Korriban

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Korriban, known as Pesegam during the reign of Xim, and also known as Moraband by the time of the Clone Wars, was the sole planet in the Horuset system, located across the galaxy from Koros Major. It was the original homeworld of the Sith species and a sacred planet for the Sith Order, housing the tombs for many ancient and powerful Dark Lords of the Sith, and containing immense dark side power.

After the Hundred-Year Darkness, the remaining Dark Jedi interbred with the Sith species and ruled the Sith using their Force powers. After the Great Hyperspace War, Korriban was abandoned and became a barren world. It was the site of a Sith Academy, and became the headquarters of the One Sith.

History

Sith Empire

Under the pall of Sith magic, this desolate world became more hellish and dangerous[3]. The Sith Lords erected huge palaces and burial complexes to honor their fallen Dark Lords. Circa 5000 BBY, the planet became an endpoint of the newly-formed Daragon Trail hyperspace lane, when it was discovered by Gav and Jori Daragon[9]. This event triggered the Great Hyperspace War. After the fall of the Sith Empire, the planet lost much of its prominence in the galaxy, eventually falling off the galactic starcharts for a thousand years. Despite the belief the Sith as a species became extinct after the end of the war, isolated enclaves of Kissai and Massassi existed on the planet over a millennia after their empire's fall.[6]

Old Sith Wars

Korriban was resettled prior to 3993 BBY by Dark Jedi survivors of the Exar Kun War,[source?] and was home to the new settlement of Dreshdae and a Sith training academy.[10][11] In 3993 BBY, as part of the Great Hunt, Duron Qel-Droma and Shaela Nuur died on the planet, failing to cleanse it of terentateks.[10][11] The planet became the sector headquarters of the Czerka Corporation. Darth Revan and Darth Malak visited the planet on their quest to discover the Star Forge. After losing his memory, Revan visited and infiltrated the academy again in 3956 BBY on his quest to re-discover the Star Forge for the good of the Republic. Seeking the Star Map in Naga Sadow's tomb he passed the tests and then confronted Uthar. With the death of Master Uthar Wynn, the academy's headmaster, and Darth Malak himself at the hands of Revan in 3956 BBY, the Sith Order collapsed into a civil war (which took place 3956-3950 BBY) which decimated the Sith Order.[12]

It took the Republic a couple of years to send an expeditionary force to Korriban (around 3954 BBY) in order to deal with any potential Sith who might attempt to take up the mantle of Dark Lord. They found a planet nearly in ruins—barren and lifeless as a result of the then unknown civil war.[12] It was assumed by the commanders of the Republic task force that the remnants of the Sith turned on each other, vying for what little power remained. It was also said that Revan had always intended to return to Korriban one day to subdue any would-be Sith insurgents, but he then disappeared.[12] However, the Republic discovered evidence that several Sith Lords did manage to escape the planetary conflagration, fleeing to remote corners of the galaxy.[13]

After the fall of Darth Malak, the ancient tombs within the Valley of the Dark Lords were plundered by grave-robbers. Each tomb was once infused with the history and heritage of the old Sith Empire, containing great mysteries and powerful relics of the Force.[14] Many broken, charred corpses littered the plains of Korriban during this time, virtually all that remained of the Sith who once inhabited the world. However, their malignant spirits remained, ready to confront any who disturb their rest by way of their guardian-familiars, the Hssiss.[12]

In the chaos following the Jedi Civil War, which nearly destroyed the Jedi Order, Jedi Master Lonna Vash used Korriban as a hideout. She was eventually trapped and killed by Sith Lord Darth Sion in the ruins of the academy, and then used as bait to lure the Jedi Exile into Sion's hands. After escaping the trap, the Exile discovered the long lost tomb of Ludo Kressh.[12]

Clone Wars and the Galactic Empire

After the Clone Wars and the Great Jedi Purge, former Jedi turned bounty hunter, A'Sharad Hett was pursuing his bounty Resk on Korriban. After beheading him, Hett was called by the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord, XoXaan, who taught him the secrets of the ancient Sith.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Palpatine, now Emperor of the Galactic Empire and the ruling Dark Lord of the Sith, visited the tombs of the ancient Sith Lords on Korriban that were still haunted by the ghosts of the long deceased Sith. He wanted to gain further knowledge of the dark side, but his demands only enraged the mummified Sith. Wounded and cowed, he was rescued by Jeng Droga and had to recover from the assault in a bacta tank on Imperial Center.[15]

During this time, the Zann Consortium had the option of setting up operations on the planet for knowledge.[16] During a pilgrimage to Korriban shortly before the Battle of Endor, Emperor Palpatine suffered an ambush from the Rebel Alliance's Renegade Squadron. After trapping him in one of the tombs temporarily, and suffering casualties in doing so, the Squadron were able to infiltrate his landing craft and obtain information about the second Death Star, information that would bring about the tyrant's fall.

A tomb intended for Darth Vader that, after his defection from the Sith before his death, was offered by the Sith spirits to Darth Sidious, was presumably erected sometime during this period.[17]

New Republic

At 11 ABY, Palpatine visited the planet once again for the last time, in order to restore his decaying clone body. He conferred with the Sith spirits, who discouraged his decision to try and save his life, offering him a seat among their mummified remains, the tomb-throne reserved for Vader (the Emperor presumably had no tomb prepared for himself on Korriban because he did not intend to ever die). Darth Sidious insisted that he should live, and the deceased Dark Lords informed him that, although his last body could not be saved, he could survive by using fresh Jedi blood, possessing the newborn Anakin Solo. He did not succeed in his attempt to do so, and lost his final clone body on Onderon shortly after.[17]

Fauna

Due to the planet's harsh terrain, and the power of the dark side, Korriban's native fauna was both vicious and cunning, such as the fierce terentateks. The bat-like shyracks lived in great numbers in caves on the planet. Tuk'ata, sometimes called Sith hounds were also fairly common, particularly in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Dark side dragons, or Hssiss, could be found on Korriban, though as semi-aquatic creatures, they were quite rare. Wraids were also found on Korriban. There is evidence that, at one point, the planet was home to an ape or primate-like species, although by the time of Naga Sadow the species was long extinct. Though it is possible that the primate-like species was somehow connected to the Sith species, no conclusive link between this species and the Sith species was known. The highly venomous pelko bug was an insect native to the planet—its venom had a potent numbing effect and was used in Sith training sabers by the Brotherhood of Darkness during the end of the New Sith War. By the time of the Cold War, K'lor'slugs could also be found on Korriban.[18]

Locations

Main article: Valley of the Dark Lords

The Valley of the Dark Lords was a valley and burial ground of Korriban's Sith Lords. Originally constructed by the planet's natives as a burial ground for their kings; the Exiles of the Jedi Order who came to be known as the Dark Lord of the Sith added their own tombs to the Valley. Along with several prominent tombs, the Valley was home to the ancient Sith Great Temple and Lord Khreusis's Stronghold which would loom over the Valley for several millennia.

Behind the scenes

"Without Adas' unifying influence, wars once again raged for rule of the Sith people, with the reigning combatants arrogantly claiming the title of Sith'ari, and eventually forcing a relocation of the Sith capitol to the planet Ziost. Eventually, almost two-dozen millennia after Adas' death, a proper successor to Adas seemed to come at last. Known in Republic space as the Exiles, traitorous Jedi defeated in a galactic war called the Hundred-Year Darkness arrived on Korriban and cowed the Sith people with their astounding Force abilities, lightsabers, and superior technology."
―Abel G. Peña resolves the contradiction surrounding Korriban and Ziost[19]

Korriban first appeared in Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith 2. The name of the planet was conceived by Kevin J. Anderson.[20]

Though Ziost was established as the original Sith homeworld in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith, many sources described Korriban as the Sith homeworld. It was the "public" capital world of the Sith Empire during the era of Darth Revan, but was a mausoleum-world for millennia beforehand and would return to such a state not long after.

The controversy was put to rest in the article Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties by Abel G. Peña, which clearly established the Sith originating on Korriban and relocating the capital to Ziost before the arrival of the Dark Jedi exiles during the Hundred-Year Darkness, though the Dark Jedi exiles themselves landed on Korriban.

Appearances

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Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 StarWars.com Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!) — Based on corresponding data for Moraband system
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Essential Atlas
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named wizards
  5. ↑ Star Wars: Empire at War: Prima Official Game Guide
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, last accessed on December 24, 2007.
  8. ↑ Star Wars: Sith Wars
  9. ↑ Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named kotor
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Shadows and Light" — Star Wars Tales 23
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tsl
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nec
  14. ↑ Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
  15. ↑ "The Emperor's Pawns"—Star Wars Gamer 5
  16. ↑ Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Star Wars: Empire's End
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TOR
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pena
  20. ↑ Interview with Dark Empire Writer Tom Veitch. Star Wars Underworld (archived from the original on June 13, 2020)
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