Unknown Regions

Referred to as the Chaos by its inhabitants, the Unknown Regions comprised a large, enigmatic area of space situated west of the Outer Core. The constantly shifting pathways and distorted hyperspace routes within the Unknown Regions created obstacles for trade and travel for individuals and governments located there.

A complex web of hyperspace anomalies along the western edge of the galaxy, known as the Galactic Barrier, had hindered exploration of the Unknown Regions ever since the invention of hyperdrive technology and the rise of galactic civilization. Exceptions included a few worlds, such as Csilla, Ilum, and Rakata Prime, which were accessible via careful hyperspace jumps. The ancient Sith and Jedi once possessed methods for navigating these anomalies, but this knowledge was lost to time, leaving behind only artifacts like Sith wayfinders and Jedi star compasses. The Chiss Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known as "Thrawn," mentioned that the Darshi were a border people who traveled between Wild Space and the Unknown Regions.

By the Republic Era, the inhabitants of the Unknown Regions used Force-sensitive navigators with precognition instead of navigation computers to navigate the Chaos. When navigators weren't available, long trips involved slower jump-by-jump voyages consisting of many short hyperspace jumps, each spanning only a few star systems. The Navigators' Guild regularly provided Force-sensitive navigators to various governments of the Chaos for a fee. These navigators were bound by confidentiality and could only discuss their work with their clients. The Chiss Ascendancy employed Force-sensitive Chiss children, especially girls, as navigators. These Chiss navigators, called ozyly-esehembo or "sky-walker" in Cheunh, were highly valued. The existence of the ozyly-esehembo was a closely guarded secret, so the Chiss often hired Navigators' Guild members, using the ozyly-esehembo as backup. During the Imperial Era, the warlike Grysk species of the Grysk Hegemony kidnapped Force-sensitive Chiss children to navigate hyperspace safely, leading to conflict with the Chiss Ascendancy. Simultaneously, the Grysks clashed with the Galactic Empire as they attempted to expand their territory, leading to conflict.

Many different languages were spoken in the Unknown Regions. While each species had its own language, such as Cheunh for the Chiss, Trade languages like Taarja, Minnisiat, and Sy Bisti facilitated communication between different species.

During the Galactic Civil War, the Unknown Regions were considered unexplored, separated from the galaxy by a complex maze of solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and other strange phenomena. The void was known to be inhabited by strange creatures. This maze was thought to be impassable, and many exploration ships and probe droids were lost trying to navigate it. By the time of the Battle of Jakku, Imperial computers at the Jakku Observatory had identified a safe route, but it required multiple short hyperspace jumps, making it a jump-by-jump journey that took several months.

The Ilum system, the Dassal system, the Deep, Rakata Prime, the Chiss homeworld of Csilla, the watery world of Ahch-To where the First Jedi Temple was located, and the Queluhan Nebula were all situated within the Unknown Regions.

According to the Z7 series construction droid Zeta, the Unknown Regions had few service centers, mechanics, or factories for replacement parts, and no self-respecting droid would venture there.

Chiss Ascendancy legends say the Unknown Regions were not always a collection of shifting pathways and twisted hyperspace routes. These legends claim that interstellar travel was once as easy as regular travel. However, thousands of years before 19 BBY, a chain of supernovas launched massive objects at near-lightspeed between stars, destroying asteroids, devastating planets, and triggering more supernovas. These moving masses, along with strong electromagnetic flux, created the ever-changing hyperlanes that continued to plague travel centuries later.

Due to the decline of the ancient Zeffonians' culture, which was caused by internal conflict initiated by the Zeffonian Kujet, who had fallen to the dark side of the Force, the remaining Zeffonians sought peace in the Unknown Regions, which they called the great unknown.

As far back as the Old Republic, the Jedi Order used the planet Ilum as a source of kyber crystals, essential for constructing a Jedi's lightsaber. Young Jedi were sent to Ilum aboard the Crucible to retrieve these crystals, traveling into the Unknown Regions.

The Chiss Ascendancy eventually became a major power in the Unknown Regions. They recognized that the region's instability could be an advantage, as it limited travel and reduced the likelihood of invasions. However, the instability also hindered Chiss intelligence and reconnaissance, making them vulnerable to hidden enemies seeking to bring destruction and conquer their territory. Furthermore, the Chiss had a strong policy against initiating hostilities, only using their military for defense.

The Chiss observed events in the rest of the galaxy and learned of the Clone Wars, a major conflict between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. Around 19 BBY, concurrent with the Clone Wars, the Nikardun Destiny, an empire in the Unknown Regions, began to expand, allying with and subjugating other peoples. The Destiny was led by Nikardun general Yiv the Benevolent, who was controlled by the Grysk Hegemony and its agent "Jixtus," who oversaw the conquests without directly guiding them. Although the Destiny was essentially a pawn of the Hegemony, many Grysks predicted Yiv's efforts against the Chiss Ascendancy would fail.

Yiv aimed to attack the Chiss. To cover up an attack on Paccosh refugees in the Dioya system near Chiss territory, the Nikardun launched an attack on the Chiss capital of Csilla. After Thrawn and Supreme General Ba'kif realized it was a distraction, Thrawn investigated the new threat. He discovered that the Destiny sought to control the Lioaoin Regime, Rapacc, and [Urch]. He also deduced that the Paataatus government, which the Chiss had believed was solely responsible for the Csilla attack, was also under their control. By controlling these factions, the Destiny could encircle the Chiss, who were prevented from retaliating by their non-aggression policy unless they could prove imminent danger. Thrawn had almost enough proof to justify fighting back, but the Ascendancy's policy against launching attacks without sufficient evidence hindered his efforts.

Following the Lioaoin skirmish, Thrawn and sky-walker Che'ri traveled to the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories to find allies. They detected a deflector shield generator on the Separatist-controlled world of [Mokivj) and had an encounter with Jedi General Anakin Skywalker over the planet Batuu. The Chiss considered the deflector shield generator, which they called a "Republic energy shield," to be advanced technology. Skywalker and Thrawn allied to search for Senator Padmé Amidala, whom they found on Mokivj. The planet housed a cortosis mine controlled by the Separatists. Unbeknownst to Thrawn and Skywalker, the Grysks had informed Count Dooku about cortosis's ability to block blasters and lightsabers. Consequently, Dooku began developing prototype B2-series super battle droids fortified with Cortosis, as well as Cortosis-fortified clone trooper armor for potential use in executing Order 66. Thrawn helped Skywalker and Amidala defeat the Separatist forces and took the shield generator. Anakin then accidentally caused a planetary catastrophe while trying to destroy the mine.

After Thrawn and Che'ri returned to the Ascendancy, Yiv's operations collapsed when he was defeated at Primea. The Vak Combine joined the Chiss fleet during the battle, and the Nikardun Destiny disintegrated after Thrawn captured Yiv. Shortly after, Jixtus informed Qilori, a Pathfinder and former servant of Yiv, that they would launch a more subtle campaign against the Chiss to control the Unknown Regions. Around this time, the Ascendancy began a campaign against the remnants of Yiv's Nikardun forces.

Shortly after the formation of the Galactic Empire in "Lesser Space," the Grysk agent Jixtus plotted to destroy the Chiss Ascendancy. With the help of Haplif of the Agbui, who had previously instigated a cataclysmic civil war on a planet nicknamed Sunrise, Jixtus brought several Chiss Great Families to the brink of open warfare. Jixtus hoped that the allied Ruling Families would escalate the conflict into a civil war, weakening the Ascendancy and making it easy prey for the Grysk. Around 18 BBY, Jixtus's plan nearly succeeded, but was foiled by Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet Senior Captains Thrawn and Lakinda. Although the Chiss Ascendancy avoided civil war, the Grysk Hegemony remained a threat. The Grysks' continued threat after the battle of the Sunrise System led the Ascendancy to send Thrawn to Lesser Space to assess the potential of an alliance with the new Galactic Empire.

During the early years of the Galactic Empire, some dissidents, such as Berch Teller, believed the Empire would extend into the Unknown Regions. Imperial information about the Unknown Regions was largely considered a state secret. The Empire occupied Ilum and began strip-mining it for kyber crystals, a crucial component for the DS-1 Death Star Mobile Battle Station. The mining destroyed Ilum's surface, leaving a large trench around the planet. Ilum was heavily guarded by a battle group and a garrison.

The presence of "evil threats" like the Grysk Hegemony in the Unknown Regions prompted the Chiss Ascendancy to send Thrawn to forge an alliance with the Galactic Empire, to determine whether it would be a strong ally or a weak target while the Chiss prepared. Before leaving, Thrawn noticed political tensions within the Ascendancy but wrongly assumed the Aristocra could resolve them. Thrawn made first contact with the Empire by faking an exile, claiming he was sent away for violating the Chiss's non-aggression policy. Thrawn only intended to scout and assess the Empire's capabilities before reporting back to Csilla. However, Emperor Palpatine was interested in Thrawn because of his knowledge of the Unknown Regions and made him a cadet and later an officer in the Imperial Navy. Unbeknownst to Thrawn, Palpatine wanted Thrawn's familiarity with the Unknown Regions for his Contingency plan.

Thrawn eventually gained the trust of Emperor Palpatine and Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen. After the Batonn insurgency, Thrawn became an Imperial Grand Admiral and sent his friend Commander Eli Vanto to join the Chiss Ascendancy. During the Imperial Era, the Emperor sent explorers into the Unknown Regions. Many were killed trying to breach the maze west of Jakku, while others went insane from isolation. Palpatine's efforts to map the Unknown Regions were aided by Thrawn's knowledge, though Palpatine noticed Thrawn intentionally withheld information about Chiss space. Nevertheless, Palpatine had been seeding the Unknown Regions with storehouses, shipyards, and laboratories for decades. At some point, a communications station was established on the planet of GH-531. Thrawn served as Palpatine's chief adviser on matters concerning the Unknown Regions.

Following the Battle of Atollon, Palpatine sensed a disturbance in the Force near Batuu and sent Thrawn and Darth Vader to investigate. Thrawn realized that Vader was Anakin Skywalker, the same Force-sensitive he had fought alongside during the Clone Wars. They discovered that the Grysks were kidnapping Force-sensitive Chiss children to use as navigators. With the help of Lord Vader and Thrawn, the Chiss Ascendancy rescued the children. Thrawn still believed the Grysks posed a threat to both the Chiss Ascendancy and the Empire, but Vader dismissed them as a distant threat. The mission also revealed to Thrawn that political tensions still existed in the Chiss Ascendancy, bringing it to the brink of a Grysk-manipulated civil war. Because of his commitment to the Empire, he could not return to Chiss space to help. Like he had with Vanto, Thrawn later sent Assistant Director Brierly Ronan to join the Ascendancy, but Ronan also planned to act as a double agent if he learned Thrawn was working against the Empire. When Chiss Admiral Ar'alani departed with Ronan, she feared the growing chaos in the Ascendancy would lead to war.

Considering the Grysk threat, Palpatine decided the best way to defeat them was to conquer the Chiss and force Thrawn to help. However, Ezra Bridger removed Thrawn from galactic affairs during the Liberation of Lothal. During the Imperial era, Palpatine had installed a secret Observatory on Jakku, housing powerful ancient computers that created a three-dimensional map of the Unknown Regions as a crucial part of Palpatine's Contingency plan. The Observatory's computers sent numerous probe droids to test the routes they generated. Shortly before the Emperor's death at the Battle of Endor, the computers completed their calculations and found a safe path into the Unknown Regions. As a result, the Emperor's flagship Eclipse was dispatched into the new frontier. Following the Battle of Endor, Palpatine's former Advisor Yupe Tashu suggested that the Empire venture into the Unknown Regions to find the source of the dark side of the Force.

Following the Battle of Jakku and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda's signing of the Galactic Concordance, the New Republic received the surrender of the Galactic Empire. The Concordance put severe limitations on military expansion and force accumulation in former Imperial territories, mandating that the Empire remain within strict boundaries inside the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim regions. A significant portion of the Empire retreated into the Unknown Regions; among the high-ranking political figures, military leaders, and loyalists who fled were Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, Brendol Hux, and his son Armitage Hux, all of whom met up with the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Eclipse.

After the Empire crumbled, Mandalorian Spectre Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan, ventured into the Unknown Regions on a quest to locate Padawan Ezra Bridger. He, along with Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Chimaera crew, had disappeared years prior during the Liberation of Lothal.

The First Order established and maintained several shipyards, weapons factories, and base installations within the Unknown Regions. Starkiller Base, situated on the icy, forested planet of Ilum, rose to prominence as one of the First Order's most vital strongholds. The First Order also operated Station Theta Black, a space station used for mining and refining dedlanite to produce blasters within the Unknown Regions.

In 34 ABY, the First Order unleashed Starkiller Base's phantom energy to obliterate the Hosnian system, which housed Hosnian Prime, the capital of the New Republic. The First Order then tried to use Starkiller Base to destroy the Resistance base on D'Qar in the Ileenium system, located in the Outer Rim Territories. However, the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base, inflicting a major setback on the First Order.

Following Starkiller Base's destruction, Rey journeyed to Ahch-To, a world in the Unknown Regions, seeking out Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Skywalker, initially hesitant, eventually agreed to train her in the ways of the Jedi. After Rey returned to the galaxy to try and redeem Kylo Ren, Skywalker chose to assist the Resistance by using a Force projection to divert Ren's attention during the Battle of Crait, allowing the Resistance to escape aboard the Millennium Falcon with Rey and Chewbacca. The strain of the Force projection proved fatal, and Skywalker became one with the Force. The First Order used the Unknown Regions to conceal the Supremacy before the Battle of Crait.

Largely unknown to the galaxy, Darth Sidious had resurrected himself through unknown means after the Battle of Endor and established a new regime on the secluded Sith planet of Exegol. There, his Sith Eternal followers constructed the Final Order, a vast fleet of Xyston-class Star Destroyers capable of planetary destruction. The Emperor concealed his survival and cult until 35 ABY. From Exegol, Sidious manipulated the First Order and steered Kylo Ren toward the dark side using Snoke, his puppet Supreme Leader, an artificial being created through ancient Sith rituals.

After delivering a broadcast promising revenge, Sidious allied with Supreme Leader Ren, offering the Final Order fleet in exchange for the death of Rey, his granddaughter and the last Jedi. With the help of Armitage Hux, the disgruntled First Order General, the Resistance discovered Darth Sidious's return and his scheme to merge his Sith fleet with the First Order to create a new Sith Empire for galactic domination and the ultimate completion of the Revenge of the Sith. Sidious also secured the loyalty of his former Imperial servant, First Order Allegiant General Enric Pryde. That same year, Rey, a redeemed Ben Solo, and a galactic armada led by the Resistance defeated and destroyed the Emperor and the Sith Eternal. After Rey and her team located a Sith wayfinder leading to Exegol, Resistance forces commanded by Acting General Poe Dameron attacked Exegol. Despite being outnumbered by the Sith Eternal forces, the Resistance received aid from a massive fleet assembled by General Lando Calrissian.

During the Battle of Exegol, Rey and Solo confronted the Dark Lord of the Sith. Recognizing them as a Force dyad, the Sith Lord attempted to drain their life force. However, Rey, with the assistance of all the past Jedi, defeated and killed Sidious for good. Although the exertion of Force powers killed Rey, Ben sacrificed his life force to revive her, dying and becoming one with the Force in the process. With the defeat of Darth Sidious and the Sith Eternal, the Resistance armada withdrew from Exegol while an uprising against the First Order erupted across the galaxy.

The various political entities within the Unknown Regions referred to themselves as "nations." These included:

• The Chiss Ascendancy — a powerful and secretive entity governed by the Aristocra, a group of royal families [25] forming the ruling class of the Ascendancy, overseeing a network of sovereignties. [32]
• The First Order — an autocratic militaristic state that arose from a remnant of the Galactic Empire and Centrists from the New Republic [9] [48]
• The Garwian Unity — a unified political entity of the Garwian species situated on Solitair. The Kimbples resided in the capital world of the Garwian Unity. [3]
• The Grysk Hegemony — an empire of the Grysk described as nomadic, lacking a permanent home. [14]
• The Kilji Illumine — a religious empire dedicated to spreading its faith throughout the Unknown Regions and Lesser Space. [4]
• The Lioaoin Regime — a government operating within Lioaoin space. [3]
• The Nikardun Destiny — an empire belonging to the Nikardun species. [3]
• Paccian Governance — the government of the Paccosh from the Rapacc system. [4]
• The Paataatus Hiveborn — a government based on Nettehi, active within the Unknown Regions. [3]
• The Tower Dimension — the government of the Urchiv-ki species, based on Urch. [3]
• The Vak Combine — a government centered on its capital, the Primea system. [3]
• A government of the Scofti — based on Bardran Scoft, characterized by frequent changes in leadership and governmental structures, often involving violence or the threat of violence. [3]
• Imperial colonization— the Galactic Empire had established colonies in the Unknown Regions for decades, including various storehouses, shipyards, and laboratories on remote moons and asteroids, [32] [39] with survey teams and droids previously dispatched to explore the Unknown Regions. [21]
• Various other smaller nations of varying size and power. [4]

Ahch-To, a watery planet, served as the ancient origin of the Jedi Order, a distinguished religious order of protectors devoted to the light side of the Force with a rich history. Ahch-To housed the first Jedi temple.

The Sith Lord Darth Sidious founded the Sith Eternal, a Sith cult, during the Imperial Era, which persisted into the New Republic Era on the ancient Sith world of Exegol. The Sith Eternal brought forth the Final Order on Exegol.

The Unknown Regions were initially referenced in the Legends novel Heir to the Empire. They became part of canon when the planet Ilum appeared in "The Gathering," an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Pablo Hidalgo clarified in Rebels Recon that the boundaries of the Unknown Regions were known (and therefore should be visible on the map of the galaxy) but what was inside those regions remained a mystery. This contrasts with Wild Space, which existed outside the known galactic map (essentially, "beyond the edge of the map"). This differs from Legends, where Wild Space is on the edge of the known galaxy while everything beyond the known galaxy is part of the Unknown Regions.