Rhinnal/Legends

Rhinnal was a planet in the star system of the same name in the Darpa sector of the Core Worlds. Orbited by two moons and located in the Ringali Shell, the region of space along the Perlemian Trade Route near the Ringali Nebula, Rhinnal possessed almost no axial tilt and a near-circular orbit, giving the planet very little seasonal variations. Encased in a planet-wide ice age tens of thousands of years before the Galactic Republic's collapse, Rhinnal had begun to thaw by the time it was one of the Core Founders of the Republic in 25,053 BBY, having been settled by Humans from Notron. A colony of nearby Esseles for much of its history, Rhinnal soon gained a reputation as a medical wonderworld, with a Jedi chapter house and the Rhinnal State Medical Academy in the capital of Rhire producing some of the galaxy's best doctors.

Renowned for its beauty and pristine environment, Rhinnal also developed a textile industry in addition to its pharmaceutical and cybernetics industry, and the native Rhinnalians were known for their fierce loyalty to their clans. Freed from Esseles' control with the rise of the Galactic Empire, Rhinnal eventually overthrew its governor Phadreas Kole in 7 ABY and joined the New Republic, supplying its doctors and medical experts to help halt crises such as the outbreak of the Krytos virus and the Death Seed plague.

Description

The Ringali Shell, with Rhinnal as the second from the right

The fourth planet in orbit around the star Rhinnal in the Rhinnal system, Rhinnal was located in the region of the Core Worlds known as the Ringali Shell, a string of star systems along the Perlemian Trade Route that were near the violet-colored Ringali Nebula and whose night skies were lit up by the same nebula. Situated along the Perlemian between the planets Esseles and Ralltiir, Rhinnal was located in the Darpa sector, and it was orbited by two moons. The terrestrial planet's diameter was 12,900 kilometers, and it had a 27-hour day and a 357-day year, with standard gravity, a breathable atmosphere, and a climate that ranged from chilly temperate to arctic. Tens of thousands of years before the fall of the Galactic Republic, Rhinnal was experiencing a planet-wide ice age that slowly faded over the course of centuries, with the glaciers exposing the planet's landmasses and leaving behind mountains, valleys, and crystal-clear lakes as they retreated.

Rhinnal's rocky continents were marked by the narrow finger-like bays that split the high cliffs along their coasts, giving the shorelines a fringed appearance when viewed from above. The planet experienced virtually no axial tilt and had a particularly circular orbit, resulting in very insignificant seasonal variations, and much of the planet was covered by glaciers, tundras, and frozen rivers. The equatorial regions of Rhinnal were home to mossy slopes and evergeen forests, and the planet's ambient temperature was significantly lower than other worlds to the point where every visitor was advised to bring a jacket. Snow fell frequently during the night on Rhinnal, but the reduced amounts near the equator typically melted by morning. Rhinnal was also prone to electromagnetic storms that swept across the equatorial regions several times a year, and engineers had begun to use terraforming to increase the planet's self-sufficiency by the time of the Galactic Empire, since all attempts to farm share crops on any part of the planet never succeeded. The wooly gabal, the rare snow falcon, the limbed fish known as fireheads, and the fireheads' predators, the tenticulons, were among the creatures native to the world.

History

The Empire and beyond

The Clone Wars ran from 22 BBY to 19 BBY, and at their end, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine reformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and eradicated the Jedi Order. However, because of the planet's reputation, the chapter house on Rhinnal was spared from destruction unlike the other chapter houses across the galaxy, and it was taken over by Rhinnal's doctors. Under the Empire, Rhinnal was granted marginal independence, as the Esselian Empire had collapsed shortly before the Clone Wars due to financial difficulties. The Moff of the Darpa sector, Jander Graffe, reined in Esseles' power and overturned Rhinnal's classification as an Esselian colony, installing Phadreas Kole as an Imperial governor.

Kole was largely off-hands in his leadership, leading Rhinnalian opposition to the Empire to be muted until 4 ABY: six months after the Alliance to Restore the Republic killed Palpatine at the Battle of Endor, the newly-formed New Republic captured the nearby planet of Brentaal IV, rattled Rhinnal's citizens. An organized resistance movement soon formed and succeeded in overthrowing Kole in 7 ABY, and the planet became a valued member of the New Republic, sending its best doctors to combat the virulent Krytos virus that was ravaging Coruscant at the time. Six years later, they once again contributed their medical aid when the Death Seed plague threatened to spread across the galaxy, and when the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species invaded the galaxy in 25 ABY, Rhinnal took in thousands of refugees from the Outer Rim Territories.

Inhabitants

Rhinnalians, as the inhabitants of Rhinnal were known, were primarily Human, with Humans making up 92% of the population of 55 million. The planet's cities were centers of healing and business, producing doctors of great skill and renown, and Rhinnal was also a player in the textile industry, though the planet's Rhinnalian rugs were considered more of a luxury due to their high cost. The planet had a reputation among the Core Worlds of having an atmosphere of exclusivity, one which was reflected in manners, clothing, and decor, and Rhinnalians were considered experts in passive aggression, routinely snubbing off-worlders and aliens. Rhinnalian industry was also centered on cybernetics and pharmaceuticals in addition to their medical expertise.

Rhinnalians were markedly different to other Core Worlders, as they were fiercely loyal to their ethnic clans and major governmental decisions were made by the heads of those same clans. Rhinnalians were also fond of elaborate ceremonies; a total of eighty-four days of the planet's calendar were set aside for celebrations and holidays. Native Rhinnalians typically wore colorful, patterned clothing that had been hand-woven from the wool of the gabal. Rhinnal's medical community was more cosmopolitan, with most graduates of the Medical Academy being offworlders. Rhinnalian culture valued honor and style, traits that inspired their fascination with ceremony.

Locations

The city of Rhire, across the Frieste

As much of the planet was still covered by glaciers, the inhabitants of Rhinnal mostly inhabited the world's more temperate equatorial regions. Rhinnal's capital city of Rhire, with over seven million inhabitants, lay along the north banks of the Frieste River in the southern fringes of the equatorial band, and it was home to both the Jedi chapter house and the Rhinnal State Medical Academy. Street traffic in the city was largely light, as most of the residents used the underground shuttle network known as the Circulation Network to get around Rhire, and hydroelectric energy plants along the banks of the Frieste powered the city.

The State Medical Academy covered many square kilometers in the heart of Rhire, with three working hospitals and dozens of classrooms, clinics, and laboratories. The three hospitals each catered to a different group: one specialized in treating Humans, a second humanoid aliens, and a third treated aliens whose biology was radically different than humanoids. To the north of Rhire was the Zirfan glacier and the Sennes Mountains, where native Rhinnalian clans hunted the wild gabals for their wool and schools of fireheads lived in the ice of the glacier. V-Fin submersible ice breakers were frequently used by recreational tourists to tour the planet's oceans and poles, though cheaper submersibles were used when exploring the less dangerous riverbeds and submerged caves of Rhinnal's waterways. The clan village of Austogie was located to the south of Rhire in the territory of the Kieger clan.

Behind the scenes

Rhinnal was first mentioned in the Into the Core Worlds segment of Star Wars Adventure Journal 7, published in 1995, which gave an overview of the planets in the Ringali Shell.

Appearances

• "Galaxywide NewsNets" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 5 (First mentioned)
• "The Rival" – The Far Orbit Project (Mentioned only)

Sources

• "Into the Core Worlds" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 7
• Heroes & Rogues
• The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
• Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
• Platt's Smugglers Guide
• The Far Orbit Project
• The Essential Guide to Droids ("2-1B Surgical Droid")