Sacking of Coruscant

"You were deceived. And now, your Republic shall fall."

- An unidentified Sith

The Sacking of Coruscant occurred at the end of the Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the resurgent Sith Empire. Centuries after the supposed destruction of the original Empire, a surviving faction of the Sith returned from the Unknown Regions and waged a massive war against the Republic. After decades of fighting, the Republic was overwhelmed and heavily inundated, while the Empire continued to gain ground. At what seemed to be the height of their campaign, the Sith surprised the galaxy and extended an offer of peace to the Republic. Although cautious of the Empire's intentions, the Senate of the Republic accepted the much-needed reprieve. Unbeknownst to the Republic, the Sith had no intention of allowing the war to come to a peaceful conclusion.

While Republic and Imperial delegations convened on Alderaan for treaty negotiations, a group of Sith Warriors piloted a stolen Republic ship to Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. The Warriors breached the Jedi Temple and, after a violent altercation with the Jedi, were able to destroy a defense grid mainframe within. A fleet of Sith warships under the command of Lord Angral were able to descend upon the planet, bombarding the cityscape and deploying Sith troopers and warriors to the surface. Although members of the Jedi Order and the Republic Special Forces attempted to defend their capital, the Sith forces overwhelmed them. By the time the fighting had ended, the Jedi Temple had been reduced to rubble, six members of the Jedi Council had been killed, and Lord Angral had assassinated the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.

With Coruscant securely in their grip, the Empire was able to take command of the negotiations on Alderaan, forcing the Republic delegation to sign the controversial Treaty of Coruscant. Although it brought an end to the Great Galactic War, the treaty set the stage for the Cold War.

Prelude
"I just can't shake the sense that there's something more to these peace talks than the Jedi Council is aware of&hellip;"

- Satele Shan at the Alderaan Peace Conference

After the supposed defeat of the ancient Sith Empire during the Great Hyperspace War, the Galactic Republic believed the Sith to be extinct. In the centuries following the Great Hyperspace War, several members of the Republic's Jedi Order took up the mantle of the Sith and ignited several galactic conflicts, including the Great Sith War and the Jedi Civil War. Unbeknownst to the Republic, the Jedi, and these new Sith, a faction of the original Sith had survived the destruction of the Empire. They were led into the Unknown Regions of the galaxy by a mysterious Dark Lord who would become the Emperor of the surviving Sith.

Having taken a millenia to rebuild the true Sith Empire, the Dark Lord reentered the known galaxy in 3,681 BBY with an armada that overwhelmed the Republic. Striking swiftly, the Sith gained ground as battles raged across planets such as Dathomir, Manaan, and Utapau. Although the Emperor had expected a quick victory, the war instead dragged on for three decades and exhausted both the Sith and the Republic. After the failure of the Blockade of the Rimma Trade Route, the Emperor's Dark Council sought a quick end to the war, and so it extended an offer of peace to the Republic Senate in 3,653 BBY. The offer came as a complete surprise to the Republic, as it had appeared that the Empire was on the verge of victory. While the Jedi Council urged caution, the Senate accepted the offer, as the war had crippled the Republic and its economy.

A peace summit was organized on the Core World of Alderaan, a planet known for its pacifistic culture. The Republic delegation, led by Senator Am-Ris, was to meet with the Imperial delegation being led by Lord Baras. However, the Empire did not plan to enter into negotiations without an advantage, and planned to hold the Republic's capital world of Coruscant hostage, in order to force the agreement to be made on Imperial terms. The Sith ended their offensive in the Minos Cluster, making it appear as though they were dedicated to the peace process, while in fact they were preparing for a massive assault on the heart of the Republic. The peace talks had lured many Jedi away from Coruscant, leaving it largely undefended. As the representatives from the Republic, Empire, and Jedi Order convened on Alderaan, the Sith set their plan in motion.

Invasion of the Jedi Temple
After acquiring a stolen Republic vessel, a group of Sith Warriors piloted the craft to Galactic City on Coruscant, intending to invade the Temple of the Jedi Order. They also planned to disable a defense grid mainframe within, allowing the Sith fleet to begin its invasion of the planet. Upon arrival, a single Sith, accompanied by a female Twi'lek, approached the Jedi Temple on foot via the Processional Way. As they neared the Temple's main entrance, the two were surrounded by members of the Temple Security Force. After the Sith quickly dispatched the security forces, he signaled to a female bounty hunter, who had arrived prior to the Sith and his Twi'lek aide, and was under their employ. The bounty hunter ascended the wall of the Temple's ziggurat with her jetpack; entering the main structure through a small hatch, she began to eliminate members of the Temple Security Force, while the Sith and Twi'lek were confronted by several Jedi in the main entrance hall below.

As the Jedi circled the lone Sith and his aide, the Sith Warriors in the Republic vessel piloted it directly into the Jedi Temple. The starship smashed through the large gate that served as the Temple's main entrance, and continued on to reduce much of the entrance hall to rubble. The ship came to a halt directly behind the lone Sith, and opened its hatch to reveal over twenty-five Sith Warriors, in addition to several Sith troopers. After disembarking from the craft, the Sith forces were attacked by almost thirty Jedi that were defending the Temple. The Jedi and Sith fought viciously as the bounty hunter engaged Temple Security with rockets and a flame thrower. During the melee, the Sith's Twi'lek aide was incapacitated after being thrown with the Force into a column by one of the Jedi that had originally confronted her and the Sith. This Jedi also engaged the Sith who had arrived first in the Temple, and after fighting back toward the Processional Way, the Jedi was killed by a lightsaber thrust through the abdomen. The Sith strike force succeeded in destroying the defense mainframe within the Temple, allowing for the remainder of the Sith forces to enter Coruscant space and begin their assault.

Attack on the Senate
"Senator Am-Ris...break off the talks! It's a trick!"

- The Supreme Chancellor to Senator Am-Ris via hologram

The Sith fleet arrived in Coruscant orbit and approached Orbital Security Station Six, a space station monitoring incoming traffic to Coruscant. Femi, a Twi'lek aboard the station, did not recognize the vessels, and hailed the incoming Sith warships in request of a clearance code. Angral, the Sith Lord in command of the strike against Coruscant, responded by opening fire on the station, killing Femi and everyone else on board. As the Sith ships continued their descent toward Coruscant, Angral ordered that he and a strike team be deployed outside the Senate Building, while the remainder of the Sith forces continue their attack on the city.

As the warships began bombarding the Senate District, Angral and his troops landed outside the Senate, and were confronted by the Jedi Master Orgus Din, as well as Lieutenant Tavus of the Republic Military. While Tavis and several Coruscant Security personnel battled the Sith troopers, Angral attacked Din. The pair entered into a lightsaber duel, with Angral soon gaining the upper hand. The Sith was able to disarm Master Din and force him to the ground, holding him at lightsaber point. However, a badly damaged Sith warship fell from the sky and collided with a nearby building, resulting in an explosion that sent both Din and Angral flying. This gave the Jedi an opening to leap across a broken bridge and head toward the Jedi Temple, which was under heavy bombardment. Angral ordered his men to allow the Jedi to escape, as their objective was in the Senate.

In the Senate Building, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic attempted to contact Senator Am-Ris on Alderaan. The Chancellor warned the Cerean senator of the Sith's treachery and urged him to pull out of the peace talks. Before he could finish his message, however, Lord Angral smashed into the Senate and killed the Chancellor. The assassination was witnessed by the participants of the Alderaan Peace Conference, spurring a short conflict between the Republic and Imperial delegations.



Republic losses
"With Coruscant's defenses incapacitated, the Imperials annihilated the Jedi Temple, captured the Senate Tower, and held the entire planet hostage."

- Jedi Master Gnost-Dural

The Sith fleet continued heavy orbital bombardment of the planet, while Sith troopers raided the city's towers. The Senate District sustained heavy damage, and the Senate Dome was captured by Sith forces. The Temple Precinct suffered heavily as well, with starfighters strafing the area and war droids marching on the Temple itself. During the fighting, half of the Jedi High Council was killed. In addition, the Jedi Temple eventually succumbed to the damage inflicted upon it, and the centuries-old structure collapsed completely.

The Sith were also able to cut off all contact between Coruscant and the rest of the galaxy. On Alderaan, the Republic delegation was unable to open communications with the Senate, and were therefore unaware of the severity of events. The Jedi and Republic diplomats were instead forced to accept Lord Baras' appraisal of the situation, which asserted that any reluctance to accept the Empire's demands would cause further repercussions on Coruscant.

Occupation
"We can be certain of nothing until contact is reestablished with Coruscant. In the meantime, we have no choice but to accept the Empire's terms."

- Jedi Master Zym to the Republic delegation at the Alderaan Peace Confererence

With the Republic's capital firmly in their grip, the Imperial delegation took command of the Alderaan Peace Conference. Lord Baras introduced the Republic diplomats to the Treaty of Coruscant, a highly unfair agreement that would shape galactic events for decades. Although the Jedi Order's representatives protested, Senator Am-Ris agreed to the terms of the Treaty. The war was ended, but Coruscant was subjected to the rule of the Empire's Dark Council for a short time.

On Coruscant, civilians fled to the lower levels of the city to escape the battle above. After the Sith's victory, the Empire deployed war droids to patrol the lower reaches of the ecumenopolis. These droids were all that was left behind by the Sith when they pulled off Coruscant in accordance with the Treaty. One group of patrol droids located and engaged Din, who had joined with members of the Republic military in order to protect the civilians hiding in the lower levels. Din and Lieutenant Tavus destroyed the droids and returned to the surface for reconnaissance. Having no previous news of the situation on the planet's upper levels, the two were surprised to find the Sith gone, the city in ruins, and the Jedi Temple leveled.

Repercussions
With the Treaty of Coruscant signed and Imperial forces withdrawn from Coruscant, the Republic went about the process of rebuilding. Pursuant to the terms of the treaty, Republic forces were recalled from all battlefronts across the galaxy, and support to long-time allies was rescinded. For many systems, the loss of Republic support meant a quick fall to the Empire's forces, further shrinking the already dwindling Republic. As members of the Jedi Order returned to what was once their Temple, they were met with an outraged Senate that placed blame for the Republic's misfortune on the Order's shoulders. With public opinion against them, the Jedi decided to relocate their headquarters from Coruscant to their ancestral homeworld of Tython.

As hostilities ended and the two major galactic governments attempted to coexist, a Cold War emerged. The Galactic Republic entered into a major economic depression as chaos broke out in the streets of Coruscant during the reconstruction process. While the Sith Empire consolidated its new power, various Sith Lords vied for control in the new galactic structure.

The events surrounding the Sacking and the Treaty of Coruscant were later chronicled by Jedi Master Gnost-Dural during the Cold War.

Behind the scenes
The Sacking of Coruscant was first introduced as a major plot element for the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The events surrounding the battle were expanded upon in an online timeline, Treaty of Coruscant, as well as the Threat of Peace webcomic, both of which are available on The Old Republic official website.

The first trailer for the game, titled Deceived, depicted the Sith invasion of the Jedi Temple.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken

Notes and references
Schlacht um Coruscant (3653 VSY) Saqueo de Coruscant