Outbound Flight Project Outbound Flight was an expeditionary project , led mainly by Jedi Master Jorus C ' baoth , that sent a mission of six Jedi Masters , twelve Jedi Knights , and 50 , 000 men , women , and children beyond the borders of the Galactic Republic into the Unknown Regions where they hoped to pierce the edge of the galaxy and seek out extragalactic life . Despite bureaucratic complications during funding and construction , Outbound Flight was eventually launched in 27 BBY as a central fuselage surrounded by six " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruisers . It set out from Yaga Minor , and after visiting several worlds on the Outer Rim , Outbound Flight headed off into the Unknown Regions . Problems arose when the Jedi leader and project creator Jorus C ' baoth took command of the vessel and imposed severe restrictions on its civilian and military population . In the Unknown Regions , the ship was almost destroyed by the forces of Commander Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo , at the request of Darth Sidious , though it was the Sith Lord ' s minion Kinman Doriana who dealt the final blow . It crashed on a world in The Redoubt , where it stayed for 49 years until it was rediscovered by the Chiss in 22 ABY . Along with Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker , they led a mission to recover it and encountered the survivors of the crash and their descendants , who had formed their own society amidst the wreckage . Birth of the project . Outbound Flight was the brainchild of famed Jedi Master Jorus C ' baoth . Conceived in 29 BBY , it was planned as a massive expedition into the Unknown Regions and eventually beyond the Galactic Rim to another galaxy . Families would be brought along in hopes of colonizing worlds in the Unknown Regions and beyond , extending the Galactic Republic ' s reach . Officially , Outbound Flight was a proposal by the Jedi Council , but the forceful C ' baoth assumed control over the project , becoming its main champion . It was C ' baoth who convinced the Senate to support and fund the mission . Though hyperspace travel to other galaxies was long thought impossible due to a hyperspace disturbance beyond the edge of the galaxy , C ' baoth believed that the Jedi could use the Force to smooth it and allow the vessel to pass . He demonstrated this technique in a turbulent area of space at the edge of the Unknown Regions , and then recommended that eighteen Jedi , including himself , be included in the mission . Recruiting for crew and passengers began in 29 BBY . Colonists were selected by their technical proficiency , though secretly , families with Force - sensitive children were given a higher priority . They were sent to train on Yaga Minor , the launching point for the mission . Six new " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruisers were purchased from Rendili StarDrive to compose the vessel itself , also named " Outbound Flight " . As time passed and the political situation of the galaxy changed , the enthusiasm of the project ' s participants faded , and the Senate and Jedi began to back away from Outbound Flight . Supreme Chancellor Palpatine , not wanting to devote too much funding to such areas in a time when dissatisfaction with the government and rumors of secession were flourishing , kept the mission low - profile . The Senate Appropriations Committee made a series of budget cuts and voted to remove the families and colonists from the mission , leaving only the ship ' s crew . The Jedi Council , too , had second thoughts , and Masters Yoda and Mace Windu refused to send more than two Jedi on the voyage . As one of the Jedi ' s chief objectives was to find Vergere , many in the Order believed that only a small expedition was needed , and not the massive undertaking of C ' baoth . Despite these setbacks , C ' baoth was not deterred from realizing his dream . In a meeting with Palpatine in 27 BBY , he made a deal with the Chancellor ; if he could negotiate a resolution to a conflict between the Corporate Alliance and the Brolf i of Barlok , Palpatine would pressure the Appropriations Committee to restore all funding and bring the colonists back onboard . When C ' baoth foiled an assassination attempt on the Alliance and Brolfi representatives , engineered by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious through his agent Kinman Doriana , he was able to bring the negotiations to a rapid close , and the political clout he gained in the Senate gave him the power to push Outbound Flight through committee with all his original proposals intact . Even the Jedi succumbed to the political pressure , and allowed him to take as many Jedi as he needed . Final assembly on the " Outbound Flight " began , and as promised , Palpatine approved Measure 4213 . 0410 on 8 : 2 : 11 GrS , sponsoring Outbound Flight and allowing it to finally launch . The purpose of Outbound Flight . With so many participants involved in the project , Outbound Flight had many intended goals , some public , others secret , and many at cross purposes with each other . C ' baoth ' s original proposal , as submitted to the Senate , was to discover new life forms and new Force - sensitives in the areas outside the Republic . One of his private reasons , and one of the main reasons behind the Jedi Order ' s support , was to search for Vergere , who had been captured by the Far Outsiders — also known as the Yuuzhan Vong — from Zonama Sekot in the Unknown Regions two years prior . As the turmoil in the Republic worsened , C ' baoth also began to speak of establishing colonies of Jedi in the Unknown Regions beyond the reach of the Republic , an idea that worried some Jedi , including Mace Windu and Yoda . The Senate had its own reasons for supporting the project . In the original plan , colonies were to be established in the new territories that Outbound Flight scouted , and in this way the Republic would gain a foothold in the Unknown Regions and grow further . The prospect of identifying possible threats from outside the galaxy before they reached it and became a danger also appealed to the security - conscious Senators . Palpatine had a personal agenda as well . In his alter - ego as Darth Sidious , he was working to destroy the Jedi Order and saw the advantage of being able to eliminate a large number of Jedi in a single attack far away from the public eye . He was also aware of the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong and did not wish for them to be discovered before the galaxy was strong enough to fight them ; for Palpatine , Outbound Flight was always intended to fail , and become a deathtrap for the Jedi onboard . Vessel details . Outbound Flight was composed of a central storage core surrounded by six " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruisers designated " D - One " through " D - Six " . The main control area for " Outbound Flight " was located in D - One . Each dreadnaught was linked to its neighbors and the core by pylon turbolifts , allowing passengers to move from dreadnaught to dreadnaught or dreadnaught to core . To Obi - Wan Kenobi ' s surprise , " Outbound Flight " also used swoops and speederbikes to travel throughout a single dreadnaught . The speederbikes and swoops were monitored by a control system on the command bridge of " Dreadnaught - One " , similar to a podracer control and monitoring system that Anakin Skywalker had used during his years on Tatooine . For the most part , droids handled the repair and maintenance on " Outbound Flight " . For example , there were droids for making large repairs such as welding large plates to patch up walls , and there were droids for doing simple tasks like cleaning up debris . " For weapons systems on " Outbound Flight : Launch . " Outbound Flight " set out from Yaga Minor in the Outer Rim , under the command of Captain Pakmillu . For three weeks , it stayed in Republic space , traveling in turn to Lonnaw , Argai via the Glythe sector , the Kokash and Mondress sector s , and making a final stop at Roxuli . 234 light year s from the edge of Wild Space , the Outbound Flight intended to stop to calibrate its navigational instruments , and then journey into the Unknown Regions . After traveling in a large circle through them , it would eventually head beyond to another galaxy . Aboard were 45 , 000 colonists , 5 , 000 crew , and twenty Jedi — six Masters , thirteen Knights , and one Padawan . Amongst them were Obi - Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker , two last - minute additions to the roster put on by Mace Windu to keep an eye on C ' baoth . At the edge of the galaxy , they would depart in a two - person Delta - 12 Skysprite and return to known space . As the voyage went underway , Obi - Wan began to consider staying aboard for the entire length of the mission ; however , he left sooner than expected . Palpatine learned of their participation in the project , and , wanting Anakin Skywalker alive , he arranged to meet Outbound Flight at Roxuli . There , he pulled Kenobi and his Padawan from the flight , officially to mediate a mining conflict . Because C ' baoth would not alter his schedule , the " Outbound Flight " departed without the two Jedi . It was planned for " Outbound Flight " to return at the end of its mission . Though the timeframe for this was unknown , it was provisioned with supplies for ten years of travel , though it could restock on any nearby habitable planets . Some colonists would be left in settlements as well , with one of the Dreadnaughts detaching from the rest of the vessel to give them protection and , if necessary , transport . C ' baoth takes command . During the expedition , Jorus C ' baoth took over the ship from Captain Pakmillu and was extremely strict and unfair to the non - Force - sensitive people . He stole children in the night to train , would not permit decoration , and punished people severely for accidents . The crew began to despise him and contemplate rebellion and escape . C ' baoth ' s former Padawan Lorana Jinzler , who disagreed with her master ' s efforts , tried to appease the disgruntled passengers . Obi - Wan Kenobi advocated leniency and the ability for parents to choose whether or not to join the aboard training facility , but C ' Baoth would not listen and was much pleased when Kenobi departed at Roxuli . The end of Outbound Flight . Darth Sidious ' s original sortie . Palpatine , in his alter - ego as Darth Sidious , had sent Kinman Doriana to lead a Trade Federation task force of fifteen ships under the command of Vicelord Siv Kav into the Unknown Regions to wait in ambush for " Outbound Flight " . However , Doriana ' s fleet first met Chiss Expansionary Defense Force s under the command of Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo ( known better as Thrawn ) . Using superior tactics , the Chiss quickly subdued the task force in the battle , destroying all ships but the flagship " Darkvenge " . Thrawn contacted the " Darkvenge " , and Doriana explained the purpose of their mission , stating that the Jedi were a threat to Chiss space . Thrawn did not believe him , and Doriana was brought on board Thrawn ' s ship . There , he told Thrawn of the real threat , an extragalactic species he called the Far Outsiders ; their true name , the Yuuzhan Vong . According to Doriana , if Outbound Flight were to succeed in its mission , the Far Outsiders would be alerted to the Republic before adequate defensive preparations could be made . The Jedi , he said , were too arrogant to recognize or respond to the threat , so they therefore had to be eliminated . Thrawn knew of the Far Outsiders , as the Chiss had fought one of their reconnaissance parties before . Doriana made Thrawn contact his master , Darth Sidious , who reiterated the threat the Far Outsiders and " Outbound Flight " posed . Thrawn decided to disable the vessel and force it to return to the Republic , or leave the galaxy via another route ; he would destroy it if necessary . Destruction . Thrawn began placing Doriana ' s droid starfighters on an asteroid in preparation to stop the " Outbound Flight " . Meanwhile , Thrawn ' s " prisoner " Jorj Car ' das left the Chiss fleet and contacted the Vagaari , a nomadic and deadly enemy of the Chiss , in an attempt to get them to attack the Chiss forces , so as to free his friends . This was actually a ploy by the mastermind Thrawn , who saw this event as an opportunity to destroy the Vagaari as well as Outbound Flight . Using a Vagaari ship net stolen from an earlier engagement , he had it setup at a position that would be both along the path of " Outbound Flight " , and in between the Vagaari ' s last known position and the Chiss Crustai base . " Outbound Flight " was forced to exit hyperspace first by the Vagaari ship net ' s interdiction field . Thrawn contacted C ' baoth and boarded the " Outbound Flight " to meet . Negotiations failed , as the Jedi Master refused to return home or take another route out of the galaxy , while the Chiss Commander maintained that he could not risk letting the Jedi come into contact with the Far Outsiders . Shortly afterwards , the Vagaari were ripped out of hyperspace on their way to attack the Chiss base . When the Vagaari threatened to attack " Outbound Flight " , C ' baoth and the rest of the Jedi used their battle meld to confuse the Vagaari warriors . Thrawn took this moment to activate the Vulture droids to engage the confused Vagaari , as well as activate battle droids and droidekas that he had positioned on the Vagaari ship prior to the attack ( with Car ' Das delivering them , pretending to betray the Chiss ) . With the Vagaari gunners dazed by the Jedi , the droid fighters were able to get close enough to disable most of the Vagaari ships without killing the prisoners they were using as living shields , and the Vagaari themselves were slain by the battle droids and the droidekas . Thrawn counted on the fact that while invading the Vagaari ' s minds , the Jedi would feel their pain . The Jedi were distracted and overwhelmed by the disturbance in the Force caused by the death of the Vagaari whose minds they were confusing . During the disturbance , C ' baoth and his fellow Jedi failed to detect the Chiss forces that were sneaking in , and Thrawn managed to systematically destroy the weapon clusters of the " Outbound Flight " , killing almost every Jedi aboard , save for Jorus C ' baoth and Lorana Jinzler . In a fit of rage , C ' baoth fell to the dark side and Force - choked Thrawn , nearly killing him . A panicking Kinman Doriana diverted the Vulture droids from the Vagaari and sent them smashing into the ship , opening it to space . The special radiation bombs on some of the droid ships ( which Thrawn had intended for use against the Vagaari ) , then detonated themselves inside each Dreadnaught of " Outbound Flight " ; as a result , some of the Vagaari were able to escape . Survivors . Only Lorana and fifty - seven colonists , whom Jorus C ' baoth imprisoned in the core , managed to escape . Lorana , along with Thrawn ' s brother , Thrass , sent the ship into lightspeed and crashed it into a planet later known as part of the star cluster The Redoubt . Outbound Flight entered the gravitational field of the nearby planet , and with the craft ' s thrusters burnt out , Thrass and Lorana had to crash - land the craft . A stone - filled trench was chosen to absorb the impact of landing . A few moments before impact , Lorana and Thrass realized the fifty - seven survivors had moved from the central storage core to D - 4 , the Dreadnaught on the opposite side of D - 1 , their location . Lorana and Thrass knew they would have to land on D - 1 to save D - 4 , and gave their lives so that the remaining colonists would have a chance for survival . The Outbound Flight Colony . Fifty - seven of the forty - five thousand colonists survived the destruction of " Outbound Flight " . The injuries they had sustained in the attack and the poor living conditions in the wreck took their toll on the survivors . By the time the crash site was rediscovered in 22 ABY , only ten members of the original survivors remained . It was due to C ' baoth ' s arrogance and draconian behavior that the survivors of " Outbound Flight " had such a resentment and hatred for the Jedi . In an attempt to organize themselves , a Managing Council was formed to make policy decisions for the survivors . The people who were thought to be Force - sensitive were moved and quarantined to a separate dreadnought . Traps were also made to foil any attempts of entering the colony , such as hidden turbolifts . Rediscovery . For forty - nine years , nothing was known of the fate of " Outbound Flight " . Obi - Wan Kenobi is known to have researched hyperlane s into the Unknown Regions in preparation for leading a search for the lost ship , though this attempt was obviously unsuccessful . Following Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s assassination during the Battle of Bilbringi , his private notes were retrieved by the New Republic , revealing Thrawn ' s role in " Outbound Flight " destruction . In 10 ABY , New Republic historian Arhul Hextrophon mentioned the Galactic Republic ' s extragalactic exploration during a guest lecture at the Brionelle Memorial Military Academy on Chandrila . He told that the Old Republic had several times tried to contact other galaxies , but all the previous attempts were deemed failures , and Outbound Flight Project was the most recent extragalactic expedition . According to Hextrophon , Thrawn ' s notes proved that his goal was to eliminate the six Jedi Masters . He also explained that " Outbound Flight " was ordered to be destroyed by Palpatine . In 22 ABY , a CEDF patrol discovered the remains of the vessel . After doing a fly - by at long range to verify what they had found , they reported back to the Nine Ruling Families , who decided to declare that region off - limits . Aristocra Chaf ' orm ' bintrano , also known as Formbi , contacted the Hand of Thrawn base on Nirauan with instructions . They forwarded a message to Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker stating that the Chiss wished to make amends for " Outbound Flight " destruction , and as it had been a Jedi project , wanted to invite the head of the New Jedi Order . Formbi had another , secret goal in mind . Wanting to push the Chiss into a confrontation with the Vagaari , but knowing that they would not attack first , he used " Outbound Flight " as a lure to draw them into taking aggressive action against the Chiss . The colonists , not wanting anything to do with the New Republic due to its association with the Jedi , chose to join the Empire of the Hand , though many were reluctant to leave the wreck of " Outbound Flight " . Though it would take a long time to excavate and extract any information on the ship ' s computers , Luke hoped to eventually find records of the old Jedi Order that he could use to build his new one . Passengers and crew . Jedi . There were six Jedi Masters , twelve Jedi Knights ( including newly knighted Lorana Jinzler ) , and one Padawan aboard " Outbound Flight " . Amongst them were :