The Westhills region was situated on the periphery of Lothal's Capital City, adjacent to the Barchetta River. Before the Galactic Empire's arrival, numerous orchards producing jogan fruits flourished there. Beck Ollet, a young Lothalian, had family whose orchard was situated there; they subsequently sold it to the Empire and relocated to Capital City. The Galactic Empire initiated a program of acquiring and seizing these orchards to excavate the land for mining purposes.
In the winter, Lothalian rebels tried to detonate Imperial seismic surveyor droids, but their plot was foiled by the arrival of Zare Leonis alongside his companions: Beck Ollet and Merei Spanjaf. Subsequently, Leonis and Beck observed Imperial troops commanded by Lieutenant Piers Roddance committing a massacre against peaceful demonstrators attempting to voice their concerns to Governor Arihnda Pryce. This event galvanized Leonis and Beck into opposing the Empire. During the summer, Beck became a member of a rebel group that launched another attempt to disrupt Imperial mining activities within the Westhills.