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The shattered remnants of Malachor V
The Mass Shadow Generator was a superweapon used during the Battle of Malachor V.
History
- "I remember standing on the bridge with you and watching the destruction of the Republic—watching ships full of soldiers and Jedi burn and die. I remember the look you had when you turned to me. It was the longest you'd ever looked at me. You didn't say anything—just a nod. Events move quickly then, even in my dreams. Flashes, explosions, you—falling. I could feel the pain around me. And then the memory. The drifting hulks of the Mandalorian ships, the dead—allies, friends, strangers. And then the echo. Lingering. The sound I awaken to in my nightmares. Does anyone deserve the Mandalorians' fate? Even some of their conquered worlds fared better."
- ―Bao-Dur, to Meetra Surik
The Mass Shadow Generator was created by the Zabrak tech specialist Bao-Dur, under orders from the Jedi Knight Revan, in the year 3960 BBY. The weapon was the centerpiece of a trap with which Revan hoped to bring about a conclusive end to the Mandalorian Wars. Overseeing the device's use was Jedi General Meetra Surik who would later come to be known as The Exile. Revan lured the Mandalorians to Malachor V, and a massive fleet battle ensued in orbit. During the fighting, Surik commanded Bao-Dur to activate the secret weapon with a single, silent nod. Moments later, a significant portion of both fleets were suddenly drawn from orbit into a vast gravity vortex that was powerful enough to crush the countless ships into the planet's crust and fracture Malachor V to its very core.[1]
Malachor V, transformed into a cluster of planetoids assaulted by tectonically-generated storms[2]
During the event, Malachor V was turned into a broken cluster of planetoids that were only tenuously fused together by the gravitational anomalies present in the system.[3] Orbiting the broken remains of the planet was the wreckage of countless Mandalorian and Republic warships. All that remained on the surface of the planet was a desolate graveyard echoing with the deaths of thousands of Jedi, Republic soldiers, and Mandalorians. It was littered with destroyed vessels and the only surviving inhabitants were vicious storm beasts.[1]
In 3951 BBY, the Mass Shadow Generator was used a second and final time. During her campaign against the Sith Triumvirate during the First Jedi Purge, Surik traveled to Malachor V in pursuit of the Sith Lord Darth Traya. At the Trayus Academy, she fought the Sith forces occupying the planet and defeated both Darth Sion and Darth Traya in combat. Soon after, the Mass Shadow Generator was activated by Bao-Dur's remote and the sudden release of the gravity field destroyed what was left of the planet.[1]
Capabilities
The Mass Shadow Generator drew upon the natural mass shadows generated by planetary bodies. At Malachor V, the gravitation anomalies at work within the Malachor system allowed it to unleash catastrophic devastation upon anything within close proximity of the planet. The superweapon was designed to take advantage of the unique gravitational fields present at Malachor V, but it would later be speculated that the weapon could be modified to function within any star system. The Mass Shadow Generator was capable of gravely damaging or destroying any ships or space stations in orbit above the target world, but it also annihilated virtually everything upon the planet's surface. [4][1]
Behind the scenes
Though a non-canon outcome, G0-T0 destroys the remote and the Mass Shadow Generator is not activated a second time, if the player is devoted to the dark side.
Although Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars state that Revan, not Surik, was the one to activate the Generator, this is not necessarily a retcon, as the Timeline series is presented in-universe as history as the Jedi choose to describe it.
Appearances
- The Old Republic: Revan (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (First appearance)
- Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (Mentioned in Codex entry)
Sources
- The New Essential Guide to Droids
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Jedi Academy Training Manual
- The Essential Atlas
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
- ↑ Climate: Techtonic-Generated Storms
Terrain: Shattered Planetoid[src] - ↑ [Your programming commands you to find four vessels buried within Malachor's surface, and activate the engine systems on each one.]
[When the engine systems are activated, it will disrupt the gravitonic anomaly that is keeping the planetoids fused together, and Malachor V will begin to drift apart.]—Bao-Dur's remote[src] - ↑ Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide