Iridonia, a planet situated in the arid expanse of the Mid Rim, served as the original homeworld for the Zabrak species. While extensive colonization led numerous Zabraks to identify with their adopted worlds, the Zabrak originating from Iridonia were distinguished as Iridonian Zabraks. During the High Republic Era, the pirate Saya Keem, a Zabrak, resided there before ultimately departing due to the stringent regulations.
This planet also served as the place of origin for several other Zabraks, among them Jedi Master Eeth Koth, a member of the Jedi High Council; the bounty hunter Sugi; Jas Emari, Sugi's niece and fellow bounty hunter; and the assassin Nox, a participant in the Hunters of the Outer Rim competition. Despite Obi-Wan Kenobi's mistaken belief that Darth Maul was an Iridonian Zabrak, Maul actually originated from a colony—the Nightbrothers—and was raised on Dathomir.
Within the galaxy, Iridonia existed as a land-based planet within both the Mid Rim Territories and New Territories. Its location was pinpointed as grid square J-7 on the Standard Galactic Grid. It was the original world of the near-human Zabrak species, specifically the Iridonian Zabrak subspecies. The planet's arid climate fostered a harsh environment, which some Zabraks believed contributed to the resilience of its inhabitants.
Zabrak society extensively engaged in colonization, even though Iridonia was their original world. This resulted in many Zabraks being raised on various colony planets. Therefore, while many Zabraks traced their origins to Iridonia, others identified solely with the colony world where they grew up. The Nightbrothers, a small colony raised on Dathomir, considered that planet their true home, rather than Iridonia.
By the High Republic Era, Iridonian Zabraks were involved in galactic affairs, such as the pirate Saya Keem who resided there. However, she found the regulations too restrictive and eventually left to join the Dank Graks crew. In 382 BBY, Keem explained to Savina Besatrix Malagán, a Jedi Padawan undercover as Bazrip Ratht, why she had chosen to leave Iridonia.
Eeth Koth, an Iridonian Zabrak Jedi Master who served on the Jedi High Council by 40 BBY, was an Iridonian native. In 20 BBY, Obi-Wan Kenobi told Mace Windu that he believed Darth Maul was from Iridonia. Windu corrected Kenobi, clarifying that Maul, a member of the Dathomirian Zabrak subspecies, was raised on Dathomir, even though other males of the species lived on Iridonia.
Sugi, a Zabrak bounty hunter operating during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, also hailed from Iridonia. During this time, she sent the remaining credits after expenses to her sister on Iridonia. However, her preference for moral jobs led to significant debt. Sugi maintained contact with her niece, Jas Emari, another bounty hunter from Iridonia, offering advice on when to retreat from a situation. Weeks later, Emari, who had long considered it a strange, brutal, and unforgiving place to reside, fled the planet. In 4 ABY, Emari reflected on her departure, reminded of her aunt's advice. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Mira, a Zabrak from Iridonia, lived. During the Galactic Civil War, some Zabraks from Iridonia chose to fight with the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the Empire, refusing to be subjugated.
Nox, a Zabrak, came from a remote village on Iridonia. After an attack on her family led to her sister's kidnapping, she was forced to leave her home. After surviving in Iridonia's wilds for some time, training with her bow, she became an assassin for the Order of the Night Wind. Later, she participated in the Hunters of the Outer Rim competition on Vespaara in 9 ABY. After defeating Rieve in a Clash match, Nox was interviewed by Boz Vega. Nox stated that she did not want or need friends, having survived Iridonia's wilds and the Order of the Night Wind alone. Vega acknowledged this, noting that the experience sounded lonely.
Following the fall of the New Republic, Iridonians joined the Resistance, the Rebel Alliance's successor, to combat the First Order, the Empire's successor. In 34 ABY, Eloc Throno, a historian and author, included a map showing Iridonia's location in his book, Traveler's Guide to Batuu, about the planet Batuu. Iridonia was also mentioned in an artist's journal that was restored, expanded, and displayed at the Graf Archive sometime after 34 ABY.
The planet served as the home for the Zabrak species, with many members residing there. The planet became known to the wider galaxy by at least the High Republic Era. Iridonian Zabraks shared physical similarities with the Dathomirian Zabrak subspecies, making them visually indistinguishable to some. The arid climate and harsh environment fostered resilience in the natives, leading them to pursue challenging endeavors such as criminal hunting. Some became bounty hunters or pirates. Iridonian Zabraks were known for their mental discipline and high pain tolerance.
However, some residents, like Saya Keem and Jas Emari, disliked living on Iridonia and chose to leave, seeking more freedom and feeling restricted by the rigid lifestyle. Despite Keem's departure, her descendants, including her grandchild Zyle Keem, continued to participate in aspects of their species' culture during Iridonian Zabrak family gatherings.
Within the current Star Wars canon, Iridonia was first referenced in "Witches of the Mist," the fourteenth episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' third season, which premiered on January 21, 2011. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the planet Iridonia was initially mentioned in the 2000 young-readers novel Star Wars Journal: Darth Maul, authored by Jude Watson.
The world made its debut appearance in the comic story "Phantom Menaces," featured in the seventeenth issue of Star Wars Tales. Joe Casey wrote the story, Francisco Paronzini illustrated it, and Dark Horse Comics released it on October 1, 2003. Although the canonicity of the comic within Legends was initially unclear, its reference in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia elevated its status. The mention of Iridonia in "Witches of the Mist" aimed to emphasize Maul's connections to the world within the Expanded Universe—the former designation of the Star Wars Legends continuity—while also confirming that he was raised on Dathomir.
The Encyclopedia on StarWars.com states that Maul was born on Dathomir. However, the 2014 reference book Star Wars: A Galaxy at War—a compilation of three previously published titles—asserts that Darth Maul was born on Iridonia. Simon Beecroft wrote the section of A Galaxy at War that mentions Iridonia, which was originally released as the 2007 Legends young-readers title Star Wars: Beware the Dark Side. The claim in Star Wars: Beware the Dark Side that Maul was born on Iridonia also contradicts other Legends sources, which consistently state that he was born on Dathomir. This article assumes that the information in A Galaxy at War is incorrect and that Maul was born on Dathomir in the current canon continuity as well.
The first issue of the Star Wars Jedi Master Magazine, published on November 16, 2015, claims that Eeth Koth was from the moon Nar Shaddaa. However, more recent sources, including the 2019 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition, state that he was from Iridonia. This updated Koth's homeworld from its first edition, Ultimate Star Wars, published on April 28, 2015.