Cleansing of Kashyyyk In 3993 BBY , Jedi Knight Guun Han Saresh ventured to the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk to hunt a " great beast " that was rumored to reside in the planet ' s Shadowlands . During the Great Hunt , a collaborative Jedi effort to rid the galaxy of Sith - created monstrosities in the aftermath of the Great Sith War , Saresh had established himself as one of the very best hunters in the entire Jedi Order . As such , he was handpicked by the Jedi High Council for a secret mission to rid the Sith homeworld of Korriban of the vicious terentatek beast . However , Saresh left the group and instead went to hunt the rumored " great beast " of Kashyyyk , which he believed to be a terentatek . After setting a trap for the beast in the Shadowlands , Saresh attacked the terentatek with his Force - imbued blade — unfortunately for Saresh , the sword shattered on his prey ' s tough hide , and the defenseless Jedi was eaten alive . Prelude . In 3996 BBY , Sith Lords Exar Kun and Ulic Qel - Droma launched the Great Sith War against the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic . Although the Sith were eventually defeated , alchemically - created monstrosities that had been bred by the dark side users still survived on planets across the galaxy and threatened both the Jedi and the general populace . In response , the Jedi High Council organized the Great Hunt , a collaborative effort to eliminate these beasts wherever they tread . Over the next three years , one particular group of hunters that included Humans Duron Qel - Droma and Shaela Nuur , along with Twi ' lek Guun Han Saresh , established itself as the best the Order had to offer . After the team cleansed the planet of Tatooine of the vicious and highly dangerous terentatek beast , an official end was called to the Great Hunt . However , the Jedi Council selected Qel - Droma , Nuur , and Saresh for a special , secret mission — to exterminate terentateks on the Sith homeworld of Korriban , a world deeply steeped in the dark side . The Korriban mission did not go according to plan . Saresh , disapproving of the budding romance between Qel - Droma and Nuur , eventually left the group , traveling to the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk in order to hunt a " great beast " that he had heard lived in the planet ' s Shadowlands , which he believed to be a terentatek . After arriving on Kashyyyk and investigating the " great beast , " Saresh became convinced that it existed , and descended into the Shadowlands in order to begin the hunt . The cleansing . Once in the dark Shadowlands , Saresh decided to set a trap for the terentatek . This he accomplished by using his crossbow to slay an avian mykal beast , which he hung in the air with some vines . Saresh retreated to a high rock overlook and waited for the " great beast " to arrive — soon enough , the terentatek came to feast on the mykal . Not seeing Saresh emerge from his perch , the terentatek was on the receiving end of a surprise attack from Saresh ' s Force - imbued blade . However , to Saresh ' s horror , the Jedi ' s sword was shattered at the hilt by the terentatek ' s thick hide . Left defenseless , Saresh was devoured by the beast . Aftermath . Although the Jedi Council was relatively certain that Saresh had died , it had no knowledge about his exact fate , since it was too dangerous to send someone out to find his body . The same day that Saresh perished on Kashyyyk , his former compatriots Qel - Droma and Nuur were also slain by terentateks in Korriban ' s Valley of the Dark Lords . In 3956 BBY , thirty - seven years after the death of Guun Han Saresh , the Jedi Revan killed the terentatek that had claimed the Twi ' lek ' s life on Kashyyyk , finding Saresh ' s datapad and his Circlet of Saresh in the process . Behind the scenes . Saresh ' s battle on Kashyyyk was first mentioned in the 2003 video game " " , in which the terentatek involved can be fought by the player - character , Revan . The skirmish appeared for the first time in " Shadows and Light " , written by Joshua Ortega and illustrated by Dustin Weaver , which was one of the stories in 2005 ' s " Star Wars Tales 23 " . The battle was also referred to in the reference book " The New Essential Chronology " and in a Codex entry for the 2011 video game " " .