Shawken

A planet located in the Core Worlds, Shawken was comfortably habitable by Humans, with a varied topography that included forests and badlands. The planet was highly urbanized by the era of the Galactic Empire, with Shawken's modern society built upon the remains of its past. Shawken was located along the Shawken Spur hyperlane, which connected the world to Coruscant.

The Shawkenese began construction on an enormous skyscraper called the Shawken Spire during the pre-Republic era, a process that continued for over nine millennia. The tower was destroyed in 18,780 BBY, by which point it touched low orbit, and was later replaced with a more modern recreation. Shawken became a Core Founder when the Galactic Republic came into being in 25,000 BBY—by that point, Shawken was considered a thriving hub of science and philosophy. In ancient times, one Shawkenese scientist, an avowed nihilist, created a superweapon that was supposedly capable of destroying every planet in the universe by artificially creating a new Big Bang. The weapon, later known simply as the Shawken Device, was never used, and its secrets lost upon his death. The planet supported Alsakan during the Alsakan Conflicts of the Kymoodon Era.

Shawken became renowned around the galaxy in 10,000 BBY, when the historian Vicendi selected the Shawken Spire as one of the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Shawken's society was considered one of the most ancient in the galaxy. Shawken was controlled by the Galactic Empire throughout the war and was believed to still be a stronghold even after the Empire's climactic defeat at Endor in 4 ABY, the Imperial forces pulled out before the advance of the new Alliance of Free Planets. The Alliance sent a diplomatic delegation to Shawken led by Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, where he met with local political leaders who chose a diplomat named Santor to be their representative to the upcoming First Conference of Free Peoples.

During this meeting, several of Skywalker's compatriots—the smugglers Rik Duel, Dani and Chihdo—accidentally managed to get themselves trapped while exploring some of Shawken's ancient catacombs. In doing so, they inadvertently reactivated the chambers containing the Shawken Device, knowledge of which had been passed down through the generations. Although the mechanism to deactivate the universe-destroying weapon were hidden beneath an underground river, the aquatic Iskalonian Alliance agent Kiro proved up to the task, although he suffered severe injuries in the process.

Shawken was inhabited by the Shawkenese, a primarily Human culture that dated back to the pre-Republic era and was considered one of the galaxy's oldest and grandest. At one time, Shawken was known as the homeworld of many Jedi heroes. The ancient Shawkenese were noted for their advanced energy technology, somehow managing to imbue seemingly inert objects with power and using them as energy sources—just how these technologies worked was a secret long lost by the time of the Galactic Civil War. In the wake of the Empire's retreat from Shawken during the Galactic Civil War, the world was governed by a council that chose Santor as its representative to the Alliance of Free Planets

Perhaps the most famous individual structure on the planet was the Shawken Spire, which reached beyond Shawken's atmosphere by its destruction, and later earned status as one of the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy. The original Shawken Spire was later replicated with more modern materials. The ancient Shawkenese left behind extensive ruins and catacomb systems that were partially excavated by the Galactic Empire, and that contained mysterious treasures.

Shawken first appeared in Star Wars 87, written by Mary Jo Duffy, illustrated by Tom Palmer and released in 1984.

• Coruscant and the Core Worlds
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• "Blaster" — Star Wars Insider 111
• The Essential Atlas
• Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide