In 3 BBY, after uncovering their support for insurgent actions, the Galactic Empire apprehended numerous functionaries within the Outer Rim planet of Christophsis's administration. To "pacify" the world, the Empire suppressed the city of Tophen, identified as the epicenter of rebel operations, and subjected the capital city, Chaleydonia, to orbital bombardment.
In 3 BBY, a medical frigate belonging to the Imperial forces was seized by the rebellion. This act was aided by the ship's captain alongside a squadron of rebel starfighters. The Empire, in its investigation of this theft, discovered that the prime minister of Christophsis, together with numerous other government figures, including the planet's senators, were providing support to the Christophsian rebels involved in the aforementioned incident.
The Empire responded rapidly to "pacify" Christophsis, with a portion of this operation involving the seizure of the prime minister, senators, and regional supervisors. The prime minister was executed on charges of treason, while the senators and regional supervisors were consigned to Imperial labor camps. Furthermore, the city of Tophen, the prime minister's birthplace and later identified as the heart of the planet's insurgency, was "pacified," as was the planetary capital, Chaleydonia. The suppression of Chaleydonia involved three Imperial-class Star Destroyers entering orbit to bombard the city.
The Empire characterized the Christophsis crackdown as a "pacification" effort. Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin delivered a speech to the entire Imperial Senate, outlining the Empire's suppression as a warning to other worlds considering defiance. Historian Beaumont Kin, in his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, addressed the "pacification" of Christophsis and the Empire's intended effect on the galaxy, disagreeing with the term "pacification" due to the extreme force employed by the Empire.