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Ryloth

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Ryloth

Astrographical information

Region

XYZ coordinates

669.58, -761.8, -10.31^[8]

Suns

Ryloth^[9]

Orbital position

2^[9]

Moons

3^[10]

Trade routes

Rotation period

30standard hours^[9]

Orbital period

305standard days^[9]

Physical information

Diameter

10,600km(6,587 miles)^[12]

Atmosphere

Breathable^[13]

Climate

Hot, humid^[14]

Terrain

Points of interest

Flora

Fauna

Societal information

Native species

Twi'lek^[1]

Other species

Human^[11]

Primary language(s)

Twi'leki^[11]

Government

Population

1.5 billion^[9]

Demonym

Rylothian^[11]

Major cities

Major exports

Affiliation

Zygerrian Slave Empire^[17]
Galactic Republic^[15]
Confederacy of Independent Systems^[24]
- Techno Union^[24]
Galactic Empire(as protectorate)^[11]
Pyke Syndicate^[2]
Free Ryloth Movement^[25]

"Another armed occupation is not a free Ryloth. How long before I am fightingyou, Master Jedi?"

―Cham Syndulla, to Mace Windu — 20?cb=20250116042720

Link ▶️(file info)^[15]

Ryloth was aplanet in theRyloth system of theOuter Rim Territories, and thehomeworld of theTwi'lek species. Its terrain varied, filled withjungles,mesas, valleys, andvolcanoes, and had anatmosphere breathable for Twi'leks andhumans alike. Aforest, filled with dangerous predators, covered its equator. Given the varied and dangerous terrain, Twi'leks lived incaves underground where it was safer.

Description[]

Ryloth's terrain was characterized by rock formations and spires among canyons.

A hot and humidworld, Ryloth was located far out in theOuter Rim Territories, at grid square R-17 on theStandard Galactic Grid. Situated near theCorellian Run Super-hyperroute, far beyond the planetsTatooine andGeonosis, Ryloth sat towards the boundaries ofWild Space. The second in the three-worldRyloth system, Ryloth was located in theGaulus sector.^[9] It wasorbited by threemoons,^[10] whosegravitational pull affected the planet dramatically.^[9] Rylothians celebrated the holiday calledLongest Night when each of the three moons were at their lowest phase.^[10]

Ryloth's geology was nothing if not diverse, possessing a multitude ofmountain ranges, snow plains, lushtemperate forests, anddeserts,^[9] including theJixuan desert,^[15] all of which were occupied by the planet's indigenous wildlife.^[9] A portion of the planet some distance from the Jixuan desert acted as breeding grounds for thegutkurr species.^[14] Much of Ryloth's wildlife was lethally dangerous and forced the nativeTwi'lek species to live in enclosedcave systems or in easily defended locations.^[9]

History[]

Early history[]

Ryloth was an important world due to the fact that it was thehomeworld of the influential Twi'lek species.^[14] Forcenturies, the planet and its people were exploited by theHutts and their criminal enterprises;^[26] it served as a key world for thespice trade, which utilized the Twi'lek residents asslave labor to produce goods.^[14] Ryloth was one of many worlds that fell under the control of theZygerrian Slave Empire before theJedi Knights destroyed the regime.^[17] For generations, the clans of Ryloth also fought each other in a series of civil wars.^[27] Ultimately, the history of Ryloth was one filled by civil war, rebellion, and general turmoil.^[28] During theHigh Republic Era, Ryloth had central leadership in the form of theClan Assembly.^[22]

At some point, a clan stole a small gem from another clan due to itsreligious significance with the hope it would spark a civil war between that clan and another. FutureJedi Masters Creighton Sun andChar-Ryl-Roy undertook amission to establish a peace and uncovered the truth, finding the religious heirloom during their first day on-world. However, Roy ended up dropping the heirloom off a cliff. Much of the remaining mission consisted of the two Jedi undertaking a long search to re-discover it. During the mission, Sun became so annoyed he wondered if he should just let the clans fight the conflict out. In what Sun would later claim was mostly Roy's doing, with Roy agreeing at the time before later giving his friend more credit, the Jedi managed to establish a peace. Despite the stress it caused them at the time, the two later came to laugh about the mission. The Twi'lekDrave came from aclan on Ryloth that greatly benefited from the policies ofSupreme Chancellor Kyong Greylark.^[27]

In228 BBY,^[29] Ryloth was brought into theNihil Occlusion Zone after the piratesexpanded theirStormwall, cutting Ryloth off from the Galactic Republic.^[30]

Clone Wars[]

"I promise you, Cham, the Republic will not abandon Ryloth."
"I've heard enough of your promises, Jedi. The fact remains, if we stay here without reinforcements, we're all going to die."

―GeneralsIma-Gun Di and Cham Syndulla^[31]

Twi'lek freedom fighters worked together with the Republic to liberate Ryloth from the Separatists.

In theyears preceding theClone Wars,Count Dooku secretly backed coups on Ryloth as part of largerpolitical attempts to seed discontent inthe galaxy's Outer Systems during theSeparatist Crisis.^[32] Some time after themission to Thule, JediTualon Yaluna undertook amission to Ryloth in pursuit of a target, tryingGlabos while on-world.^[33]

TheSeparatist Alliance led a planetary-wideinvasion of Ryloth under the command ofTechno Union Emir Wat Tambor, establishing aspace blockade around the planet, which was commanded byNeimoidian Captain Mar Tuuk of theSeparatist fleet. However, aRepublic fleet underAdmiral Dao of theRepublic Navy had attempted to provide support and protection forJedi General Ima-Gun Di and theclone troopers of theOuter Rim garrison. The Jedi General and troopers had been backed by a group of Twi'lekfreedom fighters led byGeneral Cham Syndulla. During the attempts to defeat the Separatistfleet, the RepublicVenator-class Star Destroyers'fuel, power, and ammunition began to diminish, but held out long enough for Di to contact theJedi Temple onCoruscant, asking to send relief supplies to the suffering inhabitants and dwindling clonetroopers. While speaking with the Jedi Order, the Republic ship'sdeflector shields were subsequently disabled, resulting in the fleet's obliteration.^[31]

Trapped within the walls of a mountain range, the remaining clones of thegarrison made a final stand along a passageway so that the Twi'lek freedom fighters could escape with their families. However, the entire Outer Rim garrison had been destroyed, resulting in the deaths of both General Di andClone Captain Keeli, but not beforeblockade runners of the Republic secretly bypassed the Separatistblockade and delivered relief supplies. This followed a lengthydebate onToydaria betweenSenator Bail Organa ofAlderaan,Representative Binks ofNaboo, and SenatorLott Dod of theTrade Federation, who had been ordered by Count Dooku to interrupt the negotiations with theToydarian King Katuunko.^[31]

When the Republic returned to Ryloth, GeneralsAnakin Skywalker,Obi-Wan Kenobi, andMace Windu worked with Syndulla's freedom fighters and successfully led the Republic and Twi'leks to retake the planet from the Confederacy. However, as Syndulla had feared,^[15] the Republic launched its own occupation of Ryloth to maintain its control, although there was no resistance force mounted against this new effort.^[34] Though Republic forces suffered a defeat at Ryloth at some point after theSecond Battle of Geonosis,^[35] the Republic was able to remain in control, with its occupation even persisting past the end of the Clone Wars.^[34] Over the course of his many months on Ryloth,Clone Captain "Howzer," himself^[36] a veteran of the Battle of Ryloth,^[37] helped defend the Twi'lek people from the Confederacy.^[36]

Under the Empire[]

"Despite your warnings, Cham Syndulla's proven to be more cooperative than anticipated."
"Did you see how the crowd reacted to him? His influence over them is a problem.[…] Syndulla's fighters will always be loyal to him. They all must be dealt with."

―Admiral Rampart and Senator Taa^[20]

Cham and Eleni were wary of the Imperial doonium refinery.

After the end of the Clone Wars^[11] in19 BBY,^[38] Ryloth officially became aprotectorate of theGalactic Empire, with Imperial forces constructing adoonium refinery and simultaneously required all Twi'leks to turn over their weaponry. Soon after, theBad Batch arrived onRyloth's third moon to sell weapons to a group of Twi'lek insurgents, led by General Syndulla andGobi Glie. When ImperialVice Admiral Edmon Rampart arrested Syndulla and hiswife for suspected involvement in rebel activity, Clone Force 99 returned to Ryloth at the request ofHera Syndulla to help free them.^[20] While Ryloth was classed as free and independent, its title did not reflect reality. Many isolated settlements did not even know of the Empire's existence until they were raided and their populations forced into slave labor. As a result, the former Twi'lek Resistance, initially formed to fight the Separatists during the Clone Wars, became theFree Ryloth Movement and instigated a newrebellion against the Empire.^[11]

By14 BBY,^[38] the planet was overseen byMoff Delian Mors, who lived on a moon orbiting the planet. That same year,Darth Sidious andLord Vader became trapped on the planet after the destruction of theImperial-class Star DestroyerPerilous over the planet in an attempt toassassinate the Empire's political leadership, a move designed by the Free Ryloth Movement. The attempt failed to kill the Emperor and his apprentice.^[11] ThePartisans carried out araid in Lessu at one point.^[39]

By3 BBY,^[40] ImperialTIE bombers based on an orbitingQuasar Fire-class cruiser carrier were used to bomb Ryloth. Cham and the Free Ryloth movement wanted to destroy the carrier in order to demonstrate their strength. However, his daughter Hera Syndulla, who had become the leader of the rebel cell known as theSpectres, disagreed with herfather's plan. She convinced him and his companions,Numa and Glie, to steal the ship for thePhoenix Cell, which desperately needed a carrier to house itsstarfighter squadron. During themission, the two rebel cells also managed to destroy anArquitens-class command cruiser, an act which boosted the morale of the Ryloth resistance.^[25]

Hera's plans to recover her were thwarted by Thrawn. — Hera's plans to recover herKalikori were thwarted by Thrawn.

In2 BBY,^[41] theChiss ImperialGrand Admiral Thrawn was dispatched by the Empire to deal with the Free Ryloth movement. By studying Twi'lek art, culture, history, and philosophy, Thrawn was able to devise successful counterinsurgency tactics that led to the capture ofTann Province, which included theSyndulla residence. Imperial control of the region forced Cham Syndulla to flee. After the capture of Hera andEzra Bridger, Thrawn chose to relinquish command to CaptainSlavin to observe the rebels' behavior. Cham's forces and the Spectres managed to escape; however, Hera resorted to destruction of the family residence to secure their escape. The bold actions of the rebels showed Thrawn how far they were willing to go. The Grand Admiral had also taken possession of the Syndulla family'sKalikori, which Hera and Bridger failed to retrieve during their mission.^[19]

At some point before theAuction for Han Solo, theBlack Sun and one of itsbosses,Gyuti, were involved in anincident on Ryloth that embarrassed the entire organization. When she saw Gyuti prior to the auction,Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra noted that Gyuti had his head still, which suggested to her that the syndicate had recovered.^[42]

Independence[]

Main article:Ryloth government

"Today Rinnrivin's cartel presents a danger to Ryloth's future, and to free trade in our part of the galaxy. Tomorrow, however, it could threaten the rule of law in the New Republic itself, as the Hutts did in both the Old Republic and the Empire. There, I ask for the Senate to investigate the reach and influence of Rinnrivin DI's cartel and to take the actions necessary to restore order, on behalf of the Twi'leks of Ryloth—but for the benefit of us all. [sic]"

―Yendor addressing the New Republic Senate^[26]

In the year5 ABY,^[43] the Galactic Empire abandoned theirgarrisons on Ryloth. After the planet gained its independence, the rebel fighterYendor became the planet'sambassador to theNew Republic, the government that had been established by theAlliance to Restore the Republic.^[44]

Following theGalactic Concordance, Ryloth did not join the New Republic, instead opting to remain independent. About six years before thedestruction of theHosnian system, Ryloth's economy and independence came under threat from theNikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di'scartel, which had become a major spice dealer and smuggling group. Rinnrivin's cartel exacted a heavy toll on Ryloth's offworld shipping due to sporadic enforcement of New Republic financial regulations, infrequent patrols of the shipping lanes, and rampant bickering within theGalactic Senate.Emissary Yendor traveled to the Galactic Senate onHosnian Prime to raise his planet's plight to the Senate.^[26]

In response, SenatorsLeia Organa andRansolm Casterfo traveled toBastatha and Ryloth to investigate Rinnrivin's syndicate. Over the course of their investigation, the two senators discovered that a mysterious entity was channeling funds to Rinnrivin's cartel through a militia group called theAmaxine warriors as part of a conspiracy to destabilize the New Republic. While visiting theRyloth archives, Leia and her entourage discovered that Rinnrivin was formerly a lowly spice dealer who had rapidly risen to become the leader of a powerful criminal cartel. Organa and her allies eventuallydefeated Di and the Amaxine warriors, but she believed there was more going on, which made her form theResistance.^[26]

Age of the Resistance[]

"Pride. They think a victory here will be a show of strength. To turn notoriously neutral Ryloth would be a feather in someone's cap."
"It's possible. Or maybe we're not seeing a piece of the bigger picture here. Nevertheless, the fact remains that your window for staging any kind of mission out of Ryloth has just shrunk considerably."

―Leia Organa and Yendor discuss the First Order^[10]

Fearing a First Order occupation, many Twi'leks joined Leia Organa's Resistance.

Despite being an independent planet, after the rise of theFirst Order, many Twi'leks feared an occupation of Ryloth would be inevitable, so they swore allegiance to Organa's Resistance.^[45] However, theRyloth government itself did not support General Organa.^[10]

In the aftermath of the Resistance's losses in theBattle of Oetchi and theBattle of Crait, Organa realized Ambassador Yendor of Ryloth could help the Resistance survivors. Organa and other members of her movement were aboard theMillennium Falcon, and, when they approached the planet,Lessu command contacted thefreighter. However, operations were taken over by theRyloth Defense Authority, a philosophical descendant of Cham Syndulla's Free Ryloth movement, that was autonomous from Lessu, although the capital allowed their existence. Yendor, who was a member of the RDA, allowed theFalcon to arrive, and the ship landed at abase in a cave. Yendor met with Organa and intended to speak to Lessu about aiding the Resistance. He understood thatChancellor Drelomon and GeneralIshel would not want it, and he feared the First Order would attack if they learned what was happening; however, he believed helping the Resistance refugees was the right thing to do.^[10]

While the Resistance was allowed to stay in the base, they were eventually betrayed and attacked. — While the Resistance was allowed to stay in thecave base, they were eventually betrayed and attacked.

The Resistance was allowed to set up in the RDA base, but Yendor and Organa later learned that the First Order had arrived in Lessu. The First Order had given theRyloth shipping guild fivedays to tithe before they blockaded the shipping lanes. Despite this shortened time frame for staging an operation, Organa stuck to her plan of having reinforcements arrive on-planet. AfterCommander Poe Dameron, the rest ofBlack Squadron,Inferno Squad, and other gathered allies arrived, the Resistance sent teamsto Bracca and Corellia. However, while the missions occurred, someone in Lessu betrayed the Resistance, and the First Orderattacked the base.^[10]

During the assault, a member ofPhantom Squadron and Yendor'sdaughter,Hahnee Brethen, were bothkilled. After Hahnee's death, Organa used herrifle and fought side by side with JediPadawan Rey. Organa informed Yendor about his daughter's death, and, while he told Organa he planned to die directing acannon, she offered for him to fly the fallen Phantom Squadron pilot'sX-wing starfighter. Yendor accepted her offer, and the Resistance starships evacuated Ryloth. Afterwards, the Resistance gathered at a location supplied by theCollective, and Dameron believed the events on Ryloth showed that nowhere they gathered would be safe for them.^[10]

Behind the scenes[]

Ryloth firstcanonically appeared in the opening newsreel of theStar Wars: The Clone Warsfirst season episode "Jedi Crash,"^[46] and made its first proper appearance in "Storm Over Ryloth" later in the same season.^[24] The planet originated in theStar Wars Legends continuity and was first mentioned in1987'sThe Star Wars Sourcebook.^[47]

The2021 StarWars.com article "Star Wars Inside Intel: Twi'lek Culture" depicted Ryloth using an image^[48] that had previously been used to depictRadnor in thetwenty-seventh issue of theDe Agostini magazineStar Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon.^[49]

Contradictions[]

Theeighty-seventh issue ofStar Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon states that Ryloth had five moons,^[9] where the2019 novelResistance Reborn says that the planet had only three moons.^[10] This article assumes that the latter is correct.