During the era known as the Cold War, the planet of Hoth, situated in the Outer Rim territories, transformed into a contested area amidst a three-way struggle involving the Galactic Republic, the Sith Empire, and an ambitious Pirate Confederation. The fight for dominance over this world traces back to the Great Galactic War years preceding the Cold War, a time when Republic and Empire's naval forces clashed in a significant battle within the Hoth system. This confrontation resulted in the destruction of numerous fleets, leading to the crash of countless ruined vessels onto the desolate surface. Due to resource constraints, neither government could organize a salvage operation, leaving valuable technology scattered across the planet, creating a starship graveyard. Capitalizing on the absence of both Sith and Republic influence, a pirate faction began amassing this technology, defending their acquired assets with a force composed of battle droids and hired mercenaries.
As the chaos of the Great Galactic War subsided and the galaxy transitioned into the Cold War, both the Republic and the Empire initiated plans to return to Hoth. These two powers then found themselves in conflict with each other, as well as the pirate confederation, during the opening stages of the Galactic War, which resulted in a protracted and intense struggle to gain control of the planet.
The Battle of Hoth from the Galactic War is a recurring event in the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which was jointly developed by BioWare and LucasArts. Details of the battle are presented within the in-game Codex, as well as through both Imperial and Republic world and class-specific missions. These missions are designed to be completed by groups of players, and all classes are able to undertake both the world and side missions. Therefore, in this article, the player characters involved in these quests are referred to as groups of Imperial or Republic operatives, with the assumption that each faction completes their respective missions in accordance with their established alignments.