OM973, more commonly referred to as Dar'Or, existed as an Outer Rim Territories planet within the boundaries of the Jospro sector. The dominant geographic feature of its surface was the extensive forests composed of towering waza trees, some reaching heights of two hundred meters. Within these multi-layered forests dwelled both the predatory indola tree-sloths and the sentient flying primates known as the Ri'Dar.
At one stage, ecologists from another planet relocated the elix birds of prey from their species' doomed homeworld to Dar'Or. However, the elix, originating from a world with greater gravity, evolved into a considerable danger to the Ri'Dar. The Galactic Empire designated Dar'Or as an Imperial Species Preservation Zone, thereby restricting any incoming or outgoing travel. Nevertheless, smugglers defied this restriction to illicitly transport elix meat and live indola off-planet, and in doing so, they also created a pathway for individual Ri'Dar to escape their homeworld.
Identified as "OM973" on Galactic Empire star-charts, Dar'Or was a planet of moderate size. It was part of the Dar'Or system, which was situated within the Jospro sector of the Slice region in the Outer Rim Territories. This world orbited an orange star and possessed both a low density and weak gravitational force.
The atmosphere of the planet contained abundant oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Subtropical and humid conditions prevailed across the majority of Dar'Or's land. Sixty percent of the planetary surface was water, while the remaining area was covered by vast forests of waza—massive coniferous trees that grew to heights of two hundred meters. The dense waza canopies prevented sunlight from reaching the forest floor, resulting in perpetual shadows and giant fungi instead of green plants covering the ground, even on the brightest days.
Within the mid-levels of the waza forests, a unique ecosystem had formed as a result of networks of baloo vines intercepting and capturing falling needles from the massive conifers. Over millennia, the decomposition of these needles on the baloo levels created a rich humus layer able to sustain small plants. As a result, the waza forests appeared to have multiple distinct forest floor levels. Other plant life on Dar'Or included species that produced berries, fruits, and nuts. The planet's fauna consisted of predatory tree-sloths known as indola, as well as flying insects, lizards, and rodents.
At some point in the past, a group of dedicated planetary ecologists made an attempt to rescue the elix, a species of small birds of prey native to a forested world that was facing destruction by a supernova. These ecologists relocated the elix to Dar'Or, failing to consider that the lower gravity of their new home would cause them to evolve into powerful and swift apex predators, endangering the sentients native to the planet, the Ri'Dar.
Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, the Galactic Empire declared Dar'Or an Imperial Species Preservation Zone and imposed restrictions on travel to and from the planet. While this was supposedly to protect the remaining elix population, the Empire's intense focus on isolating Dar'Or from the rest of the galaxy raised questions about their true motives. Despite these travel restrictions, smugglers still occasionally visited Dar'Or to hunt elix for their meat, which was sold to gourmets across the galaxy. They also sometimes transported indola creatures off-world for animal trainers and collectors.
Several years after the elix's introduction to Dar'Or, sentientologist Obo Rin included the planet and its native Ri'Dar in the Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy. In this publication, Rin detailed the sentient species that he considered most important and of greatest interest to the Empire. When trader To'iir consulted the Trader's Gamble feature of the Lantillian Spacers' Brotherhood's Free-Trader's Guide service in search of a safe haven from Imperial Moff Roff's forces, Dar'Or was listed among fourteen planets with limited spaceport facilities in the Slice region of the Outer Rim. After reviewing the list, To'iir and his partner, Liadden, decided to travel to the world of Gamorr instead.
Dar'Or was the original home of the sentient Ri'Dar, a species of flying, tree-dwelling primates. Their technology level was relatively primitive, primarily using wooden spears, bows, and arrows, along with simple dwellings. They were constantly engaged in a struggle for survival against the natural predators of their homeworld. During the Galactic Civil War, increasing numbers of Ri'Dar left the planet, typically traveling off-world aboard smuggler starships that visited Dar'Or.
The Ri'Dar native to Dar'Or lived in cities that consisted of multiple waza trees, with each tree housing a single warren of Ri'Dar families.
The first mention of Dar'Or occurred in Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races, a 1989 sourcebook written by Troy Denning for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. In "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder Where We Are," a 1990 roleplaying game source article published in Voyages SF 13, the planet's Imperial star-chart designation was given as "OM 973." Given that this article was not released through the Lucas Licensing process, its canonicity within the Star Wars Legends continuity has never been verified.
Dar'Or received its first full appearance in the 1998 video game Star Wars: Rebellion, which also provided the planet's only visual representation—an image that was also used to depict twenty-one other worlds in the game. The Prima Games strategy guide that accompanied the game misspelled Dar'Or's name as "Dar'or." Later, the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas placed the Dar'Or system, and consequently the planet itself, within grid square R-7.