It was located in the Maldrood sector on the Perlemian Trade Route at the outermost edge of the Mid Rim, and billed itself as "the last civilized stop before the wild and woolly Outer Rim". Its population was estimated to be about one billion.
In the waning days of the Galactic Republic, Centares called itself "the jewel of the Mid Rim," drawing traders and tourists from across the galaxy. However, the Galactic Empire tapped its lava beds and strip mined its magnificent prairies, turning it into a grimy, polluted factory world within a decade, when its resources expired and the Empire moved on. Centares endeavored to rebound, and its cities and spaceports like Muracie were still teeming, but no tourists were forthcoming.
Most representative of the depredations of the Empire was Rubyflame Lake, which once held clear, shallow, geothermally-heated water colored red by suspended silica. After the Empire, the waters retained their reddish cast, but were tainted by pollutants capable of dissolving flesh in minutes.
It was on this planet that Darth VaderkilledBeilert Valance, inspiring Tyler Lucian to suicide rather than betray the name of Luke Skywalker to Vader. Despite Lucian's sacrifice, Vader learned the name of Luke Skywalker from another Rebel pilot whom he interrogated on Centares.
When Grand AdmiralZsinj was killed, Teradoc declared himself "High Admiral of the Mid Rim" and found himself in the middle of a war between Admirals Teren Rogriss of the Empire and Ackbar of the New Republic. Teradoc was eventualy defeated by the New Republic forces and he was forced to abandon the Greater Maldrood to the New Republic and flee to the Deep Core.[4]