Located in the Outer Rim Corporate Sector, Rampa III was located a short jump off the Solenbaran Merchant Route, connected to R'alla by a route called the Rampa Rapids. By the era of the Galactic Civil War, Rampa III was arid and polluted, and was constantly riddled by drought.
As of the Imperial Period, Rampa III had become heavily industrialized, dotted with Corporate Sector Authority labor camps and factories. The Authority made it a practice to send prisoners and the sector's least fortunate to Rampa III, and the planet's landscape had become extremely polluted, with very little drinkable water. As such, a bustling smuggling trade sprung up between Rampa III and nearby R'alla, which was well-known for its sweet, clear water. That run, known as the Rampa Rapids, was heavily patrolled by both Authority gunships and the native Rampa Skywatch, and was known for being highly perilous. Many smugglers cut their teeth running water to Rampa III, including a young Han Solo, who ran the Rampa Rapids during his early career. Gunrunner Tiv "Poke" Pocarno was less successful than Solo, as the Captain of the Broken 'Spanner, in a futile effort to pay back a sizable debt to Reuss VIII crime lord Torel Vorne, botched a smuggling run to Rampa III and died penniless.
C-3PX once completed a hit on Rampa III following a hit on Bonadan.
Rampa was first mentioned in Han Solo's Revenge, a novel written by Brian Daley and released in 1979.
The 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas later identified the planet as Rampa III. Additionally, it created the Rampa Minor system to differentiate Rampa 1 and Rampa 2 from Rampa III, establishing that they are not in the same system.
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe
- Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
- Platt's Starport Guide
- The Essential Guide to Characters
- Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
- Stock Ships
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Official Star Wars Fact File138
- The New Essential Guide to Droids
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Atlas