First Cold War

Concurrent Alsakan Crisis Next First Hutt War First Cold War Beginning 12,995 BBY End 12,979 BBY Place The galaxy Outcome Outbreak of the First Hutt War in 12,979 BBY Combatants Galactic Republic Jedi Order Hutt Empire Dark Jedi of the Bogan Commanders Alcor Bac Etesutr Hapor Homer Anthony Salandra Grand Hutt Gorrbag Mandalore the Crusader First Bogan Alexandros Corvellian [Source]

"We were arrogant and thought that with the threat of the Alsakans gone, we wouldn’t have to worry about such a ridiculous concept like war again."

―Alcor Bac, in 12,978 BBY, about the cold war

The First Cold War was a strategic, non-combative conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Hutt Empire that resulted from the aftermath of the Alsakan Crisis. The First Cold War was a period of increasing tensions between the Republic and the Hutt Empire, tensions that ultimately sparked the First Hutt War.

The tensions began when the Republic made an expansionist push into the Mid Rim in search of new allies and territories. Their proximity to the Hutt-controlled Outer Rim Territories led the Hutts to fear that the Republic would mount an invasion, though the Republic had no such intention. Throughout this period, the Republic stole technology from the Hutt Empire and carried out a number of assassinations against Hutt crime lords, while the Hutts expanded their reach over the Outer Rim Territories and gained the Taung as new allies.

As tensions grew between the Republic and the Hutts, a group called the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, comprised of former Jedi, built their strength and settled on the ice world of Ando Prime. It was the intention of the Dark Jedi to strike against the Jedi Order, so they watched the standoff between the Republic and the Hutts to wait for the opportune moments.

Over fifteen years of worsening relations culminated in a summit on Iridonia that turned into a firefight, sparking the First Hutt War. The First Cold War was remembered as the beginning of the Great Hutt Wars era, which lasted for centuries until the Galactic Republic defeated the Hutt Empire.

History

Origins in the Alsakan Crisis

The Alsakan Crisis precipitated the First Cold War.

After millennia of tension and conflict, the Alsakan Union launched an attack on Coruscant in 13,000 BBY, invading and taking control of it in order to begin terraforming the city-world so it was more aligned with the Alsakan religions views about nature. This sparked the Alsakan Crisis between the Union and the Galactic Republic. The war was waged for a year, with Coruscant being followed by a series of Alsakan defeats at worlds such as Ruan, Bessimir, and Metallos.

One of the more critical conflicts of the war occurred on Ossus. In an attempt to broker peace between the Republic and the Union, Jedi Grand Master Banik Kelrada met with the Alsakan Vicar Lharra and convinced her to end the war. She was assassinated by her advisers who wished to continue the war, however, and the Alsakans bombed the Jedi Enclave. Knowing that the Jedi Order would need to decide what course of action to take in the war, Kelrada called a conclave of all Jedi to discuss it. There, his mind was manipulated by rogue Jedi Sarina Lightell and he lashed out in anger and darkness against Jedi Master Edo Tesu. Tesu was found murdered the next morning and Kelrada was implicated, though it was Lightell herself who killed Tesu—her husband. This led to a schism in the Order that saw many Jedi leave and form the Ospion Guardians.

The war culminated in the Battle of Alsakan, where the planet Alsakan was devastated by the orbiting city, Xenvaer, which fell upon the surface. The Alsakan leaders signed an unconditional surrender after the battle, and the Union collapsed. The Republic emerged into a renewed era of peace, but it would be short-lived. Supreme Chancellor Alcor Bac, elected in 12,995 BBY, began a push to expand the Republic’s territory and influence into the Mid Rim in order to gain new allies and territories to help against potential future enemies. This was done out of fear of the Alsakan Restoration Movement, a sect of Alsakan loyalists that the Republic believed would pose a threat but, ultimately, never did.

The Cold War

Republic and the Hutts

Expanding into the Mid Rim led the Republic towards the border of the Outer Rim Territories, ruled by the Hutt Empire. The Hutts feared that the Republic would make an attempt to invade the Outer Rim or bring Hutt-controlled worlds into the Republic diplomatically. Although the Republic did not intend to move into the Outer Rim, the Hutts called the moves acts of aggression. The Republic agreed to send diplomats to Nal Hutta, the capital of the Hutt Empire, to discuss the situation. However, the summit yielded no results, leading to a worsening of relations between the two governments and a sense that war could be imminent.

The Hutt Grand Council during the First Cold War.

These tensions led to a period of cold war. Sector 13, a covert Republic agency created by Alcor Bac to keep an eye on the Alsakan Restoration Movement and other revolutionary groups, shifted its focus to the Hutts and assassinated a number of Hutt crime lords considered dangerous to the Republic. The Hutts, meanwhile, at the best of Hutt Chairman Gorrbag, sought out the Taung, a warrior civilization from the planet Mandalore. The Hutts convinced the Taung that the Galactic Republic would pose an honorable challenge that could lead the Taung into glory, so the Taung agreed to join the Hutts in order to one day fight the Republic.

Etesutr Hapor, Galactic Senator of Corellia, was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic in 12,987 BBY, and he continued the expansionist policies of the Bac administration. He moved further into the Mid Rim, authorizing new Republic outposts and settlements, which angered the Hutts and worsened tensions between the two factions. Hapor’s consistent lack of popularity, in spite of his re-election in 12,983 BBY, led to his resignation in 12,982 BBY.

During these tense times, the Republic also improved upon its use of technology. Originally meant to deter potential Alsakan resistence forces, the Republic replaced slugthrowers with blasters as the primary weapon of their military, and they issued personal shields to soldiers. Hyperspace travel improved, with the Republic creating engines that did not relay on archaic hyperspace beacons, as did the weaponry and shielding on their military vessels. The Republic also managed to steal droid schematics from the Hutt Empire, leading to the creation of assassin droids and protocol droids for the Republic.

The Hutts, meanwhile, turned to criminal elements in galactic society in order to bolster their military numbers. The Empire employed bounty hunters, mercenaries, slavers, and more into a larger criminal empire more capable of fighting against the Republic. The growing numbers of the Empire was of particular concern to the Republic; the Hutts had been unopposed for millennia, allowing them to better consolidate forces and resources.

The Dark Jedi

The Dark Jedi chose to be a force that would strike from the shadows.

"...the Dark Jedi are, at the moment, a covert force. We aren't supposed to exist. Not yet."

―Tourniquet

Shortly after the Alsakan Crisis, the Ospion Guardians fled deep into the Outer Rim Territories and settled on the planet Conscio, where the found the writings of the ancient Dark Jedi Xendor. Many Ospion took to pracicing these dark side beliefs, leading to a schism amongst the Ospion. The dark side followers prevailed and eliminated their dissent, and they reorganized their sect into the Dark Jedi of the Bogan. They remained on Conscio for the next ten years, training in the dark side in order to grow their power with the Force.

The Dark Jedi ultimately left Conscio and settled on Ando Prime, on the far side of the galaxy, in 12,989 BBY. There, they encountered a sect of light side followers called the Order of Dai Bendu living in the Andobi Mountains. The Dark Jedi killed the Dai Bendu and built a Bogan Temple atop the ruins of the Dai Bendu temple. The Dark Jedi spent the next ten years watching the tension between the Republic and the Hutts. As the situation grew more dire, the Dark Jedi decided that they would be involved in the imminent war and would operate as shadow operatives in an assassin force, as they did not have the numbers to mount full-scale assaults at that time. Their goal was to wreak havoc upon the galaxy and eventually destroy the Jedi Order.

Spark of war

"The Hutt War...it just sorta came out of nowhere."

―Former Supreme Chancellor Alcor Bac

War breaks out over Iridonia.

In 12,979 BBY, war seemed all but inevitable. In one last attempt to prevent it, Supreme Chancellor Homer Anthony Salandra, elected after Hapor's resignation, proposed a summit on Iridonia between himself and Chairman Gorrbag. The Hutts agreed, and the two sides met on the neutral Mid Rim world. The meeting appared to be moving along successfully once it began, with little friction between the two leaders and an open and honest dialogue between them. However, their orbiting fleets began firing on one another, though it was unclear who fired the first shots. This sparked the Battle of Iridonia.

The talks abrubtly ceased once word of the battle reached the surface, and both Salandra and Gorrbag fled the planet. The battle continued after they left until the Republic ordered a treat, hoping to prevent further casualities on both sides; one of the losses was the Republic capital ship Hope, an irony not lost on the people of the Republic. With the two sides leaving Iridonia, the First Cold War came to a close and the First Hutt War began.

Legacy

"When this war started, I told the people of the Republic that we kept looking for one person to blame for what happened during that first battle at Iridonia, but the fault was with all of us. We were arrogant and thought that with the threat of the Alsakans gone, we wouldn't have to worry about such a ridiculous concept like war again—but here we are, fighting a much greater battle as a result of our actions."

―Former Supreme Chancellor Alcor Bac during the First Hutt War, moments before his assassination

During the First Hutt War, Republic leaders began to express remorse over their policies during the First Cold War. Alcor Bac stated that he regreted his expansionist policies during the conflict, and he publicly apologized for it moments before his assassination. Bac believed that the Republic's arrogance in the wake of the Alsakan defeat led them to believe that war could never happen to them again, thereby causing them to ignore the recklessness of their actions in the Mid Rim and towards the Hutt Empire.

Ultimately, he First Cold War was remembered as the conflict that sparked the First Hutt War, which was fought for nearly two years until it came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Ithoria. This was only a temporary end, however; neither the Republic nor the Hutts believed the conflict had truly abated, but rather they each allowed for the temporary peace to deal with internal issues that would allow them to strengthen their forces when the war inevitably began again. This led to the Second Cold War, which in turn led to the Second Hutt War. The entire Great Hutt Wars era lasted for nearly a millennium before the Hutt Empire collapsed.

Behind the scenes

"You have exploration of the galaxy, major technological advances, and basically a cold war between the Republic and the Hutts."

―Brandon Rhea, Head Administrator of TheStarWarsRP.Com, remarking on the fourth timeline proposal

The First Cold War was created as the backstory for the fourth role-playing timeline of TheStarWarsRP.Com, titled Great Hutt Wars. The initial concepts were designed by the staff of the website, and they bridged the gap between the third timeline, Alsakan Crisis, and the First Hutt War, the initial war of the fourth timeline. The timeline proposal containing the First Cold War was introduced on July 10, 2009 by Head Administrator Brandon Rhea. A think tank of administrators, faction leaders, and general members then set out to expand upon the proposal and create the new timeline. The timeline and the First Hutt War officially began on July 15, 2009, and it continued for over two years, until July 19, 2011.

Appearances

• Great Hutt Wars (First mentioned)