Battle of Malachor V

During the year 3960 BBY, Revan orchestrated a decisive showdown with the Mandalorians in the skies above Malachor V. He strategically positioned a formidable Republic fleet around the planet. Under a veil of utmost secrecy, he had been developing a superweapon, famously known as the "Mass Shadow Generator," a device ingeniously engineered by the Zabrak technician, Bao-Dur. This weapon served as the keystone of an elaborate trap designed to bring about a definitive conclusion to the destructive conflict. A skilled, yet war-weary Jedi General, Meetra Surik (later to be known as the Jedi Exile), who had previously participated in the brutal campaign on Dxun, commanded the fleet and oversaw the deployment of the device. Revan strategically lured the Mandalorians toward Malachor V, initiating a massive orbital fleet engagement.

Revan encountered delays outside the system due to an encounter with a Mandalorian reconnaissance group. Despite his delayed arrival, he eventually reached Malachor and entered the ongoing conflict, finding the Mandalorian fleet far from defeated. Soon after, he skillfully maneuvered Mandalore into a direct confrontation, ultimately striking down the prominent Mandalorian leader in a duel. Simultaneously, an increasing number of Revanchist Jedi engaged in the orbital battle began to succumb to the dark influence radiating from the planet below. Years of relentless warfare had eroded their resilience, making them susceptible to the allure of the dark side. Bolstered by this newfound vigor, Revan's forces intensified their attack. They initially reached a stalemate before gradually pushing the Mandalorian fleet back toward Malachor V.

As the battle reached its peak intensity, Meetra Surik realized that the Mandalorians had fallen into their carefully laid trap and that the moment to unleash their secret weapon had arrived. With a resolute nod, she instructed Bao-Dur to activate the device. Moments later, she watched in horror as a significant portion of both fleets were abruptly pulled from orbit into a massive gravitational vortex, possessing sufficient power to crush countless ships against the planet's surface and fracture the world down to its core.

While few vessels from either side emerged from the Battle of Malachor V completely unscathed, the Mandalorians suffered the most extensive damage and the highest number of casualties. Following the near-total annihilation of their fleet by the Mass Shadow Generator, the surviving Mandalorians swiftly transmitted their unconditional surrender, effectively bringing the Mandalorian Wars to an end.

Once a thriving agricultural world, Malachor V was shattered by the Mass Shadow Generator, transforming it into a collection of planetoids tenuously held together by the gravitational anomalies present within the Malachor system. The fragmented remains of the planet were encircled by the drifting remnants of countless Mandalorian and Republic warships. The surface below, now a barren graveyard littered with destroyed vessels from the battle, echoed with the deaths of countless Jedi, Republic soldiers, and Mandalorians. Furthermore, it was constantly battered by tectonically-induced storms capable of dragging ships from orbit.

Following the battle, Revan disarmed and disbanded the Mandalorian clans, allowing them to disperse across the Outer Rim. Deprived of leadership and honor, they underwent a period of decline. While some Mandalorian survivors returned to the Mandalore system, many, including Canderous Ordo, suppressed their pride and became mercenaries. Other groups resorted to banditry in a futile attempt to recapture their former glory.

After defeating Mandalore the Ultimate and securing a resounding victory in the war at Malachor V, Revan and Malak were celebrated as heroes and saviors of the Republic. Shortly after the battle, they led the remaining forces into the Unknown Regions, ostensibly to pursue the remnants of the Mandalorian fleet. However, they neither returned nor communicated their whereabouts. Over time, the Republic feared that they had perished in some tragic event, but in reality, they were secretly building their forces in preparation for a conquest of the Republic.

Meetra Surik, the Jedi General who had brought the war to its catastrophic conclusion, found herself unable to withstand the psychic reverberations of the destructive energies she had unleashed. The simultaneous deaths of so many Jedi, Mandalorians, and Republic soldiers created an immense Wound in the Force. To cope with this overwhelming trauma, she unconsciously severed her connection to the Force. As a result, she became deaf to its call, unable to sense it due to the interference caused by the echoes of the suffering she had witnessed. The battle was responsible for the cause of wounds in the force, most notably Darth Nihilus.

The battle is depicted in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, its sequel, the historical account Chronicles of the Old Republic, and the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide, although these various accounts contain several notable inconsistencies.

Within the first game of the KotOR series, Canderous Ordo asserts that Revan single-handedly won the battle. However, in the second game, he notes that Meetra Surik was the one who defeated his people. The sequel also clarifies, through Bao-Dur's dialogue, that Revan was delayed and that his fleet was in a precarious situation upon his arrival—a detail that is difficult to reconcile with the other descriptions of the battle.

While Knights of the Old Republic II portrays the Exile as ordering Bao-Dur to activate the Generator, the Revan novel, The Essential Guide to Warfare, and Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars claim that Revan was the one who activated it.

The circumstances surrounding Mandalore the Ultimate's death also remain unclear. Knights of the Old Republic and The New Essential Chronology state that Revan killed Mandalore in close combat, but in Knights of the Old Republic II, Canderous claims that Revan executed him.