A raid on the Jedi Temple, authorized by the Galactic Alliance, unfolded in 43.5 ABY. Due to the fact that some Jedi Knights had begun succumbing to a Force psychosis, the Alliance demanded that the Jedi Order surrender those affected to government custody. Natasi Daala, the Galactic Alliance's Chief of State, took retaliatory action when the Jedi persistently refused; she commanded a squad of Mandalorian commandos to launch an assault on the Jedi Temple located on Coruscant, the galactic capital. While the Mandalorians staged a diversionary attack on the Temple's Main Hall, their primary objective was to cripple the Temple hangars and food storage facilities.
Kyp Durron, a Jedi Master, spearheaded the Jedi's defensive efforts in the Temple's food preparation area. Simultaneously, Jaina Solo and Tyria Sarkin Tainer, both Jedi Knights, fought off commandos in the StealthX hangar, successfully repelling them despite Tainer being rendered unconscious during the conflict. When another contingent of Mandalorian commandos breached the hangar zone, Raynar Thul, a Jedi Knight, joined forces with Bandy Geffer, an apprentice, to defeat the invaders. Even though the raid was deemed unsuccessful and the Jedi sustained no casualties, the Mandalorians managed to seize control of the hangars and food warehouses, severely disrupting the Temple's communications and coordination. Consequently, the Galactic Alliance initiated a blockade of the Temple. Shortly afterward, Daala instigated a Mandalorian siege of the Jedi Temple in an attempt to force the Order to relinquish the psychotic captives.
In the year 43.5 ABY, on the galactic capital planet of Coruscant, several Jedi Knights began to suffer from a Force psychosis. This condition led them to falsely believe that everyone around them had been replaced by impostors. Concerned about the potential danger to the public, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances sought to apprehend the afflicted Jedi. The government decided to encase the psychotic Knights in carbonite. However, the Jedi Order opposed this action, as they wished to study the affected Jedi and the psychosis itself, hoping to discover a cure for the ailment.
This disagreement resulted in numerous clashes between the government and the Jedi Order, with the Jedi actively hindering the Galactic Alliance's efforts to capture the psychotic Knights. The Order successfully captured several of the afflicted Jedi and transported them to the Hapes Cluster for safety. They even managed to garner public sympathy by highlighting the harsh treatment of the carbonite-encased Jedi by Galactic Alliance Security forces, who seemed to regard them as trophies. Simultaneously, the Jedi became aware of a Sith tribe operating in the galaxy and decided to assemble a StealthX fighter team to assist exiled Jedi Luke and Ben Skywalker in confronting the Sith. During that same year, Cilghal, a Jedi Master, captured Sothais Saar, a psychotic Jedi Knight, after he succumbed to the illness while meeting with Wynn Dorvan, an aide to Natasi Daala, the Alliance's Chief of State. Daala dispatched Coruscant Security Force officers to request that the Order hand over the psychotic Knights to Alliance custody. When the Jedi refused, she made the decision to launch a raid on the Jedi Temple, enlisting a group of Mandalorian warriors for the mission.
Following Saar's capture, Cilghal promptly returned with him to the Jedi Temple. There, Jaina Solo, a Jedi Knight, was assigned the task of transporting Saar off-world to the Transitory Mists to shield him from government persecution. Tyria Sarkin Tainer, another Jedi Knight, assisted in preparing a shuttle for Solo's use. However, while watching a live news feed on a wall-mounted monitor, Tainer suddenly noticed that the feed was looping. Solo recognized this as a potential sign of an impending attack and contacted the Temple's communications center, instructing the Jedi there to alert Kenth Hamner, the interim Grand Master. Jedi throughout the Temple scrambled to prepare for an attack, bracing themselves to counter flanking maneuvers and minimize damage.
The exterior doors of the Temple's hangars were immediately sealed, and Bandy Geffer, a Jedi apprentice, approached Solo and Tainer from the main starfighter hangar. As Solo instructed Geffer to remain with them, Mandalorian commandos launched an attack on the Temple's Main Hall, which, unbeknownst to the Jedi, was merely a diversionary tactic. Solo was quickly informed of the assault via comlink and began organizing the defense of the hangar area. She directed Geffer to locate a hardwired intercom away from any exterior wall. The Mandalorians then began employing charges on the door to the StealthX hangar. As Solo and Tainer moved to defend against the intruders, they discovered that their comlinks were being jammed. Simultaneously, another group of Mandalorians launched an assault on the food warehouses, where Kyp Durron, a Jedi Master, led the defense at the food-preparation level.
Explosives swiftly breached the door to the StealthX hangar, creating four additional holes in the surrounding walls. Five Mandalorian commandos stormed through the openings and engaged Solo and Tainer. The initial Mandalorian fired a volley of mini rockets at the Jedi, but Solo and Tainer leapt into the air, evading the projectiles. As the commando prepared to fire again, Solo employed the Force to move debris from the damaged hangar wall into the path of the second volley of rockets, causing them to detonate near the Mandalorians and knock three of the attackers off their feet. Tainer ordered Geffer to report the intrusion through the intercom while she and Solo continued to battle the Mandalorians. Another barrage of mini rockets forced Tainer to jump aside, but Solo charged directly past the weapons and into the midst of the assailants. As one commando charged Solo with a vibrosword, another fired a net at her. Solo used the Force to ensnare the Mandalorian with the vibrosword in the net and hurl the commando out one of the holes in the hangar wall. The commando who had fired the net was still tethered to it via a cord and was dragged outside as well.
Tainer attacked one of the remaining commandos with her lightsaber, but the Mandalorian deflected it with a crushgaunt. The Jedi weapon proved ineffective against the Mandalorians' beskar armor. Solo engaged two more of the Mandalorians, but one of them activated a rocket pack to escape Solo's attack. The Jedi then engaged the other commando in combat. Meanwhile, Tainer discovered a weak point in her opponent's armor and drove her lightsaber into it. However, the commando who had previously fired his net at Solo returned and punched Tainer in the jaw, rendering her unconscious. Suddenly, a second group of five Mandalorians blasted their way into another area of the hangars, advancing towards the turbolifts that led to the upper levels of the Temple. Geffer emerged from his position to defend against them, using the Force to propel a nearby desk at the assailants, but they destroyed it with mini rockets. As Geffer activated his lightsaber and prepared to stand his ground, Raynar Thul, a Jedi Knight, arrived and confronted the Mandalorians.
While Solo continued to fight the four remaining Mandalorians from the first group, Thul seized a durasteel panel and used it to shield himself from the mini rockets fired by the second group of commandos. Thul leapt over the panel as it was destroyed by the rockets and landed behind the attacking Mandalorians. He grabbed the arm of one and fired her mini rockets at two of her companions. Thul sustained shrapnel wounds from the detonation of the rockets, but all five of his assailants were knocked to the ground. Nevertheless, one wrapped a line around Thul's ankle, tripping him and trapping the Jedi's left arm in his crushgaunt. The commando broke Thul's arm, but Geffer came to his aid, using the Force to enhance his speed as he attacked the Mandalorian holding Thul, causing him to release his grip.
As Geffer engaged the commando in combat, Thul swiftly knocked out another of their assailants. The woman whose mini rockets he had fired earlier charged him with a vibroblade, but Thul delivered three precise kicks to her jaw, knocking her unconscious. He then turned to the commando fighting Geffer and used the Force to lift him up and slam him into the ground until he finally lost consciousness. With the commandos incapacitated, Thul instructed Geffer to fashion a sling for his broken arm and joined Solo, who had defeated the first group of Mandalorians and was carrying Tainer with her. Recognizing that the hangars had become indefensible due to the holes blasted into the walls by the Mandalorians, the Jedi retreated to the next level and sealed the lifts.
The Mandalorians were defeated, and Hamner reported that Solo's early warning had enabled the Jedi to successfully counter the attack. Despite the Jedi's efforts and the fact that no Jedi had died during the assault, the Mandalorians inflicted significant damage throughout the Temple. The commandos, equipped with a large quantity of explosives and jamming equipment, created numerous indefensible passages throughout the Temple, disrupting its coordination and communications. The Mandalorians also retrieved their fallen comrades, leaving the Jedi uncertain about the number of casualties sustained by their attackers.
Furthermore, the Galactic Alliance subsequently established a blockade around the Jedi Temple, preventing any entry or exit, and positioning artillery at all known entrances. Municipal water, power, and waste pickup services were suspended, forcing the Temple to rely on backup generators and recycled water. Several turbolifts in the Main Hall were rendered inoperable, with their doors covered by straptape.
Following the raid, Solo spoke with Durron, who revealed that the StealthX hangar was under close surveillance, making it impossible for the starfighters to escape undetected. The Galactic Alliance had turbolaser emplacements ready to fire upon any attempted departure. Durron also disclosed that the government was demanding the Jedi's surrender and had ordered the arrest of all Jedi recognized during the attack, including Hamner, Solo, Tainer, Thul, Saar, and Durron himself. Although the blockade was soon eased, tensions between the government and the Jedi continued to escalate. Footage captured during the Mandalorian raid showed the buildup of StealthXs, leading Nek Bwua'tu, an Alliance Admiral, to fear that they might be intended for an attack on the government. Shortly after the raid, in 44 ABY, Turi Altamik, a Jedi Knight, contracted the psychosis and was captured by the Jedi Order after a manhunt conducted in full view of the media. When the Jedi refused to surrender her or Saar, Daala ordered a Mandalorian siege of the Temple.
The raid on the Jedi Temple was first depicted in Fate of the Jedi: Backlash, written by Aaron Allston, which served as the fourth installment in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series. The event was subsequently mentioned in the fifth, sixth, and seventh novels of the series, titled Fate of the Jedi: Allies, Fate of the Jedi: Vortex, and Fate of the Jedi: Conviction, respectively. In 2012, the guidebook The Essential Reader's Companion referenced the raid and included an illustration of the attack by the artist Chris Scalf.