The Obroan Institute for Archaeology, often shortened to the Obroan Institute, was a research organization that formed a part of the collection of educational bodies that formed the greater library-world of Obroa-skai. Devoted to the discovery, analysis, and cataloging of species and civilizations to promote galactic diversity and understanding, the Institute's numerous experts performed both field and desk research, and maintained a fleet of exploration vessels to support the former.
In addition to its headquarters on Obroa-skai, the Institute maintained a major facility on Coruscant, including a landing bay in Newport, and a research base on Babali, and ostensibly operated branches on several other worlds. The Institute was a government-funded segment of the General Ministry of the New Republic, although as a semi-independent institute it operated with relative freedom. Within the Institute, departments like the Office of Sentient Species managed internal policies. Planets chosen for exploration were selected from a list nominated by member researchers. Each nominated mission required the interested researchers to pursue funding options to finance the expedition from the General Ministry budget or outside sources.
In 1 BBY, a pre-Republic specialist at the Institute, Dr. Insmot Bowen, partook in a briefing conference with General Arhul Kurumenga of the Imperial Department of Military Research, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, and Master of Imperial Projects Bevel Lemelisk, giving a theory about the mysteries of the galaxy, including a barrier to the west of the Core Worlds, being the result of Celestial technology dating back to the Rakatan revolt, with Motti expressing disbelief at the theory.
In 17 ABY, the Institute was involved in the investigation of Brath Qella spawned by the pursuit of the Teljkon Vagabond. The Institute supplied a five-hundred-member research team that investigated the Sharu of Rafa IV on behalf of the New Republic.
Later, the Yuuzhan Vong assault on Obroa-skai left the Institute scrambling to preserve its records and artifacts while fleeing the fallen world. The flight encouraged Bel-dar-Nolek, who had been the director of the Institute since at least 17 ABY, to challenge the New Republic's failure to defend Obroa-skai on the Senate floor. The director even went so far as to suggest that the Institute to attempt to make peace independently with the Yuuzhan Vong in order to return to Obroa-skai and preserve what data remained.
During the spring break of Roan Novachez's second year at the Jedi academy on Coruscant, he took a trip with his friend Pasha and Pasha's dad to their home on Obroa-skai. There, he got to visit Pasha's dad's office at the Obroan Institute for Archaeology. He showed Roan some of the Jedi artifacts he had been studying, including vintage Force crystals, the arm of a Tythonian security droid, the Unknown Holocron, an ancient prototype lightsaber, a monogrammed Ossus Keeper robe and an ancient Jedi text titled The Path of the Jedi. Unfortunately, Roan accidentally ripped a page of the book and for the rest of the trip was worried that Pasha's dad was mad at him.
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