Parnassos

Parnassos, a planet situated in the Unknown Regions, was once a thriving and beautiful world, at least according to the advertisements and training materials disseminated by the Con Star Mining Corporation. It boasted mountains, abundant greenery and oceans of [crystal](/article/crystal] blue. The waters were so clear that one could observe the sandy seabed. Certain valleys were exceptionally fertile, brimming with natural resources. However, the occurrence of a nuclear disaster at Calliope Station precipitated a radical transformation in the planet's ecosystem. The oceans turned dark, frigid, and menacing, teeming with predatory creatures. Much of the verdant landscape was replaced by a vast desert characterized by purple sands. As a consequence of the nuclear incident, the planet experienced rising sea levels, frequent acid rain, and the decimation of its edible animal populations.

Several continents were located on Parnassos. The area where Phasma resided was largely composed of mountainous and desert terrains. The Scyre territory, Phasma's place of origin, featured black rock spires alongside caves and cliffs, notably the Nautilus, a cave that served as the Scyre clan's dwelling. Adjacent to the Scyre territory was a plateau where the Claw territory was situated. Both the Scyre and Claw territories were elevated significantly above the main continental surface.

Terpsichore Station, Con Star's largest mining facility on the planet, was located on Phasma's continent. It was nestled in a previously fertile valley, a short tram ride from the Siren Sea, once a popular tourist destination. Arratu Station, a former Con Star outpost that had evolved into a city, was also located on this continent. Further afield lay the dead lands, a radioactive wasteland surrounding a nuclear plant that had suffered a catastrophic meltdown. Calliope Station, which had a medbay, was another station located on the planet.

Other continents on the planet featured grasslands, forests, and a handful of settlements. Cleo Station, an abandoned Con Star factory used for producing mining equipment, was situated on one such landmass across the ocean. Despite the surrounding area being relatively fertile compared to other parts of Parnassos, a widespread famine decimated much of its population.

A poisonous species of lichen, which could be used to coat blades, thrived on Parnassos. Notable indigenous animals included venomous gold beetles, sea urchins, snails, skinwolves, squeeps, and large lizards utilized for pulling sleds. The planet's oceans were also home to a host of ravenous creatures, including massive beings with teeth a meter in length.

During the Republic Era, Parnassos was colonized by the Con Star Mining Corporation, with the intention of exploiting the planet's rich deposits of metals and minerals. Con Star established numerous settlements, including laboratories, factories, mines, and residential areas for the colonists. Among these were Terpsichore, Arratu, Calliope, and Cleo Stations, each serving distinct purposes. Additionally, Con Star erected a powerful automated orbital defense system to protect the planet.

Approximately a century before the [Cold War](/article/cold_war], a poorly maintained reactor at an unidentified Con Star facility malfunctioned, triggering a nuclear reaction that wreaked havoc on the planet's environment. The reactor building and its adjacent structures were obliterated, and the surrounding terrain was transformed into a radioactive wasteland known as the "dead lands." A significant portion of the adjacent continent was rendered a desolate desert.

Con Star abruptly abandoned Parnassos, expunging it from official records. The few remaining documents listed the planet as uninhabited. Later observers, such as Brendol Hux, a General within the First Order, speculated that the disaster was either a result of Con Star's negligence or an act of sabotage by a rival corporation.

The planet's abandoned population was reduced to a primitive state of existence. Some, like the Scyre and Claw clans, reverted to hunter-gatherer lifestyles, forming small bands that competed for territory and resources. Given that the devastation had decimated many of the edible animals and plants, certain clans, such as the Scyre, employed machines called detraxors to extract nutrients and minerals from deceased sentient beings and animals, creating a nutritious paste.

In the absence of their sentient overseers, the droids at Terpsichore Station gained self-awareness and longed for the return of their "creators." Conversely, Arratu Station evolved into a verdant and prosperous city, inhabited by a wealthy elite and an impoverished underclass. The city's rulers, known as Arratu, staged gladiatorial contests to entertain the masses. Across the ocean, the inhabitants of Cleo Station, a former factory settlement, managed to survive due to the abundance of grain fields.

Phasma and her family resided in a cave known as the Nautilus. Disapproving of what she perceived as her parents' "weak and indecisive" leadership, Phasma conspired with the Scyre clan to murder her own family, sparing only her older brother Keldo, whom she injured in the leg. Subsequently, Phasma and Keldo joined the Scyre.

After the Scyre leader Egil was killed by the ambitious young Porr, Phasma defeated him in combat, while Keldo incapacitated him. Keldo and Phasma then became co-leaders of the Scyre, with Keldo serving as the political leader and Phasma as the military leader. Due to the high infant mortality rate, the Scyres only produced one child, a girl named Frey. Following a failed Claw attempt to abduct Frey, Keldo negotiated a truce with the Claws' leader Balder, a Dug. However, his truce earned him the enmity of the militaristic Phasma.

During the Cold War, General Hux journeyed to Parnassos on a mission to recruit warriors for the First Order, a remnant of the Old Empire seeking to overthrow the New Republic. As Hux's ship approached the planet, it was struck down by Parnassos' orbital defense system. The ship crash-landed in the "dead lands," while Hux and three stormtroopers—PT-2445 ("Pete"), LE-2003 ("Elli"), and HF-0518 ("Huff")—landed in an escape pod near the Claw territory.

Hux and his fellow survivors were captured by Balder. Hux explained his situation to the Claws, offering them a life of wealth and comfort if they joined the First Order. Before the Claws could deliberate on Hux's proposition, Phasma assassinated Balder and persuaded Hux and his troopers to accept her assistance. Following a skirmish with the Claws, the Scyre and Hux's party managed to retreat to the Nautilus.

Unable to convince Keldo to support the expedition, Phasma and her most loyal warriors (Siv, Torben, Gosta, and Carr) departed the Nautilus with Hux and his men. They also pilfered the Scyre's supplies, including their two detraxors. Traversing Parnassos' inhospitable deserts and a mountain, Phasma and Hux's party faced venomous beetles (which caused Carr's death), marauders riding large lizards, and a pack of mutated skinwolves.

After Hux was bitten by a skinwolf, the group sought refuge at Terpsichore Station, which was inhabited by self-aware droids. While Hux received treatment, Phasma and the others were compelled to work as indentured miners to settle Hux's medical expenses. By working together, the group managed to infiltrate the control room and disable the droids. Subsequently, the group departed on a ground assault vehicle and several speeder bikes.

En route to Arratu Station, Hux and Phasma's party were ambushed and captured by the locals. They were taken to Arratu Station, where they were forced to compete in the arena. With the assistance of Torben and Siv, Phasma succeeded in killing the Arratu champion, Wranderous, and the ruling Arratu, plunging the city into chaos. The group then fled Arratu, continuing their journey to Hux's ship.

Hux and Phasma's group then journeyed to the "dead lands" but were pursued by Keldo and the combined Scyre and Claw forces. Following a fierce battle outside Hux's ship, Phasma managed to kill Keldo. Despite the annihilation of the enemy forces, Hux's stormtroopers and the majority of Phasma's followers, with the exception of Siv, were killed. Meanwhile, Hux managed to contact the First Order for an evacuation.

Armitage Hux, General Hux's son, soon arrived with a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer and an Atmospheric Assault Lander. Phasma and the orphaned Frey, who had accompanied Keldo's party, boarded the shuttle with Hux. However, Phasma forbade Siv from joining them for disobeying her order to kill Wranderous. Before departing Parnassos, General Hux ordered an orbital bombardment of the Nautilus and Arratu Station as a demonstration of the First Order's might.

A year after joining the First Order, Phasma revisited the site of Hux's crashed ship. She salvaged the ship's chromium plating and then flew on her TIE/sf space superiority fighter to Cleo Station across the ocean. There, she discovered that the population had perished due to a famine that had devastated their grain crops. Phasma utilized the station's armory to forge the chromium plates into her unique armor.

Despite being left to die in the "dead lands," Siv sought refuge at Calliope Station, where she received treatment for radiation sickness. After recovering, Siv later gave birth to a daughter named Torbi. Ten years later, Siv encountered Vi Moradi, a spy and operative for the Resistance, to whom she recounted Phasma's life story prior to joining the First Order. After escaping the First Order Star Destroyer Absolution, Vi traveled with the wounded stormtrooper, Captain Cardinal, to Parnassos to fulfill her promise to bring Siv and Torbi offworld.

Parnassos made its debut in the 2017 novel Phasma, penned by Delilah S. Dawson.

During an interview with StarWars.com, Dawson described Parnassos as a post-nuclear Earth, characterized by poisonous rain, dead food animals, and a barren, rocky landscape, with an angry ocean reminiscent of Mad Max: Fury Road, a 2015 film that inspired Dawson during the writing of Phasma. In reality, Parnassos is a mountain range located in central Greece.