Brath Qella, which later became known as Maltha Obex during the era of the Galactic Empire, was a planet situated within the Mieru'kar sector of the Outer Rim Territories. This world served as the original homeland for both the Qella species and their ancestors, the Ahra Naffi. Reaching it required five standard days of travel from N'zoth and eight from Coruscant using a standard hyperdrive system.
The planet's dense atmosphere resulted in a blurry, gray visual appearance when viewed from space. Two natural satellites orbited it, and it was located relatively close to the system's asteroid belt.
The Galactic Republic's Third General Survey initially discovered the planet in 145 BBY. One of Brath Qella's moons had an erratic orbit, placing it on a path to collide with the other moon. Knowing of their impending doom, the Qella people constructed the Teljkon Vagabond spacecraft to escape and eventually restore their species and their home planet.
By the time the planet's discovery was officially recorded, it was deemed worthy of detailed surveying, and an exploratory team was sent. However, by then, the moons had already collided, bombarding Brath Qella with debris the size of asteroids, which triggered a severe ice age in 140 BBY. The exploratory team determined that the planet was not worth further investigation, and the Republic subsequently forgot about it.
During the height of the New Order, the Tobek rediscovered the planet and renamed it Maltha Obex. When Lando Calrissian and his team uncovered the connection between the Vagabond and Brath Qella, the New Republic invalidated the Tobek's claim. Kroddok Stopa and Josala Krenn, two researchers from the Obroan Institute for Archaeology, established a dig site to gather genetic information about the Qella. They were able to confirm Calrissian's theory, but an avalanche triggered by a repulsorlift killed them before assistance could arrive. When Joto Eckels arrived aboard the Penga Rift, he recovered the bodies of his colleagues and unearthed several frozen Qella bodies, which were later given to Hiram Drayson for Alpha Blue research.
Upon its eventual return to the Qella system, the Vagabond used its energy beams, previously thought to be defensive weapons, to begin thawing Brath Qella from its premature ice age. Once the planet was habitable, the vessel would release the Qella's genetic material, which was stored onboard, to revive the species.