Many years prior to 36,453 BBY, a conflict ignited between the Rakata species and their former mentors, the Kwa. This war erupted because the Kwa declined to share their Infinity Gate technology with the Rakata, despite having previously instructed them in the ways of the Force. Harnessing both the dark side of the Force and the technology gifted by the Kwa, the Rakata established an Infinite Empire that thrived on the subjugation and enslavement of worlds abundant in Force-sensitive beings. Their ambition was to utilize Infinity Gate technology for instantaneous travel between planets. The Kwa retaliated against the Rakata on their homeworld, Lehon, successfully resisting them long enough for a group of Kwa to obliterate the Infinity Gate present there, though at a great cost of Kwa lives. In the aftermath of this conflict, the Kwa either destroyed or rendered inoperable the majority of the remaining gates throughout the galaxy, withdrawing to their own homeworld of Dathomir. However, some Kwa, such as A'nang, chose to stay behind on worlds like Tython.
The initial depiction of the Kwa and Rakata's battle occurred within a flashback featured in the comic book titled Dawn of the Jedi: The Prisoner of Bogan 4, which saw its release on March 27, 2013.