The Gardaji Rift existed in the Outer Rim, specifically inside the Gardaji sector of the galaxy's Tingel Arm. Around 229 BBY, several expeditions explored and mapped it, and at some point between then and 89 BBY, the sentient, free-floating planet Zonama Sekot made its way to the Rift. It then established an orbit around a yellow dwarf star located within a hidden area of the Rift's most spinward and galactic northern part, forming a "triple star system".
Vergere, a Jedi Master, was the first to encounter the living planet while on a mission in that region.