- "This shows that the cordon that Captain [Saul] Karath has thrown up is holding. It's only a matter of time before we begin pushing in the other direction."
- ―Catronus Steffans, regarding this and other battles on Suurja
During the Mandalorian Wars in 3964 BBY, a battle occurred at the Outer Rim world of Suurja between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. As the Mandalorians advanced toward the Core Worlds, Republic Navy Captain Saul Karath attempted to halt their advance at the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line, where Suurja was located. Three previous clashes at Suurja within the last six weeks were inconclusive—in a similar fashion, the battle also ended without a clear victor. Afterward, both sides retired from the Suurja system.
Prelude[]
In 3964 BBY,[3] during the early days of the Mandalorian Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders,[1] Mandalore the Ultimate, leader of the Mandalorians, set his sights on the Core Worlds.[4] Starting at the fringes of known space, the Mandalorian advance met with success, forcing Republic Navy Captain Saul Karath to throw up a defensive cordon in the Outer Rim known as the Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line. Heavy fighting occurred along the barrier, and four months after the Mandalorian capture of the Flashpoint Stellar Research Station, the Mandalorians decided to attack one of the worlds on the line, Suurja. Over the next few weeks, Suurja, an agriworld with about 16 million colonists, was the host of three inconclusive battles. Although the two sides had already been fighting over Suurja for a period of about six weeks, both the Republic and the Mandalorians were still strong enough to continue.[1]
The battle[]
Captain Karath led Republic naval forces again in opposition to the Mandalorians. The battle was witnessed, and later reported on, by several journalists embedded with the Republic Navy. However, much like the previous three battles, there was no clear victor.[1]
Aftermath[]
Following the fourth battle at Suurja, both sides retired from the Suurja system. In the immediate aftermath, reports of provisioning problems with the Republic troops on Suurja surfaced, despite a recent levy to keep them better supplied. Soon after the end of the fourth battle, it and the other three skirmishes were reported upon in an edition of the Taris Holofeed news report from the nearby world Taris. In the release, Republic defense official Catronus Steffans was quoted as optimistically saying that the stalemate at Suurja represented a success of Karath's defensive cordon, and that it heralded an upcoming Republic pushback.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
The fourth battle of Suurja garnered its first, and thus far only, mention in The Taris Holofeed: Prime Edition, a short postscript to the 2006 comic Knights of the Old Republic 0. A short summary of this and other battles of Suurja is given, written by John Jackson Miller, in the style of an in-universe news report.[1]
Appearances[]
- "The Taris Holofeed: Prime Edition" — Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion flip-book (First mentioned) (Indirect mention only)