This article is a reader’s guide to the planet Tython that was mentioned in The Mandalorian season 2.
Before the introduction of Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the planet that was considered the original home world of the Jedi Order was Tython. This planet was located in the Deep Core of the galaxy, a region of space seven thousand light-years across and located near a black hole that made hyperspace travel there difficult due to its effects on space-time.
The planet was settled by the Jedi (Je’daii) circa 36,000 years before the Battle of Yavin that ended with the destruction of the first Death Star. According to legends, the Jedi came to this planet aboard pyramid-shaped ships called the Tho Yor.
The Tho Yor had traveled throughout the galaxy gathering all of those who were found to be Force-sensitive. Together with artisans, philosophers, priests, scientists, and warriors they came to Tython, a planet that was found to have a strong connection to the Force.
Continue reading on to know more about Tython and its connection to the Jedi!
An introduction to Tython
Tython was a terrestrial planet that was naturally steeped in the Force and its influences could be found nearly everywhere, including the heavens above and beyond. An example of this could be seen in a phenomenon referred to as “Force storms,” which had a supernatural-like effect as it raged and tore into the skies above. Another area of Tython that was strongly affected by the Force was the Rift.
This massive, jagged canyon was where the Jedi came to hone their survival skills. It was an ideal place for such a task as it contained many pitfalls such as the quicksand pits, along with volcanic and seismic activity. However, the most dangerous area of the Rift was a great smoking chasm called the Abyss of Ruh.
The Abyss of Ruh — much like the cave Rey found on Ahch-To — held a direct link to the dark side of the Force. The Abyss also had pit-spawned beasts that were unique to it. These aberrations were taken and used in experiments by the Tythan scientists.
Another area strong in the dark side was the Chasm, a gorge that was so deep that no one had ever found its bottom. The Chasm was more than just treacherous, it was also believed to be mind-altering. That is, it caused a powerful, corruptible effect on the minds of anyone who ventured too deep or made the mistake of being near it for a prolonged period. One known victim to this dark side conduit was the Jedi, Daegen Lok, who was banished to Tython’s dark moon, Bogan, to help him regain balance with the Force.
Next, in places of interest, there was the area known as the Silent Desert. It got this name from an unknown element within the sand that canceled out all sounds. Only the caverns underneath this desert remained insulated from this strange effect. The Jedi used the Silent Desert to hone both their mental and sensory uses of the Force.
Another place of great significance on Tython was the Meridonal ice caps, located within the planet’s icy regions. Here an ancient Jedi Temple known as the Martyrium of Frozen Tears was built. It was here that the intergalactic archaeologist/tomb raider, Doctor Aphra, led Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire forces to serve as a decoy from discovering the Rebel Alliance’s hidden base on Hoth.
The temple featured giant statues of ancient Jedi, and most important of all, a confessional made of pure kyberite — the mineral that lightsabers were made of— which sat at the heart of a Tythan mountain. This confessional had the unique effect of causing those who knelt within it to relive their “sins”. Darth Vader was nearly overwhelmed by the confessional’s powerful hallucinatory attacks after Doctor Aphra tricked him into entering it.
Akar Kesh and the other temples of Tython
Tython once held many other temples in its past, including Anil Kesh, (The Temple of the Sciences), Bodhi, (The Temple of the Arts), Kaleth, (The Temple of Knowledge), Mahara Kesh (The Temple of Healing), Padawan Kesh (The Jedi Academy), Qigong Kesh (The Temple of Force Skills), Stav Kesh (The Temple of Martial Arts), Vur Tepe (The Forge), and the oldest and perhaps most important of them all, Akar Kesh (The Temple of Balance).
Akar Kesh was an open-air temple that sat atop a pinnacle that towered high above the clouds. The largest of the Tho Yor — the Jedi’s ancient pyramid ships — hovered above it. Because of its location and significance to the Jedi, it is highly possible that this was the temple that Ahsoka Tano was referring to in The Mandalorian episode “Chapter 13: The Jedi.”
Another reason why this could be the temple on Tython where Ahsoka directed Din Djarin to take Grogu to was because legends said it was where balance of the Force was taught. However, for those needing extra help in finding realignment with the Force, they were sent to one of the planet’s two moons, Ashla and Bogan.
Ashla and Bogan, the light and dark moons of Tython
Ashla, the bright moon of Tython, was symbolically seen as being attuned to the light side of the Force. The Jedi visited this moon whenever they were seen to be leaning a bit too much on the Light Side’s influence. Here they would stay and contemplate on the dark moon, Bogan, which symbolically represented the dark side of the Force. Vice versa, those veering too much to the darker impulses of the Force would visit Bogan, where they would meditate upon Ashla.
Ashla would remain associated with the Jedi who followed the light side of the Force, while the Sith chose the path of Bogan. Those Force-sensitives that leaned neither to the light or dark influences of the Force followed the path of the Bendu. Kanan Jarrus and his padawan Ezra Bridger once met an entity that represented this aspect of the Force on the planet Atollon.
Finally, in The Mandalorian Chapter 14, Tython was featured, but not its moons. But it’s great either way to see that the showrunners and story groups have found a way of reintroducing Legends material back into Star Wars.
We hope that you enjoyed this tour guide to the Jedi homeworld of Tython. If you have any comments about it or the new episodes of The Mandalorian that feature it, please feel free to leave them below. If you would like to read more about the early Jedi and Tython check out this link