Kolto



Kolto was a liquid predecessor to bacta, a form of healing liquid applied in a method similar to that of the Thyferran serum, but created instead on the planet Manaan, an aqueous world found in the Inner Rim. It was here that a giant creature known as Progenitor produced kolto; her life inextricably linked to that of the drug.

The native Selkath mediated the use of kolto and sold it to both the Galactic Republic and to the Sith Empire, not wanting to get involved in the Jedi Civil War. However, becoming desperate for the medicine, Republic emissaries made a deal with several key members of the Selkath Government &mdash; who saw that the Sith would destroy them should they defeat the Republic &mdash; to construct an underwater facility in the Hrakert Rift and mine for kolto at their own expense. Kolto, being found only in Manaan's deep-sea chasms, could easily be mined without detection if one could reach them.

Kolto was still in use during the Galactic Civil War, though it seemed to have been almost completely replaced by bacta in the Galactic economy. It is unknown what exactly caused the demise of kolto, though various theories existed. One was the suggestion that kolto gradually lost its effectiveness, and that as beings required more and more for the same level of healing the market collapsed. Or possibly the invention of the more easily produced bacta broke Manaan's monopoly on medical supply, which faded into disuse.

Behind the scenes

 * In Knights of the Old Republic the player is given a choice of two possible outcomes:
 * To kill the Progenitor, the death of the Progenitor results in the ceasing of the production of Kolto (the poison that killed the Progenitor also corrupted the kolto and made it turn black), spikes in kolto prices, and the banning of Revan permanently from Manaan. (Non-canonical)
 * To pressurize the fuel tanks to four million sangens, resulting in a detonation in the fuel supply that destroys the internal mechanisms and appeases the Progenitor. Kolto production resumes as it had before-hand. (Canonical)


 * Both kolto and Manaan itself also have an appearance in Empire at War, where infantry units can get a healing bonus due to the presence of kolto. However, kolto is not mentioned anywhere else during this period of time, so it is very likely that it must have lost its former importance sometime ago.


 * Comments from Darth Bane: Path of Destruction support the theory that kolto was an inferior healing agent to bacta. It mentions that miners who couldn't afford bacta used kolto as a cheaper alternative.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Star Wars: Empire at War