20 , 000 BBY The year 20 , 000 before the Battle of Yavin ( BBY ) marked the end of the Expansionist Era and the beginning of the Great Manifest Period in the Galactic Republic . Now approximately five thousand years old , the Republic began a period of rapid expansion out from the Core Worlds and into the areas of Wild Space " east " of the galactic center . Other cultures , such as the Etti , had already begun Rimward migration . Further development and exploration took place in the Core as well . The planet Metellos , suffering from a lack of trade and overpopulation , began its attempt to blaze a new hyperlane connecting it to both Coruscant and points westward to alleviate these issues . Once completed , the route stretched from Coruscant to Orooturoo . Proem . The Expansionist Era had marked a steady but limited growth to Galactic Republic space . Primary galactic settlement was confined to the Core Worlds , Hutt Space , the Herglic Trade Empire , and the Republic worlds that mostly lined the existing hyperspace routes . Exploration into the regions colloquially known as " Wild Space " and blazing new hyperspace routes were regarded as incredibly dangerous . Nevertheless , the Etti had already begun migrating out of the Core Worlds as a response to persecution at the hands of the Republic ' s " oppressive " and " tyrannical " government . These people had terraformed the planet Etti IV and settled far from the reach of Coruscant ' s bureaucracy . The galaxy in 20 , 000 BBY . The year 20 , 000 BBY marked the end of the Expansionist Era and the beginning of the Great Manifest Period , an era of expansion and exploration beyond the Core Worlds and the then – known galactic community which was nestled along the Corellian Run and the Perlemian Trade Route . The exploration was primarily contained to the " Wild Space " area , which later became known as the Expansion Region of the Slice . About this time , the planet Metellos was facing the domestic problems of overpopulation and a lack of trade . To remedy these , the planetary government commissioned the blazing of a new hyperspace trail to connect both eastward to Coruscant and to points westward . Upon its completion , the Metellos Trade Route connected Coruscant to Orooturoo . It was also circa 20 , 000 BBY that the ancient Jedi Knight Roni von Wasaki was born . Impact . The Galactic Republic saw massive settlement in the Expansion Region and broader areas of the Slice as the Great Manifest Period continued . The growth was fostered by government - backed , corporation - sponsored settlement . Coruscant and Corellia were among the most active and prosperous planets at this time , striking the ire of rival world Alsakan . This later became the impetus that led to the Alsakan Conflicts . At the same time , the corporate - sponsored settlement caused planetary resources to be exploited and settlers left in poor conditions ; many worlds eventually revolted . The goals established on Metellos to remedy its problems with trade and overcrowding were only marginally realized with the creation of the Metellos Trade Route . While the connection to Coruscant did increase some trade traffic , the largest gain was with planets westward , such as Orooturoo . At the same time , the opening of Metellos to the broader galaxy did relieve some of the overcrowding that had developed in the prior years . Jedi Knight Roni von Wasaki became known as a peace - keeper in the frontier sectors who rooted out criminal activity in those areas . Various crime lords then issued a bounty for his capture . Notwithstanding his success fending off would - be captors , he was apprehended by Leshy Drobo , Gammid , and the droid XT - 8 . The Jedi was encased in carbonite , but a botched murder resulted in the destruction of the hyperdrive in the transporting vessel . The ship drifted through realspace for nearly twenty thousand years until it was found by a group of soldiers who fought in the Galactic Civil War as members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic . During this long period of drifting , Wasaki was driven to insanity . Behind the scenes . The date 20 , 000 BBY was first alluded to in the roleplaying game supplement " Coruscant and the Core Worlds " , published by Wizards of the Coast in 2003 while discussing Metellos and the creation of the Metellos Trade Route . The Great Manifest Period , and its commencement in 20 , 000 BBY , was later mentioned in " The New Essential Chronology " and " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . Further development of the events within the Great Manifest Period were then published in the 2009 book " The Essential Atlas " . Other sources make reference to events that happened " more than twenty thousand years " before the Battle of Yavin , such as the " Shadows of the Empire " Sourcebook , which discusses the Etti fleeing persecution in the Core and settling on Etti IV . Nevertheless , the text states that this event had happened sometime prior to 20 , 000 BBY , at an unidentified time . The storyline of the Jedi Knight Roni von Wasaki is only published in the roleplaying adventure " Disturbance in the Force " in the magazine " Challenge 66 " . As this source is not officially licensed , the canon nature of Wasaki and the storyline is ambiguous . This source lists the Jedi ' s birth year as approximately 20 , 000 BBY .