Battle of Rhen Var The Battle of Rhen Var was a conflict between the Sith Empire and Galactic Republic during the Great Galactic War , fought around 3653 BBY . The engagement was catalyzed by the Empire ' s invasion and seizure of the icy Outer Rim world of Rhen Var — an operation overseen by the Dark Council member and Dark Lord of the Sith , Darth Mekhis . Mekhis , a Sith scientist and alchemist , intended to use the world to test her new creations , and though she was initially successful in her endeavors , a Republic intervention force led by members of the Jedi Order arrived on the planet to challenge the Empire for control . Commanded by Jedi Knight Satele Shan , the Republic defense group engaged the Imperial Army on Rhen Var and carved a path toward Darth Mekhis ' s command center . Although the ranks of the Republic Army suffered enormous losses in the battle , Shan and fellow Knights Syo Bakarn , Jaric Kaedan , and Bela Kiwiiks rallied their forces and continued their advance . After an extensive skirmish in the frosted forests of Rhen Var , Shan herself stormed Mekhis ' s compound and engaged the Dark Lord , grievously wounding the Sith during their duel and claiming victory for the Republic . The Republic ' s losses during the battle were immense , but the triumph on Rhen Var halted the Empire ' s advance and briefly turned the tide of the Great Galactic War . Prelude . The Battle of Rhen Var began around 3653 BBY , almost three decades after the Sith Empire ' s return to the galaxy and the initiation of the Great Galactic War . The war , waged between the resurgent Empire and the Galactic Republic , swept across star systems and saw numerous defeats for the ancient democracy as it attempted to slow the Sith advance . After significant military losses on battlefields including Korriban , the Minos Cluster , and Begeren , the Republic appeared to be heading toward total annihilation . However , after an improbable victory in the second battle at Bothawui , the defenders of the Republic and Jedi Order rallied to achieve a string of victories that halted the Imperial Military advance . Meanwhile , the Sith Emperor and his Dark Council grew increasingly desperate for a swift end to the war which had already dragged on for over a decade . Around 3667 BBY , the Empire began an aggressive push toward the Core Worlds that included an invasion of Alderaan and the blockade of the Hydian Way , all while continuing the Outer Rim onslaught . Imperial efforts in the Core were met with great resistance , draining the Sith war chest and straining the Empire ' s military . Regardless , the Empire continued with its strategy and worked to bolster their stretched forces by capturing additional worlds in the Outer Rim to reap much - needed resources and slaves . As the war approached its third decade , Darth Mekhis , a member of the Dark Council and a practiced Sith scientist and alchemist , set her sights on Rhen Var in the Thanium Worlds of the Outer Rim Territories . She hoped to seize the world for the Empire and appropriate its resources for the Sith war machine , while also using it as a testing ground for her newly developed weapons . The battle . Darth Mekhis led her invasion force to the world and established her command post in a mountain fortress compound . While she oversaw the development of new weapons technology in the compound , her division of the Imperial Army was led in the field by a troop commander and Colonel Rymar Quinn , and was assigned to secure the planet for Mekhis ' s usage . Composed of assault droids , Imperial soldier s , and Sith Warrior s , the invasion force was initially highly successful and managed to secure much of the planet ' s frozen landscape for their master ' s usage . This dominance was challenged , however , by the arrival of the Republic ' s army under the leadership of four Jedi Knights — Syo Bakarn , Bela Kiwiiks , Jaric Kaedan , and Satele Shan , all of whom were former apprentices of the Jedi Master Ngani Zho . Shan led the Republic defenders in traversing the snowy landscape and engaging Sith forces . The Republic ' s Forty - fifth Battalion , marching alongside their " Manka " - class armored transports , served as a scout force for the Jedi and the main army . Bakarn , an experienced Jedi healer , worked to mend the wounds incurred by Republic soldier s , while Kiwiiks served as a tactical expert . Kaedan and Shan , both prodigal combatants , fought on the front lines against the forces of the Empire . While the Forty - fifth Battalion was on a scouting mission in the forests of Rhen Var , the Empire attacked by dispersing weaponized poison gas . All of the scouts were killed or incapacitated before the Jedi and Republic reinforcements could reach them . While Bakarn attempted to ease the suffering of the dying scout Maxin Davers , Kiwiiks and Kaedan discussed the impending Imperial onslaught and whether or not they would be able to hold their position . Shan , having overheard their conversation , interjected to proclaim they would not only hold the position , but also push forward to gain ground and advance toward Darth Mekhis ' s fortress . In the ensuing clash between the Republic forces and the Empire ' s legions , the Jedi and their soldiers fought with numerous Imperial troops and Sith . Together , the four Jedi defeated their opponents and led their forces onward . As the Republic forces began their siege of Darth Mekhis ' s stronghold , the Dark Lord received a communiqué from her commander in the field stating that a five - minute battlefield projection placed Imperial casualties at 600 , but that Rhen Var remained in their control . Upon hearing the news , Mekhis activated her experimental chaosphere and necroswarm colony weapons and instructed the commander to use them to destroy their enemies . Although the battle appeared to be won for the Sith , Shan breached the compound and cut down all of Mekhis ' s defenders before reaching the Dark Lord ' s command center . Upon blasting through the barrier doors , Shan confronted and engaged Darth Mekhis in a duel . Shan ultimately prevailed , wounding Mekhis in the process and claiming victory for the Republic on Rhen Var . The Bane Brigade , an Imperial unit infamous for war crimes in the eyes of the Republic , was present at the Battle of Rhen Var and were largely defeated , though some members survived . Aftermath . The Battle of Rhen Var proved to be one of the major engagements of the war and a turning point for the Republic . The success of the Rhen Var defense , like the earlier victory on Alderaan , caused morale to soar , and the Jedi and the Republic Military were able to beat back the Sith ' s forward push enough to obstruct the Empire ' s advance . However , victory on the icy world came at a high cost — it took three full days for memorial droid s to recite all the names of the Republic casualties . Additionally , the failure of the Sith invasion forces only made the Emperor and his Dark Council even more desperate to end the war , which drove them to develop the battle plans for their ultimate offensive : the Sacking of Coruscant . The resultant Treaty of Coruscant ended the war , but placed the Empire as the conflict ' s clear winner . Although Imperial Colonel Rymar Quinn was killed during the conflict , Darth Mekhis survived the battle and continued to serve on the Dark Council for many years . She was a key figure in the crafting of the Treaty of Coruscant , but maintained an intense hatred for the Jedi — particularly the opponent who had bested her on Rhen Var , Satele Shan . Shan , Bakarn , Kiwiiks , and Kaedan all continued their prolific careers as Jedi and were eventually elevated to the position of Jedi Master . By the later years of the Cold War , all four Jedi were serving on the Jedi High Council and were recognized as heroes of the Great Galactic War . Behind the scenes . The Battle of Rhen Var was first introduced to " Star Wars " canon as part of the 2011 comic book story arc " " . The battle was first seen in " The Old Republic — The Lost Suns 1 " as part of a flashback to the Great Galactic War and was again referenced in both part 2 and part 5 of the same story arc . " The Lost Suns " was written by Alexander Freed , who introduced Syo Bakarn , Bela Kiwiiks , and Jaric Kaedan to canon via the Battle of Rhen Var ; all three characters were used in major roles in the LucasArts / BioWare video game , " " . The battle was again revisited in 2012 ' s " " , which introduced the participation of Colonel Rymar Quinn and reviewed the actions of Shan and Mekhis .