Sanctuary/Legends

Sanctuary, a terrestrial ocean planet located in Mon Calamari Space of the Outer Rim Territories, was one of the oldest Rebel Alliance safe world colonies, predating the Declaration of Rebellion. Sanctuary was originally settled by religious pacifists seeking to escape forced conscription. Following the beginning of the Rebellion, the planet joined the Alliance with the condition that its members would not have to fight in the war against the Galactic Empire. By circa 2 ABY, Sanctuary's refugee population had grown to 29,000 inhabitants. Sanctuary's fishermen routinely netted enough fish in the planet's deep seas to export many tons every year to the Rebellion.

Description
Sanctuary was a terrestrial ocean planet located in the Sanctuary system of Mon Calamari Space, within the northeast quadrant of the Outer Rim Territories. Sanctuary was positioned at the intersection of two hyperlanes running through the Calamari sector&mdash;the Tidal Circuit and Prously's Rim Run&mdash;that indirectly connected it with the planet Mon Calamari itself.

Sanctuary was a temperate world with a moist hydrosphere and a surface terrain primarily consisting of deep green seas and small rocky islands. The planet had a Type I atmosphere breathable for Humans, and standard gravity. A day on Sanctuary lasted twenty-two standard hours, and a year 312 local days. Sanctuary's oceans boasted an abundance of fish life and seaweed.

History
The planet Sanctuary was originally settled by religious pacifists who were attempting to escape enforced conscription. Upon the formal declaration of the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Sanctuary agreed to join the Alliance, provided its members did not have to take up arms in the growing conflict. Alliance Chief of State Mon Mothma agreed to their provision, and Sanctuary eventually became one of the Rebellion's first safe world colonies&mdash;designated planets where people connected with the Rebel Alliance could safely live their lives free of Imperial oppression. The Rebellion kept Sanctuary's location classified.

Over the first few years of the Galactic Civil War, Sanctuary's population swelled to include several thousand new refugees. By circa 2 ABY, Sanctuary's population numbered 29,000, well over the average population of a Rebel safe world.

Inhabitants
Sanctuary's population of 29,000 included Humans and many refugees of other species, who lived on the planet in independent villages affiliated with the Rebellion. Sanctuary's populace lived at a feudal technology level, with limited starport services catering only to the Rebellion.

The abundance of fish life, along with seaweed, in the planet's seas formed the staple of Sanctuary's inhabitants' diets. Sanctuary's fishermen utilized steam-driven wooden seafaring vessels and hand-woven nets to catch such a wealth of fish as to be able to export many tons of fish every year to the Rebellion as a source of protein. Several varieties of Sanctuary's seaweed had also been found capable of being made into serviceable cloth for uniforms&mdash;though some soldiers claimed they never quite got the fishy smell out.

Sanctuary's major imports included both high and mid technology.

Behind the scenes
The planet Sanctuary was first mentioned in the October 1990 first edition of the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook as an example of a Rebel Alliance safe world, providing a basic background description for the planet. Sanctuary's backstory was repeated in the sourcebook's April 1994 second edition, which also provided the planet with basic geological and societal data for roleplaying purposes. Sanctuary was subsequently included in the 2009 The Essential Atlas, which established its galactic location in Mon Calamari Space.