Murk, a star of the red dwarf variety, could be found within the Zuma sector of the Outer Rim Territories', specifically in the Moddell subsector. No one on any of the subsector's inhabited planets could see it without special equipment. A barren planetoid, bearing the same name, circled Murk, lacking any atmosphere.
The Sanctuary Pipeline hyperlane established by the Galactic Empire made the star system containing Murk the second-to-last stop before reaching the Endor system. On the planetoid, under the light of the red dwarf, Imperial personnel at a cargo-transfer station offloaded cargo arriving via the Sanctuary Pipeline to be transported onward to Endor.
The Murk system contained Murk, a star classified as a red dwarf. It resided in the Outer Moddell systems area of the Moddell subsector. This subsector is one of the subsectors that comprises the Inner Zuma Region within the Zuma sector in the Outer Rim Territories'.
Several planetoids orbited Murk, with the innermost one sharing its name: Murk. This airless, frigid, and desolate rock required ninety-eight local days for one orbit. When viewed from the planetoid, Murk emitted a dim maroon color, less bright than an average planet's moon in the galaxy. The star was so faint that it was impossible to see with the naked-eye from any inhabited planet in the Moddell subsector.
During the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire commenced construction of the Death Star II battle station above the Forest Moon of Endor located in the Endor system. To facilitate the speedy—and clandestine—transportation of essential resources and parts to Endor, the Empire artificially lengthened a hyperlane, later called the Sanctuary Pipeline, directly to Endor. Consequently, the Murk system became the next-to-last stop on this new hyperspace route. As a consequence, the star emerged from relative obscurity and gained a degree of recognition.
To further conceal the Death Star project, an Imperial cargo-transfer station was built on the planetoid Murk. Under the dim illumination of the planetoid's star, Imperial crews at the station transferred shipments of raw materials and components from deep-space haulers and superfreighters traveling the Sanctuary Pipeline for further transport to the Endor system. Following the Rebel Alliance's victory over the Empire at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Sanctuary Pipeline became largely unnavigable, and the Murk transfer station was deserted.
The star Murk was initially referenced in the article "Endor and the Moddell Sector," penned by Craig Robert Carey, Daniel Wallace, and Jason Fry, and published in Star Wars Gamer 9 on February 22, 2002. The reference book The Essential Atlas from 2009, with illustrations by Chris Trevas, provided the first visual representation of the red dwarf and positioned it in grid square H-16.
- " Endor and the Moddell Sector " — Star Wars Gamer 9 (First mentioned)
- The Essential Atlas (First pictured)