- "Never changes, does it? You know what they say?"
"No, what's that?"
"If you can't find it here, it's not worth finding." - ―Willi and Luthen Rael discuss Ferrix
Ferrix was an sparsely populated reddish, barren, rocky planet with very little plant life located in the Morlani system of the Free Trade sector, a formerly corporate-run subsector of the Xappyh sector at an intersecting portion of the Outer Rim Territories and the New Territories. Located at the coordinates Q-3 of the Standard Galactic Grid, the planet was situated at a junction between multiple important Hyperspace lanes including the Hydian Way.
Ferrix's people, the Ferrixians, lived in tight-knit communities built around the industry of scrapping and salvaging Starships, with the largest of these communities known as Ferrix City, which was built over a wasteland on the planet. Over time, Ferrix's salvage markets became reputed to hold some of the best second-hand parts inventory in The galaxy, with an old saying stating that if something could not be found on Ferrix, it was not worth finding.
By the time of the Galactic Republic, Ferrix was a member world off the Republic. As such, during the High Republic Era's Nihil conflict, the Nihil marauders from Lourna Dee's Tempest carried out a raid on Ferrix between 231 BBY and 230 BBY. Later in the era during 228 BBY, Ferrix was also the site of a hostage negotiation that was overseen by Jedi Master Kantam Sy.
During the Imperial Era, Ferrix was controlled by the Galactic Empire and overseen by the Consolidated Holdings of Preox-Morlana Corporation. However, this status was revoked following investigations of rebel activity. This eventually led to the Rix Road riot that saw the citizens of Ferrix fight back against the occupying Imperial personnel.
Description[]
Ferrix sat at the junction between several key Hyperspace lanes including the Hydian Way
Ferrix was a rocky and barren amber-colored terrestrial planet[6] located in the Morlani system of the Free Trade sector, a subsector of the Xappyh sector in an intersecting portion of the Outer Rim Territories[3] and the New Territories.[1] The planet was located at the coordinates Q-3 in the Standard Galactic Grid,[6] and was located at the junction between several key Hyperspace lanes[15] including the Hydian Way.[6][3]
Ferrix was 7,914 kilometers in diameter, and had an orbital period of 462 Standard days.[6] The surface of the world was dominated by large rocky mountains and mesas,[8][6] vast desolate wastelands,[6] and pockets of blue oceans.[6] During the winter months,[4] the temperature was cold, with the ground often becoming covered in layers of snow.[7]
History[]
Republic Era[]
The smuggler Radicaz Dobbs knew of the chimes of Ferrix[16] by 382 BBY[17] during the High Republic Era.[16] Between 231 BBY and 230 BBY[18] during the Nihil conflict, Nihil marauders from Lourna Dee's Tempest—including Quin Carree and Tempest Runner Lourna Dee herself—carried out a raid on Ferrix.[19] Ferrix was also the site of a hostage negotiation[20] in 228 BBY[21] that involved the Jedi Order, with Jedi Master Kantam Sy overseeing the negotiation. The event happened to concur with the wedding of[20] Sy's former Padawan,[22] the former Jedi Lula Talisola, on[20] the Outer Rim world[2] of Eriadu in the Occlusion Zone. Upset they would not be able to come if the negotiation dragged on, Sy worked hard to be able to attend the wedding and, right before it began, was able to arrive.[20]
During the Clone Wars[7] that raged from 22 BBY to 19 BBY,[23] Ferrix was a part of the Galactic Republic. In the direct aftermath of the war, however, the Galactic Empire rose in its place.[7]
Aftermath of the Clone Wars[]
- "Long live the Republic!"
"Free Ferrix!" - ―Anti-Imperial protesters
The city center as seen from a shuttle ferry
The Empire would later move to establish a presence on Ferrix, although local citizen Clem Andor believed that the Imperials would leave once they had shown their forces off. After clone troopers were deployed[7] to the planet,[24] an anti-Imperial protest occurred,[7] dubbed the "Rix Road protest."[25] In town, a large contingent of clone stormtroopers were pelted with stones as they marched through the main square, prompting their officer to order the troopers to raise their weapons against the populace. Andor, who had been attempting to calm the crowd, was mistakenly accused of taking part in the protest and was subsequently hanged in the town's square. In retaliation for his father's hanging, Andor's son Cassian would later try to attack several clone troopers with a baton, but was instead caught and arrested.[7]
Under Preox-Morlana[]
- "P-P-Pre-Mor Authority is seeking a Kenari male resident of Ferrix for questioning. Citizens with any information should contact the Preox-Morlana Security HQ without d-d-delay."
- ―B2EMO reads a bulletin released by Preox-Morlana Security
Despite Ferrix technically fell under the jurisdiction of the Preox-Morlana Corporation (logo pictured), the planet was mostly left to its own devices
At some point, the Empire[7] allowed the Consolidated Holdings of Preox-Morlana Corporation to run affairs on Ferrix, though it was not regularly patrolled, rather being left to its own devices.[4]
In 5 BBY, Clem Andor's son Cassian traveled to the Preox-Morlana headquarters on Morlana-1 in an attempt to locate his missing Kenari sister, Kerri. During his travel he was confronted by two corpos of the Preox-Morlana's corporate security branch, the Pre-Mor Enforcement, and during the ensuing altercation he was forced to kill them both.[4] Pre-Mor Deputy Inspector Syril Karn identified and tracked the fleeing Cassian to his Ferrixian hometown[8] and soon arrived to arrest him with a Pre-Mor Security Inspection team led by Sergeant Linus Mosk. Andor had however secured a meeting[10] with rebel spymaster Luthen Rael[11] thanks to the intervention of salvage yard owner Bix Caleen in order to sell him a stolen Imperial N-S9 Starpath Unit, the sale taking place just as the Pre-Mor units' mobile Tac-Pods were landing on the city's scrapyards. A heavily armed Rael helped Andor escape the trap the corpos were setting up for him and thanks to a distraction afforded by a remotely-controlled explosive-riddled speeder bike the duo were able to escape the city on board the spymaster's Fondor Haulcraft, leaving many injured or dead corpos behind them.[10]
Imperial occupation[]
- "We've had each other, and Ferrix, our work, our days. We had each other, and they left us alone. We kept the trade lanes open, and they left us alone. We took their money and ignored them, we kept their engines churning, and the moment they pulled away, we forgot them. Because we had each other. We had Ferrix."
- ―Maarva Andor
ISB lieutenant Blevin on Ferrix
Following news of the incident, the Imperial Security Bureau officer responsible for the Morlani system, Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin was dispatched to the Pre-Mor's Corporate Security Headquarters on Morlana One where he met with the trio of officers responsible for the disaster, leading to Ferrix[11] being placed[7] under direct Imperial authority once more. A new Imperial garrison was placed on Ferrix a day after the incident with Preox-Morlana personnel removed from the system[11] and re-assigned to other duties[26] and the city hotel being taken over as the new Imperial headquarters on Ferrix. Captain Vanis Tigo was assigned by Blevin with overseeing the setup of the day-to-day Imperial Operations on Ferrix and was promoted to Prefect for the region after his request.[11] With growing conflict between Blevin and fellow ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero during the regional supervisors' forums on Coruscant, ISB Major Partagaz gave control of the sector to Meero due to his agreeing with her suspicion of a growing, organized rebel network being responsible for the incident on Ferrix.[27]
The Imperial occupation caused much discomfort to the rebellious people of Ferrix. Stormtrooper units patrolled the once quiet streets and armed speeders accompanied by Imperial security troopers guarded all government buildings. Prominent resident and former president of the citizen society Daughters of Ferrix Maarva Andor vowed to overthrow Imperial rule, inspired by the attack on the Imperial headquarters on the planet Aldhani, which unbeknownst to her was partly carried out by her son Cassian who was recruited by Luthen Rael on his network. Maarva made daily excursions on secret tunnels and passages next to the former hotel which housed the Prefecture headquarters but was severely injured and forced to stop. Her injury along with her age caused her to fall ill, but she refused to take the medicine doctor Mullmoy had prescribed her and eventually passed away.[9]
Revolution[]
- "Ferrix has been hiding long enough."
- ―Maarva Andor
Ferrix residents fought back against their Imperial occupiers
During her funeral procession, a holographic message she had pre-recorded and broadcast by her droid B2EMO inspired the people of Ferrix to rise up against the Empire[9] and form a resistance movement,[28] creating a riot spontaneously erupting as residents charged the Imperial barrier. An improvised explosive device thrown at the barrier by a resident turned the riot into a bloodbath as Imperials and Ferrixians were killed by the explosion, leading to Imperial troops being ordered to fire indiscriminately into the crowd.[9]
Society and culture[]
- "Stone and sky."
- ―The people of Ferrix
A funerary stone was a symbolic artifact of a great deceased citizen of Ferrix
Ferrix's exports were mainly scrap and salvaged tech. Many humans on Ferrix worked to salvage materials from decommissioned ships such as the Venator-class Star Destroyer. Each worker was given a different set of gloves, with the gloves being hung on a wall before and after work.[4] Ferrixians played songs at funerals and other public events using adhoc bands and amateurish musicians, "Unto Stone We Are" being one such piece.[9]
The daily routine on Ferrix was to go to work when the Time Grappler hit the beskar anvil using his hammers and to finish work when the Time Grappler hit the beskar anvil again. After this, the people of Ferrix would drink in cantinas or go back to their homes. The workers of Ferrix adhered to this structured schedule. Overall, workers trusted each other, were cooperative and respectful, and were generally friendly amongst each other. They stored their gear together in a public space, with each worker's gloves being hung on a large wall all together. Ferrix had a rudimentary warning system where residents would bang metal together to alert others of foreign intrusions or threats.[8]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Ferrix should feel like a working town with a small community. And the whole logic of how we decided to build that as one big composite set on the back lot was based on that idea. You can get lost in it; when you're filming, you're not having to cut between sets."
- ―Luke Hull
Ferrix was first pictured in the sizzle reel for the Star Wars: Andor television series, which was released on December 10, 2020.[30] It was first identified in a LEGO set reveal during Celebration Anaheim.[31] The planet first appeared in "Kassa," the first episode of the series,[4] which aired on September 21, 2022.[32] From the start, executive producer and writer Tony Gilroy found it was important for Ferrix to have an immersive culture[33] and a strong cultural heart.[34]
Concept art of Venator-class Star Destroyers being dismantled on Ferrix by Scott McInnes
Gilroy, who stated the "mental build" of Ferrix took two years to develop,[35] wanted the audience to understand that the Ferrixians came together and looked after each other. Production designer Luke Hull and Gilroy wanted to design an environment different from familiar Star Wars locations. They did not want to make the location a town in a desert, and Hull was ardent on it not being a frontier town.[34] To show the planet's culture, Gilroy and the crew spent a long time creating the planet's social structure, hierarchies, rules, and allegiances.[33] Concept artist Scott McInnes created concept art of Venator-class Star Destroyers being dismantled on Ferrix, and artist Vincent Jenkins created concept art of Cassian Andor preparing to shoot stormtroopers. Artist Chester Carr[36] and Hull created a sketch of Rael and Cassian Andor escaping on a speeder bike. Hull also made sketches of the North Steps, the Ferrix hotel, the interior of the Andor household, and Rael on Ferrix.[29]
To help ground the show's storytelling in a relatable human complexity and appeal to viewers, an entire[37] Hull's team referenced Amsterdam in the 1920s, the period in which the city featured simple geometric and abstract shapes.[38] Everything grew off of knowing Ferrix needing a big main street. After deciding Ferrix would be built, Hull's team had to find an overall look that stayed true to the franchise in a way that was not too dystopian. Due to the planet's economy of salvaging ship parts and metal, Hull envisioned the place with a sturdiness. Ferrix reminded him of longshoremen in Belfast, Northern Ireland building ships. Hull's team's origin for Ferrix was it began as a small outpost that gradually grew and expanded out of the hillside as the population grew.[34] Hull made sure that the set felt like a working town with a small community.[29]
The Ferrix set being constructed in Little Marlow
During planning, Hull's team accounted for the computer graphics and VFX that would be added later, and it was built into the design. Hull's team team decided to build the town out of bricks, which had not been done in Star Wars before. Hull kept the color of the brick unchanged because he thought the clay and earthiness played into who the Ferrixians were. His team retrofitted the idea of dead Ferrixians' ashes getting baked into a brick and being put into the town.[34] During the construction of Ferrix, the crew noticed that Martian-like reds kept coming in, so Lanzarote in the Canary Islands became a good starting place to create the wider environment of Ferrix. Scenes on Ferrix were also filmed in Lanzarote's Green Lagoon; Salinas de Janubio, the Islands' largest salt flat;[39] and other nearby locations.[34]
The backlot set was a functional shape full of usable buildings that were accessible through doors and windows.[34] The sets included palatial homes, high-class brothels, and housing projects.[37] Maarva Andor's house was crafted to explain her character.[29] The interior and exterior of the house were the same set, making it fully three-dimensional.[40] The set designers and costume shop collaborated to create the wall of gloves.[41] Hull tried to make the Easter eggs subtle and fit into the show.[34] The Ferrix set managed to impress executive producer Kathleen Kennedy and director Toby Haynes.[40]
Costume designer Michael Wilkinson and his team spent a long time to establish carefully curated palettes of textures and colors for Ferrix to make the information clear for the viewers.[42] They infused every costume with individualism to make it reflect the character it was worn by. During the beginning, Wilkinson told his team to consider many unique details to inform the design, including each character's job and source of clothing, and how their clothing reflects what they do, who they are, and what they value. Some of the costumes' silhouettes drew inspiration from Japanese workwear, which were then abstracted and modernized. Wilkinson said that having costumes from an authentic and culturally resonant place would give the audience something they could connect with.[41]
Concept art of Bix Caleen based on Michael Wilkinson's design
The costume department also created logos and symbols for Ferrix's different brands, repair shops, and individual businesses, which deepened the planet's lore and tangibility. When the team created the Ferrixian clothing, they chose what they deemed the coolest and most interesting workwear elements between quilting, safety gear, and protective materials. Some of the stand-out characters, such as Bix Caleen, were given distinguishable silhouettes to help them stand out from a crowd. For the finale episode[41] "Rix Road,"[9] the red was amped up to make it a very strong symbol of the spirit of Ferrix.[41]
Hull estimated that around 80-85% of the scenes on Ferrix were shot on the backlot set.[34] According to Gilroy, everything on Ferrix was filmed first.[43] Haynes and the actors spent about a month shooting his six episodes' Ferrix scenes. After Christmas, it was the coldest part of the shoot. When it snowed, the crew used heaters to burn the snow and keep the continuity.[40] When Denise Gough, the actor who plays Dedra Meero, first shot on the Ferrix set, she was amazed by the high level of detail.[37]
Visual effects for Ferrix was split between Hybride and Industrial Light & Magic. Hybride worked on the town, based on the set, which was extended out to the larger city. Green screens were used for certain Ferrix locations. ILM worked on what they called the north side big yard and the surrounding areas. They also built up the planet's architecture and made a design language for Ferrix. ILM was responsible for extending the Ferrix set to make it a busy hustling place with many workers and sparks everywhere. They made sure there was always something moving in the background to make it look like there was stuff going on all the time. For the ships on Ferrix, ILM started by referencing ships in the archives.[44]
Composer Nicholas Britell inserted several metal sounds throughout Ferrix because of the masonry and metallurgy present in the planet's culture. Britell and Gilroy made some of those sounds together using the pipes in the latter's basement.[45]
Appearances[]
- The High Republic: Tempest Breaker (Mentioned only) (In flashback(s))
- The High Republic: Tempest Breaker script (Mentioned only) (In flashback(s))
- The High Republic Adventures Phase III - The Wedding Spectacular (Mentioned only)
Star Wars: Andor — "Kassa" (First appearance)- Star Wars: Andor — "That Would Be Me"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Reckoning"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Aldhani"
- Star Wars: Andor — "The Axe Forgets"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Announcement"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Narkina 5"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Nobody's Listening!"
- Star Wars: Andor — "One Way Out"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Daughter of Ferrix"
- Star Wars: Andor — "Rix Road"
- Star Wars: Andor — "One Year Later" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Andor — "Messenger" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Andor — "Who Are You?" (Mentioned only)
- "To the Last" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Hunters (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge — Ronto Roasters (Mentioned only)
Non-canon appearances[]
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Mentioned only) (DLC)
Sources[]
Non-canon sources[]
- SWCA 2022: 7 Things We Learned from the Summer of LEGO Star Wars Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- LEGO Star Wars 99
