Christophsis was acrystalline world in theOuter Rim Territories'Savareen sector.Orbited by asingle moon amongst the mineral-richasteroids of theChristoph system, Christophsis was for atime a target for stray rocks because of its closeness to variousasteroid belts, but the planet was refined byTepasi nobles around600 BBY, and later by the world's nativeChristophsian inhabitants, who originated asHumans from theCore. Christophsis was eventually protected from the asteroids and transformed into the center of amining hub. By the time of theClone Wars, the Christophsians ruled theirhomeworld in amercantile oligarchy and had establishedChaleydonia, also known as Crystal City, as their planet'scapital. Variousspecies also immigrated to the world, includingRodians,Kerkoidens, and lower-caste Humans who came to serve the Christophsians.

All of the Christophsians' hard work was ultimately crippled when theConfederacy of Independent Systems-backedRetail Caucus conglomerate seized Christophsis in thefirst year of the Clone Wars, with the fearedAdmiral Trench blockading Christophsis andGeneral Whorm Loathsom subjugating the Christophsian people. Although aJedi-led battle group from theGrand Army of the Republic eventuallyliberated Christophsis, the costlyGalactic Republic victory reduced several keycities to rubble. The Separatists later returned to the planet to mine for its crystals to fuel their newsuperweapon, theDevastation, a plot that washalted bySenator Padmé Amidala and theJedi Order. Eventually, with theestablishment of theNew Order, Christophsis reluctantly became part of theGalactic Empire, but ignored all of the followinggalactic governments.

Description[]

The crystalline landscape of Christophsis

Situated on the majorCorellian Run hyperlane and close to theplanet ofRodia, theOuter Rim world of Christophsis was the only planet in theSavareen sector's Christoph system with anatmosphere that could support life. Christophsisorbited thestar ofChristoph^[1] with itssingle moon as a companion^[4] and had a temperate climate and a terrestrial terrain. The planet was famous for the beauty of its nearbyasteroid belts—the Barren,the Hammers, andthe Halo—but its location close to theasteroids often made it a target for stray rocks.^[1] Foodstuffs were one of the planet's few imports,^[2] but the asteroid belts of the system were abundant in raw materials. Among the planet's other exports were artwork and industrial goods.^[1]

Christophsis was covered in massive green-blue hexagonalcrystals, which were also suitable for use aslightsaber crystals. The inhabitants of Christophsis took advantage of the natural spires, buildingcities into and around the crystalline formations and using the crystals' solid structures for foundation and support;^[2] the size of the world's buildings often varied with the size of their supporting crystals.^[10] Some of the world's cities were so large that they could be seen fromspace.^[9] From time to time, solar storms ripped through the upperatmosphere of Christophsis.^[7]

History[]

The mining hub[]

Christophsis was ruled by amercantile oligarchy, and for millennia, the planet's asteroid belts proved beautiful to observers and dangerous to those that tried to profit frommining them. The belts were chaotic, and stray rocks regularly found their way to Christophsis, often with abrupt and destructive entrances. Around600 BBY, a family ofTepasi nobles made the investments necessary to transform thestar system into a worthwhile mining concern. Over the course of a century, the planet's nativeChristophsian inhabitants hiredGivin mathematicians to plot the courses of numerous asteroids in order to eliminate those that proved a threat to theirhomeworld. The Christophsians also paidVerpine technologists to refinestarship and mining technologies that would allow people to work in the dangerous asteroid belts.^[1]

Both came at a massive expense, but the Christophsians' investment in thealiens' services paid off when repositories ofchanlon,hfredium,quadrillium, andNergon-14 minerals were found to be abundant in the surrounding asteroids. Unwilling to share their profitable materials with their accomplices, the Christophsians hired the bestVippit lawyers to disenfranchise their Givin and Verpine partners. The planet's inhabitants renamed the system to "Christoph" in their own honor, and the system's richness in raw materials eventually transformed it into a mining haven.^[1] The world's natural crystals were also used as exports.^[2]

Clone Wars[]

"Your technology will not save you, and your friends on the planet below shall perish as a result of yourfailure. The people of Christophsis and her resources shall join the Separatist Alliance."

―Admiral Trench, in a message to his Republic opponents^[4]

By the time of thegalaxy-wideClone Wars, the Christophsis oligarchs' mining expertise and manipulation of mineral markets had, albeit grudgingly, won admiration from the rest of the galaxy. However, the Christophsian rulers were also viewed with suspicion for their secrecy and self-absorption. High-ranking members of theMining Guild that visited the system were rarely invited to Christophsis itself, and were instead received in the Halo's utilitarian space habitats. The Christophsians' ways became so developed that the planet's populace was rumored to live luxurious lives andenslave Rodian andKerkoiden immigrants and lower-casteHumans.^[1] The city ofChaleydonia, more commonly known as Crystal City,^[6] served as thecapital of Christophsis.^[2]^[6]

Confederacy invasion[]

"You be listening to the voice of the Confederacy o' Independent Systems. Yer planet, it belongs to us now. We have taken over yer communication systems. Yer planetary leadership has abandoned you. They've ceded yer world to our cause… You are no longer in the Republic. You are no longer beholden to their laws. Yer world's resources will be transferred to the Confederacy. We wage this war for yer independence. Do not resist our efforts. Remain vigilant for Republic reprisals."

―Whorm Loathsom, to the Christophsis populace^[11]

In22 BBY,^[12] after the Clone Wars had begun, theConfederacy of Independent Systems invaded Christophsis, seeking to force the crystalline planet into joining itscause. The oligarchy abandoned the population, and over a massiveholotransmission, the ConfederateGeneral Whorm Loathsom^[11]—the leader of the army of theRetail Caucus, a conglomerate of the Confederacy^[2]—ordered the planet's inhabitants to submit to Separatist rule.^[11] At some point after the Confederacy's invasion, asquad ofclone troopers was sent to Christophsis toretrieve datapacks before the Separatists could get their hands on them.^[13]

Christophsians attempt to defend their home.

As the Christophsians unsuccessfully attempted to defend their home against theSeparatist Droid Army, they appealed to theJedi High Council for assistance, and a faction of theGrand Army of the Republic was dispatched under the command ofJedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi andAnakin Skywalker toliberate the Outer Rim world.^[10] By the time the Jedi had broken through the Separatistblockade surrounding Christophsis^[14] and landed their groundtroops on the planet, the civilian population had already fled.^[7] The Republic forces landed in Crystal City^[15] and set up abase.Clone Sergeant Slick andhis unit ofclone troopers were sent to reconnoiter a suitable location from which to ambush the Separatistbattle droids. Locating abusiness center with towers facing the north and south and overlooking a major plaza,Sergeant Slick and his men headed back to theRepublic base.^[11]

On its way back, the squad came acrossB1-Series battle droids that were attempting to clear one of the city's main boulevards of Christophsians. The battle droids discovered a crippled refugee and discussed killing the man, but the Christophsians diverted the droids' attention to the clones, who intervened and eliminated the droids.^[11] After returning to the base, however, Slick—who had become fed up with his position in the Grand Army as a virtual slave to theJedi and become a Confederatespy—secretly transmitted the Republic's intended battle plan^[10] to General Loathsom and theDark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, who had arrived on the planet.^[11] Preparing to ambush the Confederate droid forces, Kenobi,Clone Commander CC-2224, and Slick stationed their men in the South tower, while Skywalker andClone Captain CT-7567 were based in the parallel North tower. Acting on Slick's information, a squad of B1 battle droids ambushed Kenobi in the South tower, and Skywalker's men usedgrappling hooks to traverse the gap between the buildings and enter the adjacent South tower.^[10]

The Republic forces were able to escape from the roof of the South tower viaclone pilot Hawk's LAAT/i gunship. Back at the Republic base, CC-2224 and CT-7567—nicknamed Cody and Rex, respectively—examined the stolen cranial unit of aConfederate tactical droid, but thedroid only confirmed that the Confederacy had been aware of the Republic's plan before it stopped processing. Suspecting that there was a traitor amongst their troops, Skywalker and Kenobi left on a mission to infiltrate enemy lines to search for the instigator behind the ambushes, while Rex and Cody stated to find the Confederate spy.^[10] Arriving at a23-story mansion that the Separatists had taken over and made headquarters out of,^[16] Skywalker and Kenobi were greeted by Ventress, and engaged the Dark Acolyte in alightsaber duel. Luring the Jedi to the roof of the building, Ventress revealed a massive battle droid army in greater size than the Republic had originally believed, stating that the Confederacy was preparing to assume control of the world.^[10]

The two Jedi briefly continued the duel before fleeing on stolenSingle Trooper Aerial Platforms, and Ventress relayed orders through atactical droid to Loathsom. Ordering theKerkoiden general to march on the city, the Dark Acolyte left the planet in her ship, theTrident, to execute a mission for herSith Master,Count Dooku. Meanwhile, having traced an irregular wavelength to a terminal in Sergeant Slick's barracks, Cody and Rex proceeded to individually interrogate Slick's men, believing that one of them was the traitor. Slick himself was eventually revealed to be the spy, and managed to sabotage the Republic's weapons depot,gunship landing platform, andAT-TE walkers with several pre-planted explosives. Cody and Rex fought the Separatist spy in the base's command center and apprehended the clone turncoat. As dawn broke on Christophsis, the Jedi returned, and although the Republic forces were only able to salvage theirartillery guns from the destroyed weapons depot, they regrouped and prepared to fight the Confederacy.^[10]

Confederate advance through the main street of Crystal City. — ConfederateArmored Assault Tanks advance through the main street of Crystal City.

The Confederacy launched an attack on the Republic forces in Crystal City, and Kenobi and Skywalker fought the first wave of Loathsom's battle droids. After several days, the Confederacy was forced to retreat, but the initial stages of the battle caused many Christophsian civilian casualties. Soon after the Republiccruiser Hunter—under the command ofAdmiral Wullf Yularen—was dispatched for supplies, Loathsom and his droid forces launched another assault, marching straight through the main street of the city toward the Republic forces. While Skywalker, Rex, and theTorrent Company unit made their way through sidestreets and behind the droid lines, surprising several advancingOctuptarra magna tri-droids from above, Kenobi ledGhost Squadron in a charge on the Separatists' front lines. With the Republic'sartillery cover, Loathsom was forced to retreat once more.^[7]^[9]

Ashuttle arrived from the galactic capital ofCoruscant and landed inCity Plaza, but in place of the Republic's expected reinforcements was youngPadawan learnerAhsoka Tano, who had been recently apprenticed by JediGrand Master Yoda to Skywalker. From theStar Destroyer that had delivered Tano, the Jedi contacted Master Yoda—who had been unaware of their predicament of being stranded on Christophsis—and requested reinforcements, but theStar Destroyer was damaged under increasing fire from the Confederateblockade surrounding the planet and was forced to retreat.^[7]^[9] Loathsom launched yet another attack, this time advancing his forces in two groups from the south and the east. Kenobi andAlpha Squad halted the south force's approach, butBravo Squad was unable to stop the east force's advance. The Separatists advanced behind an expandingdeflector shield, which effectively negated the Republic's use of long-ranged artillery.^[14] Kenobi and Rex marshaled a defense of the Republic base, while Skywalker and Tano infiltrated the droid lines to destroy theshield generator.^[7]^[9]

The shield soon passed over the Republic forces in Crystal City, and Kenobi led the clones to attack the droids, attempting to draw the Confederacy into the buildings and gain an advantage over them. While Kenobi pretended to surrender to Loathsom in order to gain time for Skywalker and Tano,Captain Rex retreated to defend the heavy cannons with the rest of the troops. After fightingLR-57 combat droids that were guarding the generator, Skywalker and Tano were able to plant explosives and destroy the generator. As the shield receded, Kenobi captured Loathsom and took the Kerkoiden captive. Returning to Christophsis in theSpirit of the Republic and several other Attack Cruisers, Admiral Yularen finally arrived with reinforcements and was able to break through the Confederate blockade, forcing the enemy armada to retreat. The Republic cruisers landed, along with several clone trooper units as further reinforcements on the liberated Christophsis.^[7]^[9] However, the costly Republic victory had reduced several key cities to rubble, leaving many in the galaxy secretly cheering the damage that had been done.^[1]

Crystal mining[]

"There's definitely something suspicious happening on Christophsis. The Separatist Army appears to be mining for something."

―Padmé Amidala, to the Jedi Council^[8]

Later in the war, the Separatist Droid Army set up abase near the planet's core tomine for its crystals.^[8] Because Christophsis's crystals could be used to power lightsabers,^[2] the Confederacy planned to use them to power its newsuperweapon, theDevastation, which was powered by Force-activated crystals. After the RepublicstarshipSedawan's supply of lightsaber crystals wasraided, the Jedi Council began to come onto the Confederacy's plan. During the analysis of data provided by the turncoatNightsister Ros Lai, the Jedi Council enlistedSenator Padmé Amidala's help. Traveling to Christophsis with Captain Rex, theastromech droid R2-D2, and theprotocol droid C-3PO, Amidaladiscovered that the Confederacy was mining for something and reported her findings to the Council. Before the group could leave the planet, however, their ship was shot down, and Captain Rex was injured in the crash. The group was taken captive and placed in a holding cell inside the Separatist base.^[8]

A team of two Jedi was sent with Clone CommanderCC-1004, nicknamed "Gree," and an LAAT/i gunship to rescue Senator Amidala. However, the gunship was shot down over the planet as well and skidded toward the edge of a cliff. Gree told the two Jedi to continue the mission themselves, and the LAAT/i soon dislodged from the cliff and plummeted into the depths of Christophsis. Unable to help Gree, the Jedi entered the Separatist base and began to search for Amidala. FightingDSD1 dwarf spider droids and several of thedark side–wielding Nightsisters themselves, the two Jedi discovered that a few of the Christophsis crystals were harnessingthe Force itself. On the exterior of the facility, the two Jedi fought a group of Nightsisters before Commander Gree—having recovered his gunship—and his vessel arrived and opened fire on the dark side practitioners, defeating them. The Jedi ordered the clone commander to find a nearby landing site while they continued the search for Senator Amidala.^[8]^[17]

R2-D2 and C-3PO inside the Separatist mining base

Re-entering the Separatist base, the two Jedi fought more Nightsisters before finding and freeing Senator Amidala, Captain Rex, R2-D2, and C-3PO from their holding cell. Amidala reported that they had overheard the Separatists confirming that they were harvesting crystals from the planet core, and the Jedi questioned why the Confederacy was after lightsaber crystals—first theSedawan's cargo of lightsaber crystals had been stolen, and now the Confederacy was mining on Christophsis. While Amidala took Rex, who had been injured when the ship crashed, to Gree's transport, R2-D2 and C-3PO stayed with the Jedi to assist in the continuing investigation. The two Republic droids went to find the facility's central computer, but were discovered by B1 battle droids and forced to pose as configuration droids. R2-D2 and C-3PO regulated the temperate of a large crystal, but were also able to gain and transmit the coordinates of Gree's gunship—which had been forced to relocate itself—to Amidala.^[8]^[17]

Elsewhere in the facility, the two Jedi were ambushed by battle droids. From a computer terminal, R2-D2 and C-3PO opened a door and provided the Jedi with an escape, and also discovered the location of theDevastation, which they immediately sent to the Jedi Council. The pair of Jedi were then confronted by B1 battle droids, and the two Republic droids accidentally stumbled across aboss miner droid. R2-D2 and C-3PO trapped the mining droid in the hallway it was advancing through before activating a mechanism that squashed the B1 battle droids attacking the Jedi. With their battle droid adversaries disabled, the two Jedi found theSedawan's stolen lightsaber crystals before Count Dooku himself appeared and escaped with the supply of crystals. Thanks to the discovered location of theDevastation, a team of Jedi managed toinfiltrate and destroy thebattleship.^[8]^[17]

Post–Clone Wars[]

In19 BBY,Supreme Chancellor Palpatine transformed the Republic into the firstGalactic Empire, and Christophsis became a reluctant but compliant member of the new government. However, the Outer Rim world remained independent of theNew Republic and any future governments, all but ignoring the following galactic powers.^[1]

Inhabitants[]

The native inhabitants of Christophsis were the brown-skinned Christophsianhumanoids.^[5]^[11] An arrogant people, the Christophsians hired aliens to help make their homeworld safer and advance mining-related technologies, but in an attempt to preserve their own profits, the Christophsis natives marginalized their partners after the surrounding asteroids were discovered to be rich in minerals. A commercially-concerned Christophsian oligarchy ruled Christophsis, and the world's leaders displayed their prowess in both manipulating the mineral markets and mining.^[1]

Humans and alienspecies—including Rodians and Kerkoidens—were among thesentients that immigrated to Christophsis. Rumors spread through the galaxy that the immigrants were little more than prisoners of the dominant and wealthy Christophsians, catering to their every need and doing their menial work. The people of Christophsis spokeGalactic Basic Standard andRodese.^[1]

Locations[]

Several of Christophsis's cities could be seen from space as green, branching-out networks.^[9] The planet's cities included Chaleydonia, its capital city, which bore the more common name of Crystal City.^[6] As its name suggested, Crystal City appeared to be carved out of glittering gems.^[7] With the majority of its buildings built using crystals,^[10] the city was home to skyscraper^[7] residences^[18] and apartment buildings,^[15] as well as a few plazas.^[7]^[11] The main site of the Battle of Christophsis, the Confederacy^[10] and Republic were eventually both based in the city,^[7] with the former making headquarters out of a 23-story mansion.^[16] However, many parts of Crystal City were reduced to ruins during the Republic's liberation of the planet.^[9] Several bridges ran through the city, but many collapsed in the Separatist invasion. Numerous buildings,^[10] particularly along the city's central street, were also toppled and destroyed during the intense battle on the world.^[9]

During the initial stages of the Battle of Christophsis, the Republic set up a networked base on the planet^[10] before later moving directly into Crystal City.^[7] The base included a command center, a mess hall, and barracks for the Republic clone troopers.^[10] When the Separatists returned to Christophsis to mine for lightsaber crystals, they set up a base that ran deep underneath the surface of the world. Located close to the planet's core, the large facility was guarded by several battle droid squads.^[8]

Behind the scenes[]

"I thought that when these people developed this area, they treated the crystals as trees, so some parts would be cut down and some parts would be integrated into the actual structure, like wood. Because of time and budget constraints, we were only able to develop one structure—a hexagon. We made each side unique, turned it, and stacked them side by side. When combined, there would be an unlimited number of structures."

―Thang Le discusses modeling Christophsis's appearance^[15]

Christophsis was a planet created for the2008Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. It was originally to appear in afirst season "flashback" episode entitled "The New Padawan," but afterGeorge Lucas decided to debut the series in afeature-length film, the episode was moved to its proper chronological placement. The site of Anakin Skywalker's first meeting with his newly assigned Padawan, Ahsoka Tano,^[5] Christophsis appears in the movie's promotional material, including the onlineLive Fire game and several young reader adaptations of the film.

The episode entitled "The Hidden Enemy" was later produced at Lucas's request to expand Christophsis's backstory and was aired with the television series' first season.^[15] Christophsis also appeared in thewebcomic Shadowed, which led into the episode. The planet was given roles in the 2008Nintendo DS video game Jedi Alliance, as well as in the Nintendo DS edition of the2009Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes game, which expanded the events ofThe Clone Wars film and television series. Elements of Christophsis and its history were published in 2009'sThe Clone Wars Campaign Guide andThe Essential Atlas.

The crystalline appearance of Christophsis was based upon previously abandoned concepts of the planetMygeeto made during pre-production forStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith.^[5] The same concepts were later used in designing the planetMandalore for the television series' second season.^[19]

Republic Heroes Nintendo DS edition inconsistencies[]

One of the two missions depicting the Battle of Christophsis in the Nintendo DS version ofRepublic Heroes greatly contradictsThe Clone Wars film and television series. The mission featuresSenator Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker arriving at Crystal City to investigate droid activity in the sector recently lost by the Republic. Skywalker and Amidala travel through the city until they face a force field blocking their way. Master Yoda then assists them by deactivating the field, and the two continue their way, eventually confrontingCount Dooku inside a Christophsian building. After a duel with Skywalker—whom Amidala assists with herblaster—Dooku retreats.

During the duel with Dooku, however, Skywalker informs the unaware Count that the Confederate GeneralGrievous plans to obtain a superweapon from beneath an ocean oflava on the planetMustafar. Skywalker finds out about Grievous's plans only during theMission to Skytop Station, which takes place after the Battle of Christophsis has been already won by the Republic. Because of such confusing storyline that would take too muchspeculation to implement into the pre-existing story, this article assumes that the video game's mission is non-canon.