Makeb

Makeb was a planet invaded by the Hutt Cartel during the Galactic War. It was a major source of isotope-5, one of the rarest minerals in the galaxy.

Description
Located in the Makeb system on the edges of Hutt Space, in a region of the galaxy far from major hyperlanes, Makeb was an oceanic planet whose atmosphere featured enormous amounts of electromagnetic interference in its upper levels. The planet's gravity, while below standard, possessed unique anomalies that resulted in the formation of many massive stone pillars across Makeb's surface. The pillars, which reached high above Makeb's cloud layer and were often large enough to contain entire cities on the plateaus and mesas that topped them, were riddled with complex cave systems. The pillars and caves were home to both Makeb's native wildlife and numerous deposits of minerals, including the incredibly valuable isotope-5. Isotope-5 was a mineral found only on Makeb, and it was the reason behind Makeb's unique atmospheric and gravitational conditions, as the mineral had powerful warping effects on electromagnetic and gravitational fields.

Early years
As a result of its secluded location, Makeb was not discovered by the galaxy until the Mandalorian Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Mandalorian warrior culture that lasted from 3976 BBY to 3960 BBY. During the conflict, a damaged transport carrying Republic refugees&mdash;among them several wealthy businessman&mdash;crashed on the planet after being caught in the electromagnetic interference in Makeb's atmosphere. The businessman Semako Thalien assumed a leadership role among the refugees as they built settlements atop Makeb's pillars, and the colonists quickly discovered that Makeb possessed valuable mineral deposits. Forced to improvise mining tools, the settlers began to extract the minerals, and once they re-established communication with the rest of the galaxy, Makeb became immensely profitable for the settlers within fifty years&mdash;a large part of which was the result of the influence and wealth of the original settlers.

Remaining staunchly independent from the Republic, Makeb began to attract economic leaders, banking corporations, and wealthy tourists, leading to the rise in number of luxury resorts across the planet. The Avesta family, a group of Human merchant explorers, established a number of profitable settlements in the early years of Makeb's colonization, and they eventually established the Avesta Mining Corporation. The Avesta family also helped establish the Makeb Business Council, the planet's government, and members of the Avesta family negotiated a trade partnership with the Republic. The Hutt Cartel attempted to gain a foothold on the planet upon learning of its valuable resources, but the Business Council rebuffed their attempts and forced the Cartel to negotiate a trade partnership instead. Over the following centuries, Makeb grew in economic power, and though tourism accounted for a large amount of the planet's wealth, mining remained the heart of Makeb's industry. Makeb's capital of Talaos City was established near the original colonists' landing site, though the planet's inhabitants made an effort to keep industrial activities separate from the city. As a result, Talaos City became the center of Makeb's banking and technological economy and the heart of the planet's culture.

The planet was invaded by the Hutt Cartel during the Galactic War in 3640 BBY. Following its capture, both Republic and Imperial forces raced to Makeb with their own agenda. The Republic evacuated many of the former citizens and forced the Hutts out following the planet's supposed destruction from the over-mining of isotope-5. However, the Empire secretly stabilized the planet's core, but by doing so polluted the atmosphere and caused devastating ground tremors and aftershocks that rendered the planet inhospitable. This allowed the Empire to continue harvesting isotope-5 without the knowledge of the Republic or the Hutt Cartel.

Behind the scenes
The planet Makeb is the setting of the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel, the first Digital Expansion for the BioWare-LucasArts video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. Makeb was first mentioned in The Old Republic in a message from the Sith Warrior companion character Vette. The planet was released as part of Rise of the Hutt Cartel on April 9, 2013 for players who pre-ordered the expansion, and went live for all players who purchased the game on April 14.

Makeb has received the label of "the gay planet" as a result of BioWare's addition of same-sex romantic relationships to the non-player characters on the planet. BioWare had faced backlash because The Old Republic did not include same-gender relationships, unlike the company's past Mass Effect and Dragon Age game series, as well as their stand-alone game Jade Empire and even Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (in the form of Juhani). The developers promised that they would add the feature as soon as possible, but executive producer Jeff Hickman announced in January 2013 that the process's complexity meant that same-sex romances would not be widely available for some time. Hickman also indicated that the developers would compromise in the meantime, and the first major compromise is the planet Makeb. However, the decision has received criticism from newspapers and networks, as some writers compare Makeb to a segregated community only available to high-level players who have purchased the expansion, and some fans remain opposed to the addition.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel