Orto Plutonia is a desolate ice planet found in the Pantora system. It is orbited by the moon of Pantora, which claimed the ice planet as a protectorate during the Old Republic. It is the featured location of the episode "Trespass," in the first season of
The Clone Wars (2009), written by Steven Melching and directed by Brian Kalin O'Connell.
The look of Orto Plutonia drew inspiration from early Ralph McQuarrie concept art that explored the ice planet Hoth. McQuarrie's initial concept paintings featured intensely saturated blue tones, a color scheme not found in the Norway location as shot for The Empire Strikes Back. Given the opportunity to render an ice world in a more painterly way, the artists for The Clone Wars extensively referenced McQuarrie's original works.
Another source of inspiration came when George Lucas likened the final action sequence of "Tempest" to an old western, with the clone troopers "circling the wagons" to protect from the incoming attackers. The script itself describes Orto Plutonia as resembling a frozen "Monument Valley," a striking expanse of the American West in Utah and Arizona frequently used in western movies. The immense mesas of ice are a nod to those movies.
When the Pantorans laid claim to Orto Plutonia, they were unaware of a Talz civilization already on the frigid planet. The Pantorans requested from the Republic a protective outpost on the planet to guard against Separatist incursions. That outpost, Glid Station, was soon spied upon by a makeshift Separatist base, but both installations were wiped out by the native Talz.
The Republic sent a task force to investigate, led by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Pantoran Chairman, Chi Cho, tagged along, bringing the easily-swayed Senator Riyo Chuchi so he could wield some measure of authority over the Jedi. The hawkish Cho believed the Separatists had attacked Glid Station. When it became an apparent that Orto Plutonia had a native population, Cho at first refused to believe it, and then later waged war against the Talz to ensure the planet remained a protectorate. All the Talz wanted was to be left alone on their world.
Cho's violent gambit failed and he was killed in the fighting. Senator Chuchi, backed by the Pantoran Assembly, ceded ownership of Orto Plutonia to the Talz, allowing them sovereignty over the planet. She withdrew the Republic and Pantoran presence from the world, leaving the Talz free to live their quiet life in their ice canyon villages.
Other life-forms seen on Orto Plutonia include narglatches, large cat-like creatures first developed by concept art Terryl Whitlatch as a possible Naboo life-form for Episode I.
