Pre-Republic era

The Pre-Republic era was the period before the formation of the Galactic Republic. It included the formation and evolution of all the species of the Galaxy, the dawn of their civilizations and their first developments in space travel, and ended in approximately 25,000 BBY when the Republic was founded. "Pre-Republic" was also occasionally used by individuals such as Jedi Master Odan-Urr to refer to only the short period between the discovery of the hyperdrive and the formation of the Republic.

Pre-Republic history was largely dominated by ancient and mysterious species who developed interstellar travel long before Humans and other, more well-known species. Such species included the Columi, Aqualish, Killiks, and Rakata. The names and histories of some of these species have been entirely lost to history, including the Celestials and Architects.

In their travels about the Galaxy, many of these civilizations affected the evolution and cultural development of the more primitive species that would later dominate galactic affairs. The ancient species of the galaxy took a hand in the shaping of many worlds; Kashyyyk and Tatooine were two such planets whose biospheres were manipulated by these civilizations. Some species built massive, mysterious structures for these and other purposes, including Centerpoint Station, the Maw, and the Star Forge. The Corellian system itself was a artificial creation from this era as well, and the Drall and Selonians were transplanted by an unknown species to planets within the system. The presence of certain flora and fauna on many different worlds, such as the bantha, was likely also due to the intervention of these advanced species.

History
In the beginning, there was the Big Bang. For billions of years, species evolved and formed civilizations, and eventually a few took to the stars. These first spacefarers have been forgotten, their only legacy the large artificial structures they left behind. For a time little happened on a galactic scale; species such as the Gree and Columi rose briefly before disappearing again.

The first true civilization to seize power on a large scale was the Rakatan Infinite Empire. By 30,000 BBY it reached its peak, spanning worlds as far apart as Dantooine and Honoghr, although in actual number, it was composed of relatively few planets. The Rakata embraced slavery to fuel their Empire, ruling tyrannically over many species, including the Ghorfa and Selkath. As a monument to their power, they built the Star Forge, an artifact of the dark side that powered their vast war machine.

However, the Infinite Empire soon found itself stretched too far, and the aggression that powered it turned the Rakata on themselves. A slave revolt throughout the Empire, a plague that killed only Rakata, and a civil war that broke out on their homeworld of Rakata Prime quickly sped the Empire to its collapse around 25,200 BBY. Free from Rakatan oppression, the former slave species of Humans and Duros developed rapidly, adopting abandoned Rakatan technology to speed innovation along. Within 200 years, hyperspace travel made it feasible to travel quickly, cheaply, and conveniently between planets across the galaxy.

Meanwhile, on Tython, an equally important development was occuring. A group of mystics discovered a power they called the Ashla, more commonly known as the Force. However, some wished to use this power to increase their own stature, and the followers of the Bogan, as they called it, soon found themselves in conflict with the followers of the Ashla, and soon Tython was engulfed in the Force Wars. The side of the Ashla won, and in the wake of the war, they formed themselves into an order of monastic knights dedicated to the principles of peace and harmony. The Jedi had been born.

In 25,130 BBY in the Outer Rim Territories, the warlord Xim came to power in the Tion Cluster. He unified its governments into a highly expansionist empire and set about conquering its neighbors. As he reached the Si'Klaata Cluster, this brought him into conflict with the Hutts, who he fought to a standstill at the First and Second Battles of Vontor. The Hutts signed the Treaty of Vontor with the native species of the Si'Klaata Cluster, recruiting them to fight Xim. When they fought again at the Third Battle of Vontor, Xim was finally defeated and captured.

The species of the galaxy were ready to unite. The hyperdrive had been perfected and the Core Worlds were freely accessible. The Unification Wars were the last major conflict before this could happen, and in their wake, the Galactic Republic was created with the signing of the Galactic Constitution.

Civilization
Little is known about the details of individual civilizations. The presence of single planetary governments in the years of the Republic suggests that most worlds became unified under one government during this time. Many of the species that would become predominant in later eras originated in the Core Worlds, including Humans. However, it is notable that most of the ancient interstellar empires originated in the Outer Rim Territories and beyond, including the Rakata and Gree.

Humans
Conflicting theories on the origins of Humans abound, but prominent historians believe that Coruscant was their most likely homeworld. The Zhell were the earliest known human civilization, composing thirteen nations, but nothing on them remains except the poem Dha Werda Verda, describing their ancient battles with the Taung.

As Humans developed interstellar travel, they colonized nearby worlds, including Alderaan and Corellia. When the Infinite Empire arose, Corellia and Coruscant fell under their control and were forced into slavery, until the Empire's collapse.

Duros
The Duros were early pioneers of space travel. Like Humans, they spread amongst the stars of the Core. They too were enslaved by the Infinite Empire.

Infinite Empire
The Rakatan Infinite Empire spanned much of the galaxy, though its worlds numbered few. The Infinite Empire was built on the backs of slaves and powered by the Star Forge. The Rakata used the Force to carve their Empire out, as it powered their hyperdrive technology and the Star Forge itself. This use of the Force for conquest turned the Forge into an artifact of the dark side, and may have been what eventually blinded their species to the Force. That, a vicious plague that swept the Empire and killed only Rakata, and a sudden slave uprising eventually resulted in the fall of the Empire, and the Rakata retreated to their home planet of Rakata Prime.

Xim's Empire
The pirate Xim built an empire in the Tion Cluster in 25,130 BBY, conquering and unifying the many governments of the cluster. Eventually, his imperialism brought him into conflict with the Hutts. He was defeated, and his empire ended, at the Third Battle of Vontor.

Hutts
Originating on Varl, the Hutts built their expansionist Hutt Empire in the Outer and Mid Rim. They colonized several worlds, including Ko Vari and Evocar, where they encroached on the native Evocii population. The Hutt victory over the forces of Xim at Vontor and their conscription of the Klatooinians, Nikto, and Vodran cemented their place as a permanent power in the region later known as Hutt Space.

Columi
Around 100,000 BBY, the Columi left their homeworld of Columus and surveyed the galaxy, observing in particular the civilizations of Coruscant and Duro. Finding nothing of interest, they returned to Columus.

Gree
In the Outer Rim, the Gree built their own interstellar civilization. Gree society was centered around innovation, with all principal social castes except administrators involved in the design, creation, and use of new inventions. The Gree created several marvels of technology, many of whose secrets were lost to time. The Gree civilization, like many other such ancient civilizations, eventually decayed into a shadow of its former glory.

Kwa
A reptilian species, the Kwa, built the Infinity Gates that allowed them to teleport between worlds. Eventually the Kwa civilization collapsed, although it is unknown as to why.

Sharu
The Sharu, a humanoid race native to the Rafa system, constructed colossal plastic pyramids and the Mindharp of Sharu, a strange object that constantly changed form as it shifted through dimensions. During this time, the Sharu came to fear another ancient race known as the Celestials and hid underground, using mind altering life orchards to drain their intelligence and becoming the primitive Toka.

Technology
With most worlds isolated from each other, the technological history of the Pre-Republic era largely consisted of the typical developments required to form an industrial civilization. Worlds can be expected to have undergone their equivalents of a Stone Age, Industrial Revolution, and so forth. At some point, each species would have developed the means to leave their planet and travel at sublight speeds, resulting in a Space Age. By 100,000 BBY, the inhabitants of the planet Coruscant had reached a sufficient technological level to make the planet into a self-sustaining ecumenopolis, although resource problems caused by overpopulation plagued its inhabitants until the development of interstellar travel.

As beings sought to reach beyond their own star systems, they invented technologies such as sleeper ships that enabled them to spread their civilizations throughout the stars without traveling faster than light. It was in this way that Humans first spread to worlds throughout the Galaxy. The discovery of hyperspace travel was the first step towards the eventual unification of the galaxy by providing species with a means to break the light barrier. The first technology to utilize this was the hyperspace cannon, a device that accelerated ships into hyperspace. It had severe limitations, however: the amount of travel possible was limited by the number of cannons, a ship needed to induce drag to revert from hyperspace at the proper time, and most importantly, it was a one-way trip unless another cannon was constructed at the other end. Such cannons first connected the Humans and the Duros.

The peak of Pre-Republic innovation occured with the invention of the hyperdrive, which finally allowed civilizations to freely roam the Galaxy by traveling many times faster than the speed of light. It was the hyperdrive that gave rise to the Galactic Republic by connecting and uniting species from worlds across the Galaxy. The invention of the hyperdrive itself is usually attributed to the mysterious race known as the Architects, who are said to have given it to the other species, although other evidence suggests that Corellian and Duros scientists developed it by reverse engineering Rakatan technology.

Behind the scenes
This era is particularly noteworthy for being the only era in the history of the Star Wars universe where no current Expanded Universe fiction has been set. Much of the information presented here has been culled from secondary material and out of universe sourcebooks.