Aurodium

"Decorating this place must have cost a fortune. Those statues are made with real aurodium. No wonder the Empire wants this place."

―A visitor to House Organa^[2]

Aurodium was a metal that, when mined, purified, and formed into ingots, was used as currency in the Outer Rim Territories and other lawless territories where Republic credits were not accepted, much like nova crystals. Aurodium lacked a specific color, but sparkled.

Darth Sidious' lightsaber was partially constructed with aurodium.

Aurodium idols were used as gifts to impress and gain the trust of Suudaa Nem'ro, Hutt crime lord of Jiguuna, by an Imperial Agent of the resurrected Sith Empire. This was after the agent recovered them from criminal forces.

In 29 BBY, ten large ingots of aurodium were worth three billion credits; however, although the ingots were considered large, all of them were, combined, small enough to keep inside a pouch that was easily concealed on a person.

Aurodium was also made into coins. The aurodium standard was once used as a guarantor for the value of galactic currency, though this was abolished sometime after 4225 BBY; thereafter, banks became the key backers of the Republic Treasury Reserve.

At least up to the Cold War, the interior of Castle Organa featured many statues of real aurodium, ranging in size from the typical to the towering.

Behind the scenes[]

Aurodium is obviously intended to be the Star Wars universe's equivalent to gold. The first two letters of aurodium, "Au," are the chemical symbol for gold and a common prefix for gold-related words. However, gold has been mentioned in other Star Wars sources. Its name also resembles rhodium, which is a rarer real-life noble metal worth more than gold.