17 , 000 BBY The year 17 , 000 before the Battle of Yavin ( BBY ) was a span of time in the Galactic Republic ' s Indecta Era that occurred during the First Alsakan Conflict . During the conflict , which had begun eighteen years previously , Arkanian scientists , who were seeking to perform genetic experiment on sentient species , discovered the primitive Xexto on Troiken . The Arkanians took a sample of the species and moved them to nearby Quermia , where both groups were experimented upon . Proem . The Great Manifest Period of the Galactic Republic was a time of expansion within the then - known galactic community . Planetary governments and corporate interests were rapidly expanding into the Slice in order to claim new worlds for settlement and exploitation of natural resources . In the northern portion of this region , near the Perlemian Trade Route , the planets of Alsakan and Coruscant were fervently competing against each other , with hostilities brewing as the two planets fought for dominance economically and culturally . Furthermore , the Republic ' s bureaucracy and politicking grew with fervor , fueling the rivalry as sectors of the galaxy had become so large that they were ungovernable . The growing governmental structure included the creation of the Bureau of Ships and Services more than one thousand years prior to the conclusion of the Great Manifest Period . This organization was created to help regulate interstellar trade as well as to maintain records of starship transactions and movements . Furthermore , the intensifying strife between Alsakan and Coruscant had reached a boiling point . Initially , the conflict started as a blockade . Soon thereafter , however , the event escalated into actual fighting . An outright civil war was only avoided by legislation passed by the Bureau of Ships and Services . With legislation in place , the specific conflict settled . Nevertheless , economic advantages in the Expansion Region were not the only motivating factors for open war . Alsakan also desired to usurp the seat of government from Coruscant , believing it to be their deserved place in the galaxy . As a result , the motivations behind the fighting went unresolved . Open warefare began in 17 , 018 BBY with the Republic assault and capture of Virujansi . The galaxy in 17 , 000 BBY . While the Republic was busied with the First Alsakan Conflict , the arboreal hunter - gatherer Xexto species of Troiken was discovered by rogue scientists from Arkania . The scientists sought to perform genetic experimentation on sentient species outside of the Republic ' s borders , because such actions were illegal within Republic space . Around 17 , 000 BBY , the Arkanian scientists secretly took a sample of the Xexto and relocated them to the nearby planet Quermia . There , the planet was terraformed , and the transplanted Xexto became helpless subjects of genetic experimentation and manipulation . The experiments were not confined to Quermia , however , as the Arkanians also performed some experiments on those who had remained behind on Troiken . Impact . Inside the Republic , the conflict between Alsakan and Coruscant was the first of seventeen such skirmishes between the two planets . While the Bureau of Ships and Services was able to intervene in the first Alsakan Conflict , the desire to usurp the capital coupled with the competition in the Slice caused periodic unrest until the final conflict occurred in 3017 BBY . The seventeen conflicts destroyed historical landmarks , such as Belgoth ' s Beacon and the Alsakan Mosaics , and laid waste to portions of the Expansion Region . The group of Xexto that underwent genetic experimentation on Quermia by Arkanian scientists were monitored and tested for only a few generations . At that point , the geneticists abandoned their research , fearing the wrath of the Republic . They instead turned their focus to other projects . Nevertheless , permanent alterations to the Xexto on Troiken had taken hold . On Quermia , the dramatically altered subjects were left to develop within the natural processes , and they became the Quermian species . Both the Xexto and Quermians became technologically - developed societies independent of each other . After both species were discovered by the broader galactic community , it became a commonly held belief that they were genetically related . The connection between Quermians and Xexto was discovered millennia after their forced genetic divergence , but the Xexto initially refused to acknowledge it . Eventually , however , they reluctantly accepted what genetic tests had verified . Behind the scenes . The year 17 , 000 BBY is first mentioned in the " Ultimate Alien Anthology " , a " Wizards of the Coast " roleplaying game sourcebook published in April 2003 . This established that around 17 , 000 BBY the Quermian and Xexto species had diverged because of genetic experimentation and asserted the role of Arkanian scientists in the matter . The year received a passing mention two years later in " The New Essential Chronology " . Here , the starting date for the Alsakan Conflicts was established as 17 , 000 BBY . The Quermian and Xexto also received a mention in this source . 17 , 000 BBY received direct mention in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " under the entries " Quermian " and " Xexto , " as well .