The year 17,018 before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) was a span of time that marked the onset of the First Alsakan Conflict and, as a result, the end of the Great Manifest Period. The Republic's boundaries had been expanding as Core-based and corporate interests pushed waves of expansion, settlement, and resource harvesting throughout the Slice. During this time, the planets of Alsakan and Coruscant had developed a heated rivalry, and Alsakan's desire for economic, political, and cultural superiority and independence had reached a breaking point. The conflict initially started as a blockade and armed colonial protection but quickly escalated to war. The conflict officially began with the First Battle of Virujansi, when the Republic seized control of the planet from Alsakani interests.