First Jedi Purge

The First Jedi Purge was the genocide that saw the near—destruction of the Jedi Order by the Sith Triumvirate from 3954 BBY until 3951 BBY, which saw the Jedi disappear from the galaxy— as the Order fought for its survival.

During the Sith Civil War, circa 3954 BBY, Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, and Darth Sion took command of the remnants of Revan's Sith Empire. After the exile of Traya, Sion utilized his Sith assassins to assassinate Jedi, while Nihilus would consume the life of entire planets in search of the Jedi. Nihilus's final attack was on the Miraluka world of Katarr; nearly all of the remaining hundred Jedi died at a meeting being held there.

Despite nearly eliminating the Jedi Order, the Sith ultimately failed, as the Order had survived in exile, where Meetra Surik had trained a new generation of Jedi, but also personally killed all three leaders of the Sith Triumvirate in combat. After the conclusion of the purge, the Jedi who Surik trained proved essential to the future of the Jedi Order.

Text and facts from the “First Jedi Purge” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.