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The Unification Wars were a conflict that led to several of the Core Worlds uniting to form the Galactic Republic. The wars occurred shortly after the collapse of the Infinite Empire, which had previously enslaved much of the galaxy. The notorious warlord Zakrinand Minus fought for one of the warring sides. The Jedi Order fought during the wars and were victorious, joining the nascent Republic shortly thereafter as peacekeepers.
Prelude
The Jedi fought in the Unification Wars.
Millennia before the Unification Wars,[6] the Rakatan Infinite Empire emerged as the dominant power in the galaxy. They enslaved many sentient species using their Force-powered hyperdrives, until eventually a plague ravaged their empire. The survivors were stripped of their connection to the Force, and could do nothing to prevent the slave uprising that followed. The collapse of the Infinite Empire paved the way for other powers to develop, such as the Duros and Corellians, who reverse-engineered the Rakatan hyperdrive and started to explore the galaxy.[7]
The wars
Before a clear new dominant power in the galaxy could be established again, the Unification Wars erupted[4] at some point by 25,053 BBY.[3] The infamous warlord Zakrinand Minus commanded forces on one of the warring sides of the conflict and came to be regarded as a near-invincible leader.[8] The Force-sensitive Jedi Order partook in the conflict, eventually emerging victorious from the wars[4] by 25,053 BBY.[3] Some later historians believed the Jedi clashed with what the former considered to be forces of "evil" during the conflict, and that they were aided by the mystic Bendu monks in that fight.[4]
Aftermath
The Galactic Republic stood for twenty-five thousand years following the Unification Wars.
Following the wars,[4] several planets from the Core Worlds combined, and the constitution for a Galactic Republic was ratified. Among the prominent founders of this thriving democracy were planets such as Coruscant, Corellia, Alderaan and Duro.[5] Although initially wary of the Republic, the Jedi joined it[7] a century after the wars' end,[9] taking on the role of peacekeepers.[7] The emblem brandished by the Bendu during the conflict[10] would be adopted as the official symbol of the Galactic Republic.[11] The Republic would survive for twenty-five thousand years, enduring in spite of the many conflicts that sought to engulf it.[7]
Behind the scenes
The Unification Wars were first referenced in the 2005 guide Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections, which claimed that the conflict led to the Republic's founding.[12] However, the Unification Wars have been ignored by most subsequent sources, which largely indicate that the Republic was founded peacefully.[7][5][13] In 2008, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia provided more details on the conflict via an entry of its own.[4] Part two of the official StarWars.com 2013 blog "The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire" also briefly mentioned the Unification Wars, revealing the warlord Zakrinand Minus' involvement in the conflict whilst comparing him to Imperial warlord Kosh Teradoc.[8]
Sources
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections (First mentioned)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections
- Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections: The Prequel Trilogy
- Star Wars: Complete Vehicles
"Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire, Part 2 {{{3}}}" — {{{4}}} — [[{{{5}}}|{{{5}}}'s]] StarWars.com Blog (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- ↑
Essential Atlas Extra: The History of Xim and the Tion Cluster on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 According to Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia, the Galactic Republic was founded in 25,053 BBY. Per The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 280 ("Unification Wars (I)"), the Unification Wars led to the founding of the Republic, so the Wars must have occurred by 25,053 BBY.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 280 ("Unification Wars (I)")
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology dates the height of the Infinite Empire to 30,000 BBY, which is several millennia prior to the Unification Wars' date of c. 25,053 BBY, as derived in reference 4.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 The New Essential Chronology
- ↑ 8.0 8.1
"Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire, Part 2 {{{3}}}" — {{{4}}} — [[{{{5}}}|{{{5}}}'s]] StarWars.com Blog (backup link)
- ↑ Galactic Timeline on The Old Republic's official website (backup link) provides 21,300 BTC as the date when the Jedi Order joined the Galactic Republic. The New Essential Chronology states that the Great Hyperspace War began in 5000 BBY, which is 1,347 BTC in Star Wars: The Old Republic's Galactic Timeline, so the difference between the calendar based on the Battle of Yavin (BBY) and the calendar based on the Treaty of Coruscant (BTC) is 3,653 years. This allows to place the Jedi joining the Republic in 24,953 BBY.
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 70 ("Bendu monks")
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 311 ("galactic roundel")
- ↑ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections
- ↑ The Essential Guide to Warfare
