Talay was a small city on the planet Talay. Nearby was Tak Base, a secret installation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. It was devastated by the Dark Trooper Project during the Galactic Civil War.
The city of Talay was a small settlement on the planet of the same name, built near a river. It consisted of some small buildings and a cantina to the south. The settlement was powered by a hydroelectric power generator situated on a pond of the river in the back side of the cantina.
Another pond separated the city of Talay from the Tak Base area. A rotating bridge, operated from a control room in the middle of the pond, connected the room either towards the settlement or towards the base.
Several months after the Evacuation of Yavin, Tak Base became the target of the first demonstration of the dark trooper project. Hyperspace capsules sent these new Imperial troopers to various locations of the planet and quickly wiped out many civilians in the siege against the base.
The massacre mobilized the Rebellion, and mercenary Kyle Katarn was sent by Mon Mothma to investigate. The Moldy Crow piloted by Jan Ors dropped Katarn on a courtyard somewhere in the city, but the first thing he saw was the ruined settlement, its ground scattered with dead burnt bodies, the result of the massacre. The whole city was now "inhabited" by stormtroopers who secured the place. Initially, he saw that the whole area was devoid of power. Defending himself from the stormtroopers, he managed to reach and restart the hydroelectric power generator.
With power now activated, he was able to operate the rotating bridge which connected the city with the Tak Base. Once he collected the evidence he needed, he traced his way back; although the Empire had sent reinforcements with fresh troops, he reached the courtyard, and left on his ship.
Talay, both the city and the planet first appeared in Star Wars: Dark Forces. In a cutscene, Mon Mothma referred to it as the "City of Talay", which indicates that "Talay" might have meant to be the name of the city. The Dark Forces script, also mentions the "home planet of the city of Talay".
- "Game Room: Revving Up the 'Jedi Engine'" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1
- Dark Forces Official Player's Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide
- Strongholds of Resistance
- Star Wars: The Card Game — Galactic Ambitions