17,018 BBY

"Approximately 17,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, as the Republic's fortunes reached a high point during extensive growth into the Expansion Region, the Alsakanese began a comprehensive effort to become the galactic capital."

- Dr. Milanda Vorgan

The year 17,018 before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) was a span of time that marked the abrupt end of the Great Manifest Period and the beginning of the Indecta Era in the Galactic Republic with the onset of the First Alsakan Conflict. The Republic's boundaries were expanding as Core-based and corporate interests pushed waves of expansion, settlement, and resource harvesting throughout the Expansion Region of the Slice. During this time, the planets of Alsakan and Coruscant had developed a heated rivalry, and Alsakan's desire for economic, political, and cultural superiority had reached a breaking point. The conflict initially started as a blockade but quickly escalated to war. The conflict would begin with the First Battle of Virujansi, when the Republic seized control of the planet.

Proem
"The Republic's Great Manifest period (20,000–17,000 BBY) marked an increased movement into the Rimward territories of the Slice, which became known as the Expansion Region."

- From the text of The New Essential Chronology by Voren Na'al

The Great Manifest Period of the Galactic Republic was a time of expansion within the then-known galactic community. Planetary governments and corporate interests were rapidly expanding into the Slice in order to claim new worlds for settlement and exploitation of natural resources. In the northern portion of this region, near the Perlemian Trade Route, the planets of Alsakan and Coruscant were fervently competing against each other, with hostilities brewing as the two planets fought for dominance economically and culturally. Furthermore, the Republic's bureaucracy and politicking grew with fervor, fueling the rivalry as sectors of the galaxy had become so large that they were ungovernable. The growing governmental structure included the creation of the Bureau of Ships and Services more than one thousand years prior to the conclusion of the Great Manifest Period. This organization was created to help regulate interstellar trade as well as to maintain records of starship transactions and movements.

The galaxy in 17,000 BBY
The Great Manifest Period of the Galactic Republic abruptly transitioned to the Indecta Era with the sudden outbreak of the First Alsakan Conflict in 17,000 BBY. The intensifying strife between Alsakan and Coruscant had reached a boiling point. Alsakan led the worlds of the Perlemian Trade Route in an attempt to seize control of resource-rich systems. The Grand Companies&mdash;the major trading companies along the Core stretch of the Corellian Run and Metellos Trade Route&mdash;objected to this move, and Duros freighters began clashing with Alsakani warships.

The Republic backed the Duros merchants, sparking a war between the two factions when they attacked Virujansi in 17,018 BBY. Six years later, Alsakan forces liberated the planet. Corellia would remain neutral by protecting its interests in the Rim. Notable battles during the conflict included the Battle of Kes in 16,921 BBY, the First Seige of Porus Vida in 16,820 BBY, and the Seige of Belasco, which began in [[16,800 BBY].

The First Alsakan Conflict would be ended by the Bureau of Ships and Services in 16,700 BBY, which threatened to withhold access to the system of hyperspace beacons. Hostilities would resume 500 years later in 16,200 BBY.

Impact
"While the fighting never expanded to a full-scale civil war in the Republic, the first of the Alsakan Conflicts ended the boom of the Great Manifest Period. However, it did not end Alsakan's ambitions, and the Alsakanese would continue to attempt to claim their "rightful" place as galactic capital for another 14,000 years."

- Dr. Milanda Vorgan

Inside the Republic, the conflict between Alsakan and Coruscant was the first of seventeen such skirmishes between the two planets. While the Bureau of Ships and Services was able to intervene in 16,700 BBY to end the conflict, the desire to usurp the capital coupled with the competition in the Slice would continue to cause conflict for over 14,000 years. The seventeen conflicts destroyed historical landmarks, such as Belgoth's Beacon and the Alsakan Mosaics, and laid waste to portions of the Expansion Region.

The group of Xexto that underwent genetic experimentation on Quermia by Arkanian scientists were monitored and tested for only a few generations. At that point, the geneticists abandoned their research, fearing the wrath of the Republic. They instead turned their focus to other projects. Nevertheless, permanent alterations to the Xexto on Troiken had taken hold. On Quermia, the dramatically altered subjects were left to develop within the natural processes, and they became the Quermian species. Both the Xexto and Quermians became technologically-developed societies independent of each other. After both species were discovered by the broader galactic community, it became a commonly held belief that they were genetically related. The connection between Quermians and Xexto was discovered millennia after their forced genetic divergence, but the Xexto initially refused to acknowledge it. Eventually, however, they reluctantly accepted what genetic tests had verified.

Notable events

 * The Galactic Republic's Indecta Era began
 * The first Alsakan Conflict began after rising tensions in Alsakan's aim to usurp cultural, economic, and political power from Coruscant resulted in fighting

Behind the scenes
The year 17,018 BBY is first mentioned in the The Essential Guide to Warfare, though the exact date was not known until the Guide was released. It was first estimated as 17,000 BBY in the Ultimate Alien Anthology, a Wizards of the Coast roleplaying game sourcebook published in April 2003. The year received a passing mention two years later in The New Essential Chronology. Here, the starting date for the Alsakan Conflicts was established as 17,000 BBY. Subsequent appearances include The Essential Atlas and the StarWars.com Hyperspace feature The Written Word, by John Hazlett. Both provide further background for the Alsakan Conflicts and reaffirm the date as 17,000 BBY for the start of the fighting. The Essential Guide to Warfare further narrowed down the date to 17,018 BBY, as well as giving the approximate end date for the conflict as 16,700 BBY.