Moorja, situated on the Corellian Trade Spine, was a minor world located within the Inner Rim. The Salliche Agricultural Corporation held ownership, operating both agricultural endeavors and a mining settlement. Despite the frequent and intense ion storms that disrupted electronic systems, the planet stood as a significant exporter of food products.
During the era of the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems established a base there. They gathered soil from its badlands, later using it in their assault targeting Ukio. The Confederacy subsequently seized control of the planet and garrisoned it with living soldiers, an unusual choice for the battle droid-centric government. During their occupation, the CIS engaged the Galactic Republic in the Battle of Moorja. Subsequently, the planet became a part of the Galactic Empire and housed a sophisticated scout training facility. Later, during the Galactic Civil War, the planet became the stage for another major engagement, this time between Imperial forces and the renegade Moff Utoxx Prentioch, both vying for access to a New Republic reconnaissance report put together by the Black Curs. In that same year, the New Republic gained control of the planet, establishing a permanent base and utilizing it as a launchpad for operations against various Imperial elements.
Moorja was a small planet located in the Moorja system within the Inner Rim, situated along the Corellian Trade Spine from Yag'Dhul. The planet had a single moon, a local day lasting seventeen standard hours, and a year comprising 310 local days. Its terrain ranged from fertile plains and forests to several desolate badlands. The Crumbling Lands were particularly notable, characterized by sedimentary rock layers that had been eroded over time by water. This area featured numerous caves and tunnels, with sandstone formations and deep sinkholes dominating the landscape. The soil within Moorja's badlands was an electrostatic compound exhibiting photosensitive qualities.
While the planet had barren regions, the majority of Moorja's surface was naturally fertile, thanks to ample rainfall from the frequent ion storms originating from the world's oceans. However, improper agricultural practices had diminished this fertility, making many areas reliant on artificial fertilizers. Despite this, Moorja produced enough fenti beans and ruva grain to export beyond its borders.
The planet lacked any native sentient species. The most distinctive creatures were the bruwoses, massive lizards inhabiting the badlands. These reptiles, equipped with large talons on their forepaws, burrowed through the soft rock in search of small prey. Bruwoses had only rudimentary eyes, relying on heat, sound, and scent for navigation.
Ion storms were a regular occurrence on Moorja. These electrical storms severely interfered with electronic devices, and ion lightning strikes damaged shields, life support, navigational controls, and other vital starship systems, making planetary landings exceptionally challenging. To mitigate these effects, most of Moorja's farming equipment was grounded, but machinery still required frequent replacement.
Around 22 BBY, in the early stages of the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems established a presence in Moorja's badlands, under the leadership of Magistrate Passel Argente from the Corporate Alliance, along with his assistant, a T-series tactical droid named Doctor. The Doctor had conceived Project Instinction, an operation designed to neutralize the agriworld of Ukio. The Confederacy employed four seismic tanks to gather soil from the Moorja badlands. Exploiting its photosensitive properties, the Confederacy dumped large quantities of this soil into Ukio's atmosphere. It adhered to the planet's defensive shields, drifting to remain aligned with the planet's star, thereby creating a moving eclipse intended to block sunlight and destroy the planet's crops.
Later in the Clone Wars, around 20 BBY, the Confederacy secured control of the entire Corellian Trade Spine, including Moorja, following an extensive campaign known as Operation Durge's Lance. The Confederacy then chose to fortify Moorja to safeguard the "back door" of their recent conquest. However, the frequent ion storms on the planet made deploying the Confederacy's standard droid forces cost-prohibitive. Consequently, a combined force of organic troops, including Neimoidian Gunnery Battalions, Gossam Commandos, and Koorivar Fusiliers, was stationed on the planet, as announced by Commerce Guild Presidente Shu Mai. The expense of this unusual move was offset by the availability of local agricultural produce to feed the troops. While stationed there, the Fusiliers participated in the Battle of Moorja under the command of the renowned General Oro Dassyne. The Koorivar General later led troops in the devastating Battle of Bomis Koori IV.
Following the Confederacy's defeat and the subsequent declaration of the Galactic Empire, control of Moorja transitioned to the new galactic power. The Salliche Agricultural Corporation, an Imperial agricultural conglomerate, governed the planet, with minimal oversight as long as taxes were paid and agricultural exports continued. The Empire also established a sophisticated Scout trooper training camp in a remote area of the planet; Moorja was selected as a political favor to an officer of the Imperial Navy who originated from the colony. The scout base was largely kept secret from the planet's inhabitants, although a small garrison was stationed on the planet to maintain order in the urban centers.
The training facility provided refresher courses for Imperial units on a weekly rotation. While under the command of Colonel Dyrra, a group of smugglers infiltrated the facility and stole a Lambda-class shuttle. After fighting off the stationed troops and several training probe droids, the thieves piloted the shuttle directly into an ion storm and into orbit. There, they evaded an Imperial Star Destroyer and its TIE fighter patrols, escaping into hyperspace. Dyrra, determined to continue the pursuit, tracked the thieves to Tatooine, where he ambushed them in their Mos Eisley docking bay. Despite this advantage, the thieves managed to elude the colonel a second time.
Although the Empire suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Endor by the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the defeat had little immediate impact on Moorja. Even the growing unrest within the Salliche Ag conglomerate—where numerous workers rebelled, setting fire to fields and farming facilities on several worlds—had limited influence on the populace, who continued their lives as if nothing had changed. However, despite the planet's brief insignificance, it became the site of a large skirmish between warring Imperial factions in 39:9, six months after the Battle of Endor.
The conflict was ignited by Dirk Harkness, a mercenary and Rebel sympathizer, who had conducted extensive reconnaissance of the Core Worlds as a prelude to a major Rebel offensive in the central galactic region. Before embarking on his mission, he had hidden a cache of equipment in the Crumbling Lands of Moorja. After his mission was discovered by the Imperial Advisors in the Core, he returned to the planet, pursued by two of their Star Destroyers under the command of Bregius Golthan. However, Goltan's forces were intercepted in the system by two Star Destroyers commanded by the Imperial Warlord Utoxx Prentioch. Prentioch, a former Moff and claimant to the Imperial throne who was establishing his own Dominion in the Mid Rim, sought Harkness's reconnaissance report for his own purposes. While the warships exchanged fire, Harkness and his companions aboard the Last Chance were struck by turbolaser fire and crash-landed on the planet.
Fortunately for Harkness and his team, General Airen Cracken, head of the New Republic Intelligence Service, was aware of their pursuit. His team, dispatched to assist the mercenaries, arrived in the Moorja system just as the Last Chance descended to the planet's surface. Competing with two sets of Imperial dropships, the operatives reached the downed mercenaries first. While Harkness's companions—Platt Okeefe, Tru'eb Cholakk, and Jai Raventhorn—remained at the ship, Harkness himself ventured across the Crumbling Lands to retrieve a snubfighter he had stashed there. Tracking Harkness through the wastelands, they caught up to him outside the tunnel leading to his ship. However, blocking the tunnel entrance were three bruwoses, which the operatives were forced to kill to gain access to Harkness's ship. Once inside, they retrieved Harkness's Y-wing and rejoined the crew of the Last Chance. Together, they fled the planet, evading fighters from the ongoing battle in Moorja space.
Later that year, the New Republic successfully wrested control of Moorja from Imperial forces as part of their strategy to isolate various Imperial warlords, establishing a permanent presence on the world. The following year, the Republic advanced Coreward from Moorja, attacking Yag'Dhul against Admiral Sander Delvardus of the Eriadu Authority, and in 6 ABY, a Republic strike force from Moorja struck southwest at Bomis Koori, capturing Prentioch.
Moorja largely avoided the Yuuzhan Vong War of 25–29 ABY, due to its location on the far side of the invasion vector of the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong's assault path, and remained under Republic control. However, over a century later, the planet became part of Darth Krayt's Sith Empire.
Although Moorja had no native sentient species, it was colonized by various species under the auspices of the Salliche Ag Corporation. A small colony of Arcona settled the planet, working in salt mines. By 4 ABY, they numbered 2,500, with most exhibiting some degree of salt addiction. Approximately 15,000 Ithorians resided on the planet, settling around forested regions where they harvested specialty fruits and low-yield crops for export. The remaining permanent population consisted of 25,000 Human settlers.
During the Clone Wars, Gossam, Koorivar, and Neimoidian troops were stationed on the planet, but none remained in the decades that followed.
During the Clone Wars, the Confederacy established a base in the mountains overlooking some of Moorja's badlands. From this location, the Doctor monitored the progress of the seismic tanks under his command. He occupied the installation, along with his pet Seventeen, and Magistrate Passel Argente, until departing to attack Ukio.
The Moorja Training Installation was designed to provide refresher courses for squads from various Sector Fleets. It was situated in a remote area of the planet, on the edge of the crumbling badlands. The outpost had limited facilities: a command bunker, two modular barracks, various storage sheds, a mess hall, and a motor pool. A cleared flat area served as a landing zone.
Moorja was conceived by Peter M. Schweighofer for the roleplaying game adventure Black Curs Blues, published in the Star Wars Adventure Journal 8 in 1995. It served as the setting for the initial part of the adventure, which later moved off-world to Canyon and Voktunma. Schweighofer revisited the planet in the adventure The Lambda Heist in Star Wars Gamer 2, published in 2001. Again, it was the setting for one segment of a larger adventure. The planet's third appearance was in CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:3:21 Edition, published in Star Wars Insider 76 magazine in 2004. Moorja also made a brief appearance in the online comic The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct.
Schweighofer initially placed Moorja in the Inner Rim region, but Insider magazine described it as a Mid Rim world. Despite this, both maps and the Star Wars Gamer adventure returned it to the Inner Rim. It is worth noting that in Black Curs Blues, the travel time from the New Republic fleet near Mon Calamari in the Outer Rim Territories to Moorja was stated as "only a few hours." Since that publication, maps of the galaxy have placed Mon Calamari on the opposite side of the galaxy from the Corellian Trade Spine, making this travel time unlikely.