The third and fourth timeline videos, Return of the Mandalorians and The Empire Changes Strategy, show how and why the Sith manipulated the Mandalorians into blockading the Hydian Way. The Mandalorians are the long time enemies of the Jedi and the Republic, making them the perfect tool to be exploited by the Sith. With the Sith stalled in Mid Rim after their initial advance, the second step in the Sith Emperors master plan? went into effect.

After Imperial diplomats failed to recruit bounty hunters, the Empire shifted tactics resulting in Imperial agents engineering the rise of a puppet Mandalore through the rigging of arena matches. Imperial Intelligence also used espionage to effectively stop the Republic from gaining the support of the Hutts and other criminal organizations, which is impressive considering the Hutts resentment towards the Empire for keeping them in the dark about their plans.


After conquering the arena with the Agents assistance, the new Mandalore proceeded to unite Mandalorians from across the galaxy to fight the Jedi and the Republic. Under Sith influence, Mandalores forces proceeded to cut off the Hydian Way in an attempt to starve and cripple the Republics core worlds. Even though the blockade was eventually defeated, the rise of a new Mandalore under Imperial influence means the future intentions of the Mandalorians and the possible continuing influences of the Sith will almost certainly be a strong plot point in TOR.



The fifth timeline video, Battle of Bothawui, reveals why the Emperor became impatient with the slowing conquest of the galaxy. The Emperor decided to seize the Mid Rim after his successful conquest of the Seswenna sector, unfortunately the overconfidence of the Sith resulted in an initial loss of ships charging into Bothawui space at the hands of the larger Republic fleet.

Until this point, the Sith had swept across the galaxy, decimating the morale of the Republic. However, with their first victory in Bothawui space, a new hope was kindled. With the inevitable return of the Sith, a small contingent of Jedi and Republic forces remained behind to defend the planet against the coming storm. The Emperor, demanding revenge, sent in an overwhelming number of ships and troops in an attempt to crush the newly found Republic moral.


Republic troops set forth to defend the shield generators that were protecting Bothawui from orbital bombardment. During the ensuing ground war, Sith forces outnumbered the Republic by a staggering amount, however overconfidence on the part of the Sith commanders resulted in huge losses. Their losses were so great that even though the Sith managed to defeat the Republic forces they lacked enough troops to hold against the indigenous population and had to withdraw from the planet. The Battle of Bothawui ultimately resulted in a draw, though it inspired new strategies which helped to halt the Sith advance.