Metellos/Legends

Metellos was the fourth of seven planets in the Metellos system of the Coruscant sector in the Core Worlds region. The planet orbited one star, also called Metellos, and in turn was orbited by three moons.

Description
Metellos, also known as "the Coruscant that wasn't," was the fourth planet from the star Metellos in the Metellos system of the Coruscant sector in the Core Worlds region of the galaxy. It was located on the Metellos Trade Route, a hyperlane on which it lay between Norkronia and Coruscant. A traditional uninterrupted hyperjump to Ilum was made from Metellos, but could only be accomplished by pilots who were strong in the Force and was kept secret by the Jedi. A day on Metellos lasted 24 standard hours and a year lasted 361 standard days.

A terrestrial world with a diameter of 12,600 kilometers, Metellos possessed three moons and featured a breathable atmosphere, temperate climate, and standard gravity. With the exception of a few seas and desert wastelands, the surface of Metellos was entirely urbanized. Seventeen large stratablocks were present on Metellos, and structures such as these reached heights as great as one kilometer above the planet's surface, tapering off into single-story structures. Many tracts, especially those situated far away from the stratablocks, were shabby, environmentally toxic, and occupied by diseased squatters.

In spite of its problems, Metellos was considered to be a highly developed planet. Metellos was governed by a bureaucracy and exported business services and advanced technology while importing foodstuffs and office supplies. More than 1,000 floating cities, constructed by the wealthy executives of the planet to compensate for overcrowding, drifted 1,200 meters above housing precincts. Designers modeled these cities after the herd cities of Ithor, though in reality the gridlike Metellean constructs were obviously quite different from their inspirations. It was a large producer of energy. Heavy industrial areas lay between the stratablocks.

History
Metellos was colonized between 27,000 BBY and 26,000 BBY by Humans who traveled from Coruscant in sleeper ships. The Galactic Republic formed later, and as the government took shape over subsequent centuries, many merchants, dignitaries, and prospectors found operating on Coruscant more convenient than doing so on Metellos, which required an additional hyperspace jump to the galactic west. For a time, Metellos hosted a diverse community of hyperspace explorers who hoped to discover a western counterpart to the Perlemian Trade Route that would make Metellos a new economic center. Although the Metellos Trade Route proved disappointing, Metellos persisted in its efforts, leading to economic recession that lasted for centuries.

Metellos was incorporated into the Galactic Republic by approximately 22,000 BBY. Too proud to request aid from the Galactic Senate, the rulers of Metellos exploited their world's resources to obtain temporary capital, and in the absence of measures to ensure environmental balance, unchecked population growth occurred. Long after Coruscant had become a Galactic hub, a planet in the Deep Core, Koros Major in 5000 BBY began to overshadow Metellos. During the Great Hyperspace War, the navy of Naga Sadow traveled to Metellos from Coruscant. In 700 BBY, the directors of Metellos's most powerful corporations created clean, airborne cities for the use of the wealthy and well-connected. As the Galactic Empire rose to power, Palpatine granted the ruling executives of Metellos a stake in the Corporate Sector Authority.

New Republic governance led to the establishment of a representative democracy on Metellos, but elected officials remained under the influence of local corporate interests. The Empire besieged Metellos during Operation Shadow Hand, and in 10 ABY, an Imperial fleet led by Admiral Sander Delvardus engaged a New Republic defensive force on Metellos and bombarded the planet in a show of force, killing more than five billion people. The subsequent recovery of Metellos was slowed due to the New Republic's focus on repairing damage on Coruscant. During the Black Fleet Crisis, the New Republic Fifth Battle Group used Metellos as a supply point as it attacked the Koornacht Cluster.

Inhabitants
Humans comprised 90% of Metellos's population of 900 billion, which made the planet among the most densely-populated in the galaxy. Overpopulation was the greatest problem that affected Metellos. The population was divided into two social classes: the gentry, who controlled the floating cities and the upper levels of the stratoblocks, and the groundpounders, who consisted of datapushers, plant laborers, con artists, thieves, and indigents. Galactic Basic Standard was spoken by the planet's inhabitants, who typically felt that their homeworld was unimpressive by the standards of the Core Worlds.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Prophet Motive
 * Knights of the Old Republic 43: The Reaping, Part 1
 * Knights of the Old Republic 48: Demon, Part 2
 * Knights of the Old Republic 50: Demon, Part 4
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight