Tanquilla Beach, a haven for those operating outside the law, was identified as a shadowport that contained an illicit garage. Maz Kanata, once a notorious pirate Queen, noted its presence as an outlaw garage on a cartographical record included within the book destined to be known as the Smuggler's Guide. Later, after the smuggler Platt Okeefe acquired the book, she supplemented the information by adding that it also served as a valuable shadowport and secure hideout for smugglers.
The initial reference to Tanquilla Beach within the current canon appeared in the Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide, a 2018 reference work authored by Daniel Wallace. Its genesis can be traced back to The DarkStryder Campaign, a 1995 Star Wars Legends supplement created for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games.