Skirmish in the Tingel Arm In 3681 BBY , a skirmish occurred between the ancient Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic upon the Empire ' s return to known space . After hiding in the Unknown Regions for centuries following their defeat in the Great Hyperspace War , the Sith rebuilt their Empire and readied for war against the Republic . Led by a Dark Lord known as the Sith Emperor , Imperial battlecruisers appeared on the fringes of the Tingel Arm . The Republic dispatched a diplomatic convoy to meet the warships and discern their intent , but the convoy was quickly destroyed by the Sith forces . This battle was the first in the devastating Great Galactic War , which dragged on for twenty - eight years and eventually enveloped the galaxy . Prelude . Following the end of the Great Hyperspace War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire , the galaxy at large believed the Sith to be extinct . In truth , one of the Empire ' s few surviving Sith Lords had fled to Dromund Kaas in the Unknown Regions to build a new Sith dominion in secrecy , planning to one day return and destroy the Republic . The Republic , meanwhile , operated in ignorance of the surviving Sith Empire , enjoying peaceful expansion that was occasionally interrupted by various conflicts instigated by claimants to the Sith title . In 3681 BBY , the rebuilt Empire ' s leader , known as the Sith Emperor , believed his preparations for the return of the Sith Empire to the galaxy were complete . A number of " Harrower " - class dreadnaughts traveled to the fringes of the Tingel Arm , a far reach of Republic space . The Republic was informed of their appearance but was unaware that the vessels belonged to its ancient nemesis . To discern the intent of the mysterious fleet , a convoy of Republic diplomats , escorted by a small starfighter squadron , was sent to rendezvous with the battlecruisers . The skirmish . The diplomats arrived in the Tingel arm and were greeted by the fleet of battlecruisers . The diplomats ' transport began transmitting images of the fleet back to the Republic , but the transmission was cut off when the battlecruisers opened fire . The entire Republic force was annihilated by the Imperial ships , resulting in the loss of hundreds of Republic lives . Aftermath . The skirmish in the Tingel Arm ignited a galaxy - wide conflict known as the Great Galactic War . Public knowledge of the attack was not known until after the Battle of Korriban , but the video of the Empire ' s return incited fear and uncertainty when it was finally broadcast . With their Empire revealed to the galaxy , the Sith began a ruthless campaign of conquest throughout the rest of the Outer Rim Territories . The Emperor ' s forces immediately invaded the Aparo sector , seizing control of it and much of the remaining Tingel Arm . After a delayed response to the seizure of the Aparo sector , the Republic Military was pushed out from the Tingel Arm and forced to operate on the defensive for the remainder of the twenty - eight – year – long war . Following the end of the war with the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant , the Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost - Dural made a holorecord of the events surrounding the beginning of the Great Galactic War , including the skirmish in the Tingel Arm . The journal of Master Gnost - Dural also contained a first - hand account of the Kel Dor ' s experiences upon learning of the skirmish ; the work was one of the first added to the new Jedi Archives on Tython during the Cold War . Behind the scenes . The skirmish in the Tingel Arm was first introduced in , the sixth installment of the " Galactic Timeline " . The timeline is a series of web videos presented as historical accounts on the history behind the BioWare computer game " " ; the installments are made available on the game ' s official site and are narrated by Jedi Master Gnost - Dural , who is voiced by actor Lance Henriksen . The skirmish was later mentioned in " The Journal of Master Gnost - Dural " , which was released in December 2011 as part of the " " collector ' s edition .