Kashyyyk/Legends

"Well, it has big trees, in case your eyes don't work anymore."

- Canderous Ordo to Revan

Kashyyyk (see pronunciation), also known as Wookiee Planet C, Edean, G5-623, and Wookiee World, was a Mid Rim planet. It was the lush, wroshyr tree-filled home world of the Wookiees. It was a member of the Galactic Republic, endured enslavement under the Galactic Empire, and later joined the New Republic.

Geography
"This place is wild and untamed. It stirs the blood and makes one feel...alive."

- Juhani



With no axial tilt and a perfectly circular orbit, Kashyyyk experienced one continuous season. It was composed of a molten metallic core, rocky mantle, and a silicate rock crust. The planet had four continents, making up 40% of the surface, which were mostly covered in lush, wroshyr tree-filled forests, which were several kilometers high. The planet did have a small amount of desert region in the rain-shadow of its small mountain ranges as well as large plains including the Woolwarricca region. A tropical ocean belt contained archipelagos and long coral reefs. In addition, a few sandy beaches could be found along the shores of its oceans. The Kashyyyk coastlines were lined with a brownish-white sand and thick grasses. Kashyyyk's highest peak was Korrokrrayyo Mountain.

Much of the planet could be compared to a giant swamp -- filled with wildlife and covered with wet soil and large amounts of water. The prevalent ecology could be politely described as a "layered deathtrap", as the dangers presented by local wildlife increased as one descended toward the forest floor. According to Wookiee culture, this vertical environment consisted of seven levels. The bulk of Wookiee civilization was located on the uppermost seventh level, and even the bravest Wookiees rarely ventured below the fourth level. Unlike most, Chewbacca was known to travel below this marking point for most Wookiees. The ground level was known as the Shadowlands and, sometimes, the "notherworld".

Flora
As previously stated, the wroshyr trees were the dominant flora. Wroshyr trees may have actually been one large connected organism, as when limbs of two tree limbs ran into each other, they would fuse together. The Wookiees inferred great symbolism in this. Jolee Bindo theorized that the species of wroshyr tree is in fact alien to the planet and was planted there by the Infinite Empire. This was based on information given by a Rakata computer left near one of their ancient Star Maps.

The forests of Kashyyyk were filled with a tremendous variety of plant life, many with some form of consciousness. The Wookiees learned to communicate with these plants and often came to an understanding about their use. One example of this was with the Orga plants, who allowed the Wookiees to harvest their older roots to use in Life Day ceremonies.

Most other flora was parasitic to the worshyr trees, grew in dirt pockets in crevices of the trees, or were carnivorous.



There were at least two types of large carnivorous plants in the lower levels. These included a carnivorous, spiked vine plants, and the infamous Syren plant, which played a crucial role in the coming of age rituals for various Wookiee tribes. Both of these plants were capable of consuming adolescent Wookiees or fully grown Humans. .

Fauna
Besides the primary sentient Wookiees, Kashyyyk was home to various species of banthas, a small population of terentateks, and a host of other species. Usually, the deeper into the jungle one went, the more dangerous the animals became. Additionally, many of the species that inhabited the deeper parts of the jungle were capable of bio-phosphorescence, since the deeper layers of the forest were in perpetual darkness.

Infinite Empire
"The trees themselves are strangers."

- Jolee Bindo to Revan



Millennia before the rise of the Galactic Republic, Kashyyyk was a member world of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Its surface was terraformed by the Rakata for agricultural purposes, but the collapse of their empire left their terraforming machines unattended, resulting in the planet's abnormally large foliage.

Czerka Corporation and Slavery
In 4,020 BBY, Kashyyyk was discovered by Czerka Corporation, which renamed the planet first G5-623 and then, after a poll of stockholders, Edean. They recognized the Wookiees' strength and began to enslave them. In 3,993 BBY during the Great Hunt, the Jedi Guun Han Saresh died on the planet fighting a terentatek.

During the Mandalorian Wars, the Mandalorians considered conquering Kashyyyk, although they eventually decided against it; their plans for assault included burning down huge sections of forest and glassing entire continents in order to actually create a place to fight. Sometime after the Mandalorian Wars began, self-exiled Jedi Jolee Bindo made his home on the forest floor of Kashyyyk. Zaalbar, a Wookiee who later aided Jedi Revan, had been banished from Kashyyyk and his brother, Chuundar, usurped the position of Chieftain from his father, Freyyr. Chuundar allowed the Czerka Corporation to take Wookiees as slaves in exchange for weapons. Freyyr went into self-exile to the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk. Czerka's control of "Edean" was disrupted when, in 3,956 BBY, the enslaved Wookiee populace, led by Freyyr and Revan, overthrew the local corporate headquarters and drove all outsiders off the planet.

Old Republic
It was presumably some time after this that Kashyyyk decided to join the Galactic Republic. The Wookiees reverse-engineered the hyperdrive from a Trandoshan vessel. They were welcomed into the Republic through dealings with the Corellians, Verpine, and Alderaanians.

During the New Sith Wars, the planet was conquered by the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Sith were then defeated by Valenthyne Farfalla, for which he was honored by the local tribal leaders. .

Eventually, Kashyyyk was represented in the Galactic Senate, with Senator Yarua being the last Kashyyyk representative prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. The Wookiees colonized both of the major moons of Kashyyyk, as well as other worlds in the system such as Alaris Prime.

A few years after the Battle of Naboo, the Wookiee Trade Guild attempted to tax the Trade Federation for goods passed through the Kashyyyk system. An army of B2 super battle droids, led by Count Dooku, arrived at the Wookiee Trade Guild's headquarters and disbanded it.

The Clone Wars
"Good relations with the Wookiees, I have."

- Yoda

At the start of the Clone Wars, Kashyyyk remained non-aligned. During the Dark Reaper Project, the Force Harvester found by Count Dooku on Raxus Prime was tested on the neighboring world of Alaris Prime, but all of the Separatists were forced off the moon afterward, ending the immediate Separatist threat to the system. A small attack on Kashyyyk itself occurred some time later, but this too was repelled, and Kashyyyk retained its non-aligned posture until eighteen months into the Clone Wars.

The decision on what role the planet would play in the conflict laid in the hands of a number of Wookiee Royal Families, acting through a council dominated by King Grakchawwaa. He initially advocated neutrality, engaging in limited negotiations with both the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which wished to control hyperspace route planning and to use the Wookiees' secret trade routes to disrupt Republic trade and communication, giving them the advantage in the war.

However, General Grievous grew tired of waiting and ordered his local Neimoidian commanders to launch several probe droids to help 'persuade' Grakchawwaa to make the right decision. He was on the verge of agreeing to join the Confederacy out of self-preservation, when news came that his son, Prince Rikummee, had accidentally been killed by the droids. In anger he allied himself with the Republic, ultimately forcing the Separatists to mount a massive invasion in the closing stages of the war.

In response, the Republic dispatched a task force led by Master Yoda and Clone Commander Gree to defend Kashyyyk. At the coastal city of Kachirho, a combined force of clone troopers and Wookiees fought against the Separatist droid invaders, with Yoda himself participating in the battle. Despite the overwhelming Separatist forces, the Republic and the Wookiees emerged victorious from the Battle of Kashyyyk, though taking very heavy casualties.

Galactic Empire and Slavery
"I want every Wookiee flushed out of hiding, even if it means burning the forests to the ground!"

- Darth Vader

However, victory was short-lived for the Wookiees. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi were branded enemies of the Republic as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine made himself Emperor and initiated Order 66. The clone troopers then took control of Kashyyyk, killing Luminara Unduli, sending Quinlan Vos into hiding, and forcing Yoda to discreetly escape with the help of Tarfful and Chewbacca. The Empire was quick to suppress Kashyyyk by renaming it "Wookiee Planet C" and placing it under martial law.

Several months later, a group of Jedi including Olee Starstone went to Kashyyyk to search for the other Jedi who had been there. The Empire, led by Darth Vader, tracked them and attacked the planet. In response, the Wookiees rebelled against their oppressors, but ultimately they were unsuccessful. Clone troopers attempted to land, but many were shot down by abandoned Confederate weaponry utilized by the Wookiees. Darth Vader landed and killed two Jedi before being stopped by Master Roan Shryne, who also died at Vader's hand. The orbital fleet bombarded the planet, causing severe damage on the surface. Wookiees either escaped into the undergrowth or into space, where they were stopped by a Detainer CC-2200 interdictor cruiser. Starstone had slicer Filli Bitters slice into an abandoned CIS ship and crash it into the interdictor cruiser. Many refugees escaped, including Starstone and her Jedi friends, Filli and his smuggling group, and Chewbacca. The Empire occupied the planet, allowing then-Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, one of the Imperial commanders that participated in the battle, to capture Wookiees as slave labor to help build the Death Star I.

In 18 BBY, Vader was sent to Kashyyyk to track down and eliminate Kento Marek, a Jedi fugitive who was hiding from Imperial authorities. Vader and his troops met heavy resistance from the local Wookiee population, but ultimately Vader and the 501st Legion crushed the uprising. Then, Vader bested and killed Kento Marek in a lightsaber duel, and adopted his opponent's son Galen Marek to train the boy into his secret apprentice Starkiller.

The Wookiees were frequently plagued by slavers from neighboring Trandosha and Mytaranor. At the advice of the Trandoshans, the Empire began using the powerful Wookiees to carry out slave labor. Wookiee captives were used for countless Imperial projects, including the Maw Installation. However, because of their devotion to their homeworld, many Wookiees would evade the Imperial garrison there to revisit their beloved forests for important Wookiee holidays such as Life Day. Moff Darcc, the Imperial governor of Kashyyyk who ruled planet from his private palace, forged a pact with the Trandoshan slaver Pekt, appointing him to oversee the entire slaving operation.

In 2 BBY, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan was ordered by Emperor Palpatine to be held as a hostage on the planet, in order to keep her adoptive father Bail Organa from speaking out against the Empire. Leia was watched over by Imperial troops led by Captain Ozzik Sturn, who used to hunt Wookiees for sport. Leia had her own private quarters, and eventually was met by Galen Marek, who was sent looking for Bail by Jedi Master Rahm Kota. Leia promised to reveal the location of her "father", but only if Galen was able to destroy a skyhook, which was designed to transfer Wookiees offworld for slave labor. Galen headed to the construction site, slaying Captain Sturn and destroying the skyhook. Grateful for Galen's heroic deeds, Leia informed him that Bail had journeyed to Felucia, causing a chain of events that culminated in the signing of the Corellian Treaty. Later, after Marek's death at the hands of Emperor Palpatine, Leia met with Bail, Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis and Rahm Kota, and formed the Rebel Alliance. Leia picked a symbol for the Alliance, the symbol of the Marek family, in a tribute to Galen Marek, his family and his victories against the Empire.

The New Republic
After the Battle of Endor, the Wookiees were liberated from slavery by the Alliance of Free Planets. The Nagai then attempted to enslave the species, but they were repulsed by the New Republic. Sadly, the Wookiees' freedom was short-lived. The Empire, having licked its wounds, quickly reestablished a presence on Kashyyyk and enslaved the Wookiees once more. Around 5 ABY Han Solo and Chewbacca assisted in inciting a revolution among the populace, helped in part by Lando Calrissian, Rogue Squadron, and Admiral Ackbar. Governor Darcc, Pekt and Grand Admiral Peccati Syn were killed during the battle.

Kashyyyk was represented in the New Republic Senate by Kerrithrarr, and the planet became a key signatory and member world of the Inner Council. The planet also welcomed trade, and its city of Thikkiiana became a major exporter of computer technology. However, this made it a target of the agents of the Second Imperium in 23 ABY. A task force under Zekk raided Thikkiiana's computer stores for use by the Second Imperium in its war against the New Republic.

Galactic Alliance
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Kashyyyk would be an important member world of the New Republic and, later, the Galactic Alliance. After the liberation of Coruscant at the end of the Yuuzhan Vong occupation, celebrations took place on Kashyyyk.

Second Galactic Civil War
It later refused to follow Chief of State Jacen Solo and sheltered the Jedi, who had declared themselves against Solo, so it was attacked by his fleet as a result. Solo's flagship, the Anakin Solo, began targeting the Kashyyyk forests with it's long-range turbolasers, starting a firestorm that would claim the lives of many Wookiees and burn huge amounts of forest. The Confederation redirected fleets from the Battle of Kuat to help the Wookiees, resulting in the eventual defeat of the Galactic Alliance forces, although they managed to escape, due to a tactical blunder by the Confederation Fleet. As a result, Kashyyyk joined the Jedi Coalition, though did not join the Confederation.

Second Imperial Civil War
The new Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire saw danger in Wookiees, but knew better than to enslave the entire species like the previous Galactic Empire did. Instead it cut them off from the rest of the galaxy by having Kashyyyk blockaded and all Wookiee spaceports and shipyards destroyed. No Wookiees were allowed to leave or visit Kashyyyk without an Imperial order and HoloNet transmissions to the planet were completely cut off. Supplies and traders still could come and go, after swearing under penalty of death not to provide Wookiees with information of the state of the rest of the galaxy, but the Wookiees themselves were completely isolated and largely left alone.

Behind the scenes


The original drafts of Return of the Jedi called for the second Death Star to be built in orbit around Kashyyyk by Wookiee slave labor. It wasn't until later drafts that the setting and characters were changed to the forest moon of Endor and Ewoks.

The planet was introduced in 1978 in The Star Wars Holiday Special, and was finally realized on the big-screen in 2005 in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

In the Super Nintendo Super Star Wars games, Chewbacca is listed to have come from Kazhyyyk.

A character in Star Trek: Voyager, Kashyk, was believed to have been named after the Wookiee world.

Some believe there is a contradiction between the portrayal of Kashyyyk in the EU and its portrayal in Revenge of the Sith. While the former (pre-ROTS EU) portrayed Kashyyyk as a planet with inhabitants living only in trees and never descending to the ground, the latter portrays the planet as having oceans and coasts, with its inhabitants living on the ground. This alleged contradiction could be easily explained in that ROTS only showed a small part of the planet, and that it doesn't necessarily represent the layout of the entire planet. Additionally, the Han Solo Trilogy (specifically, Rebel Dawn) mentions that Kashyyyk has coasts.

Phuket in Thailand and Guilin in China, were the locations scouted for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, to capture plate photography for backdrops on the planet Kashyyyk.

The PC game Star Wars: Rebellion mistakenly places Kashyyyk in the Sumitra Sector of the Outer Rim.

Pronunciation
"I don't remember the name—something with too many 'Ks and 'Ys. Sounds like you're gargling ronto spit when you say it."

- Mira

Kashyyyk has been pronounced many different ways. In its first appearance in The Star Wars Holiday Special, it was pronounced /kazook/. In the video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Republic Commando, among others, it is pronounced /'kæ??k/. The G-canon pronunciation, heard in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is /k?'?ik/. This pronunciation is also heard in Star Wars: Empire at War. Star Wars: Battlefront II pronunciation is essentially a combination of the previous two: /'kæ?ik/.

In the South Park episode "Chef Aid", Attorney Johnnie Cochran pronounced Kashyyyk as "Kishhik".

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Star Wars: Republic Commando: Order 66