The clash known as the Battle of Bothawui represented a pivotal military conflict occurring in 3671 BBY. This confrontation transpired during the Great Galactic War, pitting the forces of the Galactic Republic against the newly empowered Sith Empire. This battle proved to be a crucial turning point in the decade-long war, offering significant support to a weakened Republic teetering on the brink of collapse. During that year, the Sith turned their attention to the Mid Rim world of Bothawui, having previously seized control over vast portions of the Outer Rim Territories. As a world aligned with the Republic, Bothawui became the focal point of the entire Republic Navy, a concentration of power that ultimately thwarted the Empire's initial attempt to capture the planet. Although this Sith assault ended in failure, the Imperials only intensified their determination to seize the world following their defeat. As preparations were underway for another invasion of Bothawui, the majority of the Republic's defenders stationed there were redeployed. The remaining forces consisted of a relatively small group of Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers under the leadership of Jedi Master Belth Allusis.
Shortly after the Republic Navy's departure, a formidable fleet belonging to the Imperial Navy arrived at the planet, with the intention of initiating a bombardment from orbit. The strong planetary shield, constructed by Republic engineers, proved resilient against the orbital assault, but the Sith remained undeterred. Under the command of the Imperial Grand Moff Zellos, the Sith's army landed on the planet and launched a massive offensive targeting the shield generator. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Master Allusis's small contingent of Republic defenders held their ground for several days, inflicting numerous deaths on Imperial soldiers and causing embarrassment for the Grand Moff. Zellos responded by continuously committing his forces to the battle, a tactic that only resulted in even greater casualties for his army. Inevitably, due to sheer numbers, the Republic faced defeat, and the defenders' ranks gradually diminished to a mere handful. In a courageous final stand, Allusis and his remaining troops confronted the Imperials at the base of the generator, eliminating a significant number of enemies before ultimately being killed themselves. Their actions earned them galactic recognition as the "Heroes of Bothawui." Despite the complete annihilation of the defenders, the Empire was unable to destroy the shield and secure Bothawui, as their assault force had suffered extensive losses. As a consequence of the battle, the Empire temporarily suspended its incursions into the Mid Rim, and the Sith Emperor was compelled to reassess his strategic approach. Although all Republic forces on Bothawui were lost, the story of the planet's defenders and their unwavering resistance against the Empire served as an inspiration to many throughout the Republic, fostering new strategies and a renewed determination to continue the war.
Upon its reappearance in known space in 3681 BBY, the reestablished Sith Empire initiated a highly successful campaign aimed at seizing control of the Outer Rim Territories. During the initial decade of this Great Galactic War, member worlds of the Old Republic rapidly fell, leading the Sith Emperor to believe that his invasion of the galaxy was unstoppable. Following the Imperial triumph in the struggle for the Seswenna sector, the Emperor secured the Outer Rim and began formulating plans to advance towards the galactic core, which served as the stronghold of the Republic's progressively diminishing power. The primary target of this renewed offensive was the Mid Rim, specifically the Bothan sector.
The Bothan sector, which encompassed the planet Bothawui and was inhabited by the Bothan people, held significant strategic importance. Consequently, Bothawui itself became the focal point of the Empire's incursion into the Mid Rim. Although the attack on the planet was intended as a surprise ambush, intelligence regarding the assault was leaked and eventually reached the attention of Republic Navy Admiral Greik. Greik swiftly responded by establishing a trap for the Imperial strike force, concentrating the entire Republic naval fleet above the planet. Despite the inherent risks associated with this maneuver, it ultimately proved successful. The Imperials advanced into Bothan Space, only to find themselves confronted by the full force of the Republic Navy. The engagement concluded with the complete annihilation of the Imperial attack squadron. This first battle at Bothawui also marked the Republic's first significant victory since the beginning of the war, providing a much-needed morale boost for its defenders.
In the wake of that initial battle, jubilation spread throughout the Republic military, and civilians celebrated on the capital planet of Coruscant and other worlds. Meanwhile, the Empire prepared for a subsequent assault. Although certain individuals within the Republic Navy, such as Jedi Knight Gnost-Dural, anticipated that the Sith would plan such retribution, the Navy was compelled to redeploy once again and return to battlefronts across the galaxy. As a precautionary measure, Republic engineers erected a formidable planetary shield on Bothawui's surface to safeguard the world from the threat of orbital bombardment. Despite this measure, some members of the Jedi Order and Republic Military believed that the world required ground-based defenders. Consequently, Jedi Master Belth Allusis, a prominent figure within the Jedi High Council, volunteered to remain on the planet and command a small contingent consisting of four thousand Republic soldiers, four Special Forces squads, and eighty-four Jedi Knights. Aware that they would face the full force of the Sith's vengeance, the Republic's forces established defensive positions within the forest surrounding Bothawui's planetary shield generator and prepared for the Empire's return.
The Empire did indeed retaliate against Bothawui. Approximately twenty-seven days following the initial battle in the planet's orbit, Imperial battleships from across the galaxy converged on Bothan Space. Under the command of Grand Moff Zellos, this massive invasion fleet, composed of Harrower-class dreadnoughts, Fury-class interceptors, assault craft, and Mark VI Supremacy-class starfighters, commenced an orbital bombardment of the planet. Despite the attacking fleet's strength, the planetary shield remained intact, compelling the Imperials to initiate a ground-based campaign to seize or destroy the shield generator complex. Zellos deployed an army of fifty thousand soldiers, consisting of regular Imperial soldiers and members of the elite Imperial Guard, and prepared to advance on the shield. Confident of a swift victory for the Empire, the Grand Moff and his advisors directed their forces to destroy the generator through a direct frontal assault.
Positioned between the Imperials and the shield generator were the Republic defenders. Master Allusis formulated a defensive strategy for the generator, outlining the Imperial landing point and their anticipated path through the Bothawui forests towards the shield. The Jedi's force of four thousand and eighty-four exploited elevated positions and blaster cannon turrets along the route to ambush and decimate the Empire's ranks, while Allusis himself engaged in combat on the front lines on multiple occasions. The Republic and Jedi forces acknowledged the significant disparity between their numbers and those of the Empire but continued to fight regardless. In the process, the Bothawui defenders developed innovative and unconventional tactics that eliminated hundreds of Imperials. These new strategies resulted in an astonishing casualty ratio: for every Republic soldier killed, the Empire lost ten. Despite these figures, Grand Moff Zellos persisted in sending wave after wave of soldiers into the Bothawui forest, increasing the number of troops with each successive push. This decision led to even greater losses for the Empire, as the Imperial commanders had underestimated the determination of Bothawui's defenders.
Zellos was eventually compelled to request reinforcements, and although the Republic's soldiers and Jedi consistently outmaneuvered and outwitted the Sith in every engagement, their numbers gradually dwindled. After days of intense fighting, Master Allusis's perimeter was breached, and his forces were slowly pushed back and depleted. The majority of the Republic's forces perished in those final hours, leaving only a few dozen soldiers and Jedi to maintain the defense. The survivors rallied around Allusis at the base of the generator for a final stand against the Empire. However, before the Imperials launched their attack, Grand Moff Zellos surprised his opponents by offering to spare Allusis if his men would surrender. Guided by the Force, Allusis and his troops rejected the offer and fought off hundreds of Imperials until their own deaths. Although Zellos succeeded in eliminating the Republic forces, his own army suffered heavy losses. In fact, the number of survivors proved insufficient to seize the shield generator, let alone maintain an occupation force on Bothawui. Zellos and his remaining troops were forced to retreat from the planet. The Battle of Bothawui concluded in a stalemate.
Despite the seemingly neutral outcome of the battle, the Republic ultimately derived greater benefits from the conflict than the Empire. Following the engagement, the late Master Belth Allusis and his forces were posthumously honored and achieved galactic fame as the "Heroes of Bothawui." Their story inspired Republic defenders fighting elsewhere to persevere in their struggle with renewed zeal and pride, while disillusioned and weary Republic citizens experienced a resurgence of hope due to their sacrifice. For at least the subsequent four years, the war shifted significantly in favor of the Republic Military, which successfully captured the Sith Dread Masters, defeated the Imperials at Rhen Var, liberated Alderaan, and achieved a series of victories in the Minos Cluster quagmire.
Republic military strategists adopted the innovative tactics developed by the defenders of Bothawui throughout the remainder of the war. These tactics effectively halted the Sith Empire's encroachment towards the core worlds for a period and solidified the Battle of Bothawui's reputation as a pivotal moment in the Great Galactic War. As the Imperials ceased their incursion, the Emperor himself was prompted to reevaluate his own strategic planning. This ultimately led to the Empire's Ministry of Intelligence dedicating several years to forging an alliance with the Mandalorian warrior clans. This alliance ultimately resulted in the Mandalorian Blockade of the Hydian Way in 3660 BBY, an event that brought an end to the Republic's winning streak and severely impacted the economy and infrastructure of the once-powerful democracy.
Following the Treaty of Coruscant and the conclusion of the war, the Kel Dor Jedi historian Gnost-Dural created a holorecord documenting the events surrounding the battle. The holorecord was added to the Jedi Archives on Tython along with Dural's personal journal, which also contained an account of the battle. During the Cold War era that followed the Great Galactic War, Master Allusis was memorialized with a Valor-class cruiser named in his honor. Conversely, Moff Zellos returned to the Empire after his failure and was never heard from again. Although it was widely reported and believed that there were no survivors from the Republic defense force following the battle, at least one front-line technician, the Zabrak Lem Karner, managed to escape the planet and continued to serve the Republic Military well into the Cold War.
The Battle of Bothawui was initially presented in the fifth installment of the Galactic Timeline, an in-universe historical narrative of events leading up to Star Wars: The Old Republic, the massively multiplayer online game developed by LucasArts and BioWare. This installment was released on October 23 of 2009 and is narrated by Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, voiced by actor Lance Henriksen. The battle was further detailed in The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural, a reference book included in collector's editions of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Both the game and the journal were released on December 20 of 2011.
The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural includes a pull-out page that outlines Master Allusis's defense strategy and the topography of the forested area surrounding the shield generator. Information presented on the pull-out page is inconsistent with information provided in the Timeline and the text of the journal itself. As a result, this article considers any conflicting information to be inaccurate. The pull-out page claimed that Master Allusis commanded only twenty-three Jedi and 672 Republic infantry troops, figures significantly lower than those provided in other sources. Furthermore, it indicated that four squads of the Republic Special Forces participated in the battle, despite the fact that the codex within Star Wars: The Old Republic confirms that the Special Forces division of the Republic Military did not exist until after the Battle of Alderaan, which occurred four years after the Bothawui conflicts. This article includes the special forces squads in its reporting, as it is known that at least one special operations division, Havoc Squad, existed within the Republic Army prior to the Treaty of Coruscant.