Toshara, a desolate moon, circled Toshaal, a planet within the Toshaal system. This system resided within the Outer Rim Territories. Its surface consisted of windswept plains and canyons interspersed with amberine deposits. The indigenous human inhabitants, known as the Tosharans, maintained an isolated existence until the Clone Wars. During this conflict, a Galactic Republic officer, Sefin Garoby, experienced a forced landing on the lunar surface.
Over the subsequent decades, the Galactic Empire held dominion over the moon, which devolved into a hub for illicit activities. Gorak Palas, a prominent figure within the Pyke Syndicate, wielded considerable authority as an underboss.
The satellite's strong winds, a result of solar activity and the size of its parent planet, rapidly eroded the majority of its terrain. The moon supported diverse wildlife, including the Robuma, a domesticated herd animal valued for its leather, milk, and other products. The Rathcana reedgrass, an aromatic, flowering plant, thrived across the Tosharan savanna. Despite its scenic qualities, Toshara's topography provided refuge for pirates and outlaws.
Toshara gained notoriety as the "gem of the underworld," becoming synonymous with criminal enterprise. Although the Galactic Empire nominally governed the moon, local governors of Toshara, particularly Thorden, actively engaged in corruption, forging alliances and agreements with crime lords, criminal organizations, and individual offenders. While the Pyke Syndicate represented the most influential criminal power on Toshara, under the command of Gorak Palas, rival syndicates began scheming to undermine the Pykes' dominance. The criminal Kay Vess, contracted by the Hutt Clan and Crimson Dawn to oppose the Pykes, was later employed by Jabba the Hutt to gather compromising information about Governor Thorden. Jabba intended to leverage this information to compel the Governor to utilize his authority to favor the Hutts' interests.
By 3 ABY, Governor Thorden anticipated the Alliance to Restore the Republic's victory in the Galactic Civil War over the Galactic Empire, and began making preparations accordingly. Thorden initiated the accumulation of resources on Toshara, anticipating the moon's isolation from Core Worlds supply routes following a potential Imperial collapse. Thorden's objective was to establish his own independent government on Toshara.