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Kuat was a planet located in the Core Worlds and one of the earliest members of the Galactic Republic. It was best known as the home of Kuat Drive Yards. These famous shipyards, used to build ships for both the Galactic Republic and later the Galactic Empire, circled the planet for thousands of kilometers.

Description[]

Kuat was the fourth planet from the star Kuat, located in the Kuat system^[3] of the Kuat sector in the Core Worlds region of the galaxy.^[1] Situated on a hyperlane that connected it to Raxxa^[11] and Balmorra^[12] and less than six parsecs away from Neimoidia,^[10] it was a green terrestrial world orbited by two moons named Bador and Ronay.^[3] A day on Kuat was 20 standard hours in length, and a year lasted 322 local days.^[4] Kuat had standard gravity and a breathable atmosphere, and at 10,000 kilometers in diameter, it was considered a small planet.^[3]

The surface of Kuat featured three continents and scattered islands, and most of the world's terrain consisted of lush forests, rolling green plains, and carefully-groomed gardens. The planet had a temperate climate with a cool, wet winter and a warm, dry summer. Hostile animal life was nonexistent on Kuat, as terraformers had stocked the planet with inoffensive herbivores such as drebin,^[3] which provided compost for the world's gardens.^[13] The introduced species did not overrun the planet due to short life spans and the presence of predators.^[3]

An industrial world^[14] and center of manufacturing^[15] that played a significant role in galactic shipbuilding,^[3] Kuat was the home of Kuat Drive Yards,^[4] whose shipyards and construction facilities were the most prominent feature of Kuat, encircling the planet in the shape of a large ring.^[3] Kuat was considered one of the most efficient shipyards in the galaxy, and its defenses were formidable, with protection provided by the Kuati Sector Forces and designs used for self-defense by Kuat Drive Yards.^[16] Kuat had an aristocratic government and exported luxury goods, alcohol, art, and food while importing electronics, machinery, and raw materials.^[3]

History[]

Early history[]

Coruscanti Humans settled on Kuat in a sleeper ship expedition in 27,500 BBY. An aristocracy formed on the world as wealthy families placed hereditary claims on the growing starshipwright industry, and by 26,000 BBY, Kuat had built its own colonization arks and sent its Humans to Axum, Tepasi, and Humbarine.^[4] Kuat was a political power by 25,000 BBY, when it became a founding member of the Galactic Republic,^[17] and a consortium of the wealthiest merchant families, known as The Ten, eventually came to rule Kuat.^[4]

Galactic Republic[]

The Ten allied with the goal of forming the largest and most influential shipbuilding concern in the galaxy and hired terraformers, ecologists, and animal breeders to transform Kuat, then a barren, uninhabited world, into a paradise. Over a period of 20 years, the project changed Kuat into a lush planet with an artificial ecosystem. At the same time, engineers and construction personnel began to construct the first six shipyards of what would become the Kuat Drive Yards.^[3]

Kuat was located on a Republic-controlled hyperlane during the Alsakan Conflicts that occurred from roughly 17,000 BBY to 12,000 BBY^[12] and was within space controlled by the Galactic Republic during the final years of the New Sith Wars.^[18] By the final years of the Galactic Republic, Kuat's delegates in the Galactic Senate were selected by the Kuat family, who ensured that their chosen representatives always benefited Kuat Drive Yards and, by extension, the Kuat family itself.^[19] By 22 BBY,^[20] Risi Lenoan served as the Senator of Kuat. Lenoan was later removed from office, and Onara Kuat, the leading member of the Kuat family and the principal director of Kuat Drive Yards, appointed Giddean Danu as her replacement.^[19]

During the Old Sith Wars and New Sith Wars, Kuat's ship production facilities produced fleets of warships for the Republic.^[19] In the centuries before the Clone Wars, they also constructed large ships for the protection of their sector^[21] and collaborated with the Techno Union, of which their ship-production company was a member, in creating even larger designs.^[22]

Clone Wars[]

Defended by three Star Dreadnoughts by the time of the Clone Wars,^[23] Kuat remained loyal to the Galactic Republic during the conflict, producing troopships and other war materiel for the Republic's clone army,^[4] and fell within territory defended by the Fourth Outer Rim Army during the war's early campaigns in 22 BBY.^[24] Being the site of foundries and shipyards that produced a large portion of the Republic's military hardware, Kuat enjoyed economic and political benefits from the Clone Wars, and many members of Kuat's upper administrative echelons, having won the favor of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, pursued agendas that encouraged the conflict. Senator Giddean Danu was seemingly alone in opposition to the war, causing the Kuati electorate to nearly recall him from office twice.^[25]

An attempt by Onara Kuat to remove Senator Danu from office failed due to the belief of other members of the Kuat family that Danu was an effective advocate for Kuat's independence.^[19] When Balmorra seceded from the Republic, Kuat abandoned its assets on the factory world, which consisted mostly of ground-based walkers and heavy vehicles. By 21 BBY, orbital screens had been erected around Kuat's most heavily-guarded shipyards in an effort to dissuade long-range intelligence gathering, and Kuat had attempted to infiltrate Neimoidia with modified worker droids equipped with concealed spyware.^[10] Early in the Confederacy of Independent Systems's assault on Duro later in 21 BBY, Confederacy forces were believed to be positioning to cut off possible Republic reinforcements from Kuat.^[26]

Imperial Period[]

When the Galactic Empire was formed, Kuat was among the first worlds to be secured under Imperial control,^[7] making a smooth transition to rule under the new government.^[4] Moff Thichis Kuras, a native Kuati and a member of the world's lesser nobility, governed the entire Kuat system, and Senator Giddean Danu served as Kuat's delegate to the Imperial Senate.^[27] Captain Anton Kale served as the commander of Imperial forces on Kuat, having lobbied to be assigned to the world due to his passion for engineering and ship design.^[28] Under Imperial rule, the Bureau of Ships and Services restricted access to Kuat and its orbital shipyards. Most of the Kuati shipyards fell under military jurisdiction and operated with varying degrees of supervision and regulation,^[29] but they were still considered to be civilian-operated in 4 ABY, shortly before the Battle of Endor.^[30]

The military buildup that occurred under the reign of Emperor Palpatine made the merchant houses of Kuat astonishingly wealthy and notoriously insular. A duplicate of the Super Star Destroyer Executor was built at Kuat before being rechristened Lusankya and moved to Coruscant,^[13] the stardocks at Kuat were the primary builders of Star Destroyers for the Empire,^[31] and Kuat was the site of facilities that produced AT-ATs.^[14] During the Imperial supervision, Kuat could only be accessed via three ports within the main Kuat Traffic Zone, which was along the Hydian Way; a passenger port, a freight port, and a Imperial transfer post. Accessible to the passenger port were the systems of Redrish, Drurish, Ulion, and Kidir. Accessible to the freight port were the systems of Monadin, Renegg, Venir, and Horthav. Information on the Imperial port was classified.^[32]

In 2 BBY, a Rebel fleet led by the Sundered Heart attacked the shipyards. This led to the Star Destroyer Tyranny over Fresia rushing to protect Kuat, leaving Fresia vulnerable to a Rebel raid that resulted in the acquisition of the first X-wings.^[33] In 3 ABY, the Rebels, having recently lost much equipment in asteroid collisions (probably during the evacuation of Hoth), in a daring heist with inside help, stole a Colony Class 23669 power generator from Kuat Freight Port.^[34]

In 4 ABY, concurrent to the Battle of Endor, the Alliance occupied the shipyards. In an attempt to prevent either the Alliance or the Empire from taking over, Kuat of Kuat attempted to blow the yards up, although he was only partially successful, the full explosion being halted by Boba Fett.^[35] The Empire soon regained control of the yards and the planet, and Bevel Lemelisk came thither to join the design team working on the Eclipse. A large Imperial fleet was soon garrisoned at the planet.^[36] After the Battle of Endor, the Empire drastically increased security at Kuat's shipyards while loosening its control over the planet itself. Rebel operatives were active on Kuat around this time and learned that every stardock and vessel under construction had been rigged to explode in preparation for a possible scuttling of the shipyards.^[37]

Very soon after, Tyber Zann attacked the shipyards in order to steal the unfinished Eclipse and gained information about Imperial vaults from its computers. During this time, a rebel attack force led by General Han Solo invaded the sector chasing the retreating fleets from Endor. Zann was successful in taking the Eclipse, forcing out the Rebels, and decimating the Imperial fleet guarding Kuat Drive Yards, but decided that the Eclipse would be too big of a target and left with the vault's contents.^[38]

In 7 ABY, it was the site of Battle of Kuat between Warlord Zsinj, loyal Imperials, and the New Republic. At this time, Kuat's planetary defense forces were considered roughly equal to those of Coruscant. Kuat was at the time Imperial; Zsinj's forces hijacked the Razor's Kiss from the shipyards with the help of an Imperial who preferred it was in his hands than the New Republic's, but General Han Solo's fleet prevented Zsinj from taking it out of the system.^[39]

New Republic and beyond[]

In 8 ABY, Kuat was one of a remaining handful of fortress worlds held by the Galactic Empire. By that time, most of the Imperial warships that guarded Kuat had departed for the New Territories, leaving the planet dependent on its own defenses; at the time, these included the Star Dreadnought Aurora, the battlecruisers Event Horizon, Stellar Halo, and Luminous, and more than twelve Star Destroyers. The New Republic captured Kuat in 8 ABY in a scheme conceived by Wedge Antilles, Airen Cracken, and Ral'Rai Muvunc,^[16] with Muvunc and three other Kuat Drive Yards board members, who held a majority of KDY's shares, voting in favor of Kuat's surrender to the New Republic.^[40] While Kuat joined the New Republic, the senior design engineers of Kuat Drive Yards fled the planet for the Deep Core.^[7]

With the acquisition of Kuat and its subsidiary systems, the New Republic controlled three-fourths of the settled galaxy and gained access to the Kuat system's shipbuilding docks.^[41] The New Republic maintained a small embassy in Kuat City and a smaller subembassy in the orbital array.^[6] Kuat was a stronghold of the New Republic during the Thrawn campaign in 9 ABY^[42] and was later one of the manufacturing centers targeted by Imperial Executor Sedriss QL during Operation Shadow Hand.^[15] Kuat's powerful shipbuilding capabilities served the new galactic government well. Many of the first units designed under the New Class program were built at Kuat.

About 21 ABY, Viqi Shesh was elected Senator of Kuat.^[43] She was added to the New Republic Advisory Council in 25 ABY, but eventually betrayed the New Republic to the Yuuzhan Vong.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Kuat hosted briefings held by New Republic Defense Force commanders^[7] and continued to supply warships to the New Republic Navy. Following the loss of Fondor, additional warships were dispatched to the planet to safeguard it and its extensive shipyards. After the Battle of Coruscant, Senator Pwoe, who declared himself Chief of State with the death of Borsk Fey'lya, began moving the command structure of the Defense Force to Kuat, but he was expelled from the planet when the Senate dismissed Pwoe. Kuat itself was eventually conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong, but the Kuati returned to the planet after the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar.

During the early stages of the Second Galactic Civil War, a space station orbiting Kuat's moon Ronay, Toryaz Station, served as a negotiation place between Prime Minister Aidel Saxan of Corellia and Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon.^[44] Later in the war, a large scale space battle took place over the planet. Hoping to catch the Alliance off guard, the Confederation launched an attack on Kuat to gain a foothold for the assault on Coruscant. Nek Bwua'tu set a trap for the Confederation with the First Fleet, Fourth Fleet, Seventh Fleet, Fifth Fleet, and the Hapan Home Fleet which proved successful until the Jedi (betraying Caedus for what he had become) left for Kashyyyk. The battle dragged on for over a week with both sides sustaining heavy casualties every day. When the Bothans learned of the attack on Kashyyyk by Caedus, they broke out of the battle to go to its defense. The battle was essentially a draw.^[45]

Over 100 years after the Battle of Endor, Kuat produced new warships for the Fel Empire and later the Galactic Empire of Darth Krayt.^[46] By 137 ABY, Kuat was within the Core Worlds Security Zone, a region of space controlled by Krayt's empire.^[8]

Locations[]

Kuat City, which hosted many shops, hotels, restaurants, and places of general merchant business, lacked a groundside spaceport and was accessible by shuttles.^[6] The Gardens of Tralala were located on Kuat.^[5]

Inhabitants[]

Main article: Kuati

The Kuati were a proud, class-conscious people who considered the ability to trace one's ancestry back to The Ten a trait worthy of pride.^[7] Humans comprised 80% of Kuat's population of 3.6 billion sentient beings.^[3] Hundreds of millions of workers lived in the Kuat Drive Yards orbital stardocks,^[4] and while most Kuati citizens lived in apartment complexes built into the array,^[6] upper-class Kuati resided in vast estates on the planet.^[7] Kuati beings who did not live on their world's surface could only access the countryside through Kuat City, while non-Kuati were required to obtain numerous costly permits to visit the surface. Furthermore, the Kuati police reserved the right to refuse entry into the lands to anyone, even those who were able to pay the appropriate fees. Many visitors from offworld remained in the orbital array throughout their trip to the planet.^[6] Galactic Basic Standard and Kuat were languages spoken on the planet.^[3] The Jedi Bultar Swan was a native of Kuat.^[47]

Behind the scenes[]

Kuat has relatively few actual appearances in Star Wars works; however, due to all the vehicles built there, it has been mentioned numerous times.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]