A command center built by members of the Wookiee species on the moon Alaris Prime was attacked by four predatory gundarks sometime between 39 BBY and 36 BBY. The command center was one of the early Wookiee bases on Alaris Prime during their colonization effort there, and prior to the attack, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had been instructing five Wookiee workers on techniques for gathering various resources. After a short period of time, the gundarks found and attacked the command center, but the workers retreated into the building and fired at the creatures with its turret, killing all of them. The Wookiee colonists later launched an attack on the gundarks' nest in order to exterminate them.
Sometime between 59 BBY and 56 BBY, the Wookiee species from the planet Kashyyyk rediscovered Alaris Prime, a moon of the gas giant Alaris. These explorers, represented by the Wookiee Chieftain Attichitcuk, petitioned the Senate of the Galactic Republic to give their species colonization rights to Alaris Prime. After twenty years of debate, the Wookiees finally won the rights and headed for the moon sometime between 39 BBY and 36 BBY, with Attichitcuk being named leader of the colonists as a reward for his victory in the Senate. Attichitcuk's son, Chewbacca, was also selected as one of the colonists' leaders, and Qui-Gon Jinn, a Master in the Jedi Order, was also sent to Alaris Prime by the Jedi Council to aid the Wookiees.
The site of the attack, a Wookiee command center
Soon after they landed on the moon and established their first base, the Wookiees were attacked by gundarks, a non-sentient predatory species. The Wookiees defeated the creatures and began to expand their colony, with the next base established being a lone command center. Three Wookiee workers were stationed at the base, where Jinn taught them how to gather food for the colony by harvesting fruit from muja fruit bushes. Later, a fourth worker arrived at the base, whom Jinn instructed on how to catch fish from the nearby river. Another worker arrived at the command center after a sufficient amount of food had been gathered, and Jinn afterward had the Wookiees practice a drill in which they retreated into the command center to use its turret system to defend themselves in case of attack from the gundarks or any other enemy. Following the drill, the workers began gathering carbon from the nearby trees, which could be processed into duraplast and used for building. Chewbacca later arrived to assist at the base, and simultaneously four gundarks approached the command center.
Using the Force, Jinn sensed the approaching gundarks and alerted the five workers. They immediately ceased gathering resources, retreated into the command center as they had practiced in the drill earlier, and fired at the gundarks with the turret. Chewbacca also used his bowcaster to attack the creatures, and all of them were killed without any serious damage done to the command center or the Wookiees.
The Wookiees went to attack the gundarks but found themselves fighting battle droids instead.
The workers exited the command center and returned to gathering resources for the colony. Chewbacca scouted the area around the base further and discovered supplies of nova crystals, a form of currency used in the galaxy, and ore, a mineral that could be processed into durasteel, which was useful for strengthening buildings. The workers gathered enough of these resources to sustain the base. Following the attack on the command center, Jinn decided it was time to take action against the gundarks, and he had the Wookiees train a small army to wipe out the creatures at their nest. When they launched the attack, the Wookiees encountered a squad of battle droids belonging to the Trade Federation, a corporation that had illegally started its own colonization on Alaris Prime. This led to several battles between the two groups, which ultimately saw the Trade Federation driven off the moon in the Battle for Alaris Prime.
The attack on the Wookiee command center was first mentioned in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Prima's Official Strategy Guide by Steven L. Kent,—released on November 7, 2001—before appearing in the LucasArts video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, released on November 11, 2001. The attack is featured in the second level of the Wookiee tutorial campaign, "Gathering Resources," in which the player uses the Wookiees and has to fight off the gundarks. The player may lose the level when the gundarks attack if the command center is destroyed.