Rothana

Rothana was a terrestrial planet located in a star system within an intersecting portion of the Outer Rim Territories and the Slice. It was situated at the coordinates T-15 on the Standard Galactic Grid. A primarily arctic world with mineral rich soil, Rothana appeared orange-brown from above. The arctic regions of the world included cliffs and strong wind gusts. The world was home to the arctic horny whelmer, a ten-legged creature found in Rothana's arctic regions that hunted in packs, wearing their prey out with persistence.

Around 800 BBY, Rothana was sold to the Kuat Drive Yards (KDY), a vehicle manufacturing company based out of the planet Kuat. KDY established its own subsidiary Rothana Heavy Engineering (RHE) there, which could take advantage of Rothana's rich soil for its own profit. Over the years, RHE was among a number of technology companies in the galaxy that were developing gravitational manipulation technology, and the company was developing walker vehicles by the High Republic Era. One experimental walker was sent from Rothana to the Republic Fair on the planet Valo in 231 BBY, where many different cultural and technological marvels were brought to display from across the galaxy. The walker was used as cover by some dignitaries, including Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, when the Nihil marauders attacked the fair, but was eventually destroyed by the attackers, injuring some of the dignitaries. The walker's part in the attack was mentioned in the fourth chapter of Jedi Master Harli Cogra's Chronicles of the Jedi publication in 229 BBY.

In 33 BBY, leading Kuati executives were assassinated at the Eriadu Conference, an incident that saw a Neimoidian takeover of the Trade Federation corporation and a failed assassination attempt on the Galactic Republic's Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. The industrialists at Kuat Drive Yards were outraged with the Trade Federation afterwards, and Rothana Heavy Engineering itself kept no friendship with the corporation. Rothana's star system was additionally defended by the KDY corporate-security starfleet, with mines being deployed inventively in Rothana's inbound hyperspace routes. Those measures, along with Rothanian etiquette for outsiders, kept the system clear of any Trade Federation espionage.

After the Kaminoans began secretly making a clone army for the Republic in 32 BBY, the Kuat Drive Yards received an order from a secret buyer to produce masses of weapons in 31 BBY. As Rothana was not far from the Kaminoan homeworld of Kamino, the Kaminoan government secretly commissioned Rothana Heavy Engineering to develop starships and ground vehicles to support an army. RHE's factories and orbital shipyards at Rothana secretly produced an array of vehicles for the Republic.

The Acclamator-class assault ship was the first starcraft developed by RHE and was built on Rothana under Project Icefang. The assault ships were also the first intergalactic warships to be built in decades. Other notable vehicles developed by the company included the Low Altitude Assault Transport, the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer, and the Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery Turbolaser. The All Terrain Tactical Enforcer's design was inspired by Rothana's native arctic horny whelmer, taking on multiple qualities of the creature, such as its ability to withstand strong winds when crossing icy cliffs.

The Trade Federation and other corporate bodies like the Techno Union, while officially holding a neutral political stance, became founding members of the Separatist Alliance, a rival government to the Republic that was formed following the Raxus Address of 24 BBY. Kuat Drive Yards' grudge with the Trade Federation led to the company, along with Rothana, aligning with the Republic.

The new vehicles designed and built by Rothana Heavy Engineering made up an overwhelming majority in the Grand Army of the Republic. In 22 BBY, the Jedi Grand Master Yoda went to Kamino to inspect the clone army. During Yoda's mission, a fleet of twelve Acclamator-class assault ships were sent straight from Rothana to pick up the clone forces before being deployed against the Separatists in the First Battle of Geonosis, which saw the outbreak of the Clone Wars. The battle was the debut for the new vehicles developed by Rothana for the Republic and the use of the Acclamators was successful enough that the Republic ordered several more from Rothana Heavy Engineering. As the war continued, limitations to some of RHE's vehicles became more apparent. While existing ones were upgraded, the Acclamator-class assault ship was largely replaced by the more combat-orientated Venator-class Star Destroyer, which were developed by Kuat Drive Yards.

At the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, the Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire. While the Kuat Drive Yards came to gain a near monopoly on warship contracts for the Imperial Navy, Rothana Heavy Engineering became a shadow of what it had been, beginning to specialize in ground effort and repulsorlift armored vehicles. It produced products for the Empire such as the TX-225 Occupier line, the All Terrain Personal Transport, and the Scout-class 2-M repulsor tank. Rothana still made some flight vehicles like the Imperial Dropship Transport, with Kuat Drive Yards licensing the company to manufacture the Onager-class Star Destroyer. The Imperial shipyards above Rothana served to repair and construct Imperial starships, including starfighters from the TIE fighter series.

In 14 BBY, a rebel cell led by the ex-Republic Intelligence officer Berch Teller stole the Carrion Spike, the Imperial Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's personal corvette, using the vessel to attack multiple Imperial facilities. In the Empire's hunt for the Carrion Spike, the Imperial Navy redirected ships from as far as Rothana and the gas giant Bothawui under the Imperial Admiralty's counsel. Imperial forces eventually recovered a damaged Carrion Spike. After Tarkin's death in 0 BBY, the corvette was mothballed at Rothana's shipyards.

By the time of the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, the Rothana Imperial Shipyards were among the Empire's most major shipyards. After the Alliance's 61st Mobile Infantry caught early success in a campaign known as Operation Ringbreaker that sought the eventual sabotage of the Kuat Drive Yards in 3 ABY, General Crix Madine was inspired to look at potential future targets for the Alliance should the 61st's campaign reach and cripple the Kuat Drive Yards. He made a map of the Empire's major shipyards, drydocks, and key mining centers, with Rothana being marked as a high-priority, high-security target. The map came as part of a report on Madine's proposal, which was sent to the Alliance's Commander-in-Chief Mon Mothma. Ultimately, Operation Ringbreaker ultimately did not make it to Kuat.

In 4 ABY, the Empire suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Endor, where Emperor Sheev Palpatine was killed. In the war that ensued afterward, the Alliance, reorganized into the New Republic, defeated the Empire in many battles. In 5 ABY, Grand Admiral Gallius Rax began redirecting Imperial forces to the planet Jakku in preparation for a final battle. The Empire abandoned the Rothana shipyards, taking all operational starships with them as well as all Imperial personnel, including the stormtrooper Terex. The shipyards were in turn shut down, with auto-security being activated and droids staying to guard.

The New Republic defeated the Empire at Jakku and won the war thereafter. Having escaped the engagement, Terex and fellow stormtrooper Corlac escaped the battle and eventually fled Jakku together around 6 ABY. Knowing about Terex's past deployment at Rothana's shipyards, Corlac liaised with two of his contacts, the ship salvagers Bett and Wenda, on the planet Kaddak. Corlac introduced Terex to his contacts, and they discussed using the latter's expertise on the Rothana shipyards.

Corlac promised Terex that they would use the ships to help regroup scattered Imperial forces, but in reality, Corlac and the ship salvagers were looking to amass a pirate fleet. Corlac and the salvagers infiltrated the shipyards above Rothana with Terex's help, salvaging many vessels and ship parts, including the Carrion Spike. Corlac, Bett, and Wenda intended on betraying Terex to start their pirate business, but Terex learned of their true intentions in 7 ABY and killed them first. Nevertheless deciding that Imperial order could never be returned to the galaxy, Terex used their team and the resources from Rothana to form a pirate group known as the Ranc Gang.

Those native to the world were known as Rothanians, and they had a complex etiquette that made outsiders stand out. Rothana Heavy Engineering's workforce was famed for its diligence.

Rothana included a number of underground factories as well as honeycombed orbital shipyards.

Rothana was introduced into the current Star Wars canon when it was mentioned in the 2014 novel Tarkin, written by James Luceno. The world later first appeared in a flashback in the ninth issue of Marvel Comics' Star Wars: Poe Dameron comic-book series, written by Charles Soule, penciled by Phil Noto and published on December 14, 2016.

The planet Rothana originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, first being mentioned in the name of Rothana Heavy Engineering in HoloNet News Vol. 531 #52, an in-universe issue of the HoloNet News that was written by Pablo Hidalgo and Paul Ens and released on the HoloNet News website on April 18, 2002. It was first mentioned separately in the reference book Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections, written by Curtis Saxton and published five days later. Rothana was first illustrated by John Van Fleet in the 2012 reference book The Essential Guide to Warfare, written by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart.

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