Kuat/Legends

"At Kuat Drive Yards, we're driven to excel. It is this uncompromising commitment to performance that has made us the largest military shipbuilding corporation in the universe."

- A Kuat Drive Yards advertisement

Kuat was a planet located in the Core Worlds and one of the earliest members of the Galactic Republic. It was best known as the home of Kuat Drive Yards. These famous shipyards, used to build ships for both the Galactic Republic and later the Galactic Empire, circled the planet for thousands of kilometers.

Republic era


Kuat was located in the Kuat system, in Kuat sector, at the edge of the Core Worlds near the Colonies. It was a terraformed planet of forests and plains. Kuat was colonized by Coruscanti settlers around 27,500 BBY, before the Galactic Republic was formed. The Human Kuati had a matriarchal society. From Kuat, they sent out colony ships of their own. For example, the Kuat Explorer colonized Alsakan in 26,000 BBY. Kuat was one of the Core Founders that created the Galactic Republic in 25,053 BBY. A group of wealthy families, known as the Ten, joined together to create the largest shipbuilding concern in the galaxy, while terraforming Kuat to serve their needs.

During the Old Sith Wars and New Sith Wars, Kuat's ship production facilities produced fleets of warships for the Republic. In the centuries before the Clone Wars, they also constructed large ships for the protection of their sector and collaborated with the Techno Union, of which their ship-production company was a member, in creating even larger designs.

In 23 BBY, local freedom fighters opposed Separatist allies of Count Dooku, but were wiped out by Jango Fett. About that time, Risi Lenoan served as Kuat's Senator. In 21 BBY, the Republic increased their defenses of Kuat, and in a counter move, the Confederacy of Independent Systems strengthened their defense at nearby Neimoidia. During the Clone Wars, Lenoan was replaced as Senator by Giddean Danu, who signed the Petition of 2000. Danu's conservative, pro-Jedi principles were not popular with Kuati aristocrats, who twice failed to remove him from office.

Imperial era
When the Empire came to power in 19 BBY, all space stations and orbiting facilities were subjected to Imperialization, the security forces were augmented and the Moff Thichis Kuras was assigned to the planet. During the Imperial supervision, Kuat could only be accessed via three ports within the main Kuat Traffic Zone, which was along the Hydian Way; a passenger port, a freight port, and a Imperial transfer port. Accessible to the passenger port were the systems of Redrish, Drurish, Ulion, and Kidir. Accessible to the freight port were the systems of Monadin, Renegg, Venir, and Horthav. Information on the Imperial port was classified.

In 2 BBY, a Rebel fleet led by the Sundered Heart attacked the shipyards. This led to the Star Destroyer Tyranny over Fresia rushing to protect Kuat, leaving Fresia vulnerable to a Rebel raid that resulted in the acquisition of the first X-wings. In 3 ABY, the Rebels, having recently lost much equipment in asteroid collisions (probably during the evacuation of Hoth), in a daring heist with inside help, stole a Colony Class 23669 power generator from Kuat Freight Port.

In 4 ABY, concurrent to the Battle of Endor, the Alliance occupied the shipyards. In an attempt to prevent either the Alliance or the Empire from taking over, Kuat of Kuat attempted to blow the yards up, although he was only partially successful, the full explosion being halted by Boba Fett. The Empire soon regained control of the yards and the planet, and Bevel Lemelisk came thither to join the design team working on the Eclipse. A large Imperial fleet was soon garrisoned at the planet.

Very soon after, Tyber Zann attacked the shipyards in order to steal the unfinished Eclipse and gained information about Imperial vaults from its computers. During this time, a rebel attack force led by General Han Solo invaded the sector chasing the retreating fleets from Endor. Zann was successful in taking the Eclipse, forcing out the Rebels, and decimating the imperial fleet, but decided that the Eclipse would be too big of a target and left with the vault's contents.

In 7 ABY, it was the site of a three-way battle between Warlord Zsinj, loyal Imperial forces, and the New Republic. At this time, Kuat's planetary defense forces were considered roughly equal to those of Coruscant. Kuat was at the time Imperial; Zsinj's forces hijacked the Razor's Kiss from the shipyards, but General Han Solo's fleet prevented Zsinj from taking it out of the system.

In 8 ABY, Kuat was taken from the Empire by the New Republic: Bevel Lemelisk fled to join Durga, while many senior KDY engineers fled to the Deep Core. Kuat's powerful shipbuilding capabilities served the new galactic government well. Many of the first units designed under the New Class program were built at Kuat.

Yuuzhan Vong War
About 21 ABY, Viqi Shesh was elected Senator of Kuat. She was added to the New Republic Advisory Council in 25 ABY, but eventually betrayed the New Republic to the Yuuzhan Vong. During the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, Kuat hosted numerous meetings of the Defense Force High Command, and continued to supply warships to the New Republic Navy. Following the loss of Fondor, additional warships were dispatched to the planet to safeguard it and its extensive shipyards.

After the Fall of Coruscant, Senator Pwoe, who declared himself Chief of State with the death of Borsk Fey'lya, began moving the command structure of the Defense Force to Kuat, but he was expelled from the planet when the Senate dismissed Pwoe. Kuat itself was eventually conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong, but the Kuati returned to the planet after the Liberation of Coruscant.

Second Galactic Civil War and beyond
During the early stages of the Second Galactic Civil War, a space station orbiting Kuat's moon Ronay, Toryaz Station, served as a negotiation place between Prime Minister Aidel Saxan of Corellia and Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon.

Later in the war, a large scale space battle took place over the planet. Hoping to catch the Alliance off guard, the Confederation launched an attack on Kuat to gain a foothold for the assault on Coruscant. Nek Bwua'tu set a trap for the Confederation with the First Fleet, Fourth Fleet, Seventh Fleet, Fifth Fleet, and the Hapan Home Fleet which proved successful until the Jedi (betraying Caedus for what he had become) left for Kashyyyk.

The battle dragged on for over a week with both sides sustaining heavy casualties every day. When the Bothans learned of the attack on Kashyyyk by Caedus, they broke out of the battle to go to its defense. The battle was essentially a draw.

Over 100 years after the Battle of Endor, Kuat produced new warships for the Fel Empire and later the Sith Empire under Darth Krayt.

Behind the scenes
Kuat means "strong" in Indonesian.

Kuat has relatively few actual appearances in Star Wars works; however, due to all the vehicles built there, it has been mentioned numerous times.

Notes and references
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