Ophideraan was an arid desert planet in the Colonies that, by the era of the Galactic Civil War, was ruled by a group of bandits known as the Serpent Masters. Ophideraan's skies were dominated by a unique species of flying serpent that communicated through ultrasonic tones not audible to the Human ear—it was through discovery of these tones that the Serpent Masters learned to control and mount these fearsome beasts. The Serpent Masters maintained a society through salvaging wrecks and enslaving those unfortunates that crashed onto Ophideraan, using them to maintain the few sources of water on the planet. The Serpent Masters' rule was overthrown in 0 ABY, through the efforts of Rebel agent Luke Skywalker.
Located in the Ophideraan system of the Colonies, Ophideraan was an isolated, barren planet with little plant life dotting its surface. However, the world supported a large population of flying serpents, which were among the most distinctive life forms native to Ophideraan. The massive winged lizards ruled Ophideraan's skies, communicating with each other through tones at pitches beyond Human hearing. The serpents originated from the Great Well, the main source of water on the arid planet, and which was regarded as the source of all life on Ophideraan. Ophideraan had at least a pair of moons.
The Serpent Masters ride their mounts in the skies above Ophideraan.
By the era of the Galactic Civil War, Ophideraan was ruled by the Serpent Masters, a group of Human scavengers who had learned how to control and ride upon the planet's native flying serpents. The group's Supreme Serpent Master, a man named Tyrann, not only discovered the arid world but learned the secret of how the flying serpents communicated, creating a device that could replicate their ultrasonic tones and allow for their use as mounts. The Serpent Masters made use of a large amount of slave labor in maintaining their society—among the unfortunates held there was the Human Josen Shire and his daughter Tanith, who had crash-landed on Ophideraan and were immediately taken captive. Tanith was allowed to serve the Serpent Masters offworld by steering wrecked ships to the planet for salvage, and in 0 ABY she returned with a friend in tow: Luke Skywalker, a Rebel pilot and budding Force-user.
Pressed into servitude by the Serpent Masters, Skywalker immediately began working to overthrow the bandits, starting by attempting to uncover the secret of how they controlled the flying serpents. Skywalker's droid R2-D2 uncovered how the Serpent Masters were commanding the beasts, and used the astromech's capabilities to claim a steed of his own. Having learned of the device Tyrann used to maintain his group's dominion over the serpents took the form of a medallion worn around his neck, Skywalker flew his serpent into battle and cut the medallion from Tyrann's neck. Tyrann leapt to his death trying to catch the falling trinket, and the medallion's destruction led to the serpents being turned loose and the downfall of the Serpent Masters. Afterwards, R2-D2 fixed the transmitter and turned it over to the bandits' former slaves, giving them the tools to rule over Ophideraan themselves.
By 0 ABY, Ophideraan was mostly populated by the Serpent Masters and the sentients they enslaved, as they stripped wrecked ships on the planet's surface of all their valuables and survivors. Mostly Human, the Serpent Masters were led by a Supreme Serpent Master, Tyrann, who led their initial settling of the planet. The dozens of slaves trapped on Ophideraan spent their days maintaining the extensive system plumbing and drilling equipment at the heart of the Great Well.
The center of life on the planet Ophideraan was its Great Well, the origin point of its flying serpents and the main population center on the arid world. The well was a massive pit that bored deep into the planet's surface, with a large lake at the bottom—a large island at the center of the Great Well contained the Serpent Masters' slave level, where their captives spent their days maintaining the Great Well's plumbing and drilling equipment. The Great Well also contained the Cavern of the Serpents, the breeding ground for the beasts.
Ophideraan first appeared as the primary setting of The Serpent Masters, a story arc of the Star Wars comic strip written by Archie Goodwin, illustrated by Al Williamson and released in 1981. Although the planet went unnamed in its first appearance, its name was later given in Tanith Shire's Databank entry.
- "ComicScan: Coming Full Circle" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- The Official Star Wars Fact File60
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Atlas