Also known as the Naddist Revolt or the Naddist Uprising, the Freedon Nadd Uprising comprised a series of conflicts that unfolded during the era of the Old Sith Wars. These battles took place on the planet of Onderon in the year 3998 BBY. The catalyst for the Uprising was the Jedi's decision to seize the remains of the ancient Sith Lord Freedon Nadd from Onderon's ruler, Queen Amanoa, in an effort to purge the dark side's influence from the planet.
The Jedi-led procession during Queen Amanoa's funeral on Onderon was disrupted by the Naddists, who briefly gained the advantage. They not only captured the remains of both Freedon Nadd and Amanoa but also seized Jedi Master Arca Jeth when they took control of the city of Iziz. Ultimately, Jedi forces and a Republic fleet were dispatched to the planet with the mission of suppressing the uprising and securing the release of Jedi Master Arca Jeth.
Centuries before the conclusion of the Beast Wars, Freedon Nadd, a former Jedi who embraced the dark side and became a Sith Lord, employed his mastery of Sith magic to establish himself as the ruler of Onderon. Operating from the city of Iziz, Nadd governed with an iron fist, implementing martial law to consolidate his control over the world. During his reign, Nadd decreed that all criminals would be exiled beyond the city walls, where they would become prey to the wild creatures that roamed freely.
However, contrary to Nadd's intentions, some of these exiles managed to survive and learned to tame the predators, eventually amassing a formidable force with which they launched an attack against Nadd and his followers. This sparked a massive war that engulfed the entirety of Onderon. The Beast Wars quickly spiraled out of Freedon Nadd's control, and he was ultimately unable to quell them, allowing them to persist long after his death. The war would not conclude until 4000 BBY.
Following his demise, Freedon Nadd's remains were interred beneath the royal palace in Iziz, becoming a focal point of dark side energy that his descendants would exploit. Approximately six centuries later, towards the end of the Beast Wars, the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, both Jedi students under Jedi Master Arca Jeth, discovered that Queen Amanoa of Onderon was a descendant of Freedon Nadd and had been manipulating his dark influence to further her own ambitions for power.
Eventually, a group of Jedi, led by Master Jeth, tracked Amanoa to the hidden location of Freedon Nadd's tomb, where the dark side sorceress was attempting to summon Nadd's spirit for assistance. Realizing that Amanoa was no longer useful to him, Nadd withdrew his dark side support, causing her death. This effectively brought the Beast Wars to an end.
After the Beast Wars concluded in 3998 BBY, Master Jeth and his Jedi students sought to relocate the sarcophagus containing the remains of Freedon Nadd and Queen Amanoa from the capital city of Iziz to prevent further corruption.
During the funeral procession, the Naddist Sith cult attempted to overthrow the pro-Old Republic government led by Queen Galia and her husband, King Oron Kira. Several hundred Naddists, under the command of Sith Acolyte Warb Null, utilized an underground war machine to attack the procession. In the ensuing conflict, the Naddists successfully captured the remains of Freedon Nadd and Queen Amanoa. With their objective achieved, they retreated to the subterranean levels of the city.
Master Jeth, Ulic Qel-Droma, and Queen Galia then ventured into the sub-levels in search of King Ommin, who was rumored to reside there, hoping to find a way to eliminate the darkness from the planet. Upon locating Ommin, Freedon Nadd's spirit materialized, and the King revealed himself as the leader of the Naddists. While Qel-Droma engaged Warb Null in combat, King Ommin managed to capture Master Jeth and escape. The Jedi and Beast Riders were compelled to withdraw from Iziz, retreating to Fortress Kira.
Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma was then compelled to request assistance. Simultaneously, King Ommin attempted to sway Master Jeth to the dark side. After receiving Qel-Droma's message, the Galactic Senate's Defense Committee engaged in a vigorous debate regarding whether or not to deploy the Republic fleet to Onderon. Some senators argued that confronting the dark side was the responsibility of the Jedi, not the Republic. Tchuukthai Jedi Master Thon successfully persuaded the senators to support the Jedi, and Republic battlecruisers and troop transports converged on Onderon, accompanied by a team of carefully selected Jedi Knights from Ossus.
Republic rocket-jumpers launched an assault on the Naddists in Iziz, while Jedi Knights Dace Diath, Qrrrl Toq, Shoaneb Culu, Kith Kark, and Nomi Sunrider, who employed her Battle meditation against the Naddists, assisted in the defense of Fortress Kira and repelled the Naddists. Kith Kark perished during the battle, and Nomi was knocked off her feet by the Dark Side, but remained unharmed. The Jedi then returned to Iziz to rescue Master Jeth. Upon entering Ommin's lair, they destroyed several Sith war droids. Cay Qel-Droma lost his droid arm while his brother and Sunrider attacked Ommin, who proved to be a formidable adversary. However, the Jedi ultimately prevailed when Qel-Droma destroyed Ommin's mechanical exoskeleton, causing the King to collapse to the ground like an Arkanian jellyfish. Ommin pleaded with Freedon Nadd's spirit for assistance, but the Sith Lord abandoned the King.
The arrival of Republic and Jedi reinforcements from Coruscant and Ossus signaled a turning point in the conflict, and the rebellion was ultimately quelled with the death of Ommin at the hands of Ulic Qel Droma. The transfer of corpses was subsequently carried out without further incident.
Even though the Naddists were defeated, during the revolt Satal and Aleema, two members of the Keto family, journeyed to Onderon and acquired invaluable Sith knowledge, texts, and artifacts from Nadd's spirit and Ommin. They later utilized these materials to establish the Krath cult.