Geonosis/Legends

"Who'd want to go to Geonosis? It's nothing but a bug's nest!"

- Chal Tozr

Geonosis, called Geonosia by some natives, was the home planet of the Geonosians, the Confederacy's first capital, and two major droid foundries.

Geology and geography
Geonosis had a large diameter but light gravity and dense atmosphere. With a weak magnetic field, harsh solar radiation storms and massive sandstorms were common, and on occasion mass extinctions occurred. The most persistent surface organisms were humble red rock algae while the semi-insectoid Geonosians were driven underground. The planet consisted of a diminutive molten core with a rocky mantle forming a rocky, desert world subject to flash floods that carved great highland canyons. Water made up 5% of the surface.

During the time of the Geonosian rule, much of the planet's architecture was similar in appearance to termite mounds, consisting of domes and buildings built into caverns and rock spires. Therefore, one could easily mistake Geonosian buildings for natural formations and the planet to be uninhabited, a great asset during war.

Early history
In the distant past, Geonosis's largest moon was hit by a rogue comet, sending out a massive debris field, which hammered the surface into ruin before settling into a ring of orbiting rock. This event killed off more than 99% of Geonosis's native species.

Over millions of years, the few creatures who survived the devastation slowly reclaimed the planet. Random meteor impacts constantly weeded out the weaker species, leaving only the truly cunning, hardy, and ruthless species alive. The Geonosians, the dominant life form on the planet, constituted all three.

After the technical-minded Geonosians made contact with the galaxy, the Baktoid Armor Workshop moved several droid and weapon foundries to the planet.

Great Galactic War
"In the arenas of Geonosis a young gladiator had risen to prominence, calling himself the new Mandalore, a title unclaimed for centuries, a title reserved for the greatest warrior in the galaxy, a warrior worthy to lead the Mandalorians."

- Gnost-Dural

During the time of the Great Galactic War, Geonosis was famous for the gladiatorial games held on the planet. Many of the combatants were Mandalorians, among them a young fighter. He rose to fame, eventually declaring himself the new Mandalore. He allied the Mandalorians with the Sith Empire, striking against the Galactic Republic.

Years later, after his eventual death at the hands of another Mandalorian, it was revealed that Imperial Intelligence had been infiltrating the gladiatorial arenas around the galaxy as sponsors, managers and gladiators. They had chosen the young Mandalorian as their champion, rigging his fights, using tactics such as drugging the opponent.

In 3,645 BBY, the Republic evaluated the planet as a possible defense stronghold. A Sith warship crash-landed there, and Rojo Trace was sent by the Jedi Order to investigate.

Prelude to war
"More happening on Geonosis, I feel, than has been revealed."

- Yoda

In 24 BBY, during the reign of Archduke Poggle the Lesser, Geonosis became a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which used the planet's factories to build its droid army. This resulted in the formation of the Geonosian Industries. Two years later, in 22 BBY, Poggle scheduled a private meeting of the Confederacy leaders on Geonosis. It was expected that during this meeting the organizations that formed the backbone of the Separatist movement would put their resources at the disposal of Count Dooku, the Head of State of the Confederacy.

First battle of the Clone Wars
Unbeknownst to the Separatists, their plans of waging war against the Galactic Republic were overheard by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had followed Jango Fett, a bounty hunter employed by Dooku, to Geonosis. Kenobi managed to transmit his discoveries to his Padawan Anakin Skywalker, who was at that time located on Tatooine, before being caught by the Separatists. After retransmitting the information to the Jedi Council, Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, the Senator of Naboo, decided to rescue Kenobi, but ended up imprisoned themselves.

Eventually, Kenobi, Skywalker and Amidala were taken to the Petranaki arena and were faced against an Acklay, a Reek and a Nexu respectively, but managed to free themselves. The Separatists, in turn, introduced battle droids to the arena, triggering the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the Clone Wars, as Jedi reinforcements, led by Master Mace Windu, revealed themselves among the public and entered the arena to confront the droids. After a long battle between the droids and the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda arrived with the newly-formed Republic army and rescued the defeated Jedi forces. Following the Confederacy's subsequent defeat on the planet, Geonosis was occupied by the Republic, and kept under strong control.

Jedi Knight Barriss Offee was working on Geonosis during the Clone Wars.

Second Republic assault
"Good thing those bugs can't aim."

- Unknown clone trooper, just before getting shot down along with his transport

Some time later, plans for a new droid foundry funded by Senator Rush Clovis and the Banking Clan were uncovered by Senator Amidala, leading up to another battle on the planet. Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker led an assault on Geonosis to destroy Poggle the Lesser's new droid foundry. However, the factory turned out to be very heavily guarded, and the assault met with heavy losses of men and material. Shot down and cut off from each other, Skywalker, Kenobi and Mundi were forced to fight their way to their first prime objective: an assault staging area.

Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano ended up going through a canyon where a fortress had been erected, destroying it in the process. They discovered Master Mundi, who had made his way through a tunnel that ended up in him losing many men. Kenobi was no better off. His perimeter was being actively destroyed by the Bug forces and AAT tanks. Skywalker called in reinforcements and destroyed the Geonosian forces. From there Skywalker and his Padawan sacked the shield generator with one swift stroke.

Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee showed up to help take the factory down. They lead a full frontal assault while the Padawans found their way through the catacombs under the factory where Poggle and a new "super tank" found them and went to take their bombs that they had set on the Main Reactor. Outside, the tactical droid had sent out a dozen tanks to rupture them. They were all destroyed by a sense of ingenuity by the Jedi Masters. The Padawans took the Reactor out with a Super Tank missile and almost sacrificed themselves to do it. They were rescued in the end by their masters. One year later, construction of the Death Star had began over Geonosis, by the Geonosian's under orders of Sidious, secret leader of the CIS.

Post-Clone Wars
As the Clone Wars ended with the Republic, restructured into the Galactic Empire, victorious, Geonosis remained under Imperial control. Geonosian Gizor Dellso and several other Geonosians formed a Separatist holdout during the aftermath of the Mission to Mustafar, but the organization was dissolved during the Battle of Mustafar. Geonosian scientists and slaves also played a role in the construction of the Death Star. During the Galactic Civil War, Geonosian scientists set up a bio-lab on Yavin 4.

Geonosians and Rebels fought side-by-side in the Subjugation of Geonosis. The Geonosians were primarily used for slave labor by the Empire. However, in 0 BBY, a Geonosian revolt was instigated by Rebel forces, who had built a secret base on Geonosis. Darth Vader, leading an invasion force, was sent to crush the revolt in what became the Subjugation of Geonosis. Although the Geonosians and the Rebels, fighting side by side, put up a good deal of resistance, the Imperials emerged victorious in the end, destroying all present Rebel operatives, and killing the revolting Geonosians and destroying their homes. As the Clone Wars ended and the Republic transformed into the Empire, Geonosis began to be under Imperial control in 19 BBY. Later, the former clone trooper X2 rescued a squad of rebel spies from a Imperial base on Geonosis. In 3 ABY, while chasing an Imperial carrier that had interfered with the Rebel Alliance's raid on the Empire's operations on Bakura, Wedge Antilles visited Geonosis and found several completely operational B1 battle droids left over from the war, as well as a Jedi starfighter, which he used to escape the planet. Soon after, the Droid operations were put down by the Galactic Empire, which ultimately brought an official end to the Separatist holdouts. During that battle, three Imperial Escort Carriers ended up being destroyed. Sarkli took cover from the battle droids in a crashed, but working, LAAT/i. The surviving stormtroopers were killed by the battle droids. After the death of Emperor Palpatine, Geonosis established an isolationist policy.

The planet was spared by the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion.

Around the time of the Second Galactic Civil War, Boba Fett returned to Geonosis to exhume his father's remains and bury them next to his daughter, Ailyn Vel, on Mandalore.

Behind the scenes
Geonosis made its first appearance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and related material. Season Two of Star Wars: The Clone Wars contains a story arc about the Republic recapture of Geonosis.

Geonosis is the only planet featured in the Star Wars films to have a natural ring system. In the novel Wild Space, it is mentioned that Geonosis was an arid planet whose "moist green beauty [was] long burned away", possibly meaning that sometime in its history Geonosis was a more habitable planet.