Circumtore/Legends

"Just what business is it you've come to Circumtore to discuss?"'' "I think you've got a pretty good idea of that." ''"It wouldn't be something to do with a certain Oph Nar Dinnid, would it?"

- Gheeta and Boba Fett, on the matter of Oph Nar Dinnid Circumtore was a ringed shaped artificial planetoid located in a star system of the same name in Hutt Space. Discovered by the main galactic community by the Rianitus Period, Circumtore fell within the space controlled by the Hutt species up and into the reign of the Galactic Empire, which started in 19 BBY. Colonized by the Shell Hutts at some period in time, the planetoid was visited by a group of bounty hunters under the lead of Boba Fett in 1 BBY after they tracked the bounty Oph Nar Dinnid there. However, the Shell Hutt Gheeta took out his grudge against Fett by killing Dinnid and sending mercenaries to attack the bounty hunters, though the latter group prevailed. Between 26 ABY and 27 ABY, during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Circumtore was claimed by the Yuuzhan Vong invaders, although the Hutts later retook the planetoid and its system. Circumtore was in Hutt hands by 40 ABY.

Description
Circumtore was an artificial ringed shaped planetoid situated in the Circumtore system in the galaxy's Hutt Space region. The planetoid was at the crossroads of the Shag Pabol and Hollastin Run and the Kaaga Run hyperlanes, while being near the planets of Carnovia, Rorak 4, Affavan, and Ganath. A route also led by Circumtore to the world of Daalang. Circumtore was rather close to Nal Hutta, the capital world of Hutt Space. Circumtore possessed a Type I atmosphere, meaning that the majority of species could breath freely in it.

History
"You realize, of course, that the party under discussion–this Dinnid person–is a guest on Circumtore."

- Gheeta

At some period in time, Circumtore's neighboring orbitals in its star system were rendered charred and lifeless by some disaster. Circumtore, and the system it resided in, was discovered by the galaxy between 15,000 BBY, in the Kymoodon Era, and 8,000 BBY, in the Rianitus Period. By 5,000 BBY, during the Great Hyperspace War, Circumtore fell in the space controlled by the Hutt species. It remained under Hutt control through the Jedi Civil War and the Mandalorian Wars, and though it did fall in the Sith Empire's territory during the New Sith Wars between 1,004 BBY and 1,000 BBY, Circumtore was still under Hutt influence. By 1 BBY, when the Galactic Empire was ruling the galaxy, a group of Hutts known as the Shell Hutts had colonized Circumtore.

Prior to 1 BBY, the Shell Hutt Gheeta, who was in charge of building a terminal and diplomatic reception area on Circumtore, hired the freelance architect Emd Grahvess to build it for him. However, although Gheeta planned to kill the architect when he was done in order to keep the man from producing any other great works, Grahvess escaped by putting a bounty on his own head, which the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett collected. This enraged Gheeta, and as a result, the Shell Hutt's raised security measures around the planetoid to prevent it from happening again. In 1 BBY, Fett returned to Circumtore, with a group of hunters from the Bounty Hunters' Guild: Bossk, Zuckuss, one of the IG-88 assassin droids, and D'harhan. Tracking the bounty Oph Nar Dinnid, who had taken refuge on Circumtore, the bounty hunters were forced to go the planetoid's surface unarmed because of the security measures. Despite this, the group succeeded in fighting off a gang of mercenaries that Ghetta tried to kill Fett with in revenge, before killing the Shell Hutt. However, D'harhan fell in the fighting, and it turned out that Dinnid had actually been killed earlier by Gheeta.

In 25 ABY, the space area surrounding Circumtore boasted a population of 100 million to 500 million. Between 26 ABY and 27 ABY, during the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Yuuzhan Vong invaders took much of Hutt Space, and Circumtore itself was taken after Nal Hutta fell. By 40 ABY, Circumtore was once again under Hutt control.

Inhabitants
One of the main groups of beings living on Circumtore were the Shell Hutts, a relative of the Hutts. Considered just as greedy as their brethren, the Shell Hutts were also involved in the criminal underworld. They wore suits of metal that had repulsorlifts in them, allowing them to float around off the ground. Circumtore was also home to the mercenaries that the Shell Hutts hired.

Locations
A terminal and diplomatic reception area was present on Circumtore by 1 BBY, after it was built by Grahvess at the expense of Gheeta. It possessed great domes and spires, and had at least one landing dock.

Behind the scenes
Circumtore first appeared in The Mandalorian Armor, by Kevin Wayne Jeter and published in 1998. It was also mentioned in the sequel to that book, Slave Ship, published in 1998 as well, and later in Aurra Sing: Dawn of the Bounty Hunters, released in 2000 and by Ryder Windham and Josh Ling. It also received an entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, and was mentioned in the entries for Gheeta, D'harhan, Dinnid, and the Shell Hutt Nullada. Released in 2009, The Essential Atlas, by Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry, later gave a location for Circumtore. Circumtore was also mentioned in The Essential Guide to Warfare, by Fry and Paul R. Urquhart, and The Essential Reader's Companion, by Pablo Hidalgo. The two books were released in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Appearances

 * The Mandalorian Armor
 * Slave Ship