The Uphrades system, a star system situated within the Inner Rim, was famed for housing the bountiful agriworld of Uphrades. During the Cold War era, which saw conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, the system's populace of 16 million dedicated themselves to supplying the Republic capital, Coruscant, with the majority of its food. However, a devastating attack orchestrated by the Sith Lord Darth Angral, who deployed the Desolator superweapon, ravaged the planet's surface, leaving only a few hundred individuals alive. These remaining survivors were ultimately saved through the heroic actions of the medical frigate Daybreaker, whose crew intentionally crashed their vessel into Uphrades' heavily ionized atmosphere to reach and assist them. Despite this rescue, Uphrades and its surrounding system were left desolate and devoid of life in the aftermath of Angral's destructive assault.
Within the Inner Rim, specifically in the section of the Northern Dependencies that lies between the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route, was the star system known as the Uphrades system. This system derived its name from its primary world, the planet Uphrades, and served as a crucial agricultural resource for the Galactic Republic's capital on Coruscant. This role continued until the devastation of Uphrades in 3643 BBY, an act committed by Darth Angral, a Sith Lord belonging to the Sith Empire.
Around 22,000 BBY, the area encompassing the Uphrades system had already been extensively explored. By the time of the Cold War between the Republic and the Sith Empire, the system had risen to prominence as a major provider of foodstuffs to Coruscant, largely due to the endeavors of the Jedi organization known as the Jedi Restoration Concord. However, in 3643 BBY, Darth Angral targeted the planet during his war against the Republic, an act fueled by the death of his son, Tarnis, at the hands of a Jedi Knight. Angral deployed the Desolator superweapon against Uphrades, resulting in widespread destruction of the planet's surface and the creation of a small asteroid belt orbiting the planet. This attack completely crippled Uphrades' capacity for food production and caused the deaths of nearly all of its surface population, leaving only a few hundred survivors. The Daybreaker, a Republic medical frigate that witnessed the assault, was attacked by Angral's forces as he departed the system. However, a Jedi Knight, the intended target of the Sith's animosity, intervened and repelled the Imperial boarding parties near Uphrades.
Later, the crew of the Daybreaker chose to sacrifice their vessel to assist the survivors on Uphrades, despite the ship's captain, Dal, attempting to dissuade them. The crew deliberately crashed the ship by entering Uphrades' highly ionized atmosphere to reach the survivors and ensure their survival until the Republic could provide rescue.
During the New Sith Wars, a conflict spanning over two millennia between the Republic and the Sith, the Uphrades system and the surrounding region remained largely unaligned or contested. However, during the Clone Wars from 22 to 19 BBY, this section of the Inner Rim was situated within Republic space. It was later absorbed by the Republic's successor state, the Galactic Empire, at the conclusion of the conflict. By 9 ABY, the New Republic had gained control of the area, only to have it temporarily reclaimed by Admiral Thrawn during his campaign to restore much of the northern galaxy to the Empire. However, by 137 ABY, the Empire under the Sith Lord Darth Krayt had seized control of the region encompassing the Uphrades system.
Before its destruction, Uphrades, also known as "Coruscant's Granary," was a flourishing agriworld inhabited by 16 million people during the Cold War. Its exceptionally fertile soil was a consequence of intense volcanic activity that occurred around 23,643 BBY. The planet boasted a breathable atmosphere, a temperate climate, and five continents separated by significant bodies of surface water. Following Darth Angral's attack, Uphrades' lush vegetation was reduced to ashes, and large portions of its surface were torn away, resulting in an asteroid belt and exposing pockets of magma that vaporized the planet's oceans.
Uphrades and its system made their initial appearance in Star Wars: The Old Republic, a video game developed by BioWare and LucasArts and released in 2011. They serve as the setting for the Jedi Knight class mission titled "Uphrades." An update to the Online Companion for the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas placed the Uphrades system in the Inner Rim, specifying grid coordinates M-8. In The Old Republic, players have the option to disregard the life signs of the survivors on Uphrades to gain dark side alignment points. However, given that the Knight is a Republic character and is typically assumed to make morally aligned light side choices, this article assumes that the Daybreaker sacrificed itself to aid the survivors and that they were eventually rescued.