Polis Massa/Legends

Polis Massa was originally the arid homeworld of the little-known Eellayin civilization, whom dwelt in underground cities such as Wiyentaah. The planet was fractured by a mysterious cataclysm. This natural disaster formed a field of asteroids. The Eellayin civilization disappeared.

History
About 520 BBY, Kallidahin from Kallidah, another world in Subterrel Sector, were sent by the Archaeological Research Council of Kallidah to establish Polis Massa Base. They sought to prove the Eellayin were the ancestors of the Kallidahin through cloning tissue samples recovered in their digs. The most important find was the lost city of Wiyentaah (not far from the Research Base), discovered 59 BBY. began an archaeological mining project on this planetoid, to uncover the mysteries of the cataclysm and the native species it destroyed. The Local Dig was established over Wiyentaah. Such was the length of this project, the Kallidahin dig supervisors came to be known as Polis Massans themselves.

Excavations on the Polis Massa asteroid uncovered many prize artifacts, mostly from deep within the planetoid. The Polis Massans analyzed these artifacts for organic tissue suitable for cloning. Though the aliens frequented the Subterrel Sector, they had little contact with the Galaxy and as a whole, the Polis Massa outpost remained remote and hidden. Polis Massa (or at least Kallidah) was technically a loyal part of the Galactic Republic and friendly to the Jedi.

Far from any major trade route, the remote settlement served as an emergency sanctuary for the Jedi after Order 66, during the rise of the Empire and Palpatine's Great Jedi Purge. The colony also housed the medical facilities in which Padmé Amidala Skywalker gave birth to the twins Luke and Leia, and subsequently died. It was here that Bail Organa chose to adopt Leia into his family. When Yoda arrived with Bail, he was visited by the specter of Qui-Gon Jinn who offered to tutor Yoda in the art of surviving one's death with the consciousness still intact.

Not long after the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Inquisitors Malorum and Sancor began investigations of Polis Massa, discovering much information to be sent to Lord Vader. In a fateful duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Research Base, Sancor lost his life.

During the Galactic Civil War shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Imperial intelligence tracked the Death Star plans to a small Rebel outpost in the medical center. The 501st Legion stormed the facility, and managed to obtain one holodisc.Overall, the raid was only a partial success, with the Rebels beaming the remainder of the plans to Princess Leia Organa's corvette the Tantive IV orbiting over Toprawa.

Behind the scenes
It is possible that the name Polis Massa was inspired by the word polis, meaning an ancient Greek city-state.

In the DVD commentary for Revenge of the Sith, John Knoll explains that George Lucas specifically designed the look of Polis Massa to be an homage to the look of the Clavius moon base in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Appearances

 * Risk: Star Wars Clone Wars Edition
 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * The Last of the Jedi: The Dark Warning