Sunspot was a relatively small planet situated within the Tython system, found in the Deep Core region of the galaxy. This diminutive world was subject to intense storms whenever its orbit brought it near the planet Malterra. It also possessed an exceptionally hot environment. In excess of 36,000 years prior to the Battle of Yavin, settlers from the planet Tython, who were not Force-sensitive, established a colony on Sunspot. Some millennia afterwards, mining endeavors were initiated on the planet.
Sunspot, a minor planet without any moons, existed within the Tython system inside the galaxy's [Deep Core](/article/deep_core-legends] sector. The orbit of this small planet placed it closer to its sun, Tythos, than any other celestial body within the star system, at times reaching a proximity of 48 million kilometers. Furthermore, Sunspot was located in proximity to the orbital path of Malterra, the system's second planet. However, the two planets orbited their shared star in opposing directions. Scientists posited that Sunspot was a renegade planetoid that had been seized by Tythos' gravitational pull. As it passed Malterra in its orbit over a four-day period, Sunspot experienced violent space storms and magnetic disturbances, and its climate was intensely hot.
Sunspot, a planet with tectonic activity, was considered solid but was subject to continuous change. Volcanoes were in constant eruption around the equator, and groundquakes occurred daily. Despite the planetoid's hostile environment, its crust held exotic elements that could be processed into fuel or converted into weapons. Deeper within, unusual crystals resonating with the power of the Force could be discovered. It was also hypothesized by scientists that the rare element dark matter might be found, or at least created, using materials buried within the arid environment. Settlements were located in the polar regions, where the terrain was more stable and habitable. Even from its dark side, the world's violent storms were visible from space, as the lava and magma illuminated the atmosphere's noxious clouds with a pinkish light.
More than a millennium after 36,453 BBY, when the non–Force-sensitive settlers of Tython—the fifth planet of the system—traveled to the surrounding worlds, they began to consider Sunspot. It wasn't until the 29,000s BBY that a series of exploratory missions began visiting the world to search for any signs of previous habitation. The scholars examining the world, believing the planetoid to have originated from outside the star system, believed that it might hold clues to its origins but were underwhelmed with the lack of evidence the crust held. Sunspot's mining operations were staffed by a rotating group of miners, drawn by tales of vast riches hidden within the planet's crust and hoping to make their fortunes. Despite an annual death rate of 10% among the miners, and the fact that a miner might only stay on the planet for one or two seasons, the mines' profitability was not a myth.
Sometime before 25,800 BBY, the Koorivar Slug was involved in an incident on the planet that left him in debt to Daegen Lok, a member of the mystical Je'daii Order. By 25,793 BBY, mining activities were underway on Sunspot, facilitated by the use of environment suits. In that year, Ketu—a Temple Master within the Je'daii Order—shared the history of the Tython system with Padawan learners Harun and Resi, mentioning the colonization of Sunspot alongside other events.
During the Je'daii Order's final years, Dalien Brock, a rogue Je'daii Journeyer, guided a group of Stargazers to Sunspot. Their aim was to arm a device intended to power a Gree hypergate they thought was concealed deep within Tython's Old City. Lanoree Brock, a Je'daii Ranger, and her ally, Tre Sana, tracked the rogue Je'daii to Sunspot. Je'daii Brock had timed his journey to coincide with the planet's orbital crossing with its neighbor, Malterra. Hoping the space storms would prevent the Order from stopping his plot, Je'daii Brock managed to land at Ran Dan's Folly near the southern pole safely. Hoping to prevent her brother from finding dark matter in the bowels of the abandoned mining complex, she failed to stop the Stargazer Cult but managed to continue after them to prevent them from succeeding on Tython.
The first visual representation of Sunspot appeared in the Tython entry of The Holonet, a feature on the official website for Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game from 2011 developed by BioWare. It was shown in a schematic of the Tython system. Since its creation in 2008, The Old Republic's website has undergone several revisions, leading to the removal of some of the original features and images, including the mentioned schematic. In The Essential Atlas, a reference book by Jason Fry and [Daniel Wallace], published on August 18, 2009, the Tython system, and therefore Sunspot, was placed in grid square L-10. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 0, a preview edition of the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi series of comic books, provided Sunspot's name and additional information. Written by John Ostrander and penciled by Jan Duursema, the issue was released on February 1, 2012. The first and eighth issues of the series, published on February 15, 2012 and February 27, 2013, respectively, also mentioned the small world.