The Bilbringi system, a star system situated along the Namadii Corridor within the Inner Rim of the galaxy, held strategic importance. Functioning as the location of the vital Bilbringi Shipyards, it was a key element during the Thrawn campaign. This system was characterized by a dense field of asteroids and space debris and was also positioned near significant military transport routes. The abundance of metals and natural resources within the asteroids of the system was a significant factor in choosing the location for the shipyards, as these materials were crucial for starship production. Bilbringi VII was the largest asteroid within the system.
The presence of a unique [crystal gravfield trap](/article/crystal_gravfield_trap], capable of detecting cloaked objects with speed, made the system a high-priority target for the New Republic. They determined that seizing Bilbringi was essential to acquire the device, which was desperately needed to counter Grand Admiral Thrawn's ongoing siege of Coruscant. The siege involved the deployment of numerous cloaked asteroids into orbit around the capital, severely disrupting transportation in and out of the planet. Instead of targeting a less defended system, the New Republic opted to strike the fortified Bilbringi, aiming to catch the Empire off guard. However, Thrawn, with his strategic brilliance, anticipated this move and set a trap for the incoming New Republic fleet. A turning point in the Battle of Bilbringi occurred when Thrawn was assassinated by his Noghri bodyguard, Rukh, during the height of the conflict. Gilad Pellaeon, Thrawn's second-in-command and the captain of the Chimaera, was forced to order a retreat, abandoning Bilbringi to the New Republic, in a painful parallel to his retreat five years prior after the Battle of Endor. This battle marked the end of the Imperial resurgence led by Thrawn's strategic genius, although the following year, the other half of the Imperial forces, under the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, would launch an offensive from their hidden bases in the Deep Core, capitalizing on the late Grand Admiral's gains to retake Coruscant.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the shipyards served as the location for a critical meeting between Nom Anor, a captured Yuuzhan Vong agent, and Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo, representing the New Republic. Anor nearly died from vacuum exposure during this encounter, but he was spared and eventually returned to his people. Later in the conflict, Bilbringi was captured by the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders.
Towards the end of the war, in 29 ABY, the Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant engaged the Yuuzhan Vong in the Second Battle of Bilbringi, as a component of Operation Trinity. The mission failed after the Vong disabled the HoloNet. The Alliance forces were compelled to withdraw, but both sides suffered considerable casualties.