The Despot War, also referred to as the Despot Wars, represents a significant armed struggle that unfolded within the Tython system in the year 25,805 BBY. This conflict arose when the Despot Queen Hadiya endeavored to consolidate the criminal barons of her homeworld, Shikaakwa, with the ultimate goal of seizing control of the Tython system. Having ascended to the position of Kral, or supreme ruler, of Shikaakwa, Hadiya's ambition was to unite the planet's elite under her singular command, a proposition that faced considerable opposition from a significant portion of the aristocracy.
Recognizing the potential threat Hadiya's ambitions posed to the system's equilibrium, the Je'daii Order stationed on the planet of Tython made the decision to actively support the aristocracy in their resistance. This intervention ignited open warfare between the Je'daii and Hadiya's Despot Army. The climax of the war occurred when Hadiya launched an invasion of Tython, directly assaulting the Je'daii temple of Kaleth, where she met her death at the hands of Daegen Lok, a Je'daii Ranger who had infiltrated Hadiya's ranks as an undercover operative to gain proximity to her.
Lok's assassination of Hadiya effectively brought the war to an end. Nevertheless, the conflict resulted in a devastating loss of life, with approximately one hundred thousand Tythan casualties and over a million casualties within the Despot Army. Thousands more sustained injuries, and the Tython system remained fraught with tension in the decade that followed the cessation of hostilities.
Back in 36,453 BBY, ships shaped like pyramids, called Tho Yor, transported Force-sensitive travelers to Tython. These travelers would go on to establish the [Je'daii Order](/article/je%27daii_order], a group dedicated to using the Force. However, Tython was dangerous for those who couldn't use the Force. So, in the next two thousand years after the Tho Yor Arrival, people who weren't Force-sensitive migrated away from Tython. They settled on Tython's moons and then on ten other planets in the Tython system. Over the next ten thousand years, those on the Settled Worlds started to feel angry and suspicious of the Je'daii. On Shikaakwa, a group of wealthy families known as the Nine Houses and criminal barons became the main rulers.
Around 25,805 BBY, a Twi'lek named Hadiya began using her charm and power to bring together the Nine Houses and the wealthy families of Shikaakwa. She had help from her lieutenants - Bakko, Ka'un Damm, and her "fists," Shri-Lan and Gav Vannar. As the Kral, or leader of the wealthy families, Hadiya tried to unite them. But some families didn't want to join her or support her plan to take over the Tython system. When Clan Ryo's leader refused to join Hadiya's forces, she killed him and his oldest son. She then forced the middle son, Volnos Ryo, to become the new leader of his house. Even though some wealthy families resisted, many ordinary people supported Hadiya because she promised them safety, wealth, and freedom from the Je'daii.
Hadiya's ambitions, now that she was known as the Despot Queen, caught the Je'daii's attention. They realized that her plans threatened the stability of the system, so they joined the wealthy families of Shikaakwa in opposing her. They promised to stand against any actions she took against them and to protect those who didn't want to be ruled by her. After a short period of small fights in space and on some of the moons of Kalimahr, Hadiya and her Despot Army, which she had secretly trained and armed, launched a full-scale invasion of Tython. The Je'daii were initially surprised, but they quickly recovered and fought back against Hadiya's massive and brutal invasion. During the invasion of Tython, Je'daii Master Rajivari led the Je'daii in battle and became known as "General." Temple Master Telaat, who was in charge of the Je'daii Temple Akar Kesh and led the Je'daii Council, was killed. A younger Master named Ketu took his place.
Some of the domed cities on Nox supported the Je'daii, while others supported the Despot Queen. When the Je'daii found out that three domes near Greenwood Station were giving weapons to Hadiya, they tried to convince them to stop. When that didn't work, they bombed the cities. The Je'daii warned the people living in the domes that they would be bombed, but thousands still died in the attacks. Greenwood Station itself was only damaged because it was home to Pan Deep, a lab that made technology for the Je'daii, and the damage was quickly fixed. However, the people of Greenwood Station developed a strong hatred for the Je'daii because of the bombing. Battle droids were also used in the Despot War, and the Despot Army used Deathstalker-class fighters and their sister ships, Deathblaster-class fighters, throughout the war. However, the Je'daii destroyed many of the Deathblaster-class fighters during the conflict.
Volnos Ryo wanted to get revenge on Hadiya for killing his father and brother. He sought out Daegen Lok, a Je'daii Ranger and the best friend of Volnos's younger brother, Hawk. With Volnos's help, Lok went to the Despot Army and pretended to be a disgraced Ranger who wanted to join them. Lok quickly rose through the ranks and became a valuable lieutenant to Hadiya. He and Hadiya became lovers, and Lok began to forget his mission. During Hadiya's attack on the Temple of Kaleth, many people on both sides were killed, including the mother and father of a young Je'daii child named Shae Koda. At Kaleth, Volnos Ryo confronted Lok and reminded him of his mission to end the war. Lok then tried to kill Hadiya in their tent by stabbing her. However, he hesitated because he had feelings for her and because the Je'daii were not supposed to assassinate people. But when Hadiya attacked him, he killed her and then fought his way out of the camp, leaving one person alive to tell the story. Hadiya's death caused the invasion to collapse, as her generals turned against each other. The Je'daii soon defeated the remaining Despot Army and won the war.
Around one hundred thousand Je'daii were killed in the war, and ten times that number were killed in the Despot Army. Thousands more were injured. After the war, the Je'daii destroyed many of the remaining Deathblaster and Deathstalker-class fighters, making the Deathblaster ship very rare. In revenge for the bombings, the council of Greenwood Station allowed the murder of one Je'daii for every hundred civilians who had been killed in the bombings. These assassinations continued across the system for two or three years after the war. Hadiya's closest advisors were exiled to Nox, and a new, weak Kral was chosen who was easily controlled by the Nine Houses. The rivalries and conflicts between the Houses started again, and many people in the Tythan system still resented the Je'daii. Because of his role in ending the war, Daegen Lok was quickly promoted to the rank of Master. However, in 25,800 BBY, he and Hawk Ryo, feeling too confident after their victories in the war, went down into the Chasm on Tython. The Chasm was a deep crack in the planet's surface that drove many Je'daii crazy if they went too far down. Lok and Ryo saw a vision of an army of dark warriors carrying flaming swords. Lok went insane as a result, while Ryo denied the vision and stayed sane.
The Despot War was first mentioned in preview issue 0 of the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi comic book series. The first issue showed the conflict in its summary of Je'daii history. Later issues of the series gave more details about the conflict, and the novel Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void expanded on the events and origins of the Despot War.