The Rakatan Civil War signified a period of intense upheaval that ultimately shattered the Infinite Empire. Initially arising as internal discord, the conflict was significantly amplified by widespread rebellions of enslaved species throughout the galaxy. The situation reached a critical point when a devastating plague emerged, uniquely affecting only the Rakata themselves. This epidemic led to the downfall of Rakatan dominance and opened the door for the rise of the Galactic Republic.
The initial signs of disintegration for the Infinite Empire manifested as internal strife and subsequent civil war. Roughly around the year 25,200 BBY, a plague specifically targeting the Rakata began to spread across the vast expanse of the Empire. This resulted in the death of billions of Rakata, and an apparent mutation of the plague severed the survivors connection to the Force. This internal conflict, compounded by the plague, severely compromised the Rakata's control over their slave populations. Recognizing the weakened state of their Rakatan overlords, various enslaved races, including Humans as well as Duros, Herglics, Baragwins, Devaronians, and Gossams, initiated a series of large-scale and violent slave uprisings. With the Rakata's Force connection severed, Lehon itself descended into civil war. This occurred even with the Star Forge remaining in orbit around the planet, rendered inoperable due to the Rakata's loss of their Force abilities. Ultimately, the enslaved populations achieved victory, regaining control of their respective worlds from the Rakata.
Following the devastation caused by the plague and the civil war, the Rakata experienced a regression into barbarism, losing their understanding of their own advanced technology. The remaining Rakata were compelled to retreat to their original homeworld, Lehon. Their once formidable forces were reduced to fragmented groups of quarreling warlords and warring clans, both on Lehon and within isolated colonies scattered across the galaxy. It is plausible that the Rakata's former subjects attempted to completely erase the Rakata from historical records. With the galaxy now liberated from Rakatan domination, representatives from the Core Worlds came together to establish the Galactic Republic in the year 25,053 BBY.
The sequence of events is presented differently across various sources. According to The New Essential Guide to Alien Species, the Rakatan Civil War began with a revolt by subjugated populations, culminating in the plague. However, other sources, such as The Essential Atlas and The Unknown Regions, depict the plague as the catalyst for the revolt. Therefore, this article assumes the plague occurred prior to the revolt.