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"Even advanced species like the Chiss had found a way to make icy planets into homes."
―An artist, in his journal[6]

Csilla (pronounced /ˈt͡ʃiːlə/) was a frigid, ice-locked planet in the Unknown Regions. It was the homeworld of the sentient, near-human Chiss species and the capital world of the Chiss Ascendancy. Though largely unknown to the wider galaxy during the age of the Galactic Empire, exploratory missions to the Unknown Regions conducted years later revealed Csilla and other worlds that could be reached through cautious hyperspace jumps.

Description[]

Csilla was a cold, ice-locked planet[3] located in the Csilla system[2] of the Unknown Regions, at the coordinates F-8[1] on the Standard Galactic Grid.[7] Its capital was the city of Csaplar, which was mostly located underground.[2]

Visitors to Csilla, whether Chiss or alien, were led to believe that the planet remained vibrantly populated despite its shift to much colder weather. The parts of Csilla near the Csaplar spaceport were bustling, with hotels, entertainment venues, merchants, diplomats, government and military business nearby. However, most of the above-ground parts of Csaplar and other cities were devoid of inhabitants and made to simply look lively to create the appearance of a well-populated world.[2]

At the twilight of the Clone Wars, approximately 60–70 million Chiss still lived on Csilla. The vast majority of them lived in illuminated and heated underground caves which could even have forests, lakes, mountains, and convincing artificial sunlight within them. To create the façade of 8 billion inhabitants on Csilla, some of those who lived underground were selected on a rotating basis to spend a limited amount of time on the surface, to appear as if they lived there.[2]

History[]

A great war[]

«But then, centuries later, came an invasion by a merciless enemy. Our outer worlds were overrun and the Defense Force pushed back until only Csilla remained unconquered. The enemy gathered all its ships and armies, preparing for what is now known as the Final Assault on Csilla. We knew there was no way we could stand against them, and we knew that if we lost the Chiss faced extinction.»
―Lamiov, to Thrass and Thrawn[5]

Csilla was inhabited by the Chiss for thousands of years. Approximately 1000 years before the Clone Wars,[2] during the climax of a great war fought between the Chiss Ascendancy and an enemy, the Chiss were forced back to Csilla. Despite their earlier losses, the Chiss Ascendancy were forced to use an ancient alien weapon known as the Starflash. The sacrifice of all four sons of the Mitth Patriarch Thomoro destroyed the entire enemy force, saving the Ascendancy from being conquered and securing the Mitth a rank among the Nine Ruling Families. However, the weapon also affected Csilla's sun, causing it to cool and make the surface of the planet uninhabitable.[5]

Climate change[]

Because of the change in temperature, a vast majority of the planet's four billion residents moved offworld to the planets Rentor, Avidich and Sarvchi. Those who remained moved underground. At the time of the Clone Wars, the official records stated that Csilla had a population of eight billion, but the actual population at this time was around sixty to seventy million. To maintain the illusion of a still-thriving planet, several hundred Chiss citizens were stationed near Csaplar's spaceports and tube cars were continually run across the empty city. [2]

Csilla was openly attacked in 19 BBY[8]. Three unknown enemy capital ships emerged from hyperspace and attacked the orbital defense platforms. The defenders, although shocked momentarily, began firing within a minute and soon destroyed all three of the ships and all wreckage so as to not damage the planet. All leadership on the planet went to underground bunkers and stayed there for several hours to see if there were any follow-up attacks.[2]

Imperial Era[]

The Chiss and their home planet were largely unknown in other regions of the galaxy. Consequently, when an Imperial scouting party led by Captain Voss Parck encountered Thrawn[9] in circa 15 BBY,[10] Parck instructed cadet Eli Vanto to learn anything he could from the alien about his species and homeworld.[9] In 4 ABY,[11] the Force spirit of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi told his apprentice Luke Skywalker the fate of Csilla, and many other planets, would rely on him confronting the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the Battle of Endor.[12]

Sometime after the Battle of Crait[13] in 34 ABY,[14] the pirate Hondo Ohnaka included Csilla in the galactic map of his book named the Galactic Explorer's Guide.[13] Although dangerous hyperspace anomalies limited exploration of the Unknown Regions, the occasional exploratory missions of the region conducted[15] by 35 ABY[16] revealed some navigable worlds—including Csilla, Ilum, and Rakata Prime—that could be reached through careful hyperspace jumps.[15]

Inhabitants[]

A part of the Chiss Ascendancy,[2] Csilla was the homeworld of the sentient Chiss species.[6]

At some point, an artist traveled around the galaxy and wrote about the Chiss and their ability to settle into icy planets in his journal. The document was later restored and published by the Graf Archive[6] sometime after 34 ABY[17] and included a mention of Csilla as the Chiss homeworld.[6]

Behind the scenes[]

Csilla was first mentioned in the new Star Wars canon on a map featured in the 2016 StarWars.com article Where in the Galaxy Are the Worlds of Star Wars: The Force Awakens?.[18] Csilla made its first canonical appearance in Timothy Zahn's 2020 novel, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, the first installment in Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy.[2]

Appearances[]

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Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Beginner Game
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Dawn of Rebellion
  4. 4.0 4.1 Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Star Wars: Alien Archive
  7. Star Wars: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier
  8. The Del Rey Star Wars timeline places Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising after Dark Disciple and before Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Furthermore, StarWars Star Wars: The Clone Wars Chronological Episode Order on StarWars.com (backup link) places Dark Disciple between "A Death on Utapau" and Revenge of the Sith, which are dated to 19 BBY by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. Since the events of Chaos Rising are set between the events of Dark Disciple and Revenge of the Sith, they must also occur in that year.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Thrawn
  10. Chapter 19 of Thrawn includes Arihnda Pryce being appointed governor of Lothal, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 11 BBY. As chapter 19 also establishes it has been approximately four years since the start of Thrawn, the novel must have began around 15 BBY.
  11. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
  12. The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem
  13. 13.0 13.1 Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
  14. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary places the Battle of Crait in the same year as the Battle of Starkiller Base, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY
  15. 15.0 15.1 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
  16. According to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker take place one year after the Starkiller Incident. Since Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the Incident to 34 ABY, The Rise of Skywalker must take place in 35 ABY, while all exploratory missions into the Unknown Regions prior to that event likewise happened by 35 ABY.
  17. Star Wars: Alien Archive establishes that the restored in-universe journal discusses Poe Dameron's mutiny against Amilyn Holdo, which is depicted in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. Since the events of The Last Jedi take place after the events of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates 34 ABY, the document must have been published after that year.
  18. StarWars Where in the Galaxy Are the Worlds of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
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