Oba Diah's Moon

The Pykes ran their affairs from the planet Oba Diah, where they dwelled in decadent luxury among mountain crags and busy spaceports where much illicit cargo changed hands. During the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi came to Oba Diah, where they investigated a conspiracy leading back more than a decade. They discovered the Pykes had shot down a shuttle belonging to the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas on their planet’s moon and given Sifo-Dyas’s body to Count Dooku, known to them as Tyranus, in return for his assistance against other crime families. But the Pykes didn’t tell Dooku that Supreme Chancellor Valorum’s aide Silman had survived the crash, and kept him locked away as insurance. The Pykes gave Silman to Anakin and Obi-Wan, but Dooku arrived and killed Silman before he could be questioned.

During the Clone Wars, the Pykes became the galaxy’s preeminent spice dealers, gaining control of mining operations on Kessel and funneling illicit substances to Coruscant’s most influential crime families. The Pykes’ stronghold is Oba Diah, but they are a powerful presence on nearby Kessel. Pyke sentinels keep a close watch on miners sentenced to extract spice and coaxium from Kessel, as well as on the smugglers hired to ferry these valuable cargos to offworld purification plants and refineries.

An older design used by the Jedi Knights, the T-6 shuttle was pressed into heavier service by the necessities of the Clone Wars. The half-circle shaped ship has a rotating body, allowing for flexibility of configurations when landing on planetary surfaces or docking with starships and stations. The Jedi primarily used the T-6 as a peacetime conveyance, hence it has no weapons. The ship's reliable hyperdrive and larger interior space meant that interstellar travel in a T-6 was far more comfortable than in a cramped Jedi starfighter. In case of emergency, the ship's crew could launch ejection seats that deploy spheroid survival capsules that not only contain vital atmospheric pressure, but also cushion impact.

A Kel Dor from Dorin, Plo Koon was among the wisest members of the Jedi Order, respected for his level-headed analysis of events and unflappable calm. Deeply concerned for life in all its myriad forms, Plo was especially devoted to protecting the clones under his command. He shared a special bond with Ahsoka Tano, whom he’d brought to the Jedi Order as a toddler. One of many victims of Order 66, Master Plo died at Cato Neimoidia when his wingmen shot down his starfighter.

At the time of their introduction, the Republic clone troopers represented the future of galactic warfare. Far superior to battle droids, the clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military that waged war against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. So symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflict that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: the Clone Wars.

A member of the Jedi Council before the blockade of Naboo, Sifo-Dyas believed the galaxy would soon be plunged into war, and agitated for the Republic to create an army for its defense. After the other Jedi rejected his ideas and removed him from the council, he secretly contacted the Kaminoans and commissioned them to create a clone army, which he led the Kaminoans to believe was for the Republic. In doing so, Sifo-Dyas became an unwitting pawn of the Sith, who took over the project and hired the Pyke Syndicate to murder Sifo-Dyas on Oba Diah’s moon. A decade after Sifo-Dyas’ death, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the army he had commissioned, now ready for duty. The Jedi took control of this army on Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s orders, setting the Clone Wars in motion.