Over the millennia, the Galactic Republic has faced no greater threat to its existence than the brutal invasion instigated by Sith Lord Naga Sadow. It was a time in history when the original Sith Empire had reached the height of its power, and the Republic was poorly prepared for a conflict of such magnitude. Master Gnost-Dural looks back at the Great Hyperspace War and identifies the controversial decision that drove the Sith into exile and set the stage for the Empire’s campaign of vengeance against the Republic.
BTC 1347 – When two hyperspace explorers stumbled onto the remote world of Korriban, they never could have guessed the chain of events they were setting into motion. Over the previous centuries, the Sith Empire had grown in size and strength, and Korriban was the very heart of its dominion. The reigning Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos, had just died, sparking a brutal power struggle between rivals Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow. The explorers’ arrival marked the first contact between the Republic and the Sith Empire, and it created at an opportunity to end the power struggle. Naga Sadow seized the moment and rallied the Sith for a pre-emptive strike against the Republic under his leadership. The ensuing series of battles saw the Republic nearly destroyed, but Naga Sadow’s machinations ultimately backfired, and the Republic drove the Sith back to Korriban. The Supreme Chancellor then directed Republic forces to ensure the Sith never returned… by annihilating their civilization entirely—a move which would ultimately come back to haunt the Republic centuries later…
Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, The Great Hyperspace War , narrated by actor Lance Henriksen:
I quite like this update. It tells some of a period I’m not all that familiar with (in fact we’ll continue to have that as we go further and further back in history), dealing with a major event that probably most everyone in the galaxy would know about by now (and thus helpful in roleplaying) and keeping plenty of mystery in place for the game itself. And it shows the Republic as capable of not only making big mistakes, but also being aware of this (or at least the Jedi are aware of it as per Gnost-Dural’s observations).
Let’s start with the full timeline transcript again:
AMONG PAST THREATS TO THE REPUBLIC-THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR STANDS ABOVE ALL OTHER WARS IN GALACTIC HISTORY.
IN FACT, THE BATTLE WE FIGHT TODAY IS IN MANY WAYS AN EXTENSION OF THIS SAME CONFLICT.
THE SITH EMPIRE WE BELIEVED WE HAD DESTROYED IN THIS WAR HAS NOW RETURNED TO AVENGE ITS DEFEAT.
THE HISTORICAL FACTORS THAT SET THE STAGE FOR THE MODERN CONFLICT BEAR CLOSE EXAMINATION.
I BELIEVE THE GREATEST FACTOR OF ALL MAY HAVE BEEN THE WAY THE REPUBLIC CONCLUDED THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR.
THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR BEGAN AT A TIME WHEN THE REPUBLIC HAD ENJOYED SEVERAL MILLENNIA OF PEACE, GROWTH, AND CONSOLIDATION.
IN CONTRAST, THE SITH EMPIRE WAS ENDING ITS CENTURIES-LONG ADOLESCENT PERIOD.
UNDISCOVERED BY THE REPUBLIC, THE SITH HAD CONQUERED ALL THE STAR SYSTEMS NEAR KORRIBAN.
THEY WERE NOW SEEKING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANSION.
AT THIS TIME, A BRUTAL POWER STRUGGLE HAD BROKEN OUT FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF THE SITH RULER.
AMONG THE CONTENDERS WAS THE DARK LORD, NAGA SADOW.
WHETHER BY CHANCE OR BY DESTINY, IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT TWO REPUBLIC EXPLORERS STUMBLED ONTO KORRIBAN.
NAGA SADOW SEIZED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN POLITICAL ADVANTAGE.
THE EXPLORERS WERE IMPRISONED AS SPIES, BUT NAGA SADOW STAGED AN ATTACK TO LIBERATE ONE OF EXPLORERS AND LEFT EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THE ATTACK WAS A REPUBLIC MILITARY OPERATION.
LEVERAGING THE WIDESPREAD FEAR OF AN IMPENDING REPUBLIC INVASION, NAGA SADOW RALLIED THE SITH TO UNITE BEHIND HIS CAUSE—A PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST THEIR NEWLY DISCOVERED ENEMIES.
EAGER FOR WAR, THE PEOPLE EMBRACED NAGA SADOW AS THEIR NEW RULER.
HIS FIRST ACT WAS TO LAUNCH A BRUTAL ASSAULT AGAINST THE REPUBLIC.
THE SITH ARMIES ATTACKED ON SEVERAL FRONTS, INCLUDING CORUSCANT ITSELF.
NAGA SADOW COMMANDED ALL HIS FORCES FROM A MEDITATION SPHERE SUSPENDED OVER A GIANT STAR.
THE INITIAL ONSLAUGHT OVERWHELMED THE REPUBLIC’S UNPREPARED DEFENSES.
THE SITH EMPIRE’S VICTORY WAS ALMOST ASSURED, BUT AS HAPPENS SO OFTEN, THE DARK SIDE TURNS UPON ITSELF.
NAGA SADOW WAS BETRAYED BY HIS APPRENTICE.
THOUGH THE APPRENTICE WAS DEFEATED, THE ATTACK DID SUCCEED IN BREAKING NAGA SADOW’S BATTLE MEDITATION. THE TIDE OF THE WAR TURNED.
THE SITH WERE LOST WITHOUT THEIR LEADER’S DIRECTION AND REPUBLIC FORCES SOON CHASED THE INVADERS BACK TO THE VERY DOORSTEP OF NAGA SADOW’S MEDITATION SPHERE.
RECOGNIZING HIS IMMINENT DEFEAT, THE SITH LORD ABANDONED HIS FORCES AND STARTED A CHAIN OF EVENTS TO DESTROY THE NEARBY STAR AND EVERYTHING IN ITS VICINITY.
NAGA SADOW FLED BACK TO KORRIBAN, ONLY TO DISCOVER RENEWED OPPOSITION TO HIS RULE.
CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT, WHITTLING AWAY WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE SITH EMPIRE’S ALREADY WEAKENED ARMIES.
NAGA SADOW DEFEATED THE UPSTARTS, BUT THE SITH WERE DEFENSELESS WHEN THE REPUBLIC FLEET ATTACKED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
AS THE REPUBLIC FLEET WIPED UP WHAT REMAINED OF THE SITH MILITARY, NAGA SADOW FLED AGAIN, THIS TIME INTO PERMANENT EXILE ON YAVIN-FOUR.
IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT THE REPUBLIC MADE WHAT MIGHT NOW BE CONSIDERED A MISTAKE:
THE SITH NO LONGER POSED A THREAT TO THE REPUBLIC, BUT THE SUPREME CHANCELLOR WAS UNSATISFIED.
JEDI AND REPUBLIC FORCES WERE SENT TO KORRIBAN AND OTHER SITH PLANETS TO ENSURE NO REMNANTS OF THE SITH EMPIRE REMAINED.
IT WAS THIS ACTION WHICH DROVE THE SURVIVING SITH TO FLEE INTO DEEP SPACE WITH THE NEW DARK LORD WHO ROSE TO TAKE NAGA SADOW’S PLACE…
THE SAME DARK LORD THEY CONTINUE TO CALL ‘EMPEROR’ TO THIS DAY.
I BELIEVE THIS WAS WHY HE LED HIS PEOPLE TO REBUILD THEIR CIVILIZATION ON DROMUND KAAS, AND THIS WAS WHY THEY RETURNED THIRTEEN CENTURIES LATER TO GET REVENGE AGAINST THE REPUBLIC.
ONE MUST WONDER HOW THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF THE REPUBLIC HAD HANDLED THE END OF THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR DIFFERENTLY…
WE MUSTN’T FORGET, THOUGH, THE CONFLICT AT THE HEART OF THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR AND THE WAR WE FIGHT TODAY BEGAN EVEN BEFORE THE SITH EMPIRE ROSE TO POWER.
I’LL ELABORATE IN THE NEXT HOLO-RECORD.
I can just eat up lore update. Yummmmm.