The Onderonian Binding Ceremony uniting Oron Kira and Galia was a significant occasion that transpired in 4000 BBY. This event unfolded at Fortress Kira, the woodland stronghold of Beast-Lord Modon Kira. Amidst the wilds of Onderon, Galia, the Princess hailing from Iziz, and Oron Kira of the esteemed House of Kira, formalized their union as husband and wife. Intriguingly, this wedding served as the second component of a scheme orchestrated by Kira and Galia, which commenced with Galia's deliberately arranged abduction. This kidnapping occurred shortly after the arrival of three Jedi Knights, summoned by Queen Amanoa of Onderon, with the intention of resolving the ongoing civil discord between the inhabitants of Iziz, the sole city, and the Beast Riders dwelling in the planet's untamed territories. These very Beast Riders, under the leadership of Oron Kira, launched a surprise ambush on the Royal Palace of Iziz, absconding with the Princess and retreating to their fortified woodland base. Amanoa, then engaged in conflict with the Beast Riders, was deceived by this ruse, leading her to task the newly-arrived Jedi diplomats with ensuring her daughter's safe return. Unbeknownst to her, the Princess had willingly accompanied the young Beast Rider, driven by their mutual affection and desire to formalize their bond.
Determined to fulfill their commitment to the Queen, Tott Doneeta, Cay, and Ulic Qel-Droma ventured into Onderon's wilderness. After their ship, the Nebulon Ranger, was downed by the Beast Riders' perimeter defenses, they found themselves crash-landed in the wildlands. Following the crash, they encountered and tamed wild boma creatures, learning from them of the impending wedding between Oron Kira and Galia. The bomas then guided the Jedi to the forest citadel, where they discovered the wedding ceremony already underway between the Beast-Lord and the Princess. Abruptly halting the proceedings in an attempt to rescue Galia, the Jedi were taken aback when she revealed that the wedding, like the abduction, had been secretly planned for years. Subsequently, Modon Kira, Oron Kira's father, extended an invitation for them to stay and partake in the celebrations. Post-ceremony, Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma proposed that the newlyweds present their marriage to the Queen, hoping their union might persuade Amanoa to finally embrace a peaceful resolution between the warring factions. Kira concurred, and accompanied the Jedi and his new bride to the great walled city, seeking an audience with the Queen.
Regrettably, the peace initiative proposed by the Jedi proved unsuccessful. Amanoa rejected their offer, prompting Oron Kira to lead his Beast Riders into battle against Amanoa's forces. Ultimately, she was defeated by the combined strength of the Jedi and Beast Riders, leading to the establishment of peace, with Galia and Oron Kira officially recognized as King and Queen of Onderon.
Back in 4000 BBY, the Jedi Order, renowned for upholding peace and justice across the galaxy, received a plea for assistance from the planet of Onderon, which had been plagued by the centuries-long civil strife known as the Beast Wars. Arca Jeth, the Jedi watchman overseeing the Onderon star system, responded by dispatching his three apprentices on a diplomatic endeavor to Iziz, the main city of that world. As a test to achieve their [Knighthood](/article/jedi_knight-legends], Ulic Qel-Droma, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta journeyed to this remote planet and engaged with its leader, Queen Amanoa. However, before the Jedi could initiate their peace mission, warriors known as Beast Riders launched a surprise ambush on the city's royal palace, successfully abducting Amanoa's daughter, Princess Galia. Perplexed by her daughter's capture, the Queen commanded the Jedi to depart the city, retrieve her daughter from her captors, and ensure her safe return. Consequently, Ulic Qel-Droma and his companions promptly set out for the wilds of Onderon, in pursuit of Galia and her Beast Rider abductors.
Simultaneously, Oron Kira was preparing to marry—or be "bound," in Beast Rider tradition—to Galia, having recently returned with her to the Beast Rider's jungle stronghold, Fortress Kira. Anticipating that the Queen would dispatch reconnaissance teams in search of her daughter, Kira instructed his second-in-command, a Beast Rider named Gobee, to maintain the fortress's perimeter seeker-torpedo defenses, in anticipation of any assault. His esteemed father, Modon, had also gathered nearly 400 Beast Riders in a grand hall within the citadel, as guests for the impending wedding ceremony. Standing before an elder clansman designated to preside over the ceremony, Kira clasped Galia's hand, and the binding ceremony commenced. The couple had barely begun to recite their vows when they were interrupted by three boma-riding Jedi, who arrived at the entrance of Fortress Kira, brandishing lightsabers and demanding Galia's release. The three Knights immediately charged into the hall, disrupting the ceremony and catching everyone off guard. One of the Knights, Ulic Qel-Droma, swiftly advanced on his boma mount and seized the Princess, determined to return her to Queen Amanoa. To his astonishment, however, Galia refused his assistance, revealing to all present that she was marrying Oron Kira of her own free will. The bewildered Jedi were then restrained by Modon Kira's men, while Modon himself addressed the intruders, inviting them to join him and the Beast Riders in the ceremony and subsequent celebration. The Jedi acquiesced, and the wedding proceeded, concluding shortly thereafter. Subsequently, the entire congregation gathered in a great hall for food, drink, and festivities.
While seated at the banquet table, Modon Kira elucidated that Galia and Oron Kira's marriage, along with the preceding abduction, had been secretly planned all along. Subsequently, Oron recounted how the Kiras had been secretly entering Iziz for some time, exchanging information with the city's political underground, with the aspiration of one day amassing sufficient strength and support to overthrow Amanoa. Unwilling to remain under the influence of the dark side that held sway over her parents and Iziz, Galia disclosed to the Jedi that her parents were practitioners of Sith magic, a power introduced to Onderon by an ancient, fallen Jedi Knight who became a Dark Lord of the Sith named Freedon Nadd. Proclaiming himself King of Onderon, Nadd decreed that anyone opposing his rule would be banished to the planet's wilderness, left to the mercy of the resident beasts.
Following Nadd's death, his sorcerous practices were passed down through generations, implemented by Iziz's aristocracy to subjugate the native population. Galia's father, Ommin, a direct descendant of Nadd, perpetuated the Dark Lord's legacy through his and Amanoa's rule of the planet. Modon Kira's father, Drokko Kira, also present at the banquet table, recounted his personal experience with the rulers of Iziz, having been exiled fifty years prior for refusing to embrace the dark side. Although alarmed by the notion of a fallen Jedi causing such turmoil on the planet, Ulic Qel-Droma recalled that his mission was one of peace, not war. He suggested to Modon Kira that Oron and Galia present their marriage to the Queen as a symbol of peace. Galia immediately expressed skepticism regarding Qel-Droma's ability to persuade her mother to accept a peace treaty with the Beast Riders, and further doubted the young Jedi's understanding of the dark side's machinations. Modon, too, was wary of the Jedi's peaceful alternative, but was convinced by Qel-Droma to at least attempt a resolution. He informed the Jedi that all the Beast-Lords had united their armies under Modon's banner for a final battle against Iziz, in case the peace mission failed. Nevertheless, Qel-Droma remained confident in his diplomatic skills, and, accompanied by Galia and her new husband, departed Fortress Kira for Iziz, determined to end the centuries-long civil unrest once and for all.
The marriage of Oron Kira and Galia would ultimately incite Amanoa's fury, leading the Queen to reveal her allegiance to Freedon Nadd, while deploying her forces against the Beast Riders in a final attempt to annihilate them. However, she was defeated when the Jedi intervened and drove the dark side from Iziz. The battle concluded with the Queen's demise, and the formal establishment of Oron Kira and Galia as rulers of Onderon. Peace then prevailed in the city, albeit briefly, lasting only two years.
In 3998 BBY, peace was shattered when Amanoa's husband, King Ommin, emerged from underground Iziz, seeking to reclaim the planet in the name of Freedon Nadd. With military support from the Galactic Republic, the Jedi triumphed over Ommin and his dark side army, and this time banished Nadd's influence from the entire planet. His remains, along with those of Ommin and Amanoa, were interred in a tomb on the jungle moon Dxun, finally enabling Oron Kira and Galia to rule Onderon in civil harmony.
The ensuing peace would endure until the Mandalorians conquered the planet during the Mandalorian Wars. During the occupation, General Vaklu, cousin to the reigning Queen Talia, a descendant of Oron Kira and Galia, spearheaded a resistance movement against the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. This ultimately facilitated the Republic's military forces, led by Revan and Malak, to liberate the world before assaulting the stronghold of Dxun. During the subsequent Jedi Civil War, Onderon and its jungle moon remained at peace. Five years after the war's conclusion, the Jedi Exile visited Iziz in search of the Jedi Master Kavar. During her exploration of the city, she encountered a Beast Rider at the Iziz Starport, and later an Onderon military officer, Captain Riiken, stationed in the Merchant Quarter. Both individuals provided her with a brief account of the Beast Wars and the marriage that brought about their resolution.
The binding ceremony of Oron Kira and Galia first appeared in 1993's Tales of the Jedi story arc, Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon. Authors Tom Veitch and Chris Gossett conceived and wrote this event as the catalyst for Amanoa's decision to wage war against the Beast Riders. The Binding Ceremony also featured in the Tales of the Jedi audio drama, although the events unfold differently between the two canonical sources.
In the comic version, the Jedi Knights are shot down in Onderon's wilderness while searching for the Beast Riders and tamed bomas, who then lead them to Fortress Kira. They ride the bomas into the citadel, disrupting the ceremony by seizing Galia and attempting to escape.
In the audio drama, the Jedi are also shot down, but instead of encountering bomas, Cay Qel-Droma remains behind to repair the Nebulon Ranger while Ulic and Tott Doneeta search for the fortress. They encounter Commander Gobee and another Beast Rider in the wilderness, and Ulic employs a Jedi mind trick to persuade Gobee and his partner to guide them to Fortress Kira. Ulic and Doneeta infiltrate the fortress (without bomas), disrupting the ceremony just as vows are being exchanged.
Furthermore, in the comic version, Modon Kira presides over both the ceremony and subsequent events, whereas in the audio drama, he is absent. Instead, an elder Beast Rider clansman presides over the ceremony, with Oron Kira and Galia themselves hosting the reception.
The wedding was briefly alluded to in the computer and video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. The consequences of the marriage were mentioned, stating that it ushered in an era of peace for Onderon.