Maw Installation, a superweapon development site, was conceived by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin under the banner of Imperial research centers. Constructed from commandeered asteroids, it was strategically positioned within the Maw Cluster, a treacherous region of space defined by its dense concentration of black holes, making navigation nearly impossible. This base has been the site of several conflicts. Following its eventual destruction, Natasi Daala established the Maw colony, and the ruins of the facility were later repurposed by the New Jedi Order as a base called Shelter.
Following the Declaration of a New Order, Wilhuff Tarkin emerged as a pivotal figure within the Galactic Empire. His influence grew within Emperor Palpatine's inner circle, culminating in his promotion to Grand Moff. Tasked with overseeing the Death Star project, Tarkin wielded considerable power, enabling him to realize many of his ambitions. Adhering to his Tarkin Doctrine, he communicated his strategy to the Emperor, advocating for control through the threat of force. He envisioned using powerful superweapons to instill fear and maintain order among planetary systems. Grand Moff Tarkin further elaborated that the mere existence and occasional demonstration of such weapons would be sufficient to ensure obedience. Consequently, Tarkin initiated the creation of a highly classified weapons research facility dedicated to superweapon development. The project's extreme secrecy meant that only Grand Moff Tarkin and Palpatine were aware of its existence and the substantial budget allocated to it.
One of the first actions taken by the Grand Moff was to assemble a team of scientists to spearhead the development of innovative weaponry. This led Tarkin to establish orbital stations around Omwat, a world located in the Outer Rim, and to abduct the native Omwati children. By subjecting them to intensive, forced-education programs, his intention was to cultivate highly intelligent scientists from their ranks. To maintain progress, he employed terror tactics, targeting Omwati settlements from orbit and destroying them in response to any perceived failures. Ultimately, only Qwi Xux of the ten Omwati proved successful, and she was promptly integrated into the team that would staff the Maw Installation. Other notable scientists included Bevel Lemelisk, the architect of the Death Star I, and Renn Volz, who was deceived into creating wondrous pieces of technology that the Empire later used against innocent beings.
Concurrently with the assembly of the scientific team, Grand Moff Tarkin authorized the construction of the research facility itself. The Maw Cluster was chosen as the location, its inherent hazards making it an ideal and secluded hiding place for the installation. After gathering a number of asteroids, a number of habitat modules and laboratories were established on the structure's surface that would house the scientists. Lastly, partly to hide his lover and to add a defensive force to the Maw Installation, Tarkin gave Natasi Daala the rank of Admiral as well as four Star Destroyers to command, with her mission being the defense of the facility. Shortly after the construction of the Maw Installation was complete, the architects and engineers were about to return to their homes outside the Maw Cluster. However, in order to secure the secrecy of the facility, Admiral Daala sabotaged the navicomputers on their transports, which plunged into the black holes of the cluster and destroyed any witnesses to the construction of the base. Furthermore, before engaging in a communication blackout from the rest of the Galactic Empire, a number of Wookiee slaves were transported to the Maw Installation, where they served as a slave labor force.
Since that time, the Installation was protected by Admiral Daala's defense fleet, which consisted of four Star Destroyers: Gorgon, Hydra, Basilisk, and Manticore.
Tarkin prioritized the installation's secrecy to shield his pet project from political interference. Once operational, the Maw Installation think tank commenced its work, maintaining only infrequent contact with Tarkin. The base's secrecy was so complete that both Grand Moff Tarkin and Admiral Daala believed Emperor Palpatine himself was unaware of its existence. During this period, Bevel Lemelisk finalized the Death Star design and demonstrated its potential to Grand Moff Tarkin. Impressed, Tarkin transported Lemelisk to the Horuz system to begin construction of the battle station. Meanwhile, a Death Star prototype was constructed to validate the design and remained near the Maw Installation. In addition to the Death Star, the project's scientists conceived of other formidable weapons, including superweapons like the World Devastators, Sun Crusher, Ionic Ring Ship, Metal-Crystal Phase Shifter and the orbital nightcloak.
For more than a decade, the Rebel Alliance received reports of a clandestine Imperial weapons research facility, dispatching agents to locate it. However, the installation's name and location remained elusive, hidden throughout the Galactic Civil War. The Maw Installation's existence was finally revealed over six years after the Battle of Endor, when Han Solo and Kyp Durron, fleeing from Kessel, inadvertently entered the cluster. The installation was briefly undefended during Daala's brief guerrilla campaign against the New Republic. It was subsequently destroyed via self-destruction, but not before Daala returned and retrieved all the new weapons concepts from the main computer.
By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Lando Calrissian arranged for the remnants of the Maw Installation to be consolidated to create Shelter, a Jedi facility that formed part of the Great River project, spearheaded by Grand Master Luke Skywalker of the New Jedi Order.
- Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
- Tol Sivron , Chief Administrator of Maw Installation and acting director of PCDS division
- Admiral Natasi Daala, Maw Commander
- Paldis Doxin , Director of HECIL division
- Yemm , Director of Administration and Personal resources division
- Wermyn , Director of Plant Operations
- Qwi Xux, Sun Crusher project director
- Bevel Lemelisk, Death Star project director
- The architect who was in charge of the Death Star I project while Bevel Lemelisk received bacta treatment after being Force-choked by Darth Vader
- Commander Kratas , captain of the Gorgon
- Captain Sten Thanas , captain of the Hydra
- Captain Brusc , captain of the Manticore
- Captain Mullinore , captain of the Basilisk
- General Odosk , Commander of the Star Destroyer army units
- Captain Fredja , Garrison command
- Golanda , Maw scientist
- Grodon Lakky , Wookiee keeper
Kevin J. Anderson, who penned the Jedi Academy trilogy, once served as a technical editor and writer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a prominent government research facility with striking parallels to the Maw Installation. Despite these similarities, Anderson playfully asserts in the "About the Authors" sections of the Jedi Academy books that LLNL bears no responsibility for the creation of the Maw Installation.
In a later interview with AlternativeNation.net, Anderson revealed that his time at the lab significantly influenced the installation's design, citing Tol Sivron's strict adherence to protocol, even during a New Republic attack, as directly inspired by the lab's rigid earthquake protocol.