The Krath represent an ancient faction that seized control of the carbonite mines located within the Empress Teta system many millennia prior to the New Republic Era. At some point they also conquered the entire system. Following their victory, the Krath subjected the reigning Tetan monarchy to carbon-freezing. They stand as some of the initial practitioners of using carbon-freezing individuals as trophies, a practice later emulated by gangsters, bounty hunters, and the Galactic Empire. The Qel-Droma Epics, works of questionable historical accuracy, depict the Krath as a dark side cult originating from the descendants of Empress Teta. The name of this group was shared with the Krath war droid, a type of ancient droid.
According to the Qel-Droma Epics, which are not entirely reliable historical accounts, the cult came into being a millennium after the Great Hyperspace War through the actions of corrupt noble descendants of Empress Teta. They were empowered by Sith artifacts, and at one point, were under the leadership of Satal Keto. These epics state that Keto discovered a Sith Translation Talisman on Onderon, which granted the wearer the ability to decipher Force-infused Sith writings. He then replicated this artifact to instruct his Krath followers.
After the Krath conquered the Empress Teta system, they carbon-freezed the Tetan monarchy that was in power. At some point, the Galactic Republic managed to take back the system from Krath control.
The epics state that after seizing the Empress Teta system via a military coup, they initiated a violent crusade from their base of operations, the Iron Citadel, targeting the Jedi Order. They murdered thousands of Jedi, including the Jedi Master of Ulic Qel-Droma. Following his Master's demise, Qel-Droma volunteered to infiltrate the Krath, but became corrupted by the dark side. He then assumed leadership of the cult alongside the fallen Jedi Exar Kun, establishing a new Sith Empire with Empress Teta serving as its stronghold. Qel-Droma was eventually redeemed after being severed from the Force.
During the Imperial Era, a small number of Tetans believed that the Iron Citadel remained hidden beneath the spires of the Royal District, functioning as a shrine for surviving Krath loyalists within the royal family. Others held the belief that the Republic destroyed the citadel during their reconquest of the system from the Krath.
The Krath received their first canonical mention in the 2018 reference book titled Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious. Within the Star Wars Legends continuity, they were a Sith-aligned cult that briefly governed the Empress Teta system, established by rogue imperial family members Satal and Aleema Keto.
- Nexus of Power (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
- " Accessories and Structures " — Star Wars Encyclopedia