Star Wars: The Complete Legends History - Star Wars Explained

Thirteen billion years before the Battle of Yavin, the galaxy is created when an immense cloud of dust and gas collapses under its own gravity and transforms into a rotating disk. Over many billions of years more, planets form and life begins to evolve in many varieties. By 200,000 BBY, the biological ancestors of the human race, known as Zhell, gain sentience and fight and defeat the Taung for control of their planet Notron, which would later be known as Coruscant. But in 100,000 BBY the mysterious Celestials have control over the galaxy by developing highly advanced technology such as Centerpoint Station. With their machines they create entire worlds, including the Corellian System.

They enslave races and put them to work throughout the galaxy. Around this time, the ancient being known as Abeloth gains immense power in the Force and the dark side. His power is contained in the use of Centerpoint Station to create the Maw Black Hole Cluster. Meanwhile, the Zhell build Notron, or what would eventually become Galactic City, and humanoid colonists begin to spread to other planets. Approximately 36,453 years before the Battle of Yavin, eight large ships of unknown origin are activated on eight different planets. They are called Tho Yor and their activation summons nearby Force-sensitive beings on board.

The ships travel to the planet Tython, and the beings soon create the Je'daii Order, whose members seek to achieve the perfect balance between the light and dark sides of the Force. A thousand years later, the celestial slaves known as Rakata have developed their own connection to the Force and created new technology powered by the dark side. They use their new machines against the Celestials and overthrow their masters. The Rakata extended their influence into what is known as the Infinite Empire. They themselves take slaves and build more technological terrors like the Star Forge. Nearly eight thousand years later, as their Empire expands, the Rakata attempt to wrest control of Korriban from the original Sith species.

The Sith King Adas manages to rally his people to drive away the Rakata, but Korriban is devastated. The Sith move to Ziost and Korriban becomes a sacred tomb world. During all this time, the Zhell have evolved into the human species and Notron is renamed Coruscant. The civilization there begins to send sublight ships to nearby worlds to create new colonies. Once settled, colony planets like Kuat send out their own sublight ships. In the year 25,793 BBY, the Je'daii Order split into followers of the light and dark sides of the Force. They fight in what will become known as the Force Wars.

Each side wields metal swords that glow with the power of the Force. The followers of the dark side are defeated and exiled. Followers of the light side create the Jedi Order and swear to use their connection to the Force to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. The Force Wars leave Tython in ruins and the Jedi move to the planet Ossus. The Rakata attack the Jedi soon after, but are struck by a mysterious plague that destroys their connection to the Force. Their technology becomes useless to them and their slaves rise up and crush the Infinite Empire, nearly annihilating the Rakata

complete

ly.

Rakatan hyperspace technology is reverse engineered by Corellian scientists, sparking an era of expansion from the Core Worlds. The Galactic Republic is founded in the year 25,053 BBY and names Coruscant as its capital. Republic scouts encounter the Jedi Order on Ossus shortly afterward. The Jedi travel to Coruscant and agree to pledge their services to the government. Five hundred years later, the Jedi experience the First Great Schism when a Jedi named Xendar requests to create an academy for the purpose of studying the dark side of the Force. When his request is rejected, he

star

ts the Lettow Legions and calls upon other Jedi who wished to study forbidden Force techniques.

The Jedi Order declares war on the dissident group and destroys them. In 22,800 BBY, a Jedi follows the call of the Force to the Unknown Regions, where he discovers the planet Ilum, which would become a sacred place for the Jedi for thousands of years. Over the next fifteen thousand years the Republic continues to expand, causing many minor conflicts. In the year 7,000 BBY, several Dark Jedi break from the Order, marking the Second Great Schism and the beginning of the Hundred Years of Darkness. The conflict ends in the Battle of Corbos. The Dark Jedi are defeated and exiled to unknown space.

The exiles soon discover Ziost, Korriban, and the Sith species. The Dark Jedi conquer the Sith and begin what will become known as the Old Sith Empire. After two thousand years of human-Sith interbreeding, two Republic explorers stumble upon Korriban. The Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow tracks explorers to the Republic and attempts to conquer it. His forces are repulsed and he retreats to Yavin IV. Another ship from Sadow's fleet crashes on the planet Kesh, and its stranded crew becomes known as the Lost Tribe of the Sith. The surviving Lords of the Sith Empire regroup on Nathema, where a Lord named Vitiate performs a Sith ritual that strips the entire planet of the Force, killing everyone present except himself, leaving him immortal and powerful.

Vitiate declares himself Sith Emperor and heads to a lost Sith colony called Dromund Kaas. Five hundred years later, the Jedi Order rejects a Padawan named Freedon Nadd's knighthood. He explores the Yavin system, encounters the spirit of Naga Sadow, and turns to the dark side before destroying the ancient ghost. He conquers the world of Onderon where he rules for a hundred years. His influence from the dark side causes the Beast Wars. When his body dies, his spirit remains entombed where he continues to train his dark side worshipers. In 4250 BBY, the Third Great Schism begins and ends when a group of Dark Jedi who were influenced by Sith teachings attack the Jedi Order.

The conflict ends when the Dark Jedi attempt to use a superweapon called the Cosmic Turbine against their enemies. They lose control of the weapon and destroy themselves along with the Vultar System. Hundreds of years after Freedon Nadd's death, the Jedi attempt to cleanse Onderon of the dark side. One of the Jedi involved named Ulic Qel-Droma is influenced by the dark side and begins to fall. Another Jedi named Exar Kun seeks out Sith teachings and infiltrates the tomb of Freedon Nadd. He learns under Nadd's spirit and then travels to Yavin IV in search of more power. Kun lets himself fall

complete

ly into the dark side, destroys Nadd's spirit and begins the search for Ulic Qel-Droma, who Kun believes is a possible rival.

Instead, Ulic accepts Kun as his master and they join forces as Dark Lords of the Sith. Ulic defeats Mandalore the Indomitable in combat, giving them a Mandalorian army. During the Old Sith Wars, they conquer worlds across the galaxy and eventually attack Coruscant. Ulic kills his own brother and, in his grief, returns to the side of the light. He confronts and kills Exar Kun on Yavin IV. Mandalore the Indomitable also dies during the war and is succeeded by Mandalore the Great, who begins to build a large military force in secret. A Sith agent encourages him to wage war against the Republic, so the Mandalorian Wars begin 3,964 years before the Battle of Yavin.

The Mandalorians invade the Republic, but encounter resistance led by a Jedi named Revan and his friend Malak. Revan manages to push back the Mandalorians, but often without regard for sentient or ecological life. The Mandalorians are drawn to Malachor V, where Revan defeats Mandalore the Ultimate in single combat and uses the Mass Shadow Generator to destroy the Mandalorian fleet along with the planet. Mandalore's final words are about the Sith's manipulation of him, prompting Revan and Malak to venture into the Unknown Regions to investigate. There they meet the Sith Emperor and fall to the dark side becoming Darth Revan and Darth Malak.

They return to the Republic with the intention of finding the ancient Rakatan weapon known as the Star Forge so they can conquer the Republic and

star

t their own Sith Empire. Darth Malak betrays Darth Revan just as his master is attacked by the Jedi. Revan is saved by the Jedi Bastila Shan and her memories of him are lost. The Jedi rehabilitate and retrain Revan, who successfully kills Darth Malak and destroys the Star Forge. The surviving Sith who were loyal to Malak fight for power and the Sith Empire splits into small groups. The Sith Triumvirate of Darth Traya, Darth Sion, and Darth Nihilus is formed.

Through his leadership the First Jedi Purge begins, and they nearly destroy the entire Jedi Order. A Jedi named Meetra Surik personally kills the three members of the Triumvirate and restarts the Jedi Order. Nearly 300 years later, the Sith Emperor launches a campaign against the Republic beginning with the reconquest of Korriban. The Sith Lords, including Darth Malgus, devastate the Outer Rim and advance towards the Core worlds, attacking Alderaan. There, Malgus fights Satele Shan, the descendant of Bastila Shan and Revan. The Sith eventually sacked Coruscant and destroyed the Jedi Temple. After nearly thirty years of fighting, the Sith Empire forces the Republic to sign the Treaty of Coruscant which ends the war but gives the Empire control of half the galaxy.

The Jedi move to Tython. The galaxy enters a cold war for the next twelve years until the peace treaty falls apart. With both sides of the conflict occupied, a new Empire led by Vitiate, called the Eternal Empire, attacks. Vitiate is betrayed and killed by his son, Arcann, who calls himself Emperor, and forces both the Sith and the Republic to sign a new treaty. In the end, the Eternal Empire fails and the Republic is able to regain control of most of the galaxy. The Jedi return to Coruscant and rebuild the Jedi Temple. In the year 2,000 BBY, the Fourth Great Schism triggers the New Sith Wars, which will last 1,000 years.

A fallen Jedi calls himself Darth Ruin, the first Dark Lord of the Sith in a millennium. The Sith grow in size and power, winning important victories against the Republic. However, infighting among the Sith Lords slows them down. Thus, Lord Kaan founds the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Brotherhood abandons the title of Darth and proclaims that all Sith are equal in an attempt to unite and crush the Republic. The Brotherhood successfully begins to penetrate the heart of the Republic. In response, Jedi Lord Hoth creates the Army of Light, a militarized sect of the Jedi Order. The two armies clash at Ruusan for a year.

A Brotherhood member named Bane believes that the Brotherhood is an affront to the Sith Lords of old and manipulates their destruction, leaving Bane as the sole survivor. He takes the title of Darth Bane and begins the Rule of Two, which limits the Sith to a Master and an Apprentice who will work in secret to grow the Sith Order in power and influence over time. Believing the Sith to be extinct, the Republic calls for the Ruusan Reformation, which dismantles the Army of Light and demilitarizes the Jedi. The Republic military is also dismissed in an attempt to preserve the peace, and the Supreme Chancellor allows his power to be shared more equally with the Galactic Senate.

Over the next nine hundred years, the Sith secretly amass political power as the Senate becomes increasingly corrupt. Darth Bane's Grand Plan comes to a head when Darth Sidious is able to not only manipulate his election as Supreme Chancellor, but also create a Clone Army for the Republic secretly under his control. He engineers the Clone Wars, which require the Jedi Order to militarize again to lead its Clone Army. When the war is practically won, he orders his clones to betray and execute the Jedi, and sends his apprentice Darth Vader to hunt down the survivors. Sidious, under his public persona as Chancellor Palpatine, transitions from the Republic to the Galactic Empire and proclaims himself Emperor.

The Empire rules for nineteen years until Darth Vader's secret son named Luke Skywalker joins the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. The Battle of Yavin is a major turning point in the galaxy as Luke destroys an Imperial superweapon called the Death Star and the Empire begins to crumble. Luke trains with two hidden Jedi and confronts Vader and Palpatine. He is able to return his father to the light, who then sacrifices his life to kill the Emperor. In the years that follow, Rebel heroes, including Luke's sister Leia and smuggler-turned-general Han Solo, continue the fight against the Imperial Remnant.

The Rebel Alliance captures the imperial capital on Coruscant and establishes the New Republic. Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn returns from the Unknown Regions to wage war against the fledgling government. His advanced tactics and use of cloning technology from the Clone Wars era present a real threat, but Thrawn is killed by his own bodyguard and command of his fleet passes to Gillad Pellaeon. At this time, a Force-sensitive former Imperial agent named Mara Jade meets Luke Skywalker and they form a friendship. The Emperor is revived through clones several times, but is defeated each time until he finally dies.forever.

Luke starts a new Jedi Academy on Yavin IV, and his students find and destroy the ancient spirit of Exar Kun. The Galactic Civil War continues under the leadership of Admiral Pellaeon until the signing of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty, which ends the conflict, although the Imperial Remnant is allowed to continue to exist. Once the war is over, Luke marries Mara Jade. The galaxy is largely at peace under the New Republic and the New Jedi Order for six years until an extragalactic race known as the Yuuzhan Vong invades. Their technology wreaks havoc on many planets and their inhabitants. The New Republic is ultimately victorious, although the casualties are astronomical.

The government is reorganized into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Six years later, a brief conflict known as the Swarm War breaks out. The Alliance is able to quickly win the war, but experience leads Skywalker to believe that the New Jedi Order is too involved with galactic politics and he establishes a new Jedi Council to help the Jedi once again serve as peacekeepers rather than warriors. The aftermath of the Yuuzhan Vong War and The Swarm War leaves the less affected planets the opportunity to become independent from the Galactic Alliance, which is beginning to operate much like the Galactic Empire.

Luke Skywalker's nephew, Jacen Solo, falls to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Caedus. He kills Mara Jade and leads the Galactic Alliance against the newly formed Confederacy in the Second Galactic Civil War. The war ends when Caedus is killed by his sister, Jaina Solo. The Confederacy surrenders and the Galactic Alliance remains in power under new leadership. The new Head of State, a former Imperial admiral, fears that the Jedi will bring more chaos to the galaxy and exiles Skywalker. However, his rule is harsh and the Jedi Order quickly overthrows her and ends Luke's exile. After thousands of years of imprisonment, Abeloth escapes from her prison in the Maw and the Lost Tribe of the Sith joins her in attempting to take control of the galaxy.

Abeloth manages to possess the new Alliance Head of State, but is defeated by the Jedi Order. Despite the Liberation of Coruscant, anti-Jedi sentiments are strong and the Order is ordered to leave Coruscant. Eighty years later, the Yuuzhan Vong return to the galaxy to help rebuild and make amends for the destruction they caused, but their efforts are sabotaged by a new order of the Sith, known as the One Sith. At the same time, the Imperial Remnant declares war on the Galactic Alliance. The One Sith helps the Empire, the Jedi are once again nearly destroyed, and the Alliance falls.

With his enemies eliminated, One Sith leader Darth Krayt betrays the Empire and takes the throne for himself. After seven years of Sith rule over the galaxy, Luke's descendant Cade Skywalker joins what remains of the Jedi Order and joins the rest of the Alliance and Empire to defeat Darth Krayt and the One Sith. They succeed and the Empire, the Alliance and the Jedi form the Galactic Triumvirate as the new government. A renegade Sith named Darth Wredd then launches a covert campaign against the Triumvirate and the Sole Surviving Sith, attempting to manipulate them into destroying each other. His plan is foiled by Ania Solo, who kills Darth Wredd and ends his insurgency.

And so ends the story of the Star Wars Legends. Of course, I glossed over some things and skipped others completely, but as with all the videos on this channel, the point is to give you an overview. The most important and interesting pieces so that you at least have a basic understanding of what happened over thirteen billion years of galactic

history

. I wish I could cover everything in Legends, but this video would be incredibly long, so if I missed one of your favorite Legends moments, leave it in the comments and I'll be sure to make a video about it in the future!

If you want to go deeper into a specific topic, check out the description of this video. I've made a chronological list that links to videos that cover some of the historical events and figures mentioned in more detail. I also made a playlist of those videos which you can watch here. And hey, if you like Star Wars

history

, you might want to check out my Canon History playlist. If you haven't already, I'd love for you to subscribe to my channel for new Star Wars content every weekday covering characters, history, locations, technology, ships, vehicles, and new canon. As always, thanks for watching and may the Force be with you!