when you think about it star wars Prequels and conflicts, you probably think of the Clone Wars, one of the most important interstellar campaigns of the entire saga. but in star wars‘The old Expanded Universe, touched upon only fleetingly in the rebooted continuity, preceded both the Clone Wars and the broader prequel trilogy, a conflict that helped pave the way for the state of the Galactic Republic as we knew it was coming. Phantom MenaceWhich arguably also helped create the conditions for The Clone Wars: The Stark Hyperspace War.
First presented in background material for the run-up Phantom MenaceAnd finally fully explored in the pages of Dark Horse star wars comics, the Stark Hyperspace War has made its way into modern star wars Canon only through passing mentions in name. But the bones of the conflict in the Expanded Universe set the stage for politics between the Jedi Order and within the Galactic Senate, as we see them both facing existential crises Phantom Menace,
Although the prequels and EU alike would go on to explore the deep running cracks in the Republic that allowed Palpatine’s machinations to split it and create the Galactic Empire, the Stark Hyperspace War was one of the earliest windows into the time frame surrounding the prequel trilogy, and with it, our first indicator of some of those cracks in the galaxy’s institutions.
prelude to war
Even before the war formally began in 44 ABY – approximately 12 years before the events of Phantom Menace-The Galactic Republic had long faced issues of increasing corruption and lawlessness, especially in the Outer Rim regions. The Rusan Reforms, which fundamentally altered both the representative structure of the Republic and the military power of the Jedi Order centuries earlier, saw both an increase in the political power of industrial groups within the Republic, such as the Trade Federation and banking clans, as well as reduced access to the Republic’s judiciary branch, whereby Jedi and smaller security forces could serve the Republic.
It was the perfect storm that ultimately led to the rise of Iako Stark, a renowned smuggler, to a major power in the Outer Rim. Building a Robin Hood-like reputation in raids against Trade Federation transport, stealing goods to sell to communities at prices below Federation set cost, Stark successfully convinced a growing group of business associates and mercenaries to form the Stark Commercial Combine, one of the largest groups of pirate activity ever formed in the history of the Republic.
But Stark was secretly working with the Trade Federation leader, Hask, and another important business figure, Adol Bell, head of the Thyferan Zukfra Corporation, one of the only companies in the galaxy that could distribute and produce vital medical supplies, Bacta. While preparing for a conflict between the Combine and the Trade Federation, Stark had big dreams: drawing the Galactic Republic into a conflict that would completely destroy it.
In the first phase, setting the stage for a hyperspace war, Zucfra sabotaged one of his own Bacta facilities on Thyfera, making galactic supplies incredibly scarce. The Bacta crisis immediately increased the demand and prices of medical treatment, especially in the Outer Rim, as hoarding remaining supplies created even greater economic pressure.
Working closely with the Trade Federation, Stark’s Combine began raiding corporation-owned bacta supplies, selling it at a profit, but still below skyrocketing demand, while dramatically increasing Stark’s reputation even further, not only as a bulwark against the Trade Federation, but as someone people could point to as a sign of the Republic’s inadequacy.
republic backfoot
The Bacta crisis, as well as the Combine’s increasing “hostility” towards the Trade Federation, suddenly made Outer Rim issues a major issue in the Senate, though not necessarily due to concerns about corruption in the Outer Rim. Nute Gunray, who was at the time a ranking minister of the Federation and its Senate representative, not its outright leader (and unaware of Hask’s deal with Stark), and Senator Ranulf Tarkin, a distinguished militarist who was advocating change against Rusan reform orders on the Republic’s military assets, both used the crisis to advocate for increased martial power privately and on a galactic scale.
However, in the tide of Senate opinion he was defeated by then-Senator Finis Valorum, who successfully induced the Senate to begin diplomatic negotiations with the Combine. With Valorum and Gunray tasked as the Republic’s primary negotiators, along with a task force of Jedi diplomats (who were secretly tasked by the Order to investigate the true nature of the Bacta shortage on Thyfera, believing that industrial sabotage was going on), the Republic and the Combine agreed to meet on the world of Troikan to engage in negotiations. However, Gunray secretly leaked the location of the peace talks to Tarkin, who was privately amassing his own militia from the self-defense forces of Republic member worlds sympathetic to his anti-Reformation beliefs.
Hoping to launch a surprise attack on the Combine forces gathered at Troikan, Tarkin believed that his victory would advance the militarist cause within the Senate, and make him a prime candidate to assume the Chancellorship – while also eliminating one of his major rivals at Valorum and the Jedi’s negotiating party as a necessary cost of the conflict. But, through Hask, Stark already knew about Tarkin’s fleet, using the pretext of Gunray’s betrayal in the peace negotiations to immediately take the Republic and Jedi delegation hostage when they reached Troikan.
Stark also managed to plant Gunray’s secret messages in Tarkin’s fleet with a navicomputer virus that destabilized the ability of Tarkin’s ships to safely navigate hyperspace, destroying many as they re-entered real space in the unsafe environments within planetary atmospheres or stars and black holes, and leaving the few that reached Troikan, including Tarkin’s flagship, which That was significantly more than the Combine fleet.
On the ground, the confused gunfire caused by Gunray ordering the Trade Federation’s own battle droid security forces into the peace negotiations resulted in the death of the Jedi’s lead negotiator, Wookiee Jedi Council member Tyvoka, and the remaining diplomats and Jedi had to make a hasty retreat to Mount Avos, the former center of the spice mine, which they could use to hide and fortify themselves from Stark’s forces. Above Troikan, Tarkin orders his remaining troops to abandon ship, deploying his escape pod to link up with Republic forces at Avos, turning the mountain into a siege target for Stark and his forces.
turn of tide
While the Jedi and Republic forces fought to defend their positions on Avos against several waves of Stark mercenaries on Thyfera, Jedi Master Tholme and his apprentice Quinlan Vos successfully managed to uncover Stark’s ties to the Trade Federation and Zukfra’s leadership, providing the evidence needed to proceed against the Combine on Coruscant.
Tarkin’s remaining militia, as well as the united forces of the Jedi – particularly the Jedi Knight Plo Koon, who had used his telepathic abilities to learn the Combine’s plans and prepare the Republic’s successful defense of Mount Avos – opened a window of opportunity, as Stark laid siege to the mountain range, knowing that the Republic’s defenders barely had the supplies to last more than 10 days.
While Jedi Master Adi Gallia managed to successfully escape through the cave system beneath Avos with Gunray and Valorum and sought a working Combine transport to bring the senators back to Coruscant in order to petition the Jedi Council and Senate not to give in to Stark’s demands, Koon and the other Jedi (including Qui-Gon Jinn and his recently upgraded Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi) sought Tarkin. Led the army to repulse several unsuccessful attacks on the mountain by the Combine. The soldiers loosen Stark’s tenuous hold on the Alliance.
Although the Senate refused to send military backup to Troikan and relieve the Republic delegation – arguing that the threat of Stark’s navicomputer virus infecting trade ships in the Outer Rim took priority over aiding what they saw as an illegal private military force – the Jedi Council, threatening Gunray about the risk of Trade Federation-wide complicity in the war, convinced the Minister to send them a Jedi strike force to Troikan. Convinced to allow use of the Trade Federation’s fleet.
The plan was able to be re-coordinated partly due to the psionic abilities of Plo Koon, who meditated with his fellow Jedi between Combine attacks, not only communicating telepathically with the Council on Coruscant, but learning of Stark’s increasing losses among the Combine leadership with each failed siege on Avos… and persuading the smuggler to accept amnesty in exchange for the Jedi’s assistance in ending the war.
Timing the arrival of a Jedi strike force led by several Masters of the Council, the remaining Jedi and Republic troops, including Tarkin, planned to send a patch to Stark’s navicomputer virus upon the arrival of the Jedi fleet and escape through the abandoned mining caverns beneath Avos, sealing the exits behind them to completely prevent Combine forces from pursuing them. But while the Jedi successfully aided the approaching fleet on Troikan, the plan on the ground went awry, due to Tarkin’s growing frustration that Plo Koon’s commanding presence had brought the war to a largely peaceful end rather than furthering the militaristic cause.
Attempting to kill the fleeing Jedi and deliver a death sentence to the pursuing Combine forces, Tarkin detonates himself with the detonator, completely sealing the cave system while leaving the trapped Combine forces to be devoured by the local wildlife living within the cavernous structures of Avos. The Jedi delegation and the rest of the Republic survived uninjured, but Tarkin’s legacy was secured as the “hero” who ended the Stark Hyperspace War with his sacrifice.
Result
Although the Stark Hyperspace War only lasted a few days, it would have a long-term impact on the Galactic Republic during the remainder of the next two decades. Although the Stark Combine disbanded after the war, the lessons learned by the pirates forming the militia increased the effectiveness of piracy within the Outer Rim, fueled by the Senate’s reluctance to support Tarkin’s paramilitaries with Judiciary forces.
Republic veterans of the war – whose battle wounds had been exacerbated by the lack of Bacta – founded the Stark Veterans Assembly to drum up support for the cure and to continue Ranulf Tarkin’s military advocacy within the Senate after his death, a sentiment that would eventually lay the groundwork for the secret creation of the Republic’s Clone Grand Army.
To the Jedi, the death of a Council member shocked the entire Order – as it had played an essential role in maintaining peace to bring the war to its conclusion. With Tyvoka’s seat on the Council now vacant, Plo Koon was promoted to the position of Master to fill it given his important role in Troikan. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Valorum’s role in the conflict elevated his status within the Senate, leading to widespread support for his election as Supreme Chancellor only four years later.
Gunray in turn saw his own internal standing within the Trade Federation rise, even if he played his role out of necessity, setting the stage for him to assume leadership of the group… laying all the pieces in place for the manipulations that, less than a decade later, would begin to see the Phantom Menace plan a Sith takeover of the galaxy.
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