Battle of Sluis Van ( Great Galactic War ) Shortly after the Sith Empire ' s return to known space in 3681 BBY , Imperial forces launched an attack on the Galactic Republic ' s holdings at the planet Sluis Van in the Sluis sector in one of the earliest battles of the Great Galactic War . The attack was part of the Sith Emperor ' s strategy to secure the galaxy ' s Outer Rim Territories early in his war against the Republic . The Imperial Armada led the assault , which was focused primarily on the Republic shipyards in the sector . Imperial starfighters engaged the shipyard ' s defenses and ultimately destroyed the orbital station with little resistance from the Republic Military , as the galactic government had been caught off - guard by the swiftness of the Sith ' s incursion upon the galaxy . With the world under their command , the Sith slaughtered any Republic defenders and Sluis Van civilians who refused to swear allegiance to their Emperor . Prelude . In 3681 BBY , the reconstituted Sith Empire returned to the known galaxy and initiated a conflict of unrivaled proportions against the Galactic Republic . In this Great Galactic War , the Sith Emperor ' s first priority was to secure the galaxy ' s Outer Rim Territories before making plans regarding a push toward the Republic ' s heart in the Core Worlds . Striking from the Unknown Regions , the Sith achieved several decisive victories in the Tingel Arm while the Republic struggled to organize an appropriate response . The Republic Navy was eventually able to mount an operation to retake the Tingel Arm , but was defeated and driven out of the region . The battle . While the Republic was thrown into disarray following the loss of the Tingel Arm , the Empire moved forward with its assault . The Sith launched an offensive in the Sluis sector , specifically targeting the Republic ' s starship - manufacturing facilities . The Empire ' s attack on the sector was headed by the Imperial naval forces , which focused on the shipyards that orbited the planet Sluis Van in a ring formation and were entirely undefended by Republic naval forces . Imperial Mark VI Supremacy - class starfighter squadrons attacked the shipyards , which were protected by only on - station turbolaser emplacements . The starfighters eventually broke through the defenses and were able to fracture and destroy the ring that made up the space station . Much as they had on many other conquered worlds , the Sith they went about executing any civilian or government worker who refused to swear allegiance to the Sith Emperor after their seizure of Sluis Van . Republic Military personnel were not given the option of surrender , and were hunted down and killed . Aftermath . In conjunction with the successful attack on Sluis sector , the Empire staged a blockade of the Rimma Trade Route and an incursion into the Minos Cluster . These events , in addition to the loss of the Tingel Arm and the Jedi defeat at Korriban , led the leaders of the Republic to organize an emergency session of the Galactic Senate in order to organize the defense of the galaxy . The session quickly took a negative turn , with senators and other politicians refusing to participate if their worlds were not given priority defense . Meanwhile , the Sith continued to sweep the Outer Rim , securing a sturdy power base before beginning their push into the galactic core . The Empire was entirely successful in those aims until the Republic ' s first major victories at Bothawui in 3671 BBY . During this period , the Kel Dor Jedi Knight Gnost - Dural kept a journal in which he documented the early conflicts of the war — including the battle of Sluis Van . As a Jedi historian in the years following the Sith Empire ' s victory in the war in 3653 BBY , Gnost - Dural made a holorecord that also detailed the Empire ' s early operations against the Republic , including the attack in the Sluis sector . By the onset of the Separatist Crisis in 24 BBY , the Sluis sector was once again renowned throughout the galaxy for its shipyards . Behind the scenes . The conflict in the Sluis sector was first mentioned in the Sith Empire ' s page on The Holonet , an online feature available on " Star Wars : The Old Republic " official site which provides background information on the LucasArts video game , " " . The battle was later pictured and given context in the sixth entry of the Galactic Timeline . The timeline details the history of the galaxy prior to the events of " The Old Republic " and is narrated by Jedi Master Gnost - Dural , vocally performed by Lance Henriksen . The image of the battle provided in " Onslaught of the Sith Empire " depicts the Sluis planet and its shipyards in the exact way the planet Kuat was depicted in the 2006 LucasArts game , " " and its expansion , " " . In fact , the single image of the battle , as seen at the top of this article , appears to be identical to a screen shot of Kuat from " Forces of Corruption " , as seen .