Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Yavin 4
As we have heard in several articles it appears that Yavin 4 is going to play a role in The Force Awakens. Check out David “Razor” Harris’ article for more information. Therefore I wanted my next article on Star Wars planets to be about Yavin and its four moons, and really focus in on Yavin 4. I will also give you my ideas on Poe Dameron, and who he may be portraying in the upcoming Star Wars movie.
Yavin 4 is probably one of the most versatile planets in the Star Wars galaxy. Very rare for a planet to hold a primary base for the Sith and Republic, two Sith lords buried and have their spirit reappear, and a Galactic Civil War to all take place on a moon from Yavin.
Yavin 4 can be found orbiting the gas planet of Yavin. It is a jungle moon covered in trees and vines as you would see in any rainforest. It is a remote planet, due to the location, and the fact that the spice trade doesn’t cross through there. For a planet to be in the middle of nowhere, Yavin 4 has a huge role in shaping galactic events. It first came to prominence when the Sith Lord Naga Sadow and his warriors who later would become known as the Massassi settled on the planet. Through Sith alchemy he experimented on the Massassi, and they mutated into a hunchback predator that became the slaves of Naga. The Massassi warriors then built huge temples and filled it with treasure in order to honor their Sith lord. Sadow eventually would entomb himself waiting for someone to call on his true Sith powers.
Star Wars Yavin
In 4400 BBY, Freedon Nadd, who was a fallen Jedi, would awaken Lord Sadow, and be trained in the darks side. Once Nadd learned enough from Naga, he promptly killed him and named himself Dark Lord of the Sith. Eventually Nadd would die, and his spirit was also entombed below the royal palace of Iziz, which became the focal point of Sith power. He was later found by another ex-Jedi in training, Exar Kun.
Exar Kun, began his training under Naga, and when ready, Naga Sadow directed his pupil to Yavin 4. Once here, Freedon Nadd tried to convince Exar Kun to turn his spirit into a physical body through use of alchemy. Kun defied Nadd and with a Force blast mortally wounded Sadow, and his spirit became jointly in effect with oblivion once again. Now that he became the new Dark Lord, Exar enslaved the Massassi people and had them build temples and palaces, which were designed to focus dark powers. Here the slaves also discovered the flagship of Naga Sadow, buried in the ruins of an ancient temple. Kun was not finished, he created battle hydras, Terentateks, and Night Beast. Exar Kun went as far as to imprison the souls of the Massassi children in a device called the Golden Globe, which would drain the energy of the children and feed into his malevolent powers. Kun would wage war on the Republic and Jedi, only to lose and retreat with his Massassi followers into the Great Temple. Once there he drained the spirts of the people so that he could free his own and become part of the structure where he would remain indefinitely. Let’s take a look at the planet in more detail.
Yavin 4 is composed of a molten metallic core, and the surface has four continents, that have not experienced continental drift. The oceans cover about 33% and are all interconnected. The land masses are mostly covered in a large jungle with Massassi trees, and tall canopies. There are a few mountains ridges, and volcanoes can be spotted there as well. Volcanoes caused geothermal activity, and caused rivers to flow at a rapid pace through the jungles.
Since Yavin 4 is one of the three moons that can actually hold life there is an abundance of it. If you looked above you would see Whisper birds. To look at the vegetation you would notice Woolamanders eating on the fruits supplied by the trees. Rodents called Stintarlis would be scurrying through the brush, as well as herbivores known as Runyips. People should be on the look-out for Howlers as they stun prey with their blasted screams. If you wanted to take a stroll through the waters, you will notice aquatic Gundarks, mucous salamanders, Crytstal snakes, and crustaceans known as Anglers, Crawlfish, Thyrsl, and Armored Eels. Make sure that the Piranha beetles don’t locate you, as they can fly in the air and swarm in their attack.
Yavin 4 was also the host for the Clone Wars, which served as the base of Alliance in an effort to restore the Republic during the battle of Yavin, and other battles such as the Galactic Civil War, and eventually the base for Jedi Academy. Known Jedi such as Kyle Katarn, and Mara Jade trained at this location. Another trainee was Wurth Skidder.
Skidder is an X-Wing pilot, who would later become a Jedi. Wurth Skidder was a battler, with a hotshot attitude, that would drive Princess Leia crazy, due to his brashness and hairline trigger. Skidder would find himself more in trouble by making bad decisions, than correct ones, even if it meant saving lives. For instance, his intervention of the Osarians, helped save Leia from attackers, but it cost the New Republic a year of diplomacy. He was also brave. In the Battle of Ithor, he was captured by trying to help New Republic troops defend off the Yuuzhan Vong ground forces. Eventually, Skidder was willingly captured. He would die in captivity, after being tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong, when they had learned that Wurth Skidder was trying to manipulate Randa the Hutt to betray Chine-kal and kill him. Unfortunately Randa saw through the force manipulation and informed Chine-kal that Skidder was a Jedi.
Now much is known about Poe Dameron at this time. We do know that he is an X-wing fighter, which Skidder is. We also know that Poe is from Yavin 4, the exact same place of Skidder. In the trailer Dameron looks brash and confident as he flies through the air, yelling out a joyful scream. Skidder is the same way. Dameron has his story revealed thirty years after the Battle of Endor, around the same time of Wurth Skidder. Finally, do we need another character like Han Solo in this new verison, of course we do!
Next: Star Wars: Anovos reveals stormtrooper helmet available for pre-order now