Cynda, with a pronunciation of /sɪndə/, existed as a moon abundant in thorilide. This celestial body orbited the planet Gorse, situated within the Inner Rim region of the galaxy. Its significance stemmed from its crucial role in the manufacturing of turbolasers for both the Galactic Republic and, subsequently, the Galactic Empire. The Count Denetrius Vidian of the Empire plotted to obliterate Cynda to advance his political standing, but Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus, leading a rebel force, intervened to safeguard both the moon and Gorse.
Gorse was orbited by Cynda in an elliptical path, which frequently brought it close enough to generate minor seismic activity on the planet's surface. Cynda was close to the size requirement to be considered a double planet along with Gorse.
The surface of Cynda was described as having an "icy" visual appearance, while its interior housed expansive caverns filled with diamond stalagmites and stalactites. These formations contained thorilide, a valuable and unstable resource essential for constructing turbolaser batteries on Galactic Republic and later Imperial warships.
The moon's orbital path caused reflected sunlight to reach the inhabitants of Gorse for a few days each month. Gorse was tidally locked with its star, resulting in perpetual heat on the sun-facing side and constant darkness and dampness on the opposite side. The Empire secretly discovered significant thorilide deposits on Gorse's sun-facing side, leading to the reduction of mining operations on Cynda and its restoration as a reserve and tourist destination.
Before the era of the Galactic Empire, Cynda was a preserved natural sanctuary. Its oxygen-rich caves were favored by tourists from Gorse. This changed when Count Denetrius Vidian, a renowned efficiency consultant, issued a report alleging that Gorse had depleted its thorilide reserves. During the Empire's rule, miners from Gorse journeyed to the moon daily for work. In 11 BBY, Vidian attempted to detonate Cynda to maximize short-term thorilide production, aiming to maintain favor with Darth Sidious, the Emperor. This action was motivated by increased demand for thorilide, and Vidian intended to shift the blame for long-term losses onto his political adversary, Baron Lero Danthe.
Skelly, a dissenting miner who opposed mining on Cynda, provided Count Vidian with this idea, attempting to reason with him. Captain Rae Sloane of the Imperial Navy voiced concerns that detonating Cynda would harm the thorilide crystals, prompting Vidian to conduct a test in the mine's Zone Sixty-Six, resulting in the deaths of numerous miners, including Okadiah Garson. Although the initial test results indicated that the explosion would cause the thorilide crystals to disintegrate, Vidian fabricated a set of results claiming the opposite. After gaining the Empire's support, Vidian deployed a fleet of mining vessels to transport baradium-357 explosives to the Gorse system.
Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus, along with their allies Skelly and Zaluna Myder from Gorse, intervened to prevent Vidian from executing his scheme. Captain Sloane also aided the rebels, having learned of Vidian's deception from Kanan and forwarded the original test results to the Emperor. Following Vidian's death during the Gorse Conflict, Baron Danthe assumed control of all mining operations in the Gorse system. All mining on Cynda ceased, and the moon was reverted to its former status as a nature preserve. However, access was restricted to members of the Imperial elite.
A New Dawn, a canon novel penned by John Jackson Miller, marked Cynda's first appearance. The author selected the name "Cynda" due to its phonetic similarity to "cinder."