The Battle of Bothawui's First Engagement, often shortened to simply the Battle of Bothawui, represented a naval showdown. It pitted the forces of the Sith Empire against the Galactic Republic during the Great Galactic War. After the Empire's resurgence and initial triumphs within the Outer Rim Territories at the war's commencement, the Sith Emperor shifted focus towards the Mid Rim in 3671 BBY, selecting Bothawui as the primary target. Admiral Greik of the Republic Navy, anticipating this offensive, endorsed the audacious strategies proposed by the combat analysis droid B-3G9 and concentrated his entire fleet of warships above the planet. The invasion turned into a debacle for the Empire, as the Republic forces were well-prepared. The complete annihilation of the Imperial Armada strike fleet occurred, yet the Empire's initial failed attempt to seize Bothawui only fueled their second, more aggressive assault.
From the Great Galactic War's outbreak in 3681 BBY, the Sith Empire achieved widespread success in its campaigns throughout the Outer Rim Territories, while only launching minor incursions into the Mid Rim. These limited attempts at escalating the conflict frequently ended in defeat. However, following the Imperial seizure of the Seswenna sector within the Outer Rim in 3671 BBY, the Sith Emperor started formulating plans for his military's comprehensive advancement towards the Core Worlds. The initial phase of this strategy involved the definitive conquest of the Mid Rim—specifically, the Bothan sector. Foreseeing this development, Admiral Greik of the Republic Navy initiated planning for a counter-offensive. Utilizing a strategy conceived by the skilled combat analysis droid, B-3G9, Greik gathered the entirety of the Republic fleet within the Both system to mount a defense against an Imperial invasion of the planet Bothawui.
Under the assumption that the Republic Navy's forces were still recuperating from the Outer Rim campaign, the Imperial armada hastily entered Bothan Space, and a contingent of Harrower-class dreadnoughts discovered themselves in a severely lopsided engagement against the entirety of the Republic fleet positioned in orbit above Bothawui itself. The Republic's strength, which included a multitude of Thranta-class corvettes and at least one Valor-class cruiser, the Intercessor, relentlessly pounded the Sith forces into capitulation. Caught entirely by surprise, the Imperial fleet was swiftly overwhelmed by the Republic vessels, which obliterated all of the invading forces, including the Sith Lord Darth Immern. The Kel Dor Jedi Knight Gnost-Dural, recently reassigned to the Republic Navy following extensive service within the embattled Minos Cluster, participated in the battle, as did the Bothan Jedi Kutri O'a.
The clash at Bothawui marked the Republic's first significant triumph against the Empire since the war's commencement. Reports of the battle circulated across the HoloNet, boosting the morale of the Republic's populace and revitalizing its weary military. The majority of Bothawui's defense forces soon redeployed, dispersing once more throughout the galaxy to confront the Empire. To safeguard against retaliation, the Republic commissioned engineers to construct a new, potent planetary shield on Bothawui's surface. To protect the shield itself, a dedicated contingent of Jedi and Republic soldiers remained stationed on the planet, anticipating the Empire's reprisal.
The Empire did indeed return, this time deploying a massive invasion force intended to overwhelm Bothawui. The remaining Republic forces, under the leadership of Jedi Master Belth Allusis, were decimated during their fight to defend the planet, but ultimately succeeded in repelling the Sith from Bothawui. The battles fought over Bothawui reignited hope within a disheartened Republic and empowered its defenders to sustain the war effort for several decades. B-3G9, the droid hero of the First Battle of Bothawui, received a reward for the victory: an order for upgrades and maintenance at its Czerka Corporation factory of origin. However, due to an administrative error, the droid underwent a partial circuit remapping, transforming it into a standard protocol droid. This mix-up diminished B-3G9's tactical analysis programming, removing it from command status but enabling it to continue serving the Republic as a manager of individual starship defense systems.
Following the war's conclusion with the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, then-Jedi Master Gnost-Dural created a holorecord detailing the Empire's attempts to capture Bothawui. Furthermore, his journal of war stories, which included an account of the battle over Bothawui, was added to the Jedi Archives on Tython by Grand Master Satele Shan, who also included an anecdote regarding the Bothawui victory.
The First Battle of Bothawui was first presented in the fifth installment of the Galactic Timeline, which came out in 2009. This in-universe account detailed the events leading up to the massively multiplayer online video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, released in 2011 by LucasArts and BioWare. The timeline is narrated by Kel-Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, voiced by actor Lance Henriksen. While most sources simply call this battle the "Battle of Bothawui," the subsequent, more significant battle also carries the same name. The 2013 Digital Expansion for The Old Republic, titled Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Starfighter was the first to explicitly refer to the battle as the First Battle of Bothawui.