Kashyyyk/Legends

"Well, it has big trees, in case your eyes don't work anymore."

- Canderous Ordo to Revan

Kashyyyk (see pronunciation), also known as Wookiee Planet C, Edean, G5-623, and Wookiee World, was the lush, wroshyr-tree-filled home planet of the Wookiees. A Mid-Rim world, it was a member of the Galactic Republic and later, the New Republic, although it would be enslaved by the Galactic Empire in between.

Geography
"This place is wild and untamed. It stirs the blood and makes one feel&hellip; alive."

- Juhani

With no axial tilt and a perfectly circular orbit, Kashyyyk experienced no seasons. It was composed of a molten metallic core, rocky mantle, and a silicate rock crust. The planet had four continents, making up 40% of the surface, which were mostly covered in lush, tree-filled forests, although the planet did have a small amount of desert region in the rain-shadow of its small mountain ranges. A tropical ocean belt contained strings of islands and long coral reefs. In addition, a few sandy beaches could be found along the shores of its oceans.

Flora
Vast forests dominated by wroshyr trees several kilometers high existed on the planet. The Kashyyyk coastlines were lined with a brownish-white sand and thick grasses. Much of the planet could be compared to a giant swamp&mdash;filled with wildlife and covered with wet soil and large amounts of water. Kashyyyk also had many large seas, all of which were very shallow. The prevalent ecology could be politely described as a "layered deathtrap", as the dangers presented by local wildlife increased as one descended toward the forest floor. According to Wookiee culture, this vertical environment consisted of seven levels. The bulk of Wookiee civilization was located on the uppermost seventh level, and even the bravest Wookiees rarely ventured below the fourth level. The ground level was known as the Shadowlands and, sometimes, the "notherworld".

The forest of Kashyyyk were filled with a tremendous variety of plant life, many with some form of consciousness. The Wookiees learned to communicate with these plants and often came to an understanding about their use. One example of this was with the Orga plants, who allowed the Wookiees to harvest their older roots to use in Life Day ceremonies.

It is implied by Jolee Bindo that the species of wroshyr tree is in fact alien to the planet and was planted there by the Infinite Empire.

Fauna
Besides the primary sentient Wookiees, Kashyyyk was home to various species of banthas, a small population of terentateks, and a host of other animal species.

Infinite Empire
Millennia before the rise of the Galactic Republic, Kashyyyk was a member world of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Its surface was terraformed by the Rakata for agricultural purposes, but the collapse of their empire left their terraforming machines unattended, resulting in the planet's abnormally large foliage.

Czerka Corporation and slavery
Later, Kashyyyk was discovered by Czerka Corporation, which renamed the planet first G5-623 and then, after a poll of stockholders, Edean. In 3,993 BBY during the Great Hunt, the Jedi Guun Han Saresh died on the planet fighting a terentatek.

During the Mandalorian Wars, the Mandalorians considered conquering Kashyyyk; although they eventually decided against it, their plans for assault included burning down huge sections of forest and glassing entire continents in order to actually create a place to fight. Sometime after the Mandalorian Wars began, self exiled Jedi Jolee Bindo made his home on the surface of Kashyyyk. Czerka's control of "Edean" was disrupted when, in 3,956 BBY, the enslaved Wookiee populace, led by Freyyr and Revan, overthrew the local corporate headquarters and drove all outsiders off the planet.

Old Republic
"Good relations with the Wookiees, I have."

- Yoda

It was presumably some time after this that Kashyyyk decided to join the Galactic Republic. The Wookiees reverse-engineered the hyperdrive from a Trandoshan vessel. They were welcomed into the Republic through dealings with the Corellians, Verpine, and Alderaanians.

During the New Sith Wars, the planet was conquered by the Brotherhood of Darkness.

Eventually, Kashyyyk was represented in the Galactic Senate, with Senator Yarua being the last Kashyyyk representative prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. The Wookiees colonized both of the major moons of Kashyyyk, as well as other worlds in the system such as Alaris Prime.

A few years after the Battle of Naboo, the Wookiee Trade Guild attempted to tax the Trade Federation for goods passed through the Kashyyyk system. An army of B2 super battle droids, led by Count Dooku, arrived at the Wookiee Trade Guild's headquarters and disbanded it.

The Clone Wars
At the start of the Clone Wars, Kashyyyk remained non-aligned. During the Dark Reaper Project, the Force Harvester found by Count Dooku on Raxus Prime was tested on Alaris Prime, in the Kashyyyk system, but all of the Separatists were forced off of the moon afterward, ending the immediate Separatist threat to the system. A small attack on Kashyyyk itself occurred some time later, but this too was repelled, and Kashyyyk retained its non-aligned posture until eighteen months into the Clone Wars.

The decision on what role the planet would play in the conflict lay in the hands of a number of Wookiee Royal Families, acting through a council dominated by King Grakchawwaa. He initially advocated neutrality, engaging in limited negotiations with both the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which wished to control hyperspace route planning and to use the Wookiees' secret trade routes to disrupt Republic trade and communication, giving them the advantage in the war.

However, General Grievous grew tired of waiting and ordered his local Neimoidian commanders to launch several droids to help 'persuade' Grakchawwaa to make the right decision. He was on the verge of agreeing to join the Confederacy out of self-preservation, when news came that his son, Prince Rikummee, had accidentally been killed by the probe droids. In anger he allied himself with the Republic, ultimately forcing the Separatists to mount a massive invasion in the closing stages of the war.

In response, the Republic dispatched a task force led by Master Yoda and Clone Commander Gree to defend Kashyyyk. At the coastal city of Kachirho, a combined force of clone troopers and Wookiees fought against the Separatist droid invaders. (Yoda actually participated in the battle.) Despite the overwhelming Separatist forces, the Battle of Kashyyyk saw the Republic and the Wookiees emerge victorious, despite taking very heavy casualties.

Galactic Empire and slavery
"I want every Wookiee flushed out of hiding, even if it means burning the forests to the ground!."

- Darth Vader

However, victory was short-lived for the Wookiees. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi were branded enemies of the Republic as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine made himself Emperor and initiated Order 66. The clone troopers then took control of Kashyyyk, killing Luminara Unduli, forcing Yoda to discreetly escape and sending Quinlan Vos into hiding in the process, soon to rename it Wookiee Planet C, and placed it under martial law. In response, the Wookiees rebelled against their oppressors, but they were unsuccessful.

Several months later, a group of Jedi, including Olee Starstone went to Kashyyyk to search for the Jedi who had been there. The Empire tracked them there, led by Darth Vader, and attacked the planet. Clone troopers attempted to land, but many were shot down by abandoned CIS weaponry. Darth Vader landed, and killed two Jedi before being stopped by Master Roan Shryne, who also died at Vader's hand. The orbital fleet bombarded the planet. Wookiees either escaped into the undergrowth or into space, where they were stopped by an Interdictor cruiser. Starstone had slicer Filli Bitters slice into an abandoned CIS ship and crash it into the Interdictor. Many refugees, including Chewbacca, Starstone and her Jedi, and Filli and his smuggling group escaped.

At the advice of the Trandoshans, who had long been enemies of the Wookiees, the Empire began using the powerful Wookiees to carry out slave labor. Wookiee captives were used for countless Imperial projects, including the Maw Installation. However, because of their devotion to their homeworld, many Wookiees would evade the Imperial garrison to revisit their beloved forests for important Wookiee holidays such as Life Day. The Wookiees were frequently plagued by slavers from neighboring Trandosha and Mytaranor.

The New Republic
After the Battle of Endor, the Wookiees were liberated from slavery by the Alliance of Free Planets. The Nagai then attempted to enslave the species, but they were repulsed by the New Republic. Sadly, the Wookiees' freedom was short-lived. The Empire, having licked its wounds, quickly reestablished a presence on Kashyyyk and enslaved the Wookiees once more. Around 5 ABY Han Solo and Chewbacca assisted in inciting a revolution among the populace, helped in part by Lando Calrissian, Rogue Squadron, and Admiral Ackbar.

Kashyyyk was represented in the New Republic Senate by Kerrithrarr, and the planet became a key signatory and member world of the Inner Council. The planet also welcomed trade, and its city of Thikkiiana became a major exporter of computer technology. However, this made it a target of the agents of the Second Imperium in 23 ABY. A task force under Zekk raided Thikkiiana's computer stores for use by the Second Imperium in its war against the New Republic.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Kashyyyk would be an important member world of the New Republic and, later, the Galactic Alliance. After the liberation of Coruscant at the end of the Yuuzhan Vong occupation, celebrations took place on Kashyyyk.

It later refused to follow Chief of State Jacen Solo and sheltered the Jedi, who had declared themselves against Solo, so it was attacked by his fleet as a result. Solo's flagship, the Anakin Solo, began targeting the Kashyyyk forests with it's long-range turbolasers, starting a firestorm that would claim the lives of many Wookiees and burn huge amounts of forest. The Confederation redirected fleets from the Battle of Kuat to help the Wookiees, resulting in the eventual defeat of the Galactic Alliance forces, although they managed to escape, due to a tactical blunder by the Confederation Fleet. As a result, Kashyyyk joined the resistance against Solo, though did not take a stance against the Confederation.

Behind the scenes
The original drafts of Return of the Jedi called for the second Death Star to be built in orbit around Kashyyyk by Wookiee slave labor. It wasn't until later drafts that the setting and characters were changed to the forest moon of Endor and Ewoks.

The planet was introduced in 1978 in The Star Wars Holiday Special, and was finally realized on the big-screen in 2005 in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

In the Super Nintendo Super Star Wars games, Chewbacca is listed to have come from Kazhyyyk.

A character in Star Trek: Voyager, Kashyk, was believed to have been named after the Wookiee world.

Some believe there is a contradiction between the portrayal of Kashyyyk in the EU and its portrayal in Revenge of the Sith. While the former (pre-ROTS EU) portrayed Kashyyyk as a planet with inhabitants living only in trees and never descending to the ground, the latter portrays the planet as having oceans and coasts, with its inhabitants living on the ground. This alleged contradiction could be easily explained in that ROTS only showed a small part of the planet, and that it doesn't necessarily represent the layout of the entire planet. Additionally, the Han Solo Trilogy (specifically, Rebel Dawn) mentions that Kashyyyk has coasts.

Phuket in Thailand and Guilin in China, were the locations scouted for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, to capture plate photography for backdrops on the planet Kashyyyk.

The PC game Star Wars: Rebellion mistakenly places Kashyyyk in the Sumitra Sector of the Outer Rim.

Pronunciation
"I don't remember the name—something with too many 'k's and 'y's. Sounds like you're gargling ronto spit when you say it."

- Mira

Kashyyyk has been pronounced many different ways. In its first appearance in The Star Wars Holiday Special, it was pronounced /kazook/. In the video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Republic Commando, among others, it is pronounced /'kæ??k/. The G-canon pronunciation, heard in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is /k?'?ik/. This pronunciation is also heard in Star Wars: Empire at War. Star Wars: Battlefront II's pronunciation is essentially a combination of the previous two: /'kæ?ik/.