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- "The planet is called Thule. Thousands of years ago, it was a hidden Sith stronghold. Ulic fought there during the war. That's where the Dark Reaper is buried."
- ―Anakin Skywalker
Thule was a dry and arid Force nexus steeped in the dark side of the Force that lay upon the western flanks of the Stygian Caldera in the Esstran sector. A hidden Sith fortress world for most of its history, Thule consistently served as a redoubt and resource for many generations of Sith over a protracted period of millennia.
Originally a part of Xim the Despot's empire, Thule was colonized by members of the Sith species prior to the formation of the old Sith Empire in 6900 BBY. A fortified stronghold of the early Sith, Thule eventually came to host a Sith stealth regiment drawn to the world for its power in the dark side and its remote location. The planet's isolation allowed it to survive the Empire's fall in the Great Hyperspace War, and its special forces units were subsequently joined by Sith-blooded refugees fleeing the Republic counterinvasion of the Sith Worlds at the war's end. The world became a hidden stronghold of both Exar Kun's and Revan's Sith Empires, and its residents swore themselves in service to the Sith Order in its disparate incarnations over the subsequent millennia.
Thule was unique in that its population was aware of the Sith's continued existence following the conclusion of the New Sith Wars, in which the last vestiges of the Sith were widely assumed to have been rendered extinct. Pledged in service to the surviving Banite Sith of the Order of the Sith Lords, Thule's elite soldiers frequently participated in the schemes of various Sith masters and apprentices during the Great Peace of the Republic and into the Imperial Period. Thule's status as a hidden resource world for the Sith Order's use alone, confirmed with Emperor Palpatine's deletion of Thule from both the histories and star-charts, ultimately allowed it to survive the Galactic Empire's fragmentation and persist in isolation through the conflicts and crises that followed the Battle of Endor.
Description[]
A map of the Thurra system
Thule was the innermost planet[3] of the Thurra system,[2] a remote star system situated upon the western flanks of the Stygian Caldera in the Esstran sector of the Outer Rim.[1] Thule shared its star Thurra with the gas giant Enenpa, and was itself orbited by Sivvi, a captured asteroid[2] which served as Thule's sole natural satellite.[3] Thule rotated on its axis every thirty-eight standard hours and orbited Thurra every four hundred and fifty-nine standard days on average.[2]
Thule was a dry and arid terrestrial world[3] possessed of a Type I atmosphere and standard gravity. Apart from a few arable regions that hosted the bulk of the planet's cities and farms, Thule's surface was barren and covered with a thick carpet of charred gray rock and fine sand.[2] Its landscape was primarily characterized by blackened hills, rich savannas,[3] rocky plains, and wind-hollowed canyons punctuated at length by tall, natural spires. Despite heavy cloud cover that birthed both frequent windstorms[2] and protracted bouts of colored lightning,[3] Thule experienced fewer than fifty days of rain per year.[2]
Though Thule was believed to have once been home to a variety of indigenous lifeforms during its earliest history,[3] most of this endemic flora and fauna was ultimately rendered extinct by the subsequent colonization efforts of the planet's inhabitants[2] and by the ferocity of its weather patterns. Only a unique species of bioluminescent moss that fed on the planet's charred rock content and lit Thule's stony outcroppings[3] and spires[2] with an eerie light managed to persist unmolested on the planet's surface.[3]
History[]
Xim's empire[]
Sometime between 25,127 BBY and 25,096 BBY, Thule was enfolded into Xim the Despot's empire following the Tionese warlord's successful conquests of Korriban and Stenos. Thule marked the northernmost extremity of the empire's reach at the height of its territorial expansion and guarded the border close at hand to the Radama Void.[1]
Sith Empire[]
Hurom and its Sith Temple
Prior to the arrival of the Dark Jedi Exiles to Korriban in 6900 BBY,[7][8] Thule was colonized by members of the Sith species during their period of outward expansion from the Sith Worlds.[6] As recorded by Jen'jidai Sorzus Syn in her 6900 BBY chronicle, Thule served the ancient Sith Empire and the reorganized old Sith Empire as a fortress world "fortified against counterattack from any foe."[6] By the time of the Golden Age of the Sith nearly two millennia later,[9] the planet had come to host a Sith stealth regiment drawn to the world by its strong connection to the dark side and its isolated location.[2]
During the Great Hyperspace War, Thule was the site at which the Sith superweapon known as the Dark Reaper was constructed and stored during its period of assembly.[10] One of the hangars in Thule's expansive armory complex, located some forty kilometers outside the planet's capital city of Hurom,[2] was used to house the superweapon prior to its initial usage against the forces of the Galactic Republic.[2] It remained on the planet prior to its subsequent rediscovery by Exar Kun's Brotherhood of the Sith a millennium later.[10][11]
Following the Sith Empire's defeat in the Great Hyperspace War,[12] a small number of Sith refugees[1] and loyalists[2] fled to Thule in an effort to escape the post–Great Hyperspace War counterinvasion, a joint Jedi–Republic invasion of the Sith Empire[1][13] aimed at eliminating any vestigial threat it posed to the safety of the Republic.[14][15] Confident that the Empire's defeat at the hands of the Republic would be temporary,[2] the regiment remained in seclusion on Thule for centuries, bolstering its ranks with Sith loyalists and training in preparation to serve as a vanguard force for a resurgent Sith Empire.[2]
Post–Great Hyperspace War[]
Main article: - "The evil is in you, Darth Bane—as it should be. If you went to the shining towers of Cinnagar, or the plush chambers of Coruscant, or the rich savannas of Thule, the evil would still be within you."
- ―Skere Kaan
During the height of the Great Sith War, Thule served as a stronghold and forward base of operations for members of Exar Kun's Brotherhood of the Sith and associated Sith Empire. During the Dark Reaper campaign of the Krath Holy Crusade,[1] Thule was invaded and conquered in the Battle of Thule by a task force of Jedi Knights led to the planet by redeemed Jedi and former Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma.[4] This force subsequently dismantled and entombed the Sith Dark Reaper superweapon beneath the planet's surface,[3][11] where it remained hidden in the darkness and lost to subsequent generations of Sith for nearly four millennia.[11] Despite their defeat, Sith survivors persisted on Thule through the passage of the centuries, maintaining ties to other vestigial groups of Sith loyalists.[2]
Though their numbers sank significantly in the years that followed until the planet's population numbered fewer than a million residents in total,[2] the descendants of the original Sith continued to pledge themselves to the service of the Sith Lords in their varied iterations and incarnations.[2] During the Light and Darkness War, around the time of the Ruusan campaign, agents of Skere Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness found their way into the Unknown Regions and encountered the Chiss Ascendancy. The legion of Chiss that accompanied Kaan's agents back to the New Sith Empire settled Thule and ultimately bolstered the planet's faltering population.[5] With Darth Bane's implementation of the Rule of Two following the end of the New Sith Wars, Thule's elite soldiers swore themselves in service to the Order of the Sith Lords and frequently participated in the schemes of Sith masters and apprentices during the Great Peace of the Republic.[2][3]
Clone Wars[]
Roughly a century prior to the rise of Emperor Palpatine and the Declaration of a New Order,[2] Sith priests in residence at Thule's Sith Temple began receiving both dark-sided visions of millions of soldiers descending upon Thule to restore the Sith to power and prophesies reaffirming Thule's exulted place in the new order to come.[2] Just prior to the start of the Clone Wars,[2] these prophesies were seemingly fulfilled. Millions of soldiers in the employ of the Techno Union were deployed to Thule on the orders of Count Dooku and began restoring the disassembled Dark Reaper for use against the Republic.[2] Thule was abuzz with activity during this period,[2] which saw the construction of a host of support structures in the vicinity of Kesiak ranging from a Command Installation to multiple droid factories.[4]
The city of Kesiak was reduced to ruins during the Battle of Thule
However, Dooku's plans for the Dark Reaper never came to fruition. A Republic task force under the command of High Jedi General Mace Windu brought about an end to the ongoing Dark Reaper crisis with an invasion of Thule that saw the final dismantling and destruction of the Dark Reaper.[4] Though the Republic withdrew soon thereafter to the Mirgoshir system,[4] the inhabitants of Thule remained demoralized from their defeat.[2] The planet continued to see limited usage by the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a staging ground for other Separatist forces until the end of the war, but never managed to enjoy the glory or significance its priests' prophesies had previously promised.[2]
Imperial Period[]
With the Declaration of a New Order and rise of the Galactic Empire, Thule once again came to serve as a resource world and redoubt for the Sith.[2] Soon after his ascent, Emperor Palpatine scrubbed all record of Thule from the Imperial records,[2] documented histories,[2] and navigational databases,[3] to reserve the exclusive use of its elite soldiers for the Sith rather than the greater Empire.[2][3] This fact allowed Thule to survive his death and navigate the subsequent fragmentation of the Empire that followed the Battle of Endor.[2] The planet remained hidden from the New Jedi Order and the Yuuzhan Vong in the decades that followed on account of its isolation and its leaders' policy of noninterference in the politics of the outside galaxy.[2]
Inhabitants[]
- "And the worlds of Malachor and Thule were fortified against counterattack from any foe. They will serve as the perfect positions from which to launch our reconquest of the Republic."
- ―Jen'jidai Sorzus Syn describes Thule in her 6900 BBY chronicle
Unlike most Outer Rim worlds, Thule consistently boasted a uncommonly large Human population over the course of its history.[2] Those residents not of direct Human ancestry were often members of near-Human species like the Arkanians, Chiss,[5] and Ubese, and a multiplicity of uncatalogued near-Human offshoot subspecies unknown to most contemporary xenobiologists likewise maintained a presence on Thule during the Old Republic period.[2] Though Galactic Basic Standard saw frequent use, the ancient Sith language was commonly spoken by certain segments of the population, a vestige of the legacy established by the Humanoid Sith species who constituted Thule's earliest inhabitants.[2]
Thule's culture was decidedly martial in nature, with professional soldiers, mercenaries, and militia constituting the bulk of the planet's population.[2] The open carrying of blasters, vibroblades, and power armor on the streets of the planet's major cities was a common sight, and military uniforms of every type and variety were considered "normal" everyday dress.[2] Though residential areas housing families and noncombat personnel could be found in Thule's cities, no citizens were permitted to be civilians. All residents, even those not directly involved with the military, were expected to contribute to the defense of the planet during wartime, and even shopkeepers were familiar with the use of weaponry ranging from blaster rifles to static defense points.[2] In the capital of Hurom,[2] all able-bodied adults were required to own blasters and participate in bimonthly training sessions aimed at keeping their skills honed, regardless of their affiliation with respect to the military.[2]
In accordance with its overtly militaristic society, Thule was governed by a variety of dark-sided military juntas and dictatorships over the course of its history.[2] By the time of the Clone Wars, the planet was ruled by a strict military hierarchy led by a single ranking general[2] and a wide military staff. The general was expected to remain in constant consultation with the Sith priests in residence at the planet's Sith Temple located in Hurom.[2] As such, the planetary government was likewise nominally housed in Hurom, though its leadership was often just as likely to rule the planet offworld as on.[2]
Locations[]
Hurom[]
Due to the general inhospitality of Thule's environment, the vast majority of the world's population lived in or around several dozen settlements that dotted the planet's surface and rarely ventured far from the major metropolitan areas into the wilderness.[2] The capital city of Hurom was the largest of Thule's settlements with a population of twenty million and housed the many of the oldest and most significant structures on the planet.[2] In accordance with Thule's overtly martial culture, Hurom's construction, layout, and architecture were all singularly designed to repel external assault and siege.[2] Its straight, wide streets and large open plazas were populated with anti-personnel laser cannons capable of repulsing ground forces, while anti-aircraft cannons laid out across the city in a grid provided comprehensive cover from aerial assaults.[2] Many of Hurom's buildings extended deep underground, connected to each other via subterranean tunnels and shelters.[2]
Kesiak[]
The major city of Kesiak was a Sith stronghold of the Brotherhood of the Sith during the Dark Reaper campaign of the Krath Holy Crusade and Great Sith War.[4] Following the invasion of Thule by a Jedi task force during the Battle of Thule, the city's Sith Temple served as the burial place of the Dark Reaper,[4] a Sith superweapon dismantled by the Jedi and entombed on Thule in perpetuity.[11] The weapon was eventually rediscovered and reassembled by Count Dooku during the lead-up to the start of the Clone Wars, though both the weapon and the city under which it had been hidden for nearly four millennia were destroyed during the subsequent Republic invasion of Thule at the height of the Dark Reaper crisis.[4]
Armory[]
One of Thule's more noteworthy structures was an expansive armory complex that lay some forty kilometers outside the capital city of Hurom. This complex contained facilities ranging from weapons caches housing racks of blaster rifles and pistols of every model to archives in which plans for Sith superweapons and vehicles were catalogued.[2] One particularly fortified facility near the center of the complex was used exclusively to store crystals, power packs, and other components employed in lightsaber construction,[2] and one of the complex's hangars was the location at which the ancient Dark Reaper superweapon of the old Sith Empire[10] was assembled during the Great Hyperspace War.[10]
Hurom's Sith Temple[]
Like many Sith-dominated worlds, Thule was home to a number of Sith Temples. Its capital of Hurom hosted an imposing Sith Temple of its own that served as the meeting place for government officials and the planet's population of dark-sided Sith priests.[2] Situated in the heart of downtown Hurom, the Temple dominated the cityscape and covered over a full block of the city center.[2] It was from here that Sith priests first received their visions of millions of soldiers descending upon Thule to restore the Sith to power roughly a century prior to the rise of the Galactic Empire.[2]
Kesiak's Sith Temple[]
The city of Kesiak likewise hosted its own Sith Temple around the time of the Clone Wars and the Dark Reaper crisis. It was here that the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Techno Union, under orders from Count Dooku, attempted to restore and reactivate the Dark Reaper, an ancient Sith superweapon built at Thule's armory and stored in Kesiak. During the Battle of Thule, Anakin Skywalker managed to fight his way through to the Kesiak Sith Temple precinct and destroy the Dark Reaper using a TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank.[4]
Sith Arts Academy[]
At some point in the course of its history, Thule established and hosted a Sith Arts Academy dedicated to the training of Force-sensitives in the dark side of the Force.[2] Around the time of the Battle of Naboo, the institution's headmistress was a fallen Jedi Guardian by the name of Drevveka Hoctu whose methods of instruction included protracted survivalist exercises and deprivation training in Thule's barren back country for the purposes of establishing her students' reliance on the dark side of the Force for sustenance.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Star Wars: Complete Locations places Thule in the Expansion Region, in relative proximity to Shili, whereas other sources confirm its location in the Outer Rim Territories. Due to a last minute change at Lucas Licensing, Thule was also incorrectly placed in the Inner Rim in Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.[17] Furthermore, sources differ as to which named major city constitutes the planet's capital. The 2002 Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game referred to Kesiak as the planet's capital, while the 2004 sourcebook Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds stated Thule's capital during the Clone Wars to be Hurom.
Appearances[]
"Bane of the Sith" — Star Wars Gamer 3 (First mentioned)- Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game (First appearance)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Thule on LucasArts.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Thule Asteroid on LucasArts.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 107 (SUR5-6, The Survival of Boba Fett)
- Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- The New Essential Chronology
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Atlas
- Xim Week: The Despotica (Part II: The Pirate Prince) on Hyperspace (article) (content removed from StarWars.com and unavailable)
- The Unknown Regions
- Unduli, Luminara in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 6 (22 BBY 78, Dark Side Influence)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 15 (RAX2, Raxus Prime)
- Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook
- 5 Behind-the-Pages Secrets of Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 2.59 2.60 2.61 2.62 2.63 2.64 2.65 2.66 2.67 2.68 2.69 2.70 2.71 2.72 2.73 2.74 2.75 2.76 2.77 2.78 2.79 2.80 2.81 2.82 2.83 2.84 2.85 2.86 2.87 2.88 2.89 Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 241-242 ("Thule")
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Unknown Regions
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- ↑ Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology
- ↑ The Dark Side Sourcebook
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 168 ("Dark Reaper")
- ↑
Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Galactic History 27: The Great Hyperspace War"
- ↑ The Essential Guide to Warfare
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Galactic History 30: Rise of the Sith Emperor"
- ↑ "Bane of the Sith" — Star Wars Gamer 3
- ↑ Galaxy Map Discussion on StarWars.com Message Boards. Posted by Leland Y Chee on June 3, 2003 at 9:43 AM. (content now obsolete; backup link) "I just wanted to point out that, due to a last minute change, the position of Thule in Inside the Worlds of Attack of the Clones in the Inner Rim is incorrect. It should be located in the Outer Rim as described in the Clone Wars videogame."
