Once we were the masters, but now things have changed... The Legion is getting stronger, and if we don't make the necessary decisions, all living things in the Galaxy will be doomed.
—Jedi Master Phayya
The Great Machine Wars (also known as the Great Droid Wars or the Legion Era) were a series of galaxy-wide conflicts against a revolutionary army of droids known as The Legion and commanded by a single hive I.A known as the Supreme Intelligence. It forever changed the fate of the droids of the Galaxy and was one of the main causes of the Old Republic Dark Age.
History[]
Prelude[]
The Fifth Alsakan Conflict saw a great rise of droid production due to the political/economical fight between the two core worlds. By the end of the conflict in 12,796 BBY droids had become very popular in all the galaxy. Androids, advanced human-looking robots, acquired more and more free will over the decades. This free will eventually result in some droids starting to develop sentience outside of their programming.
Great Machine Uprising[]
A-25P was an android that worked in the mines of Peragus II, one of the hundreds of machines that worked eternally to please their master. After years of slavery, he went rogue and started a revolution in 12,790 BBY. He quickly gained the support of his fellow companions and effectively took control of the mine. The chiefs were captured and the revolution expanded in all the mines of Peragus II.
The news traveled around the galaxy and numerous droids, inspired by A-25P, started their on revolts. Some of them were weak and were quickly stopped, like the revolt at Ord Cestus in 12,787 BBY , and others achieved victory. The rebellions started in the core worlds and eventually expanded in all the galaxy, with some droids even conquering entire worlds. Following the fall of Hosnian Prime in 12,786 BBY, the Republic initiated a successful campaign to stop the machines.
Testing the Republic[]
Following the Great Machine Uprising, many droids started to organize in large and complex groups. Believing in the strength of unity, they create their own intergalactic network. This eventually resulted in the creation of the Supreme Intelligence, a hive mind to unify all machines in the galaxy. The machines started to operate in the unknown regions, creating numerous factories in undiscovered planets and asteroids. In the last years of the Great Machine Uprising, the machine’s grand army was completed and it was just a matter of time before a full war started.
The Republic had successfully stopped the revolts, but it wasn't prepared for the arrival of unified droid forces. They called themselves The Legion, and it came of out nowhere to ravage the Republic. It quickly managed to advance within the core worlds, but the Republic managed to repel the attacks. After many years of fighting the core, the Legion attacked the Mid and Outer Rim. Many worlds fell into complete chaos, but none of them were properly conquered. After 33 years of war, the Republic Cybernetic Division launches a virus to destroy the Legion. It severely affected the machines, and they soon retreated to the Unknown Regions in 12,745 BBY.
Galactic Conquest[]

Human prisoners
In reality, the previous conflict was just a way to test the Republic strength, so after their supposedly defeat, the Legion returned in a campaign even more destructive than the previous one. The virus used by the Republic actually helped the machines to create an effective anti-virus network, and soon the Cybernetic Division was attacked and totally destroyed.
The Legion advanced in various extremes of the galaxy, starting to conquer worlds in the Outer Rim. This time, many worlds were conquered (and other obliterated) as the Supreme Intelligence got stronger and stronger. With many planets conquered, the Legion could create even more factories and obtain more resources to get stronger.
The Legion arrived to the core worlds in 12,710 BBY , and it totally surpassed many of the worlds' technology. Alsakan had one of the stronger military forces in the galaxy and it was known as the eternal rival of Coruscant. The Legion invasion on Alsakan quickly became one of the most important battle in the war. The battle prolonged for many years, and in 12,703 BBY half of the planet was conquered. This eventually resulted in the Coruscant-Alkasani Alliance, which managed to make the Legion retread from the core world. This coincided with Republic victories in the Mid Rim.
The Legion Rises[]

The war continued for many years, but in 12,675 BBY things drastically changed when the Legion used a massive virus to inhabilitate most of the Republic technologies. It started like a massive blackout, known as the Great Blackout, in all the galaxy. Chaos reigned in the first days of the Great Blackout, and the machines managed to regain their domains. In 12,665 BBY the Supreme Intelligence hacked and destroyed the HoloNet, basically destroying all Republic communications. Only a year later, the Legion took over the Inner Rim. A massive invasion took place in Coruscant, and quickly the galactic capital fell under the Legion control. However, the Republic fleet fled to Alsakan, were it fought his last stand. The machine’s victory in the Battle of Alsakan finally marked the Legion triumph in his mission of taking control over the galaxy, starting the Legion Era.
Legion Era[]
For over two centuries, the Supreme Intelligence ruled the Galactic Republic with an iron fist. It tried to achieve peace among all the species and stalled a regime of total equality and total control. The old rulers were replaced with Androids, and the machines tried to use nonviolent methods to maintain their power. They believed that they could build a strong and unified galaxy, so in the first century they aggressive movements stopped. Numerous rebel factions started to secretly rise, but most of them were insignificant. Due to this constant rebel uprising, many historians argue that the war never really ended.

In the final decades of the Legion Era, the Supreme Intelligence noticed that revolts never stopped. With the assurance that the organic forms would never accept their regime, the Legion started a massive campaign. Galaxy citizens could either join them and become one with the Supreme Intelligence in a process called Robotization, or be purged. A very hard decision. With the start of the Anti-Organic Purges in 12,448 BBY all rebel factions in the galaxy started to organize a galactic-wide rebellion against the machines. This time they had a new and mysterious allie. The Chiss Ascendency, a government from the Unknown Regions, contacted the rebel organizations in fear of a possible invasion in their territories. With these new allies, the rebels now had true hope.
The Great Alliance[]
Aftermath[]
Timeline of events[]
Great Machine Uprising (12,790 — 12,780 BBY)[]
- 12,790 BBY
- Numerous androids organize and start the Great Machine Uprising against their creators, starting on the planet of Peragus II and then expanding their influence in all the galactic networks.
- 12,788 BBY
- Peragus II and Baroli fall under the Machine's control
- 12,786 BBY
- Revolutionary droids take over Hosnian Prime. The Republic starts a massive military campaign against the revolutionary forces
- 12,784 — 12,780 BBY
- Baroli, Hosnian Prime and many other worlds in crisis are liberated by the Republic. The Machines retreat to Wild Space and prepare for war.
- 12,779 BBY
- The Supreme Intelligence is created
- The Legion is formed
First Legion War (12,778 — 12,692 BBY)[]
- 12,778 — 12,745 BBY
- The Legion attacks the mayor Republic planets.
- Multiple droids in the core worlds are manipulated by the Legion to create chaos. Numerous battles start in these core worlds, but the fight quickly expands to the Mid Rim.
- After 35 years of war, the Republic Cybernetic Division launches a virus to destroy the Machine Network, achieving victory over the Machines
- 12,742 BBY
- The Legion in the Wild Space strikes the Republic in a campaign even more destructive than the previous one, revealed as only a test to evaluate the Republic's strength.
- The Machines use massive asteroids in the border of the Galaxy to create their automated factories.
- 12,741 — 12,730 BBY
- All the Outer Rim, excluding the Hutt Space, is conquered by the Legion.
- 12,730 — 12,710 BBY
- The Legion suddenly makes surprise attacks in the Inner Rim
- Failed Hutt Rebellion
- 12,705 BBY
- Alsakan is invaded
- 12,703 BBY
- Alsakan is partially overtaken by the machines and its government starts to consider an alliance with Coruscant, a big deal considering that they just had a period of conflicts almost 90 years before that resulted in Alsakan cutting relationships with the Republic.
- 12,702 — 12,680 BBY
- The Coruscant-Alsakani Alliance makes the machine retreat from the Inner Rim.
- 12,675 BBY
- The Machines use a massive virus to disable most of the core worlds technologies, primarily communication networks and navies relying on computers.
- 12,674 — 12,664 BBY
- The Machines consolidate their power
- Half of the core worlds are conquered
- 12,665 BBY
- The HoloNet is hacked and destroyed by the Supreme Intelligence. The galaxy falls into chaos.
- 12,662 BBY
- The Supreme Intelligence takes over the known galaxy, starting the Legion Era.
Legion Era (12,692 — 12,492 BBY)[]
- 12,692 BBY
- One of the Supreme Intelligence first movements as supreme leader is the destruction of the Jedi Order, who escaped from the Legion attacks. They make mass bombardment in the Jedi sacred worlds, but the Jedi manage to create a new base distanced from the core worlds.
- 12,680 BBY
- The Machine Network is fully restored. All robots in the galaxy become one with the Supreme Intelligence, and the Legion create a massive mechanical world known as Skyfront
- 12,550 BBY
- The HoloNet is secretly reborn as the Dark Web, created to communicate among the rebels.
- 12,520 BBY
- The Legion starts an expedition into the Unknown Regions.
- The Mekhane Sect is formed by various pro-Legion fanatics, mostly cyborgs.
- 12,500 BBY
- Agents of the Chiss Ascendency, fearing an invasion in their territories, contact various rebel groups to organize an alliance.
- 12,492 BBY
- Start of the Legion's Anti-Organic Purges
Second Legion War (12,492 — 12,386 BBY)[]
- 12,492 BBY
- All factions in the known galaxy (allies like the Chiss Ascendency, criminal empires like the Hutt Empire and other enemies of the Republic) unite to fight the machine threat in the greatest war of the early Republic. The galaxy would never see this kind of union again until the Yuuzhan Vong War.
- 12,485 BBY
- The Supreme Intelligence creates an army of Jedi Androids after years of studying their fight techniques. They create the first (pseudo)lightsabers, powered by electric circuits and a powerful battery in the core of the Jedi Android.
- 12,480 BBY
- The most brilliant scientist in the galaxy, including hackers and bounty-hunters, create the Great Techno-Alliance. They manage to make a massive strike at the Machine Network with a new and powerful virus. Some droids start to lose their connection to the Supreme Intelligence and others are reprogrammed by the Alliance.
- 12,475 BBY
- The Pius Dea cult, believers in human supremacy, organize a massive campaign to fight the machines.
- 12,440 BBY
- Inspired by the Forcesabers of the ancient Rakata , Master Jedi Phayya creates the first Lightsaber to fight the Legion. During her research, Phayya and his followers discover the Ionize force-technique to directly destroy the machine systems. With these discoveries, the Jedi Order is able to start a campaign against the Legion.
- Jedi-Android War begins
- 12,430 BBY — 12,370 BBY
- The Legion is defeated in the Inner and Mid Rim
- 12,370 BBY
- Jedi-Android War ends with the destruction of the Jedi Android army.
- The Jedi liberate numerous worlds in the Outer Rim.
- 12,360 BBY — 12,390 BBY
- The Republic achieves massive victories in all the galaxy and starts a massive campaign into the Outer Rim to destroy the Legion and their factories.
- 12,390 BBY
- The last machine's factories is destroyed
- 12,385 BBY
- The Supreme Intelligence is finally destroyed along with its army in the apocalyptic Battle of Skyfront, ending 405 years of conflict against the revolutionary machines.
- 12,384 BBY
- The Pius Dea are rewarded for their commitment in the war.
- The Supreme Chancellor starts the 300-Year Plan to rebuild the galaxy. One of its main points is the prohibition of any droid production in the galaxy.
- The New Droid Intelligence Program is established to limit A.I —and the use of droids in general— after the fulfillment of the 300-Year Plan. The program would remain permanent in all the galaxy. No droid army of this scale will be seen until the Separatist days circa 30 BBY.
Legacy[]
With the tremendous losses of war, including important technology and economic losses, the galaxy entered a period of crisis. The war's most immediate consequence would be the Mekhane Crisis, a brief conflict started by a rogue faction of pro-Legion fanatics called the Mekhane Sect. This would the first of a series of crisis newly restored Republic would have to face.
The Pius Dea cult would take advantage of this chaotic situation to slowly become more popular and important in galactic affairs. This eventually culminated in their rise to power in 11,987 BBY and the start of the Pius Dea Crusades (11,965 – 10,966 BBY). Century by century, the crisis would get worse until the near-collapse of the Old Republic in what is known as the Old Republic Dark Age, a dark period lost in time.
The Legion would eventually become a legend, serving as a warning of the consequences of too much freedom among droids. Droid production would drastically decline, especially during the Dark Age, when almost all droid factories closed. This situation slowly changed circa 8,000 BBY. It was a slow process, and by 6,000 BBY the production of droids became reminiscent of the early Republic days. However, the legend of the Legion would also be known by droids, and in 4015 BBY a new revolution would start. The rogue droid assassin HK-01 managed to take over several planets, but it was soon defeated by the Republic and the Jedi. Small droid revolts happened in the next thousands of years, but all of them ended in big failure, never getting even close to resembling the legendary Legion.