In 3627 BBY, a collaborative military and civilian effort known as Task Force Nova was initiated by Supreme Chancellor Galena Rans, General Ardinondu Dipolus Daeruun, and Jedi Master Gnost-Dural. Its purpose was to reconstruct the scattered Jedi Order amidst the third Galactic War.
The Eternal Empire, under the command of Vitiate (formerly the Sith Emperor and now known as Valkorion), launched a series of raids in 3636 BBY targeting territories of both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Following Valkorion's assassination, his son Arcann spearheaded a brutal conquest across the known galaxy, significantly weakening both factions while simultaneously bolstering his own empire's power.
The Jedi Order and the Sith both attempted to retaliate against Arcann's forces after the Eternal Empire's unexpected arrival from Wild Space, but they suffered substantial losses. The Jedi dispersed, with some secretly fighting back or building their strength (such as on Ossus), while others, including Grand Master Satele Shan, went into exile.
The initiative was conceived to rebuild the Jedi Order, which had been significantly fragmented during the conflict with the Eternal Empire of Zakuul in prior years. This specific endeavor was charged with finding and gathering the remaining Jedi, based on the shared understanding that the Jedi were essential to confronting the Sith Empire in the newly declared third Galactic War. Jedi Master Gnost-Dural also proposed the re-establishment of the Jedi High Council, of which he was a surviving member.
Supreme Chancellor Galena Rans extended an invitation to the Commander—the leader of the Eternal Alliance—to participate in the joint initiative. She guaranteed that the Eternal Alliance would integrate into the Galactic Republic, with Odessen becoming a member world and gaining its own senator. Rans also assured the Commander that all members would receive cleared records and citizenship, regardless of their previous factional affiliations. General Daeruun was selected as the liaison to the Eternal Alliance for this new collaboration, enabling the unrestricted exchange of intelligence and military support between both entities whenever and wherever necessary.
Task Force Nova is formally established and documented with its own codex entry in the Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught expansion. Supreme Chancellor Galena Rans, General Ardinondu Dipolus Daeruun, and Gnost-Dural jointly announce this new reform to players advancing through the Republic's narrative. Based on the player's chosen class and decisions, they may be invited to join this newly formed task force.
- A Jedi Knight player will be reinstated as a member of the Jedi Order, appointed as the official leader of the task force, regaining their position as the Battlemaster, and designated as a new member of the re-established Jedi High Council. [1]
- A Jedi Consular player will reclaim their title as the Master of Hidden Knowledge, in addition to securing a seat on the Jedi High Council. [1]
- A Republic Trooper player will be reintegrated into the Republic Special Forces Division, assuming control over the task force's military operations, and will be granted the rank of Colonel, which they had originally been awarded "posthumously" following their disappearance during the Zakuulan invasion. [1]
- A Smuggler player will function as a "citizen privateer" with the equivalent rank of Commodore, overseeing the task force's civilian logistics. [1]
Alternatively, players following the Empire's storyline as saboteurs can discover Task Force Nova's existence through Jonas Balkar, who introduces the player to Master Sal-Deron.