The Rakatan revolt represents the Rakata species' rebellion against the Celestials. This event unfolded millennia before the rise of the Old Republic, with its precise origins and ultimate conclusion now obscured by the passage of time.
The Rakatan revolt's roots are traceable to the genesis of the Rakata species' civilization. This civilization began on the planet Lehon, a terrestrial world situated within the Tempered Wastes region of the Unknown Regions. A significant number of years prior to 36,453 BBY, the Kwa—a Force-sensitive reptilian species originating from the planet Dathomir—elevated the Rakata civilization. The Rakata were instructed in the ways of the Force and provided with sophisticated technology. During this period, the Rakata became a client species of the Celestials, who held the position of the galaxy's dominant power and were themselves beneficiaries of the Kwa.
After a cataclysmic conflict with the Kwa, the Rakata swiftly engineered the first known hyperdrive. They discovered that they could harness the energy of Force-sensitive slaves from conquered populations to power their warships. Consequently, the Infinite Empire emerged, expanding through successive conquests and the discovery of Force-rich planets.
It is theorized that the Celestials, with the aid of their servants—the Gree, the Kwa, and the Killiks—constructed the western barrier dividing the galaxy west of the Deep Core to contain the rising Rakata. However, the newly established Infinite Empire had already extended its reach across the Unknown Regions and conquered a substantial portion of the eastern galaxy by approximately 35,000 BBY. Before 33,598 BBY, the Rakata seized control of the forest planet Kashyyyk and deployed a terraforming computer to manipulate the wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk.
Ancient texts from the Gree Enclave, which referred to the Celestials as the "Ancient Masters," documented that their works were undone by curses unleashed by the Rakata, whom they called the "Soul Hunters." These curses were described as the "Gray Swallowing" and the "Hollowers of Beings," and the Rakata were further referred to as the "Faceless Mouths" and "Eaters of Worlds." Sometime over 30,000 years before 1 BBY, the Celestials vanished from the galaxy. By 30,000 BBY, the Celestials were nowhere to be found.
By 30,000 BBY, the Celestials had disappeared, eliminating any threat they posed to the expanding Infinite Empire. The Rakatan Infinite Empire rose to prominence as the dominant galactic power, stretching from the Tempered Wastes to the far reaches of the eastern galaxy and encompassing over five hundred worlds rich in the Force. The Rakata then focused on subjugating their primary rivals among the Celestial client species, specifically the Killiks, the Gree Empire, and the Kwa holdings. The Gree were driven back to their home cluster, while the Kwa were nearly completely exterminated by the Infinite Empire.
Similarly, the Killiks disappeared from the galaxy and migrated beyond the boundaries of the Unknown Regions, an action believed to be orchestrated by the Celestials. Following the construction of Centerpoint Station, the Killiks claimed that the Celestials had become displeased with them and had expelled them from their homeworld of Alderaan. It was also suggested that the Celestials forced the Killiks into the Unknown Regions after they consumed their own homeworld and attempted to claim another planet. Mnggal-Mnggal also claimed to have witnessed the Celestials' sudden departure from the galaxy during this era.
The ultimate fate of the Celestials remained unclear to later historians. Dr. Insmot Bowen speculated that they might have been trapped within the galaxy by their barrier and destroyed during the Rakatan revolt, or they might have escaped through the barrier. He also proposed that they may have completely withdrawn from this dimension. Others, such as the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis, pondered the possibility that the Celestials were the entities who, according to Jedi and Sith legends, merged with the Force to control its flow.
In 1 BBY, Dr. Insmot Bowen, a specialist in pre-Republic history at the Obroan Institute for Archaeology, briefed General Arhul Kurumenga of the Imperial Department of Military Research, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti of the Imperial Navy, and Master of Imperial Projects Bevel Lemelisk on various discoveries. These discoveries offered limited insights into the Celestials, including their conflict with and eventual defeat by the Rakata.
Motti expressed skepticism regarding the historical existence of the Rakata and Celestial species, dismissing the stories about them as mere "arrant nonsense" suitable only for "holothrillers." However, Dr. Bowen maintained his belief in the stories of the Celestial species and the war they fought, even suggesting that the Celestials might still exist in the universe in some form, posing a potential threat to the stability of the New Order.
The Rakatan revolt was initially planned for inclusion in The Essential Guide to Warfare but was removed by Jason Fry. It was later revealed in the Star Wars Blog article Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut — The Celestials.