'Star Wars' Guidebook: Koboh
Image Source: Wookieepedia
The Star Wars galaxy consists of billions of stars and millions of inhabited worlds. Some of them are birthplaces of certain characters, locations of temporary refuge, or sites of exchange of certain goods and services, but some of these worlds hold a greater importance for the overall story of Star Wars. One of these worlds is Koboh.
General Information
Location
Koboh was located in a star system of the same name, and was found in close proximity to both a moon that was shattered during the High Republic and the Koboh Abyss, a huge interstellar phenomenon that was next to impossible to navigate. The star system was located in the Varada sector, located in the southern Outer Rim, and was on the frontier of the Galactic Republic for a great many years.
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Image Source: StarWars.com
Landscape
Koboh was a planet with diverse ecosystems, but could generally be described as dry, with arid plains and large rock formations. Areas of greenery did exist around water sources, but another key feature of Koboh in the era of the Skywalker Saga was its chaotic environment. The destruction caused by the shattering of the, well, Shattered Moon, during the High Republic caused a great deal of tectonic activity to erupt across the planet’s surface. As a result, once stable regions were nearly unrecognizable, with huge crags and vast chasms where less extreme terrain once existed. Koboh tar was also notable as a mixture of Koboh Matter and the local water table, producing an incredibly thick substance that was a dangerous hazard to small animals and the local populace.
Then, there was the aforementioned Koboh Matter. This sparkling dark-blue/purple dust was a product of the world’s proximity to the Koboh Abyss and was part of the Galactic Republic’s research efforts on the world. It could solidify into hard-as-rock formations that block traversal for animals and people, and it was also hazardous to one’s health when the dust was inhaled. This material could be pushed back or destroyed by the use of charged energy cores that the Jedi and Republic developed on the planet. Koboh Matter was also unique in somehow capable of being imprinted with memories, at least those of Force users, as Cal Kestis was able to see various traumatic events from Dagan Gera’s past through clusters of Koboh Matter.
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Population And Society
Koboh had a very diverse population due to its nature as a frontier world that drew in all kinds of people from across the galaxy, looking to make some money or escape from trouble elsewhere. This mixed population also likely extended to the local raider faction, the Bedlam Radiers, who generally appeared humanoid but might have hidden more unique features behind their layered, armored outfits and helmets. This faction was also responsible for the vast number of active battle droids from the Clone Wars, restored to function and improved by the raiders. Secretly, the Empire also had a notable presence on Koboh, with an outpost positioned near the peak of Prospector’s Folly out of sight by the locals due to heavy mists and cloud-cover that high up. After the exploits of Cal Kestis, however, a Star Destroyer dropped into orbit around the world and surely brought a more concrete, overt Imperial presence to the world.
Major Settlements And Landmarks
Rambler’s Reach
Rambler’s Reach was one of the only notable settlements on Koboh with a healthy population. Some were locals to the world, or had been on the planet for perhaps decades, but many others were more recent arrivals, like Greez Dritus. He opened up Pyloon’s Saloon on the quiet world and quickly endeared himself to the community. Doma Dendra was the town’s mayor and looked out for its citizens, even figures like Turgle who caused trouble on account of their get-rich-quick schemes. During Cal’s time on the planet, Pyloon’s thrived, though by the end of his adventure, many travelers had left the world as their reason for living on Koboh came to an end, or because of the looming threat of the Empire.
The Devastated Settlement
Image Source: Wookieepedia
The old settlement from the era of the Galactic Republic’s major interest in Koboh was nothing like it was back in the High Republic by the time Cal Kestis visited. The extreme tectonic activity on Koboh fractured the area and devastated many of the buildings, dividing up what is intact between various levels of extreme terrain. Initially, a beautiful settlement home to a grand manse that housed Dagan Gera and likely other Jedi, it became a ruin full of secrets and lost knowledge.
The Sunken Lucrehulk
During the Clone Wars, a Lucrehulk-class battleship named Primary approached Koboh too close to the nearby Abyss, causing devastation to the vessel. The event forced an emergency detachment of the central control sphere from the wider ship, and it then plummeted to the surface of the world below. Fortunately for the citizens of Rambler’s Reach, it didn’t land on their settlement, instead landing hard in the nearby swamp. Unfortunately for the locals, the wreck and its army of deactivated battle droids fell into the clutches of the Bedlam Raiders. The droids heavily augment the flesh and blood raiders, and help patrol the Koboh wilderness, expanding Bedlam control over many areas of the planet. The Lucrehulk itself sat in a tar-filled swamp, a rusted, decaying ruin, though with power facilities and other repaired areas home to living space for the Bedlam.
The Arrays
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The Arrays were facilities built to help the Jedi and Republic successfully navigate the Koboh Abyss after Dagan Gera successfully flew through the anomaly and discovered Tanalorr on the other side. There was the Forest Array, built at the heart of a basalt-dense region of the planet, and the Observatory Array, built within a huge floating observation facility hanging in Koboh’s atmosphere. The third array was located on the Shattered Moon in orbit of Koboh, and despite the two centuries since their use, all three still worked together to help ships fly through the Abyss if they did not have an Abyss compass (small devices that allow individual ships to navigate the nebula). Each facility was also the peak of its era’s technology.
Notable Fauna
Koboh was a world dense in native fauna, alongside some invasive introductions like Boglings, who made their way to the planet with Greez Dritus. One of the most notable animals was the colossal Bilemaw, a fierce orange creature that nevertheless enjoyed wallowing in the mud and volcanic waters of the planet. But, woe be to the person or people who wake it while it dozes in the midday sun! There was also the mammalian flying creature called a Relter, which Cal Kestis was eventually able to tame and make use of to glide across the terrain of the planet (as his weight slowly dragged the animal down in most situations).
Keeping various nests across the planet, they were generally skittish, making Cal’s feat in bonding with many of them all the more impressive. Lastly, a more generally domesticated animal was the Nekko. This large flightless avian-like creature was ridden by locals, and many were quick to warm to Cal after his arrival. He used various Nekkos for a great deal of his traversal across Koboh during his time there.
History
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Koboh was a world rich with history that very few were aware of by the time of the Skywalker Saga. During the era of the High Republic, Koboh was a world of great interest to the Jedi Knight Dagan Gera and the Master Santari Khri due to the nearby Abyss. The two helped lead various other Jedi and the Galactic Republic in a mission of study and exploration to chart the nearby anomaly. Gera eventually succeeded in making his way through the Abyss and found a pristine, beautiful world on the other side, which was soon named Tanalorr. He thought that the Jedi could make great use of the planet, setting up a Jedi outpost where the next generations could be trained on the frontier, yet be safe from harm. While initial construction proceeded well, plans were slowed by the need of the Jedi High Council to approve the plan. Gera began to grow impatient, but just as Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis arrived to begin his assessment, the Great Disaster began across the galaxy.
Secretly concocted by the leader of the marauding Nihil, the destruction of a large transport ship in hyperspace sent shards of debris raining across the galaxy in deadly Emergences that could smash into other objects, instantly destroying them and sometimes creating even more debris. Using their Path drives, Nihil under the command of Lourna Dee attacked both Tanalorr and Koboh’s moon around the time an Emergence hit the lunar object, birthing the Shattered Moon. Forced to evacuate from Tanalorr, Dagan Gera seems to have become enraged, entranced by the idea of the picturesque planet, and when the proposed expansion to the world was cancelled due to the recent devastation, he lashed out. He tried to find a way back to Tanalorr, but became violent in his stubborn quest, turning on his fellow Jedi and his friend Santari as he believed she had betrayed him. As the planet Koboh began to suffer from chunks of the now destroyed moon falling to the surface and with tectonic activity increasing, Santari finally defeated her old friend but placed him in bacta to heal from his wound, a lost arm.
But soon after this act of compassion for a lost soul, Master Khri had to leave the planet. Koboh was being abandoned, despite all of the work done to set up lavish, advanced facilities and Jedi training areas on the world’s surface. But before she left, she entrusted the reawakening of Dagan Gera to her droid, ZN-A4, though only after she’d wiped the droid’s memories of how to access Tanalorr. Unfortunately for Santari’s plan, Zee became trapped underground and deactivated, leaving Dagan in stasis for over 200 years. As the years wore on, Koboh’s nature as a rugged, wild world of ruins and hidden riches became known. Prospectors arrived hoping to strike it rich with the local priorite deposits and other minerals, but often struck out and became stuck on the planet. The Galactic Republic never again paid a great deal of interest to Koboh, even when a Separatist ship crashed onto its surface during the Clone Wars.
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But with the birth of the Empire came new problems for Koboh. A long-imprisoned ally of Dagan Gera, the Gen’dai Rayvis, was released from prison, as he’d been there after being captured by the Jedi during a rampage to find and free his friend following Dagan’s rampage. The Jedi and their law-keeping were now dead, and Rayvis took up the search for Dagan once again, even after 200 years. He arrived on Koboh and began to unite the local raiding groups while also bolstering their forces using battle droids from the crashed Separatist ship. Eventually, his faction had a commanding presence on Koboh, and the citizens of Rambler’s Reach couldn’t travel far without fear of encountering the Bedlam Raiders. A few years later, Greez Dritus arrived in Reach and set up shop in the local saloon. He became a staple of the community, and allowed his old friend Cal Kestis to use the Stinger Mantis with the note that he could always come by and visit when he wished, seeing as Cal and his team had gone their separate ways some time earlier.
After a job on Coruscant went wrong in 9 BBY, and the Mantis was badly damaged, Cal took Greez up on his offer. But, soon after arriving, Cal accidentally stumbled on the body of Zee, who held in her hand the key to unlocking the ancient Forest Array and also Dagan Gera’s bacta tank. Unaware of the history he was getting himself involved with, Cal awakened Dagan and was pulled into a mission to stop the lost Jedi Knight from using Tanalorr as a base from which to train an army to confront the Empire. Cal ultimately stopped his plan while uncovering a great deal of the world’s history alongside a secret Imperial outpost, but was betrayed by a man he considered a friend, Bode Akuna.
With Dagan and Rayvis dead, Bode turned traitor, revealing that he intended to sell Cal and his friends out to the ISB so that he and his daughter, Kata, could live in safety from the Empire on Tanalorr. Pushing through the Abyss, Cal, Greez, and Merrin tracked Bode down, and Cal was ultimately forced to kill a man he once considered a brother. After this, and all of Cal’s recent activity, a Star Destroyer dropped into orbit of Koboh, prompting several locals to leave Rambler’s Reach. Cal, Merrin, Greez, and Bode’s daughter Kata were last seen with the ability to safely travel to Tanalorr, with the intention of turning it into a safe haven for the Hidden Path and others. We don’t yet know how successful this effort will be, but that’s a story we’ll almost certainly learn more about in the third Jedi game.
Appearances Of Koboh In Canon
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Koboh was created for the video game Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor, and serves as a core planet for exploration by players. It has not appeared in any other media at present, but Koboh was mentioned in the audio drama Tempest Breaker, when Marchion Ro confirmed that it was the forces of Tempest Runner Lourna Dee who attacked the star system. Hopefully, Koboh appears in future material, especially if we ever get a novel or comic that covers the High Republic events of Koboh’s history, and perhaps integrates them into the wider narrative of The High Republic initiative or its characters.
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