Invasion of Saleucami

Saleucami, a relatively quiet and unimportant planet located in the Outer Rim Territories, lacked significant strategic importance, partly due to its limited natural resources. Nevertheless, this world gained great importance during the Clone Wars between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic, even though the small community of settlers on Saleucami wished to avoid the conflict. Indeed, the settlers who relocated to this remote planet often sought to avoid the attention of the Confederacy or the Republic. Although Saleucami remained largely untouched for much of the war, the Separatist General Grievous aimed to seize control of the world in 21 BBY, initiating a battle between Republic and Separatist forces both in orbit and on the planet's surface.

Although Jedi Master Eeth Koth was successfully rescued from Grievous's grasp, the cyborg general himself managed to escape following a pursuit on the planet. After this incident, it appeared that Saleucami would revert to its tranquil state. However, Separatist officers harbored different intentions. Grievous's time on Saleucami had convinced him of its potential as a suitable and effective outpost and staging area. As the Perlemian Trade Route faced increasing challenges, Separatist convoys required a more secure hyperspace route for their movements. Given Saleucami's proximity to the regional Salin Corridor, Separatist commanders recognized its potential as a storage depot for materials originating from the Foundry of the Confederacy, a network of factory worlds situated in the Mid and Outer Rims. Between 21 BBY and 20 BBY, another battle on Saleucami involved the Republic.

The Confederacy, having identified the world's potential as a trans-shipment hub, initiated a full-scale invasion of Saleucami. A substantial military force under Grievous's command launched this operation sometime between 21 BBY and 19 BBY. The Separatist contingent was large enough to engage a fleet of starships conducting a blockade of the world. The landing of forces on Saleucami resulted in widespread combat across the planet.

The invasion intensified the conflict on Saleucami, bringing the Clone Wars back to the forefront. The Confederacy established a significant military presence on the planet, supported by a blockade fleet. Dressellian smuggler Has Obitt, whose previous missions with Lieutenant Commander Orson Krennic of the Republic Special Weapons Group had made him unwelcome in Separatist territory, narrowly avoided the invasion. However, he later became involved in the sneak attack on Roche. After the Separatists gained control of Saleucami and transformed it into a factory world, the Republic, concerned about the secrets held by the Separatist-controlled planet, initiated a siege in the final months of the Clone Wars as part of the Outer Rim Sieges campaign. Like the Separatist invasion, the Republic's siege brought widespread conflict to the planet. Following the war, the Galactic Empire, the Republic's successor, maintained an interest in Saleucami and sought to impose Imperial order on the once-peaceful world.

The Saleucami invasion was initially mentioned in James Luceno's 2016 novel, Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. Further details were provided in the French edition of the booklet "Mustafar and Other Planets in the Outer Rim," released in France on April 8, 2022 as part of De Agostini's Star Wars Encyclopedia series. However, the English version of the booklet, released in 2023, omitted the Saleucami section, relocating it to the booklet "Scarif and Other Planets in the Outer Rim," which was released in 2022. Instead, the English Mustafar encyclopedia features two pages on the Fortress Inquisitorius. Furthermore, references to the Saleucami invasion were removed or altered in the English release of the Saleucami passage. This article considers both language versions as canon, but attributes information exclusively found in one release to that specific language version.