Galactic History 41: The Droid Rights Movement

For millennia, droids had filled an important role in Republic society. They were tireless workers, trusted servants and often functioned as diplomatic translators. Battle droids formed a key part of the Republic's military strategy.

However, a "droid rights" movement began to find a voice across the Republic and quickly became popular on Coruscant. The argument was made that since droids had personalities and sentience, owning a droid was tantamount to slavery.

The Galactic Senate dismissed the movement as a mere fad, but after millions of appeals to create a Droid Rights Bill, they were forced to address the issue. A surprising number of Senators spoke up in favor of droid rights, while many others dismissed the idea as absurd. The debate would continue until the Great Droid Revolution stopped the droid rights movement in its tracks.

Galactic History 42: The Nevoota Extinction

Some years before the Old Sith Wars, the Nevoota–a species of insectoid aliens from the Balmorra system–found themselves facing an army of disciplined warriors in distinctive armor. The warriors were Mandalorian Crusaders, testing themselves against the galaxy’s deadliest species.

However, the Nevoota were a challenge even for the Mandalorians. Possessing superior numbers and utterly disdainful of death, the Nevoota fought a four-year campaign under the cunning warlord Ithcharaka–but finally the Mandalorians hunted the Nevoota to extinction. This conflict had a profound effect on Mandalorian culture. The Mandalorians began to see war itself as an end, not just a means of conquest.

Through war, Mandalorian society found its highest expression. When Mandalore the Indomitable eventually rose to power, he led a people who demanded nothing less than the greatest challenges the galaxy could offer.

Galactic History 43: The Great Droid Revolution

Debate had been raging in the Republic over the issue of droid rights: Did droids deserve the same treatment as organic beings, and was owning droids tantamount to slavery? This question was rendered moot when a Czerka-built assassin droid, HK-01, went rogue and began reprogramming other droids to rise up against their masters, in what would be called the Great Droid Revolution.

Republic citizens, surrounded by thousands of rogue droids–every model, from protocol to sanitation to battle units–found themselves at the mercy of their former servants. Several planets were subjugated in the name of the droid rebellion, until the signal controlling the droids was traced.

Following the signal, a team of Jedi destroyed HK-01, returning the rogue droids to their original programming. The relieved Republic returned to normal, and the issue of droid rights was not raised again.

Galactic History 44: The Jedi Nomi

Born Nomi Da-Boda, Nomi was the wife of the Jedi Knight Andur. She had no interest in developing her natural gifts in the Force, preferring to care for their daughter, Vima. But when they were ambushed by thugs and Andur was killed, Nomi saw his spirit urging her to pick up his lightsaber and defend their daughter.

Reluctantly taking up the weapon, Nomi skillfully fought the thugs off and later left for the planet Ambria to train under Master Thon. While on Ambria, Nomi discovered she had a talent for battle meditation–the Jedi gift of influencing and inspiring others through the Force–but never lost her trepidation at wielding a lightsaber.

Nevertheless, Nomi’s Masters foresaw that she would have an important role to play in the galaxy, which came to fruition with the rise of the Krath cult.

Galactic History 45: The Krath Cult

As the Jedi know only too well, evil can arise from the most unlikely of sources. In the years after the Great Droid Revolution, two aristocrats, Satal Keto and his cousin Aleema, came to power in the Empress Teta system. Bored and spoiled, they became interested in the secrets of the Sith.

They and their friends formed a Sith cult named Krath. But Satal and Aleema began to crave real power. During a visit to the Galactic Museum on Coruscant, they spotted a book of ancient Sith lore and rituals and decided to steal it.

Once they had the book, they realized it was written in a long-forgotten Sith language. But Satal learned of the planet Onderon, once ruled by the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd, and the cousins left to unlock the book’s secrets there.