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- "I was under the impression that Darth Maul's home world was Iridonia."
"Dathomir is the planet where Maul was raised. Iridonia is where the rest of the males of the species dwell." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu
Iridonia was an arid Mid Rim planet home to the Zabrak species. Wide colonization efforts resulted in some Zabrak considering the worlds they grew up on their homeworlds; however, the subspecies of Zabrak that hailed from Iridonia itself were known as Iridonian Zabraks. During the High Republic Era, the Zabrak pirate Saya Keem lived on the world but ultimately chose to leave to avoid the strict rules she had followed living there.
The world was also the homeworld of several other Zabraks, including Jedi Master Eeth Koth, who served on the Jedi High Council; the bounty hunter Sugi; and Sugi's niece, the bounty hunter Jas Emari. Though Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi mistakenly believed that the Zabrak Darth Maul hailed from Iridonia as well, he instead came from a colony—the Nightbrothers—of the species and had been raised on the planet Dathomir.
Description[]
Iridonia, placed on a map in The Traveler's Guide to Batuu
Iridonia was a terrestrial[3] planet[4] located in Mid Rim Territories[1] and New Territories regions of the galaxy.[2] The world was situated in grid square J-7 on the Standard Galactic Grid.[1] It was the homeworld of the near-human Zabrak species,[4] with the Zabrak subspecies hailing from Iridonia being known as Iridonian Zabraks.[5] The planet had an arid climate and an environment considered tough[4] and brutal[7] by some Zabraks, thus promoting the creation of resilient natives.[4]
History[]
Colonization and High Republic Era[]
- "Anyway, life on Iridonia was not for me. So many rules. Very restrictive."
- ―Saya Keem, about Iridonia
Saya Keem left Iridonia, finding the rules while residing there too restrictive.
Though Iridonia was the homeworld of the Zabrak, they engaged in wide colonization efforts, resulting in many members of the species being raised on different colony worlds. For this reason, even though many Zabrak hailed from Iridonia, others only associated themselves with the colonized world they grew up on. Some such Zabrak included[9] a small colony[10] called the Nightbrothers, who were raised on the planet Dathomir, which they considered their homeworld[11] instead of Iridonia.[9]
Iridonian Zabraks were active in the wider galaxy by the time of the High Republic Era, with the Zabrak pirate Saya Keem living on the world. However, she was unhappy with how strict the rules were while residing there and eventually left the planet to operate as part of the Dank Graks crew.[8] In 382 BBY,[12] Keem told the undercover Jedi Padawan Savina Besatrix Malagán—who was operating under the alias Bazrip Ratht—about why she had departed Iridonia.[8]
Republic times and beyond[]
- "You have to know when to run, girl."
- ―Sugi's message to Jas Emari, which inspired the latter to flee Iridonia
The Iridonian Zabrak Jedi Master Eeth Koth—who served on the Jedi High Council[11] by 40 BBY[13]—hailed from Iridonia.[11] In 20 BBY,[14] Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke to Jedi Master Mace Windu about his belief that the Zabrak Darth Maul's homeworld was Iridonia. However, Windu corrected Kenobi, noting that while other males of the species lived on Iridonia, Maul[6]—who was a member of the Dathomirian subspecies of Zabrak[15]—had been raised on Dathomir.[6]
Sugi hailed from Iridonia and sent credits back to her sister, who was on her homeworld.
Iridonia was the homeworld of the Zabrak bounty hunter Sugi, who operated by the time of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.[11] During the conflict, Sugi earned credits from her jobs and, after paying the rest of her expenses, sent her remaining money to her sister on Iridonia.[3] However, due to her penchant for taking jobs that prioritized morality over profit, she ultimately accumulated steep debts. Sugi kept contact with her niece—the bounty hunter Jas Emari—who was also from Iridonia, on at least one occasion giving her sage advice of when to walk away from a situation. Weeks after receiving the message, Emari fled from the planet, having long considered it a strange, brutal, and unforgiving place to reside. Later,[7] in 4 ABY,[16] Emari reflected on fleeing her homeworld, reminded of her by-then-deceased aunt's advice.[7]
During the Galactic Civil War, some Zabraks from Iridonia fought with the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the Galactic Empire rather than allow the latter to subvert them;[10] later, they also joined[4] the Rebel Alliance's successor,[11] the Resistance, to fight the[4] the Empire's successor,[11] the First Order, following the New Republic's fall.[4] In 34 ABY,[17] historian and author Eloc Throno included a map depicting the location of Iridonia in his book Traveler's Guide to Batuu, which detailed the planet Batuu.[18] Iridonia was mentioned in an artist's journal, which was restored, expanded, and displayed at the Graf Archive[19] at some point no earlier than 34 ABY.[20]
Inhabitants[]
Jas Emari fled Iridonia, finding her homeworld an unrelenting place to live.
The planet was home to the Zabrak and many members of the species lived on the world,[9] becoming known to the wider galaxy at least by the High Republic Era.[8] Though its arid climate was not the most pleasant, its inhospitable environment resulted in many Iridonia natives being tough and enjoying challenging pursuits such as pursuing criminals,[4] with some natives of the planet becoming bounty hunters[7] or pirates.[8]
However, some residents of Iridonia, such as Saya Keem[8] and Jas Emari,[7] did not enjoy residing on the world and ultimately chose to leave and pursue paths in life with more freedom, having felt choked by the rigidity of their lives.[7][8] Despite Keem's departure from Iridonia,[8] descendants of her family, including her grandchild Zyle Keem, still partook in some elements of their species' culture in their Iridonian Zabrak family gatherings.[21]
Behind the scenes[]
Publication milestones[]
Star Wars Journal: Darth Maul marked Iridonia's introduction in the Star Wars Legends continuity.
In the current Star Wars canon, Iridonia was first mentioned in "Witches of the Mist,"[6] the fourteenth episode of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars' third season, which first aired on January 21, 2011.[22] In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the planet Iridonia was first mentioned in the 2000 young-readers novel Star Wars Journal: Darth Maul, written by Jude Watson.[23]
The world then made its first appearance in the comic story "Phantom Menaces," published in the seventeenth issue of Star Wars Tales. The story was written by Joe Casey, illustrated by Francisco Paronzini, and released by Dark Horse Comics[24] on October 1, 2003.[25] Though the content of the comic was initially ambiguously canon within the Legends continuity,[26] 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia referenced the material,[27] thus bringing its events into a higher tier of canon.[26] The mention of Iridonia in "Witches of the Mist" was meant to highlight Maul's connections to the world within the Expanded Universe[28]—the earlier designation of the Star Wars Legends continuity[29]—while also clarifying that he had been raised on Dathomir.[28]
Contradictions[]
Star Wars: A Galaxy at War claimed Iridonia was Maul's homeworld.
The Encyclopedia on StarWars.com established that Maul was born on Dathomir.[15] Conversely, the 2014 reference book Star Wars: A Galaxy at War—a compilation of three previously released titles—claims that Darth Maul was born on Iridonia.[30] The section of A Galaxy at War mentioning Iridonia was written by Simon Beecroft and was originally released as the 2007 Legends young-readers title Star Wars: Beware the Dark Side.[31] Star Wars: Beware the Dark Side's claim that Maul's birthplace was Iridonia[30] was also contradicted by other Legends sources, which consistently stated he was born on Dathomir instead.[32][33] This article assumes that the information in A Galaxy at War is incorrect and that Maul was born on Dathomir in the current canon continuity as well.[15]
The first issue of the Star Wars Jedi Master Magazine,[34] published on November 16, 2015,[35] claims that Eeth Koth was from the moon Nar Shaddaa.[34] However, more recent sources instead state that he was from Iridonia,[11][36] including the 2019 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition, which updated Koth's homeworld to Iridonia[11] from its first edition, Ultimate Star Wars,[37] published on April 28, 2015.[38]
Appearances[]
- The High Republic Adventures (2022) 5 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars Battlefront II (Mentioned only)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Witches of the Mist" (First mentioned)- Star Wars: Uprising (Mentioned only)
- Aftermath (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
