Nelvaan

Situated at galactic coordinates Q-16 within the Koobi system in the Savareen sector of the Outer Rim Territories, Nelvaan was an icy planet. This world possessed three moons and a relatively weak gravitational pull, registering at eighty-five percent of standard gravity. A day on Nelvaan lasted a standard twenty-four hours, while a year consisted of 349 such days. The planet's surface was characterized by a landscape dominated by mountains, rivers, glaciers, and tree forests. The reduced gravity also gave rise to unusual formations, such as precarious mesas that would have collapsed long ago under normal gravitational forces. Both Humans and Skakoans could breathe in Nelvaan's atmosphere. The planet's lower gravity also fostered the evolution of massive lifeforms, including the predatory horax. Other indigenous species included the siltcrawler, a common prey for the horax, the bruise-leech crawler, and the white-furred bantha, along with a variety of avian, primate, and rodent species.

During the era of the Old Republic, Nelvaan remained a primitive world. By the time the Cold War erupted between the reconstituted Sith Empire and the Republic, it stood as the sole planet in the Koobi system outside the Sith Empire's dominion. Throughout the Cold War, the Empire deemed Nelvaan unworthy of forceful conquest, opting instead to dispatch Imperial diplomats. These diplomats successfully convinced the native Nelvaanians of the Empire's legitimate claim to their world, with the Empire contemplating their enslavement. Bothan miners occasionally visited the planet to replenish their freighters with water sourced from the vast glaciers, intending to sell it in nearby space. These miners asserted that the water contained invigorating minerals, although this claim lacked scientific validation.

Prior to the year 19 BBY, Orvos, the shaman residing in the Nelvaanian village of Rokrul, foresaw an impending ice age. During the galaxy-wide Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the dissenting Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Techno Union, aligned with the Confederacy, established a laboratory in the planet's eighth sector. Skakoan scientists and workers comprised three percent of the population at this time. This base drew power from a siphon generator that consumed thermal energy from the surrounding environment. This activity triggered the ice age predicted by Orvos, with the abrupt climate shift shocking the local inhabitants. The Nelvaanians of Rokrul grew concerned for their planet, which they affectionately called the Great Mother, and dispatched warriors and scouts to determine the cause of her distress. Tragically, none of these emissaries returned, leaving only women and children in the village, besides Orvos. However, Orvos prophesied the eventual arrival of two off-worlders who would rescue them from their predicament.

In 19 BBY, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker were dispatched to Nelvaan in pursuit of the notorious General Grievous, a commander within the Separatist Droid Army of the Confederacy. Upon their arrival, the two Jedi and their clone troopers faced an attack from a colossal horax, which eliminated all the clones before succumbing to Skywalker's lightsaber. The Jedi swiftly realized they had interrupted the coming-of-age ritual of the son of Rokrul's Chieftain Tuzes-Adaz. Instead of executing the Jedi, the chieftain brought them to the village to consult Orvos, recalling his prophecy concerning the two saviors. After examining the Jedi, Orvos identified Skywalker as the prophesied Holt Kazed, or "Ghost Hand," and sent him to uncover the source of the Great Mother's ailment.

Skywalker adhered to Orvos' instructions, leading him to the clandestine Techno Union facility. Following a vision of his future, he discovered the Nelvaanian males undergoing mutation and experimentation at the hands of Skakoan scientists. He liberated the warriors and destroyed the base, killing the Skakoan workers in a fit of rage. Subsequently, he returned the men to their families, who initially hesitated to embrace them due to the significant mutations they had endured. With the siphon generator disabled, the planet gradually returned to its normal temperature.

Nelvaanians, characterized by canine-like muzzles and comprising ninety-six percent of the sentient population, were the sole native sentient species on Nelvaan. They led simple, primitive lives within a society organized into tribes. Each tribe was led by a chieftain and their bond-mate, with a shaman offering guidance on virtually all matters. Their culture revolved around their religion, referring to their planet as the Great Mother. Consequently, motherhood held sacred significance, and mothers, in addition to building and gathering food, shouldered the crucial responsibility of raising children. The most capable males within the villages became warrior scouts, tasked with defending the people from predators and hunting for sustenance. The Nelvaanians had limited contact with the broader galaxy, maintaining no centralized government and remaining unaligned during the Clone Wars.

Rokrul was a modest Nelvaanian village nestled beneath a large mesa overhang. Its structures, numbering at least fifteen, were constructed either from rocks or by hollowing out stalagmites rising from the ground. The village housed at least eighty-five villagers from diverse tribes, representing a loose alliance forged for mutual protection and assistance. The village women donned long brown, gray, and red gowns, while the men wore pants and loincloths without tops, and the children wore robe-like garments, often brown in color.

The planet derives its name from Nelvana, the animation studio responsible for the animated segment in The Star Wars Holiday Special, and the production of the Ewoks and Droids animated series. The Star Wars mythos also acknowledges the company's animation heritage through the planet's canine-like inhabitants, who bear resemblance to characters from Rock & Rule, the studio's inaugural film.