The Twi'lek Ark was a rectangular box plated with gold. On the bottom of the box, four rings were attached, through which two poles were put. People would carry the ark using those poles. Attached to the lid were two sculptures of kneeling Twi'leks facing one another, with their arms and lekku extended.
The Ark being transported
In 22 BBY, the first year of the Clone Wars, a small army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems commanded by Wat Tambor took control of Ryloth, homeworld to both the Twi'lek species. Taking up residence in the capital city of Lessu, Tambor took the title of Emir and started hoarding valuables, including the Twi'lek Ark. However, the planet's freedom fighters allied with the Galactic Republic against Tambor, who begrudgingly ordered his tactical droid TA-175 to prepare his shuttle for evacuation. Aboard said shuttle, the Emir hoarded all the treasures he had plundered from Ryloth. Ultimately, the Ark took off with the shuttle when TA-175 decided to leave without the Emir.
Eventually, the Galactic Republic won the Clone Wars, and its leader Sheev Palpatine proclaimed its transformation into the Galactic Empire. By 3 BBY, the Empire possessed the Twi'lek Ark. At one point that year, the artifact was placed aboard the class four container transport 241, which ended up being destroyed in space by the Spectres, an anti-Empire Rebel cell. The remnants of the transport were then salvaged and looted by the Rebels.
At the time of the Cold War, the Twi'lek Ark was in the possession of the Ithorian collector Dok-Ondar, who placed it in his antiques shop in Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu. The Ark would be stolen from Dok-Ondar by the Moldwarp gambler Edmo Ectacle, which resulted in a bounty being placed on his head. Some time later, the Ark was part of Maz Kanata's collection of antiques and treasures on Takodana.
R2-D2 and C-3PO can be seen by the Ark as hieroglyphs in Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Twi'lek Ark first appeared in Liberty on Ryloth, the twenty-first episode of season one of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The ark was included as a reference to the Ark of the Covenant, as it appeared in the first Indiana Jones film: Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the film, Indiana Jones and other characters hunt for the missing artifact. Star Wars creator George Lucas also produced the Indiana Jones franchise, so the Twi'lek Ark was added as a reference.
For a time, a real-life Ark prop was on display at Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, but it has since been removed.
According to Cole Horton, he began writing material for the book Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu which would explain the in-universe reasons behind why the Ark moved from each of the places it had been spotted in as well as its value to the Twi'lek people. Ultimately it was decided to discard the material for the guide. Horton also clarified that the material for the book was likely deleted prior to the Ark even being included in the park, thus there was likely no connection to the Ark's removal from Galaxy's Edge.
In LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, a Twi'lek Ark made of gold is present aboard the Eravana in the game's story mode. The the Ark is more consistent in appearance with the original Ark of the Covenant, with winged figures atop the Ark as opposed to the Twi'leks seen in Liberty on Ryloth. In both games, destroying the Ark will reward the player with a minikit.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Raiders of The Lost Ark