The Medal of Bothawui was awarded for distinguished service in intelligence gathering and fighting the rising tide of oppression and injustice. This award for intelligence gathering symbolized that while weapons, food and other supplies are vital to the resistance movement, information is the most vital resource of all. It was named in honor of the Bothan people, many of whom sacrificed themselves in the war against tyranny. Its Imperial equivalent was presumably the Medal of the Emperor's Fist.
At least two variants of the medal existed. One variant simply had a red ribbon with gold attachments and a massive gold medallion with the Rebel Alliance logo emblazoned on the front. The other variant had a red ribbon lined with various rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds, with the medal itself being gray and spade-shaped, with the Rebel Alliance logo being prominently displayed as well as featuring the silhouette of an X-wing at the top. This second model was very similar to the Alliance Medal of Honor.
In 1 ABY, a spacer was awarded the Medal of Bothawui for retrieving four valuable droid modules and delivering them to Rebel agent Wilson Tchorshel.
The Medal of Bothawui was a player reward in the online game Star Wars Galaxies for completing the Rebel arc of the Legacy Quest. The medal had two different designs between the in-game version of the medal and the one in the eponymous card for the Champions of the Force deck for the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game.