During the final years of the Galactic Republic, the B'ankor Refuge, a small sanctuary, was established on Coruscant. This land was provided in perpetuity by the then-Supreme Chancellor, Chasen Piian, to the B'ankora species who had survived the destruction of their homeworld.
Following the end of the Clone Wars and the subsequent rise of the Galactic Empire, the B'ankora were forcibly evicted from their sanctuary. This action was justified by the Empire through the invocation of ancient eminent domain laws. The B'ankora were then relocated to Parau VI, a desolate world located in the Mid Rim, where the species ultimately met its end. The refuge was demolished, and an Imperial energy research center took its place. Initial complaints regarding the refuge's replacement eventually faded from public consciousness.
Situated between the pole and equator in the western hemisphere of Coruscant, the B'ankor Refuge stood apart from the planet's urbanized eastern regions. The area lacked weather control systems. Construction droids built the refuge, which included small lakes, fertile soil, groves of trees and other plants, and even two artificial hills. The B'ankor Refuge encompassed an area of 5.1 square kilometers.
After the B'ankora were moved, the buildings and fields that had once been their home were destroyed, their surface trails were erased, while air control stations and surveillance towers were erected.
Originally, the area was a grassland in private hands, but legal issues led to its neglect. After a cataclysmic collision devastated the homeworld of the B'ankora species around 1300 BBY, the Galactic Republic acquired the land. It served as a temporary haven for the B'ankora. In the twilight years of the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Chasen Piian officially designated the area as the B'ankor Refuge, granting it in perpetuity to the remaining members of the species.
In the immediate aftermath of the end of the Clone Wars and the subsequent rise of the Galactic Empire, the B'ankora were forcefully removed from their sanctuary. The Empire justified this action by invoking ancient eminent domain laws. The B'ankora were then relocated to Parau VI, a lifeless world in the Mid Rim, where they ultimately went extinct. The buildings and fields that had once been their home were destroyed and the refuge was replaced by an Imperial energy research center connected to Project Celestial Power. Initial objections to the refuge's replacement gradually faded from public memory.
While on the planet Watassay within the Five Points system, Jyn Erso reflected on her family, including her mother's efforts to safeguard Legacy worlds and her studies of the B'ankor Refuge.
The B'ankor Refuge was first introduced in the 2016 novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, authored by James Luceno. This novel served as a prequel to the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.