Geonosis

Despite its considerable diameter, Geonosis exhibited low gravity and a dense atmosphere. Its weak magnetic field resulted in frequent and severe solar radiation storms and massive sandstorms, occasionally leading to mass extinction events. The most resilient surface organisms were simple red rock algae, while the semi-insectoid Geonosians retreated underground. The planet's structure consisted of a small molten core and a rocky mantle, resulting in a rocky, desert landscape prone to flash floods that sculpted expansive highland canyons. Water covered only 5% of the surface.

During the Geonosian reign, the planet's architectural style closely resembled termite mounds, featuring domes and structures integrated into caverns and rock spires. Consequently, Geonosian structures could easily be mistaken for natural formations, giving the impression that the planet was uninhabited, which proved to be a valuable asset during times of war.

Long ago, Geonosis suffered a catastrophic event when its largest moon was struck by a rogue comet. This collision unleashed a vast debris field that bombarded the planet's surface, causing widespread devastation before settling into a ring of orbiting rock. This event led to the extinction of over 99% of Geonosis's native species. Over countless millennia, the few surviving creatures gradually repopulated the planet. Continuous meteor impacts eliminated weaker species, leaving only the most adaptable, resilient, and ruthless organisms. The insectoid Geonosians, who dominated the planet's ecosystem, embodied all three of these traits. The planet was divided into numerous independent hives, and conflicts frequently erupted on its surface.

Miners who settled on nearby Tatooine around 4000 BBY were the first representatives of the wider galaxy to explore Geonosis. The Geonosians, with their aptitude for technology, were captivated by the newcomers' innovations and quickly mastered the art of optimizing the function and production of various devices. This era marked the establishment of the first droid foundries, and the Geonosians developed labor droids that mirrored their own physical characteristics.

During the Great Galactic War, Geonosis gained recognition for its gladiatorial games. Mandalorians frequently participated in these games, including a young warrior who rose to prominence and declared himself the new Mandalore. He forged an alliance between the Mandalorians and the Sith Empire, launching attacks against the Galactic Republic.

Years later, after his eventual demise at the hands of another Mandalorian, it was revealed that Imperial Intelligence had been secretly involved in the gladiatorial arenas throughout the galaxy, acting as sponsors, managers, and gladiators. They had handpicked the young Mandalorian as their champion, manipulating his fights through tactics such as drugging his opponents.

In 3645 BBY, the Republic considered Geonosis as a potential defensive stronghold. However, when a Sith warship crash-landed on the planet, the Jedi Order dispatched Rojo Trace to investigate.

However, contact between the Republic and the Arkanis sector proved to be short-lived, and corporations closer to the Core Worlds soon replicated the Geonosians' technological advancements. Furthermore, interactions with outsiders sparked deep divisions among the hives, leading to renewed and brutal warfare. The larger galaxy abandoned Geonosis, and it wasn't until the Republic's final centuries that scouts and merchants reestablished contact. Eventually, the hives reached a distribution agreement with the Baktoid Armor Workshop, which reintroduced their labor droids to the galactic market.

In the waning years of the Galactic Republic, Geonosis attracted the attention of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, who admired the Geonosians' engineering capabilities. He orchestrated the rise of Poggle the Lesser to the position of Archduke and leveraged the planet's connections to the Trade Federation through Baktoid to create an army of battle droids.

To conceal the military buildup, several hives relocated from Geonosis and established factory colonies on planets across the galaxy, including Hypori, Zaadja, and Xorrn.

Under the leadership of Poggle the Lesser in 24 BBY, Geonosis joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, utilizing the planet's factories to construct its droid army. This led to the formation of Geonosian Industries.

Two years later, in 22 BBY, Poggle organized a private meeting of the Confederacy's leaders on Geonosis. The purpose of this meeting was to have the organizations that constituted the Confederacy's core contribute their resources to Count Dooku, the Confederacy's Head of State.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight, inadvertently discovered the Confederacy's plans to wage war against the Galactic Republic when he followed Jango Fett, a bounty hunter employed by Dooku, to Geonosis. Before being captured by the Separatists, Kenobi managed to relay his findings to his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, who was on Tatooine at the time. After Skywalker retransmitted the information to the Jedi Council, he and Padmé Amidala, the Senator of Naboo, decided to rescue Kenobi, but they were ultimately imprisoned themselves.

Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala were eventually brought to the Petranaki arena, where they faced an acklay, a reek, and a nexu, respectively. However, they managed to break free. The Separatists then unleashed battle droids into the arena, triggering the Battle of Geonosis, which marked the beginning of the Clone Wars. Jedi reinforcements, led by Master Mace Windu, emerged from the crowd and entered the arena to confront the droids. After a prolonged battle between the droids and the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda arrived with the newly formed Republic army and rescued the defeated Jedi forces. Following the Confederacy's subsequent defeat on the planet, Geonosis was occupied by the Republic and placed under strict control.

Barriss Offee, a Jedi Knight, served on Geonosis during the Clone Wars.

Later, Senator Amidala uncovered plans for a new droid foundry funded by Senator Rush Clovis and the Banking Clan, leading to another battle on the planet. Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker led an assault on Geonosis to destroy Poggle the Lesser's new droid factory. However, the factory was heavily fortified, and the assault resulted in significant casualties and material losses. The Geonosians deployed numerous squadrons of Nantex-class territorial defense starfighters that devastated the landing force even before they touched down. Cut off from each other, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Mundi were forced to fight their way to their primary objective: an assault staging area.

Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano traversed a canyon where a fortress had been constructed, destroying it in the process. They discovered Master Mundi, who had navigated a tunnel but suffered heavy losses. Kenobi faced similar challenges, with Geonosian forces and AAT tanks actively destroying his perimeter. Skywalker called in reinforcements and eliminated the Geonosian forces. From there, Skywalker and his Padawan swiftly destroyed the shield generator.

Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee arrived to assist in dismantling the factory. They launched a full frontal assault while the Padawans navigated the catacombs beneath the factory, where Poggle and a new "super tank" confronted them and attempted to disarm the bombs they had planted on the Main Reactor. Outside, the tactical droid deployed a dozen tanks to breach their defenses, but the Jedi Masters ingeniously destroyed them all. The Padawans detonated the Reactor using a Super Tank missile, nearly sacrificing themselves in the process. Their masters ultimately rescued them.

As the war progressed, the Geonosians began constructing the Death Star under the direction of Sidious, the secret leader of the CIS.

Following the end of the Clone Wars and the transformation of the Republic into the Empire in 19 BBY, Geonosis fell under Imperial control.

Gizor Dellso, a Geonosian, and other Geonosians formed a Separatist resistance movement in the aftermath of the Mission to Mustafar, but the organization was dismantled during the Battle of Mustafar. Geonosian scientists and slaves also contributed to the construction of the Death Star, and the Death Star's testbed was temporarily relocated to Geonosis at one point. During the Galactic Civil War, Geonosian scientists established a bio-lab on Yavin 4.

The Empire primarily used the Geonosians as slave labor. However, in 0 BBY, Rebel forces instigated a Geonosian revolt after establishing a secret base on the planet. Darth Vader led an invasion force to suppress the revolt in what became known as the Subjugation of Geonosis. Despite the Geonosians and Rebels fighting together and putting up significant resistance, the Imperials ultimately prevailed, eliminating all present Rebel operatives, subjugating the rebellious Geonosians, and destroying their homes.

The Alliance later dispatched a strike team to infiltrate an Imperial base on the planet, but they were discovered and imprisoned. In response, the Rebel Alliance sent another team under the command of Jedi Master Rahm Kota to rescue them. The mission was successful thanks to the leadership of General Kota, X2, and members of the vanguard division.

At some point after Geonosis became a testing ground for the Death Star, the StarSpeeder 1000 transport, SF 1401, exited hyperspace near Geonosis to deliver a Rebel agent to the Rebel Alliance. However, the Imperials and Boba Fett ambushed them, leading to a dogfight inside the Death Star before they escaped to the Home One.

In 3 ABY, while pursuing an Imperial carrier that had interfered with the Rebel Alliance's raid on Imperial operations on Bakura, Wedge Antilles visited Geonosis and discovered several fully functional B1-Series battle droids left over from the war, as well as a Jedi starfighter, which he used to escape the planet. Shortly afterward, the Galactic Empire suppressed the droid operations, effectively ending the Geonosian Separatist holdouts. During that battle, three Imperial escort carriers were destroyed. Sarkli sought refuge from the battle droids inside a crashed but operational LAAT/i.

Sometime before the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Empire withdrew its fleet from the entire Arkanis sector, definitively ending decades of Imperialization and occupation of Geonosis.

Between the Declaration of Rebellion and the Declaration of a New Republic, an Alliance envoy named Mu Nanb contacted Duke Piddock of the Gogum Hive to negotiate a weapons deal.

The Yuuzhan Vong spared the planet during their invasion.

Around the time of the Second Galactic Civil War, Boba Fett returned to Geonosis to exhume his father's remains and bury them next to his daughter, Ailyn Vel, on Mandalore.

The concept of a rocky planet within the Star Wars universe can be traced back to early story ideas for The Empire Strikes Back. During a story conference, George Lucas referred to this concept planet as "Ttaz," describing it as a "Rock planet with cavemen."

Geonosis made its initial appearance in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and associated materials. Season Two of Star Wars: The Clone Wars features a story arc centered around the Republic's recapture of Geonosis.

Geonosis stands out as the only planet depicted in the Star Wars films to possess a natural ring system. In the novel Wild Space, it is mentioned that Geonosis was once a lush planet, its "moist green beauty [was] long burned away," suggesting that it may have been more habitable in the past.

The Geonosian rings serve as a setting for several Versus Mode matches in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.