Third Great Schism

The Third Great Schism was a conflict within the Jedi Order that occurred in 4250 BBY, the third of a series of conflicts where members of the Order fell to the dark side of the Force and waged war on their fellows. The Third Schism was instigated by Jedi who were influenced by teachings of the dark siders known as the Sith.

After a period of intense fighting on the Galactic Republic's capital of Coruscant, the Dark Jedi were forced to fall back to the Vultar system, where they discovered ancient technology that was believed to have been used to artificially construct the planets of the star system. The Dark Jedi attempted to use the machines, including the powerful Cosmic Turbine, but lost control of the technology, resulting in the annihilation of the Vultar system in an event known as the Vultar Cataclysm.

In the aftermath of the cataclysm, the ruined system became known as the Vultar Nebula. The Jedi Order later attributed the cause of the Great Sith War, Jedi Civil War, and ensuing conflicts between dark-siders and the Jedi to the Third Great Schism.

Text and facts from the “Third Great Schism” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.