- "Kalkite. Synthetic Kalkite! Kalkite alternatives! Kalkite substitutes! I mean, the amount of time spent pondering this grubby little bit of rock is sadly astonishing."
- ―Orson Krennic, to his colleagues
Kalkite was a mineral useful in coating reactor lenses. It could found on the planet Ghorman in deep substrate foliated deposits. By 4 BBY, the Galactic Empire enacted efforts to declare martial law on the planet in order to extract the Kalkite and use it in the construction of the Death Star superweapon. These efforts forcing Ghorman Massacre of 2 BBY in order to declare martial law and and strip mine Ghorman.
Description[]
- "And it turns out, spiders are not the most unique thing in Ghorman. There's a mineral underground. Doctor?"
"Deep substrate foliated Kalkite." - ―Orson Krennic and an Imperial science officer
Kalkite was a mineral that could be used to coat reactor lenses to help generate vast amounts of energy. The planet Ghorman had deposits of deep substrate foliated kalkite.[1]
History[]
Ethical barriers[]
- "Now, we've promised delivery in three years. That delivery is dependent on some version of Ghorman Kalkite to coat the reactor lenses."
- ―Krennic briefs his colleagues
By 4 BBY, the Galactic Empire had an interest in the Kalkite deposites on Ghorman, requiring the mineral for coating reactor lenses[1] in the development of the Death Star superweapon. The weapon's project was fronted as Emperor Palpatine's[2] "energy initiative." Analytics determined that extracting the Kalkite would involve the invasive process of gouge mining, which could destabilize the planet's core and cause a total collapse. Due to Ghorman's wealth and political power, the Empire began an Anti-Ghorman whispering campaign to turn galactic opinion against the Ghorman locals. Director Orson Krennic,[1] who oversaw the construction of the Death Star,[2] promised the project's completion within three years.[1]
Orson Krennic held a meeting in the Maltheen Divide to discuss logistics around acquiring Ghorman Kalkite
That year, Krennic assembled a select group of Imperial officials in the Maltheen Divide for the Ghorman project, an effort to increase the Empire's control over Ghorman in order to extract the Kalkite. There, he discussed the Kalkite's presence on Ghorman, the importance of the mineral to the "energy initiative," and the complications behind extracting it. At that time, the mining equipment had begun to be assembled, and the Empire had additionally begun increasing its presence on Ghorman.[1] Supervisor Dedra Meero was put in charge of the Ghorman project, being overseen by her superior Major Lio Partagaz. Meero aimed to allow an insurgency to provoke the Empire's [3]
Ghorman's expense[]
- "There is, apparently, no suitable replacement or synthetic alternative for the Ghorman substrate material."
"I see."
"It's not for lack of effort. Krennic's had the lab in Eadu working overtime all year. I don't know the science, but… it's bad luck Ghorman. We need what's in the ground, and when we're done, there won't be much left to call "home."" - ―Lio Partagaz and Dedra Meero
The Empire's need for Kalkite prompted a massacre on Ghorman
Meanwhile, the project's scientists explored substitutes and synthetic alternatives to the mineral,[1] and a laboratory on the planet Eadu worked overtime on this. With no replacements found, the Krennic met with Palpatine and Partagaz in 2 BBY, and the Emperor ordered for the mining of Ghorman to go ahead immediately. With a fleet scheduled to be positioned above the planet within forty-eight hours, Partagaz gave Meero the go-ahead to stoke Ghorman conflict in order for a Declaration of Martial Domain to be enacted as soon as possible.[4]
As mining equipment begun to land on Ghorman, Meero's assets provoked a protest in Palmo Plaza, where they forcefully escalated it into an Imperial genocide of the Ghormans, known as the Ghorman Massacre. With the excuse they needed for martial law, the Empire went forward with plans[5] for mass relocation[4] and strip mining,[2] devastating Ghorman.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
- "But, I mean, I had to learn a lot about Kalkite. […] What are Kalkite alternatives? Kalkite [substitutes]? Synthetic Kalkite?"
"He had to do that for the entire day in a dark room with a roaring fire with like thirty people in there." - ―Ben Mendelsohn and Denise Gough, on the former's delivery of Kalkite
Kalkite was first mentioned in the "One Year Later," the debut episode of the second season of Tony Gilroy's live-action Disney+ series Andor,[1] which was released on April 22, 2025.[7] According to Orson Krennic and Dedra Meero's actors, Ben Mendelsohn and Denise Gough respectively, the lines with Kalkite in "One Year Later" had to be said over and over again on set in order to take different shots of the scene. Gough remarked that Mendelsohn's energy did not drop in the delivery regardless.[6]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: Andor — "One Year Later" (First mentioned)- Star Wars: Andor — "Messenger" (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Andor — "Who Are You?" (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Andor — "Make It Stop" (Indirect mention only)
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12
Star Wars: Andor — "One Year Later"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: Andor — "Make It Stop"
- ↑ Star Wars: Andor — "Sagrona Teema"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Star Wars: Andor — "Messenger"
- ↑ Star Wars: Andor — "Who Are You?"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Denise Gough and Ben Mendelsohn on Andor and the fun of being evil on the Royal Television Society YouTube channel (May 15, 2025) (backup link)
- ↑ First Andor A Star Wars Story Teaser Trailer and Poster Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
