Geonosis

"This place is rotten from the inside out."

- Anakin Skywalker

Geonosis, referred to as Geonosia by some natives, was the home planet of the Geonosians. A desert, inhospitable world, Geonosis was the Confederacy of Independent Systems' first capital, hosting its major battle droid foundries. It was the site of the Battle of Geonosis, the opening conflict of the Clone Wars, as well as a subsequent invasion by the Galactic Republic. After the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the Death Star would be constructed above the planet and placed under the command of Grand Moff Tarkin. Five years after the conflict's conclusion, the Galactic Empire would garrison the planet heavily and attempt to mine the planet's asteroids for minerals. At least five years after the Clone Wars, the Empire moved the Death Star to another construction site and the planet was sterilized by the Empire as a security measure, nearly exterminating the native Geonosian population.

Description
"They'll never get there in time. They have to come halfway across the galaxy. Look, Geonosis is less than a parsec away."

- Padmé Amidala

Situated in the Geonosis system of the Arkanis sector in the Outer Rim Territories, the planet of Geonosis was 43,000 light years from the Galactic Core, and less than a parsec away from the Outer Rim planet of Tatooine. It was the homeworld of the Geonosians, a species of sentient insectoids. It had a breathable atmosphere, but an arid climate. Its surface was covered in harsh, rocky deserts, marked by mesas and buttes. Both its rocks and sky were tinted in shades of red. Surface water was scarce, amounting to only 5 % of the entire total planetary surface. From space, it could be seen that Geonosis had awe-inspiring rocky rings. The planet was orbited by fifteen moons.

Ancient history
At some point in the ancient history of Geonosis, a comet crashed in one of the planet's many moons. The collision debris not only formed the famous rings of Geonosis, but also formed a field of small asteroids that would sometime rain down on the planet's surface.

The Clone Wars
"I will take what Jedi we have left and go to Geonosis to help Obi-Wan."

- Jedi Master Mace Windu

In the later years of the Galactic Republic, Geonosis became a major base of operations for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a separatist alliance that spread across the galaxy. Ten years after the election of Sheev Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, the Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser, hosted a summit of the heads of the Confederacy. During that meeting, the trade barons pledged their military forces to Count Dooku, a defrocked Jedi Master and head of the Confederacy. While the Separatists were ready to wage war, their plans were overheard by Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master. The Geonosians took Kenobi captive, but he managed to dispatch a distress call to his superiors on Coruscant, the Jedi High Council. The Council then dispatched two hundred Jedi to Geonosis. Meanwhile, the Geonosians sentenced Master Kenobi to death in the Petranaki arena along with his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, and the Republic senator Padmé Amidala. Eventually, the Jedi reinforcements arrived, and quickly dealt with the Geonosian warriors. However, the immense droid army of the Confederacy was laying in wait, and many Jedi fell under enemy fire. When all seemed lost, even more reinforcements arrived, in the form of the newly created Grand Army of the Republic, which made use of clone soldiers. Upon the arrival of the clone army, the Republic and the Confederacy engaged in the first battle of what would later be known as the Clone Wars. Following the Battle near Dorin, the Republic sent Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luminara Unduli, and Anakin Skywalker to take Geonosis with a massive invasion.As they made their descent, Kenobi's and Commander Cody's force boarded their gunships and flew to secure the rendezvous point. However their gunships came under heavy fire from the Geonosians and their defenses. Mundi and Commander Jet's forces followed him but they were forced to land their AT-TEs away from the rendezvous due to the heavy fire. Skywalker's, Commander Ahsoka Tano's, and Captain Rex's gunships were shot down and all their AT-TEs were destroyed. Despite that, they continued towards to the rendezvous point and were met with heavy resistance from the Geonosians. Mundi's gunship was shot down and he was wounded.Commander Cody was able to land his AT-TEs, but the landing area came under fire from the Geonosians and their AATs. Kenobi's gunship was then hit and crash landed away from the landing zone. Only Kenobi and Trapper survived the crash. They were then rescued by Waxer and Boil. Kenobi, Cody and their troopers then held the rendezvous awaiting Skywalker's and Mundi's forces.

As Mundi's forces made their way through the Caltrop field to the rendezvous point, Jet contacted Admiral Wullf Yularen for air support. The Admiral however, could not divert any air support with risks to other units.Jet then left a squad with the AT-TEs and with Mundi and his Flame troopers continued to the rendezvous. Skywalker and his force then came to a fortress that blocked their path. Skywalker and Tano then scaled the wall. They were able to destroy the battle droids, but they were then confronted by Droidekas who they were able to defeat with Rex's help. They then planted explosives inside the wall and their way was cleared. Skywalker's forces were then able to meet up with Mundi's forces. Skywalker then contacted Yularen for air support and Yularen was able to provide a squadron of bombers.

As Kenobi's forces were being overrun, the bombers then took out the Geonosians' forces surrounding the rendezvous. Skywalker's and Mundi's forces then joined Kenobi's to plan the last part of their attack. Skywalker would attack the outer defenses of the fortress while Kenobi brought in the AT-TEs and Mundi the gunships. Skywalker, Tano and a squad were able to penetrate the shield. They then threw droid poppers at the fortress's proton cannons, disabling them. Kenobi then brought the AT-TEs in range of the shield generator and destroyed. After the shield went down, Mundi brought in the gunships and captured the remaining Geonosians. Kenobi and Mundi, along with the rest of their wounded, left to recuperate, leaving Skywalker, his apprentice, and their force to destroy the factory.

To help Skywalker, Tano and their forces in destroying the factory, Unduli, along with her apprentice Barriss Offee and Commander Gree's 41st Elite Corps came to assist in the attack. They devised a plan to destroy the primary droid factory. Unduli and Skywalker then marched their troops across the bridge, without cover to get Poggle's forces' attention. During his time their, Poggle and his tactical droid, TX-21 were running the factory at 50% capacity and had ten garrisons of droids ready to be deployed. The super tanks were not finished yet but would be ready. The droids were then deployed, marching across the bridge to fight the clones. As the two forces fought, TX-21 then sent in geonosians to attack from above. Despite this, Skywalker's and Unduli's forces were able to defeat the droids. However, Poggle, at the urging of TX-21, deployed the super tanks. As they moved in on the clones, Skywalker ordered their cannons to fire at it, to no affect. The super tanks rolled over the clones as they made their way across the bridge.

As battle raged above, Offee and Tano were able to make their way through the catacombs to the main reactor. Unfortunately, Offee inadvertently woke one of the Geonosians, who informed Poggle and TX-21 of this. After planting the bombs, Offee and Tano were then confronted by Poggle, TX-21, their Geonoisans and a super tank. Tano then destroyed TX-21, but failed to even dent the super tank. Offee and Tano then fought the Geonosian to get their bombs back, but failed. When Tano was knocked out, Offee took the droid drivers and took control of the super tank. Both of them decided to use the tank to destroy the factory

As the super tanks moved across the bridge, Unduli and Skywalker planted explosives to make the tanks fall into the ravine. They were succesful in destroying the tanks. However, they were then confronted by more battle droids. Skywalker then contacted Tano, telling her to set the bombs off. However, they then used the tank, knowing it might kill them. They fired the tank at the reactor, and the factory collapsed, burying them inside the wreckage. Despite that, Skywalker and Unduli were able find their apprentices alive.

Following this, Unduli went in search of Poggle the Lesser, who had retreated into the catacombs of an ancient temple. While she and a trooper searched the temple, a sandstorm prohibited reinforcements from reaching their positions. While communicating with Masters Kenobi and Mundi via hologram, Unduli's clone trooper was killed by the undead hordes of the mysterious Hive Queen Karina the Great. Having been knocked unconscious and captured, the Jedi Master was taken before Karina. Jedi Kenobi and Skywalker came to her rescue; they were not far off when Luminara regained consciousness and wrestled her way out of the zombies' reach. Realizing what they were up against, she contacted Kenobi to warn him not to come after her, but was cut off as the zombies overwhelmed her. The Jedi disregarded her warnings and continued their search until they came upon Karina's abode, where they found Luminara in an energy trap for her to be infested with brain worms. With Kenobi and Commander Cody delaying the zombies and the Queen, Skywalker freed Unduli and the two captured Poggle. Cody and his troops shot down the cave support, burying the Queen and taking Poggle prisoner.

The Age of the Empire
"Well, it should be quieter since the planet was sterilized. No queens, no hives... Wonder what weapon they used. Would be nice to get a hold of that&hellip;"

- Doctor Aphra while visiting Geonosis after the sterilization

At the end of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic was replaced by the First Galactic Empire, a tyrannical regime led by the Dark Lord of the Sith known as Darth Sidious. Subsequently, the Death Star's construction was commenced above Geonosis. The Empire utilized several construction modules operated by slaves of various species to construct the battlestation. Five years into the Age of the Empire, the Imperials attempted to mine the asteroids of Geonosis for minerals, but that proved unfeasible. At least 5 years after the end of the Clone Wars, the Death Star was moved to another construction site, prompting the Empire to use bombs and other foreign weapons to sterilize the planet as a security measure, killing almost the entire Geonosian species.

3 years before the Battle of Yavin, the Lothal rebel cell along with retired Clone trooper Rex were sent on a mission to one of the construction modules after rebel intelligence discovered the Empire was once building something above the planet. Upon arriving above Geonosis, the rebels conducted a planetary scan and discovered there was no life on the planet, much to their confusion. Once they arrived at the construction module, they were ambushed by ISB Agent Kallus and several stormtroopers. After a brief skirmish aboard the station, the rebels escaped, however Kallus and the rebel Zeb were still locked in combat. Zeb boarded an escape pod and Kallus followed him in. The pod soon experienced an engine malfunction, causing it to crash on the icy moon of Bahryn. Striking an unlikely friendship, the Imperial agent and the rebel managed to overcome the cold and fend off two bonzami to survive. After a few hours, the rest of the rebels managed to locate them by tracking their transponder, however Kallus decide to stay behind and wait for the Empire. After saying their farewells Zeb left for the ship.

Having fallen out of favor with Emperor Palpatine after the Battle of Yavin, Vader had recruited the rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra and the assassin droids BT-1 and 0-0-0 to assist him in building an army of unquestionably loyal battle droids. Vader soon arrived on the planet Geonosis and his team infiltrated the lair of a Geonosian queen who had utilized a droid factory to produce battle droids as her "children" after she was injured and left unable to produce offspring during the sterilization of Geonosis. While BT-1 fired on the queen's B1 battle droids, Vader and Aphra severed the queen from her factory, and Aphra used her starship, the Ark Angel, to blow a large hole in the roof of the lair so that Vader's own starship could then extract both the factory and Vader's team with a large crane. The captured droid factory began producing BX-series droid commandos for Vader, which he used to assault the research base of a rival Imperial operative named Cylo-IV.

Behind the scenes
The planet Geonosis first appeared in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, which first premiered on May 16, 2002. Between 2002 and 2014, it appeared in several Star Wars Legends literature and media including the 2005 computer and video game Star Wars: Republic Commando. Geonosis has also appeared in several Canon media including The Clone Wars TV series, the 2015 Marvel Darth Vader comic series, and the 2016 Star Wars Rebels episode "The Honorable Ones". In addition, Geonosis also appeared in the non-Canon LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales cartoon series where the Imperial General Maximillian Veers attempted to rebuild the Separatist Droid Army in order to restore the Galactic Empire.