Empress Teta, situated in the Empress Teta system within the Koros sector of the Deep Core, was an ecumenopolis planet. During the life of its namesake, it was known as Koros or Koros Major. This world was the heart of one of the galaxy's most ancient and wealthy [human](/article/human] civilizations, and it played a crucial role in the Great Hyperspace War. Empress Teta, a long-time provider of refined carbonite and andris spice, served as a significant operational center for the Mining Guild, which held sway over the planetary government. By the time of the Galactic Empire's reign, the planet was also called Cinnagar, after its capital city.
The city-world of Empress Teta was regarded as the entrance to the Deep Core. Orbiting the moon Atale, it had connections to Coruscant via the Koros Trunk Line and to Prakith using the Byss Run. Furthermore, Empress Teta sat along the Carbonite Run. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, Empress Teta became a vital checkpoint for the Imperial Deep Core Security Zone. As such, Imperial Intelligence deliberately made the system's astrogation charts confusing and inconsistent to limit non-essential travel.
The cityscape of Empress Teta was known as Cinnagar, the planet's capital that expanded over the millennia to encompass the entire surface. The Core District represented Cinnagar's most luxurious area, while the Royal District served as the residence for the royal family. Beneath the urban expanse lay carbonite and andris spice mines managed by the Mining Guild. Even though the majority of the system's andris production had moved off-world by the Imperial era, the guild maintained a substantial portion of its administrative infrastructure in Cinnagar.
Some structures in Cinnagar have been traced back to around 27,000 BBY, leading many to believe the planet was home to one of the galaxy's most ancient [human](/article/human] civilizations. In ancient times, Empress Teta featured extensive andris and carbonite mining operations, which allowed it to become an early stronghold for the Mining Guild. Historians have linked the carbonite mining operations on Empress Teta to sleeper ships utilized for distributing humanity throughout the Core Worlds.
The planet's early history was chronicled in a collection of epic poems known as the Qel-Droma Epics. These poems recounted the conquest of the Koros system by Teta, the empress of Koros Major, along with her resistance against Sith Lord Naga Sadow during the Great Hyperspace War. Later, Koros Major was renamed in honor of Teta. Furthermore, the poems told of the adventures of Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma, who was thought to have infiltrated a mysterious dark side cult known as the Krath, who slaughtered Jedi and seized control of Empress Teta. Despite the Jedi teaching the Epics as historical fact, archaeologists' attempts to confirm the truth of these tales yielded inconclusive results.
Although the andris mines on Empress Teta were deserted upon their depletion, the Mining Guild continued to exert its influence over the planet, ultimately supplanting the ruling Keto family's power in all but name. Due to the guild's alliance with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Empress Teta sided against the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, resulting in loyalist nobles fleeing to Coruscant. Following the war's conclusion with a Separatist defeat, the newly established Galactic Empire placed these nobles in positions of authority, such as planetary bureaucrats or Mining Guild administrators.
During the Galactic Civil War, Emperor [Alor Keto](/article/alor_keto] governed the planet, although he was essentially an ineffective puppet controlled by the Mining Guild. Already a major provider for the Imperial Military, Empress Teta gained even greater strategic importance for the Empire because its location restricted access to the Deep Core Security Zone, where the Empire tested experimental technologies like Interdictors. Admiral Yzu's 15th Deep Core Reserve Fleet provided protection for the world.
Empress Teta was originally created for Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith 1, the debut issue of the Star Wars Legends comic book series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. This issue, written by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson, was released on October 1, 1994. The world's existence in canon was verified when it appeared on a galactic map featured in Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 36, a magazine published by De Agostini in 2015.