Spice/Legends

"Glitterstim's all right if you're blue... Everything takes on a rise, a buzz, a life, as if your whole body had been made new and your whole future with it."

- Anonymous Rebel soldier

Spice was slang for a mind-altering drug. Varieties included ryll and the strongest (and most expensive), glitterstim. The planet Kessel was rich with these spices, which were harvested from dangerous mines, at one point in history by slave labor. Rori, Ryloth, and Troiken were other sources of spice.

Spice Mining on Kessel was done by criminals. Since Kessel lies within the Maw Cluster, even if a prisoner were to escape he would not likely go far because of the black holes. The spice found on Kessel was glitterstim which is one of the most prized spices in the galaxy. This particular spice was created by a species of [energy spiders[spice_spider]] that would spin the spice into webs. Any unlucky miner that came into contact with one of these creatures would have their life energy sucked out of them in seconds.

Spice mining is a very dangerous job. Kessel has no natural atmosphere and factories on the surface create air, however the air is too thin to breathe without a oxygen mask. Spice is activated by light so miners were forced to work in complete darkness.

The Galactic Empire attempted to keep a tight rein on the circulation of the various forms of spice, making it a frequent item for smuggling. It must be noted though, that various forms of spice have medicinal uses-not every form of spice is addictive, or even illegal.

Most forms of spice are collected raw, then need to be procesesed and refined. Some forms of spice are produced completly synthetically, without the use of any kind of natural material. Many organizations, and planets, have taken on this enterprise, notably the Hutts.

Spice has been known to have gained widespread use since the days of the Old Republic, even before 4000 BBY. In 15 BBY, Lando Calrissian bought the spice mines of Kessel.

The illegal spice market was virtually destroyed as a result of the Yuuzhan Vong War. With the Hutts attempting to fight off the Yuuzhan Vong, their contacts were stripped of their connection. Many people were forced to confront their addictions, and spice all but lost its worth. By at least 130 ABY, the spice trade had been rebuilt.

Known spice variants

 * Andris
 * Avabush
 * Boontaspice
 * Booster Blue
 * Carsunum
 * Crash n' Burn
 * Giggledust
 * Glitterstim
 * Glitteryll
 * Gree
 * Gunjack
 * Gy'lan
 * Kassoti
 * Lumni
 * Muon Gold
 * Neutron Pixie
 * Pyrepenol
 * Ryll
 * Rylca
 * Ryll kor
 * Sedative H4b
 * Tempest
 * Tirefin
 * Thrusterhead
 * Yarrok
 * Zypoline Droid Lubricant

Behind the scenes
The usage of the word "spice" in reference to narcotics might be derived from Frank Herbert's Dune books, in which melange, a potent spice said to prolong life and invoke psychic abilities, has many parallels to modern-day drugs. In the same way that Kessel is the only source of glitterstim, a single planet (Arrakis) is the sole source of melange.

The concept of spice in the Star Wars Universe appeared for the first time in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and is only mentioned shortly. Since then spice has appeared in countless Expanded Universe works and is even mentioned briefly in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Spice is also a crucial element in the side-quests in the Knights of the Old Republic games, where it is managed by the Hutts and the Exchange.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Republic: Twilight


 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Tempest Feud
 * The Paradise Snare
 * Rebel Dawn
 * Star Wars: Galaxies
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Classic Star Wars
 * Marvel Star Wars Annual 2: Shadeshine
 * Tales of the Bounty Hunters
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * X-Wing Alliance
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * X-wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-Wing: The Bacta War
 * Hutt and Seek
 * Jedi Search
 * Young Jedi Knights: Trouble on Cloud City
 * Young Jedi Knights: Crisis at Crystal Reef
 * Vector Prime
 * Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * The Unifying Force