The Infinite Engine, a creation of the Sith Lord Darth Revan, was, in actuality, a piece taken from the Rakatan Star Forge. Revan, during his time as a Sith, gained control of the powerful space station. He then utilized it to generate a fleet for his Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War. However, he extracted a small piece from the device after discovering its significantly greater capabilities, including the potential to create entire galaxies over time. The Engine's power enabled it to manipulate energy, fabricating anything desired, like air, sustenance, or housing. This fragment was subsequently entrusted to several Ongree servants of Revan, designated as the machine's guardians and shielded within a complex fortified with automated turrets and assassin droids. Revan's Journal contained some information about the machine, where he commented on the potential of the Engine.
While the Ongree were in charge of the Engine, Revan instructed them to offer their children to the Engine, so that it could share some of its power with them. This enabled the machine to produce diverse vital resources for the aliens' survival. Upon an Ongree's death, their body was similarly given to the Engine, which absorbed their forms for energy to sustain the rest of their people. Over the course of centuries, the Engine expanded from a small, hand-sized piece into a much larger device. The Sith Empire discovered the existence of the complex housing the Infinite Engine during the Cold War. At this time, the Imperial Reclamation Service knew that Darth Revan had constructed the complex but were unaware of its contents. Consequently, they assigned an Imperial official to enter the complex and uncover its secrets.
The Ongree servants and Revan's Journal provide most of the information about the Engine's background. Its ultimate fate hinges on the player's choices; the light side option results in the Ongree surrendering a piece of the Engine and being allowed to live peacefully, while the alternative involves killing Revan's servants and seizing the entire machine. Regardless of the player's choice, the Imperial Reclamation Service retrieves either the fragment or the complete Engine for analysis.