The planet of Geonosis was the homeworld of the Geonosians, a winged, semi-insectoid species that constructed their colonies in the shape of towering spires. During the Clone Wars, the Geonosians sided with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, defending their world on numerous occasions. Following their contribution to the building of the Death Star, the Galactic Empire nearly exterminated them. Klik-Klak was the only Geonosian to survive the Empire's sterilization of Geonosis. During the New Republic Era, it was hoped that some Geonosian eggs could have survived, possibly leading to the re-emergence of a Geonosian hive.
Geonosian society was structured around a caste system, with roles such as drones, warriors, and elites. Hives were led by a queen, who laid eggs and issued orders to the public leaders of Geonosis. Karina the Great was one such queen who could manipulate sentient beings, including her own kind, using brain worms. Some believed that "Karina the Great" was a title given to all reigning queens, not the name of a specific individual, but one queen only called herself "Karina" due to her own madness. Regardless, Geonosian queens resided in the underground catacombs of Geonosis, where they commanded a large army of Geonosian drones. It only took two years for a queen to grow from a small egg to a significant size.
Drones could become warriors by proving their worth in an arena, defeating other drones. Geonosian warriors, known for their wings and thick exoskeletons, were dedicated to warfare. The alpha among Geonosian broods was known as the Geonosian Brood Alpha. Geonosians had two sets of mandibles, outer and inner, used for gestures. For example, clicking the outer mandibles twice meant "Work Harder," while clicking both sets meant "Die." They also celebrated Meckgin, a day dedicated to the virtues of industry, believing they were blessed by "the Creator." Geonosians would become intoxicated by consuming a special fungus that reacted with their stomach fluids, producing a euphoric body odor.
Geonosians had yellow blood. Known for their industrious and barbaric nature, they also undertook construction projects for external parties, such as when Baktoid Armor Workshop contracted them to design factories for the Trade Federation. Productivity was crucial to Geonosian society, and without sufficient tasks, hives could descend into civil war, resulting in thousands of deaths.
Geonosians were generally distrustful of bounty hunters, yet they allowed the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, employed by Count Dooku, access to their hives during the Separatist Crisis.
By 32 BBY, Poggle the Lesser had risen from a drone to an archduke with the help of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Under Poggle's leadership, Geonosis joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Separatists used the Geonosians to help build the Separatist Droid Army, an agreement negotiated by the Separatist Head of State, Count Dooku.
This led to a large battle on Geonosis between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, marking the start of the Clone Wars. The Geonosians were responsible for creating the plans for the [Death Star](/article/ds-1_orbital_battle_station]. Later in the Clone Wars, Geonosis was the site of another major battle, resulting in Poggle the Lesser's capture and the destruction of the Geonosis primary droid foundry. Following this battle, the Republic's Strategic Advisory Cell began constructing the Death Star, with Lieutenant Commander Orson Callan Krennic enlisting Poggle the Lesser to use Geonosian labor. Poggle seemingly agreed, but after returning to Geonosis, he orchestrated a Geonosian riot and escaped the Republic flotilla to rejoin the Confederacy.
After the Clone Wars, the Galactic Empire forced the Geonosians to help construct the Death Star. Although a new archduke was appointed to lead the Stalgasin hive, the Geonosians became enslaved to the Empire and were forbidden from breeding freely. When the Geonosians couldn't figure out how to refine the superweapon's superlaser, the Empire brought in [Galen Walton Erso](/article/galen_walton_erso] to complete the task. The Geonosians of the Korakanni Mound tried to sabotage the project and seek Erso's help, but they were crushed by Darth Vader.
Once the Death Star's hyperdrive was operational, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ordered the Imperial Weapons division to sterilize Geonosis using [Imperial gas canisters](/article/imperial_gas_canister], wiping out all but one of the planet's approximately 100 billion inhabitants—the largest act of genocide ever committed by the Empire to maintain the weapon's secrecy.
In 2 BBY, Saw Gerrera, the Spectres, and Captain Rex discovered evidence of the Empire's genocide against the Geonosians. They also helped Klik-Klak, the only survivor, escape with the last Geonosian queen egg into the depths of Geonosis. The rebels informed Senator Bail Organa and Commander Jun Sato, who believed that revealing the Empire's atrocities on Geonosis would sway more worlds to join the rebellion.
Unfortunately for Klik-Klak, his plan didn't succeed. Although the egg hatched into a queen named Karina, she was sterile. Karina used Geonosis's vast technological resources to attach herself to a portable droid factory. From there, she created specially modified B1-series battle droids that resembled her people. Despite being artificial imitations, Karina considered them her children.
Karina lost this mobile factory and many of her "children" when Darth Vader, accompanied by Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, assassin droid 0-0-0, and BT-1 assassin droid BT-1, arrived and stole it to build his own droid army after the destruction of the first Death Star. Karina survived the encounter and vowed that this setback wouldn't end her empire. Another Geonosian, a hunter named Pehk, was alive in the galaxy but was killed during the hunt on X3-299-11. Rumors persisted into the New Republic Era that some Geonosian eggs might have survived, offering hope for the eventual re-establishment of a Geonosian hive.
During the Clone Wars, the Geonosians were involved in a Confederate plot on Rishi concerning the material [exonium](/article/exonium]. A Geonosian colony was established on a moon. By the time antiques dealer Antron Bach went into hiding there, the colony had been abandoned for a long time.
Pehk was a Geonosian hunter famous for being the first to headbutt a gundark. Doctor Aphra hired him for the hunt on X3-299-11, intending to be rescued from the Shadowfang Beast. However, Pehk was caught in a tractor beam trap. After monster hunters Winloss and Nokk arrived, hired by Aphra, Pehk was killed by the creature.
George Lucas's inspiration for the Geonosians came from a termite infestation in his home while developing the concept art. He gathered specimens and showed them to concept artists. The Geonosians' basic design originated from unused concept art for the Neimoidians that resembled B1 battle droids, created before the decision to use masked actors. The Geonosian language, known as "Geonosian hive-mind," was created from three sounds recorded by Matthew Wood under Ben Burtt's direction in Australia. In Melbourne, Wood recorded penguin mating calls at a reserve. In Cairns, he recorded fruit bats fighting over a banana. Wood also recorded flying foxes in Australia. Burtt combined these sounds to create the Geonosian language.
According to concept artist Doug Chiang, George Lucas initially wanted the Geonosians to have chameleon-like abilities, changing colors to match their surroundings. Although this idea was scrapped, the Geonosians' texture and color do reflect their homeworld, Geonosis.
The inspiration for the Geonosians' role in constructing the Death Star came from a scene in the 1994 film Clerks, where the characters discuss the lives of the "independent contractors" who built the second Death Star.