Before the Akiva rebellion occurred, the ecumenopolis of Taris was subjected to a significant devastation, resulting in widespread destruction across the planet. While substantial portions of the city, including areas where the ruling class lived, were eventually reconstructed, vast areas were still desolate wastelands, contaminated by the residual fallout from the destruction. The landscape was dotted with the wreckage of starships, and the ruined structures of places like the Talinn district stretched far and wide. As time passed, the ravaged terrain was covered in three-fingered vines and a slippery fungal growth. Later inhabitants of the planet constructed temporary residences from discarded shipping containers.
The initial reference to the destruction of Taris within Star Wars canon appeared in the novel Aftermath. Within Legends continuity, the devastation is attributed to the orbital bombardment of Taris by the Sith Empire's naval forces, a depiction featured in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.