KOTOR Files: Timeline

All dates are denoted as Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), also known as the events during the climax of the movie Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.

~20,000 BBY
The Republic is founded.

4,000 BBY
Satal and Aleema Keto discover ancient secrets of the Sith, including artifacts and tomes of knowledge, on their home planet of Empress Teta. Stal and Aleema Keto recruit hundreds of fellow aristocrats and form the Krath, a dark side cult based on Sith teachings.

3,997 BBY
Steeped in knowledge of the dark side of the Force, the Krath rally military forces throughout the Deep Core and stage a coup on their own homeworld of Empress Teta.

The Jedi are ambushed by Krath forces during a conclave on the planet Deneba, causing massive Jedi casualties. After the battle, Ulic Qel-Droma departs and begins to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Krath.

After the Jedi attempt to extract him from the Krath-held world of Empress Teta, Ulic Qel-Droma succumbs to the pull of the dark side. When Exar Kun arrives to stake his claim as Dark Lord of the Sith, he and Qel-Droma duel, but stop when ancient Sith spirits appear and declare them both Dark Lords of the Sith, master and apprentice. Many Jedi flock to the newly reborn Sith order, forming a hierarchy of lesser Sith lords.

3,996 BBY
The Krath forces, under the control of the Dark Lords of the Sith, begin expanding their newly formed empire, seizing worlds throughout the Deep Core. The Krath's ability to control the planets they have conquered is strained until Ulic Qel-Droma defeats Mandalore the Indomitable in a duel on the planet Kuar. With the Mandalorians bound to the Sith Lords, their combined forces flow outward from the Deep Core and begin conquering planets across the galaxy.

After months of conquering planets from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim, the Sith launch their attack against the capital planet of the Republic, Coruscant. During the battle, Ulic Qel-Droma is captured and subsequently put on trial for treason.

Aleema Kato, leading the forces of the Krath in battle near the Cron Cluster, is killed after activating a supernova-inducing weapon aboard her warship. The Krath space fleet is devastated.

After an intense battle at Onderon, Mandalore the Indomitable is killed and the Mandalorians suffer a stunning defeat.

Exar Kun and the remnants of the Sith are defeated at Yavin 4. The Great Sith War comes to an end when Republic forces liberate Empress Teta.

3,985 BBY
The Coruscant Financial Exchange Establishment act facilitates the restoration of the galaxy by allowing galactic corporations to invest in the Republic's infrastructure.

3,976 BBY
Under the leadership of Mandalore the Ultimate, remnants of the Mandalorian clans begin testing the Republic's defenses by raiding Outer Rim worlds.

3,973 BBY
Cassus Fett leads the Mandalorian massacre on Cathar. Few Cathar survive the assault, but the Republic suppresses news of the attack, fearing it might destabilize reconstruction efforts.

3,965 BBY
The Republic engages the Mandalorians in small proxy skirmishes along the Outer Rim.

3,964 BBY
The Mandalorians stage a massive invasion of Republic space, beginning the Mandalorian Wars.

3,963 BBY
As the Republic contintues to battle the Mandalorians across all fronts, the Jedi Knight Revan attempts to persuade the Jedi Council to join the war. The Council refuses, citing their losses during the Great Sith War and maintaining that there are darker forces at work that must first be identified.

And so our heroes enter the story ...