Following the Battle of Yavin, the Galactic Empire's Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research operated a research facility located on Dandoran. This facility was part of Project Blackwing, a program focused on achieving immortality through the combined use of science and alchemy under the supervision of Sith scientists. The project's end result was a virus called "the Sickness", which, instead of granting immortality, killed its hosts and transformed them into cannibalistic zombies referred to as Undead Troopers. These zombies were capable of coordinated action, piloting vehicles, and using blasters. Ultimately, the Imperial garrison stationed on Dandoran was defeated and unable to control the virus, leading to the infection of both Dandoran and Tatooine, which compelled the Alliance to Restore the Republic to initiate containment procedures.