Kessel/Legends

Kessel was home to the Galaxy's largest spice mining operation. It was the only source of glitterstim spice, a valuable drug used both therapeutically and recreationally. Located in the Outer Rim, Kessel was a Republic prison administered by the Colicoids. It had ancient (possibly Sith) tombs and ruins haunted by skeletal avians.

Later the prison was controlled by an Imperial Warden, until a slave revolt placed Moruth Doole in charge.

During the Galactic Civil War, Wedge Antilles became a prisoner and slave at one of the Empire's Spice mines, after being captured near the Imperial Enclave on Kile II. He was due to be terminated, and was being transported by train to a death camp, but the timely intervention of Luke Skywalker and Rogue Squadron allowed him to make a last-minute escape. A few days later, the Rogues returned with Rebel General Crix Madine and a task force of commandos, who used Wedge's knowledge of the prison camps to quickly rescue a large percentage of the slaves working for the Imperials.

Kessel was located in Kessel Sector, near Hutt Space, and the dangerous celestial bodies of The Maw. One side of the planet had a barren landscape of rock and a thin atmosphere. The little air it did have was generated at factories on the surface.



The other side of the planet from the prison was lush and fertile, with the Giant Fungi Forest and the city of Kessendra.

The people of the paradisical Giant Fungi Forest had not suffered from an earthquake in so many eons they did not know what one was, until Imperial Captain Bzorn used the Ion Ring Ship to torment the planet with groundquakes and cyclones, trying to force the Rebels on Kessel to surrrender themselves to him. Professor Volz, creator of the Ship, eventually refused to help Bzorn continue the destruction, despite the fact his daughter, Mira Volz, was (supposedly) being held hostage. In reality, Mira had escaped from the Empire. She recruited the help of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. They rescued her father, whom destroyed the Ion Ring Ship so it could cause no more damage.

Kessendra was administered by Grand Moff Bertroff Hissa, and was known for its grandiose colosseum. After the Battle of Endor, Hissa set up the mutant Trioculus as the new Emperor, in opposition to Ysanne Isard on Coruscant. He was defeated by the unintentionally combined efforts of Isard and SPIN.

Under the New Republic, the planet had no slaves. A legitimate spice mining business was run by Nien Nunb. He employed craniopods, blind, sapient insectoids whom thrived in the underground tunnels.

The planet had a sole moon called the Garrison Moon, which was destroyed by Tol Sivron using the Death Star Prototype.

In 1,011 ABY, the Maw finally consumed the planet.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Purge
 * The Hutt Gambit
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures
 * Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * The Jedi Prince series
 * Jedi Search
 * Champions of the Force
 * Young Jedi Knights: Under Black Sun
 * Empire at War