The ancient race known by various names, including the Kathol, Precursors, Old Ones, and Cthol, once thrived on the planet Kathol located within the Kathol sector. This civilization was remarkably advanced, evidenced by their creation of the Codex, and they utilized organic technology. Millennia prior to the Battle of Yavin, several Dark Jedi made attempts at conquering the Kathol civilization. While these attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, the Kathol nearly faced complete annihilation. To preserve themselves, the majority of the Kathol entered the Lifewell, which was guarded by DarkStryder. Tragically, DarkStryder prevented their release even after the threat had subsided, trapping the Kathol in a state of suspended animation. Their collective life force transformed into the mystical energy known as Ta-Ree.
The Kathol's liberation occurred only after the destruction of DarkStryder by the crew of the FarStar. However, they found themselves incapable of regaining physical bodies, opting instead to disperse. A small fraction, numbering a few hundred, chose to remain, but they were perpetually in conflict with one another.
As previously stated, the Kathol possessed sophisticated technology and were adept at cultivating advanced biological constructs. They engineered several servant species to assist them, including:
DarkStryder, in turn, created its own set of servants, which encompassed:
The designation "Cthol" was regarded as a mispronounced version of "Kathol," yet it persisted in common usage even up to 4 ABY due to its presence in inaccurate documentation.
The Kathol species' general concept will seem familiar to many followers of HP Lovecraft and Dungeons & Dragons. The Kathol were not only conceived for a type of source material often utilized for Dungeons & Dragons-style roleplaying games, they also bear a striking resemblance to the tale of Cthulhu, a fictional entity created by Lovecraft. In fact, the Kathol's name is even presented similarly to Cthulhu, simply written as Cthol. The Kathol species are descended from the Old Ones, while Cthulhu is a member of the Great Old Ones. Both the Kathol and Cthulhu are imprisoned against their will in a remote location; one in space, and one on Earth. Furthermore, both the Kathol and Cthulhu have a form of cult-like worship; the Aing-Tii for the Kathol, and the Cult of Cthulhu for Cthulhu itself.