Rakatan revolt

Prelude

The Rakatan revolt's roots trace back to the genesis of the Rakata species' civilization. This civilization emerged on the planet Lehon, a terrestrial world situated within the Tempered Wastes region of the Unknown Regions. Long before 36,453 BBY, the Kwa—a Force-sensitive reptilian species originating from Dathomir—elevated the Rakata civilization. The Rakata were instructed in the ways of the Force and furnished with advanced technology. During this era, the Rakata became a client species of the Celestials, who held sway as the galaxy's dominant power and served as the Kwa's own benefactors.

Subsequent to a ruinous conflict with the Kwa, the Rakata rapidly engineered the first known hyperdrive. They discovered that they could harness the energy of Force-sensitive slaves from conquered populations to power their warships. This marked the rise of the Infinite Empire, which expanded through conquest and the discovery of Force-rich planets.

The revolt

It is theorized that the Celestials, with assistance from their servants—the Gree, the Kwa, and the Killiks—constructed the western barrier that divided the galaxy west of the Deep Core to contain the burgeoning Rakata. However, the newly established Infinite Empire had already extended its reach across the Unknown Regions and seized control of much of the eastern galaxy by approximately 35,000 BBY. Sometime before 33,598 BBY, the Rakata captured the forest world of Kashyyyk and deployed a terraforming computer to manipulate the wroshyr trees on the planet.

Ancient texts from the Gree Enclave, which referred to the Celestials as the "Ancient Masters," documented that their work was undone by curses unleashed by the Rakata, or the "Soul Hunters." These curses were known as the "Gray Swallowing" and the "Hollowers of Beings," and the Rakata were further referred to as the "Faceless Mouths" and "Eaters of Worlds." At some point more than 30,000 years before 1 BBY, the Celestials vanished from the galaxy. By 30,000 BBY, the Celestials were nowhere to be found.

Aftermath

By 30,000 BBY, the Celestials had disappeared entirely, ceasing to pose any threat to the increasingly powerful Infinite Empire. The Rakatan Infinite Empire then rose to prominence as the galaxy's dominant power, stretching from the Tempered Wastes to the far reaches of the eastern galaxy and encompassing over five hundred worlds rich in the Force. The Rakata then focused on subjugating their primary rivals among the Celestial client species, including the Killiks, the Gree Empire, and the Kwa holdings. The Gree were pushed back to their home cluster, while the Kwa were nearly completely exterminated by the Infinite Empire.

Similarly, the Killiks disappeared from the galaxy and migrated beyond the Unknown Regions, an action thought to be caused by the Celestials. Following the construction of Centerpoint Station, the Killiks claimed that the Celestials had become angered by their species and had driven them from their homeworld of Alderaan. It was also suggested that the Celestials forced the Killiks into the Unknown Regions after they consumed their own world and tried to claim another. Mnggal-Mnggal also stated that it had seen the Celestials suddenly depart the galaxy during this period.

The ultimate fate of the Celestials remained unclear to later historians. Dr. Insmot Bowen speculated that they might have been trapped within the galaxy by their own barrier and destroyed during the Rakatan revolt, or that they may have escaped through the barrier. He also proposed that they might have withdrawn from this dimension altogether. Others, such as the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis, considered the possibility that the Celestials were the ones who, according to Jedi and Sith legends, merged with the Force to control its path.

Legacy

In 1 BBY, Dr. Insmot Bowen, a specialist in pre-Republic history at the Obroan Institute for Archaeology, briefed General Arhul Kurumenga of the Imperial Department of Military Research, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti of the Imperial Navy, and Master of Imperial Projects Bevel Lemelisk on various discoveries that offered minimal insights into the Celestials, including their conflict with and eventual defeat by the Rakata.

Motti questioned the historical accuracy of the Rakata and Celestial species, dismissing stories about them as "arrant nonsense" suitable only for "holothrillers." However, Dr. Bowen believed in the stories of the Celestial species and the war they fought, suggesting they might still exist in some form, posing a potential threat to the New Order.

Behind the scenes

The Rakatan revolt was intended to be included in The Essential Guide to Warfare but was removed by Jason Fry. It was later revealed in the Star Wars Blog article Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut — The Celestials.

Sources

• The Essential Guide to Warfare (First mentioned) (Cut)
• Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut — The Celestials on StarWars.com (article) (backup link) (First identified as Rakatan revolt)
• Dangerous Covenants

Notes and references

External links

• Jason Fry's Dorkery — EG to Warfare: Endnotes Pt. 1 on Tumblr (backup link)