to Star Wars: The Old Republic, an upcoming massively multiplayer online game by LucasArts. The entry was narrated by Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, whose voice is provided by actor Lance Henriksen. Both this battle and the less-prominent preceding battle are referred to as the "Battle of Bothawui" in the timeline.

Appearances

 * Timeline 5: The Battle of Bothawui
 * Timeline 6: Onslaught of the Sith Empire

Notes and references
Zweite Schlacht von Bothawui (3671 VSY) Batalla de Bothawui (Segunda; Gran Guerra Galáctica) Bitwa o Bothawui (3671 BBY)