First Battle of Bothawui

The First Battle at Bothawui was a conflict between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic during the Great Galactic War. Following the return of the Empire and its initial victories in the Outer Rim Territories in the early stages of the war, the Sith Emperor turned his sights toward the Mid Rim, with Bothawui as his first target. The incursion was a disaster for the Empire, as a large Republic force was stationed over the planet, ready for the attack. However, the Empire's defeat during their first attempt at taking Bothawui provoked their second, more aggressive attack.

Prelude
Since the start of the Great Galactic War in 3,681 BBY, the Sith Empire was widely successful in all of its campaigns, particularly in the Outer Rim Territories. After the Imperial seizure of the Seswenna sector in the Outer Rim, the Sith Emperor began planning his incursion toward the Core Worlds. The first target was the Mid Rim, more specifically, the Bothan sector. The Republic Navy anticipated this move and amassed its forces over Bothawui in preparation for the attack.

The Battle


Believing that the forces of the Republic navy were still recovering from the Outer Rim campaign, the Imperial armada hastily rushed into Bothan Space. Over Bothawui itself, Sith Star Destroyers were engaged by the entire Republic fleet, consisting of numerous Thranta-class warships. The Imperial fleet was caught completely off guard and was quickly overwhelmed by the Republic vessels, which obliterated all of the invading forces.

Aftermath
The conflict at Bothawui was the Republic's first major victory against the Empire since the war had begun. News of the battle spread across the HoloNet, restoring the morale of the people of the Republic and reinvigorating the jaded military. The bulk of Bothawui's defense forces soon moved on, once again scattering throughout the galaxy to combat the Empire. However, a dedicated contingent of Jedi and Republic soldiers remained on the planet in anticipation for the Empire's retribution.

The Empire indeed returned, this time with a massive invasion army intended to overwhelm Bothawui. The remaining Republic forces under the command of Jedi Master Belth Allusis valiantly fought to the last man and were able to repel the Sith from Bothawui before being defeated. The battles at Bothawui restored hope to a discouraged Republic and empowered its defenders to continue fighting the war for several decades. Following the conclusion of the war with the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, the Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural made a holorecord that detailed the Empire's attempts at taking Bothawui.

Behind the scenes
The First Battle of Bothawui was introduced in the fifth installment of the Galactic Timeline, an in-universe account of the events leading up to the upcoming massively 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.

While this battle is referred to as simply the "Battle of Bothawui" in the timeline, the following, more prominent battle is also referred to as the "Battle of Bothawui." In the interest of minimizing confusion between the two battles, this article lables the initial conflict as the "First Battle of Bothawui."

Appearances

 * Timeline 5: The Battle of Bothawui