Tarisian Civil War

The Taris Civil War was a Civil war between the rich and the poor on the planet Taris.

Origins
"The Great City of Taris covers the entire surface of this planet. There is no land to grow food. Kelp harvests and creatures of the sea are our only food source."

- Rukil

In 4,156 BBY when new, smaller trade routes moved from Taris, rendering the planet unnecessary and without the support of the Republic, the planet began to fall into ruin and despair. The great city of Taris covered more than half the planet's surface rendering farming virtually impossible; the kelp harvest and the creatures of the sea were the only food source.

It was at this time that a self-sufficient colony beneath the undercity was discovered, which was the only part of Taris not urbanized and also it was inhabited by Droids.

"A Century ago rising levels of toxic pollution poisened the oceans and famine swept the planet. The rich hoarded food for their own use and the poor were left to starve and die."

- Rukil

Abandoned by the Republic, the Tarisian industrialists began to use the power source of their wish, which produced some form of toxic waste. The pollution levels rised enough to poison and killed most of the oceanic fauna and flora, and so the planet was swept with famine. The Tarisian elite hoarded the remaining food and wealth for themselves—far more than they needed—while the poor were left to starve and die.

The Civil War
"But the poor rose up against this tyranny and civil war engulfed the planet."

- Rukil

The Tarisian poor, disgusted at what the rich had done, rebelled against the rich. Details of the war are unknown, other then they where millions of civilian casualties during the conflict and many large city sectors where destroyed or abandoned.

Aftermath
"The rebellion was crushed in the end, thousands were taken prisoner. The jails could not hold them all, and so the practice of banishing all prisoners to the Undercity was born."

- Rukil

The Rebellion was defeated in the end. Thousands of rebels were imprisoned, but the jails could not hold them all. So they were instead banished to the Undercity, unable to return to the surface under penalty of death. This formed a group of people known as the Outcasts.

All hope was lost to the defeated rebels, save from one, the self sufficient colony in which would bring them salvation in which they dubbed the Promised Land. Gendar's ancestor led the Outcasts to built the Outcast village in which they might survive.

The prisons in the Upper City were rendered unnecessary and any criminals in the Upper and Middle City were banished to the Undercity, also unable to return under pain of death. Here, walking the original surface of the planet that never saw the sun due to the shadows of Taris' massive skyscrapers, they endured a lifetime of horror marked by starvation, rakghoul attacks, and rakghoul infections, and even their descendants were forced to live in damnation.

Appearances

 * ''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic