Belderone

Belderone was a terrestrial planet located in the Belderone system within an intersecting portion of the Outer Rim Territories and the Slice. Situated in grid square R-6 of the Standard Galactic Grid, the world lay along the Salin Corridor hyperspace route between the astronomical objects Trogan and Columex. It shared its name with the Belderone sector.

Beginning during the reign of the Galactic Empire, an Imperial naval base and an R/M Facility Four deepdock were based at Belderone. During that time, members of the Imperial Army, such as stormtroopers, were reluctant to be stationed on Belderone, as it was understood that the troops stationed the farthest from the Imperial capital of Coruscant were of the least importance to the Empire's cause. As such, virtually any reassignment to the planet was viewed as punishment or demotion.

The Salin Corridor provided an access point toward the Cron Drift, an asteroid field and the only known bypass to reach the ancient world of Ossus, which was tied by legends to the origins of the Jedi. The Imperial Navy restricted traffic toward the asteroid field, establishing checkpoints at the best jump points from the Perlemian Trade Route. However, the Salin Corridor and the Tion Cluster were the less patrolled of those access points, and consequently, Belderone and other worlds such as Foran Tutha became home to cottage industries that supported treasure hunters searching for Ossus.

In 14 BBY, a rebel cell led by former Galactic Republic Intelligence officer Berch Teller stole the Carrion Spike, the personal corvette of Imperial Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. After Tarkin and the Sith Lord Darth Vader acquired a replacement ship, Emperor Sheev Palpatine was informed of the situation by several high-ranking Imperial officers, who mentioned that Vader and Tarkin were pursuing the captured corvette toward the Fial system. Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit further relayed to the Emperor that the nearest Imperial presence was in the Belderone system, and thereafter Palpatine ordered that the admiralty at the Belderone system be instructed to send starships to whichever star systems Vader and Tarkin requested in order to pursue the hijacked Carrion Spike.

After the captured Carrion Spike was used to attack Galidraan Station, Tarkin, who had continued to pursue his stolen vessel, liaised with the Imperial colonel aboard the space station, soon asking about Imperial resources available near the Galidraan system. After the colonel mentioned Belderone's two naval facilities, Tarkin questioned what ships there were at the R/M Facility Four Deepdock there, with the colonel confirming that several CR90 corvettes, two Carrack-class light cruisers, two Victory-class Star Destroyers, and the Venator-class Star Destroyer Liberator were stationed at the deepdock.

Tarkin discussed the Carrion Spikes next target with Vader, establishing that Belderone was too fortified for the corvette to strike at and instead predicting that the planet Nam Chorios would be the target. Vader then ordered that Belderone be contacted to have the Liberator be sent to Nam Chorios, and Tarkin told the colonel to establish contact between him and both Belderone and Coruscant to do so. In another meeting between high-ranking Imperial leaders, Deputy Director Harus Ison of the Empire's Imperial Security Bureau called the withdrawal of ships from Belderone reckless, adding that they were risking the curtailment of pacification campaigns elsewhere. The Liberator reached Nam Chorios, finding no insurgent attack, and was redeployed to the planet Ord Cestus afterward.

During the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, Belderone's facilities were a major part of the Empire's network of shipyards and drydocks. In 3 ABY, the Alliance's 61st Mobile Infantry led the campaign Operation Ringbreaker against the Kuat Drive Yards, attacking more lightly guarded industrial hubs to initiate redeployments of Kuat's security forces. While Alliance Intelligence observed the campaign and its early success, rebel General Crix Madine made a galactic map of the Empire's major shipyards, drydocks, and mining centers that were considered possible targets should the Kuat Drive Yards be successfully sabotaged.

Belderone was marked on the map as a high-priority target with a medium security level. The map was included in an official document sent by Madine to Alliance Commander-in-Chief Mon Mothma, eventually being collected by archivist Hendri Underholt for the compilation of non-electronic documents known as The Rebel Files. The 61st ultimately abandoned Operation Ringbreaker before it could reach Kuat Drive Yards.

Belderone was introduced into the current Star Wars canon in a mention in the 2014 novel Tarkin, written by James Luceno. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Belderone first appeared in the third annual issue of the 1977 Star Wars comic-book series, written by Mary Jo Duffy, illustrated by Klaus Janson, and published by Marvel Comics on August 30, 1983.

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