A peculiar world, Byss resided within both the Interior and [Deep Core](/article/deep_core] sectors of the galaxy. Functioning as the terminal point of the Byss Run, it also formed a segment of the broader Nexus Route. Its discovery occurred late in the days of the Old Republic, after which it was covertly utilized as a throneworld by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine throughout the reign of the Galactic Empire.
Byss was a terrestrial world of unusual nature, characterized by a spectral radiance emanating from its sun. When viewed from orbit, it presented a unique appearance, displaying bands of brown in varying tones across its surface. Situated within the Interior and [Deep Core](/article/deep_core] regions of the galaxy, its coordinates were located at square K-11 on the Standard Galactic Grid. As the endpoint of the Byss Run hyperspace route, it was linked to the planet Prakith. The Byss Run itself constituted a portion of the larger Nexus Route, thereby connecting Byss to the Abregado system found within the Core Worlds.
The discovery of Byss occurred relatively late in the days of the Old Republic, sharing its designation with the homeworld of the Abyssin species. This Deep Core planet gained significance for Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Palpatine established a clandestine throneworld on Byss, complete with an Imperial citadel to which Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, a subordinate of Palpatine, once retreated. His purpose there was to devise strategies for the Empire's New Order over the subsequent ten thousand years.
In 34 ABY, the Star Cruiser Halcyon of Chandrila Star Line displayed a partial map of the galaxy featuring Byss on multiple screens. This occurred during a voyage from the Chandrila system in the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim Territories. Furthermore, Byss was included as a world in the Interior section of the game Sector Set, available for play in the cruiser's atrium during the journey.
Within established Star Wars canon, the initial mention of Byss appeared on a card within the 2015 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith collection, released by The Topps Company, Inc. on August 21, 2015. Its first visual representation was in the thirty-sixth edition of the Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, published around September 9, 2015. The 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, penned by Charles Soule, references a Byss situated far from the planet Hetzal Prime, where systems engineers are assisting technician Keven Tarr amidst the Great Hyperspace Disaster. However, it remains ambiguous whether this refers to the Deep Core world or the Abyssin homeworld.
The world's debut in-universe depiction was on a map accessible within Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, an interactive role-playing experience at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, which opened to the public on March 1, 2022. Byss originated within the Star Wars Legends continuity, making its initial appearance in the second issue of the Star Wars: Dark Empire comic book series. This series was authored by Tom Veitch, illustrated by Cam Kennedy, and published by Dark Horse Comics on February 18, 1992.