Annaj, a celestial body, existed within the Annaj system, situated in the Moddell sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Serving as the terminus of the Spar Trade Route, it provided the most straightforward access to the sector and was subject to patrols by the forces of the Galactic Empire. As the Rebel Alliance formulated their strategy to assault the second Death Star orbiting the moon Endor in the Moddell sector, rebel agents were deployed to Annaj. One such scout, Corporal Ractivelle, undertook an analysis of the sector's geographical characteristics, determining that any attempt by the Alliance fleet to enter the Moddell sector via Annaj would almost certainly result in an encounter with Imperial forces, thus negating any possibility of a surprise assault.
Annaj was a land-based astronomical body located in the Annaj system, which was part of the Moddell sector within the Outer Rim Territories. Its location was designated as H-16 on the Standard Galactic Grid. It marked the end of the Spar Trade Route and was linked via the Houche Run hyperspace route to Ovise. Ovise itself was a terminus for the Ovise Reach hyperroute. Additionally, a hyperspace route connected Annaj to the astronomical body known as Kuna's Tooth.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Imperial patrols were a common sight at Annaj. In the period leading up to 4 ABY, the Empire was actively constructing the second Death Star superweapon above the forest moon of Endor within the Moddell sector. To secretly transport materials into the sector, they utilized a clandestine artificial hyperspace route known as the Sanctuary Pipeline originating from the planet Sullust. Subsequently, Emperor Palpatine devised a scheme to ensnare the bulk of the Rebel Alliance's forces in a carefully orchestrated trap, employing the Death Star as a lure. He intentionally allowed information regarding the superweapon and the Sanctuary Pipeline to fall into the hands of the rebels.
As the Alliance began its preparations to destroy the second Death Star, rebel agents were stationed on Annaj. Among them, Corporal Ractivelle, a rebel scout belonging to Stardust unit, conducted a geographical analysis of the Moddell sector. This resulted in the creation of a map of the sector, highlighting Annaj and other key locations. This map was incorporated into a special report by the scout, detailing potential routes for the Alliance fleet to reach Endor. Ractivelle pointed out that the Spare Trade Route offered the easiest entry point into the Moddell sector, followed by a journey along the Houche Run from Annaj, and then a series of shorter jumps to Endor. The corporal predicted that an Imperial presence at Annaj would almost certainly compromise the fleet's element of surprise.
Although Ractivelle's findings suggested that a surprise attack was unlikely, Major Capin Harinar provided a classified document addressed to Alliance General Crix Madine. In this document, he discussed the Empire's Sanctuary Pipeline, explaining how it had escaped the notice of the Annaj agents and how the Alliance could exploit it for a surprise attack. Consequently, the Alliance launched its attack on the second Death Star using the Sanctuary Pipeline, achieving a decisive victory that resulted in the Emperor's demise—despite the initial trap that had been set. Both Ractivelle's and Harinar's documents were collected by archivist Hendri Underholt, who compiled them in the archive of non-electronic documents known as The Rebel Files by the time of their death on the same day as the Endor battle.
The first mention of Annaj occurred in Star Wars: The Rebel Files, a canon reference book and boxed set released in 2017, authored by Daniel Wallace.