The vessel named Star of Iskin was a Botajef Shipyards produced AA-9 freighter that operated during the era of the Clone Wars. In the year 21 BBY, which was sixteen months following the start of the conflict, it was scheduled to depart from Coruscant, the galactic capital, carrying both passengers and cargo destined for the Outer Rim. Finis Valorum, a former Supreme Chancellor and political exile, intended to utilize this tramp freighter as a means of transportation to distance himself from the political machinations present in the Core.
However, upon its departure from Coruscant on 14:9:19, the Star of Iskin was destroyed in an explosion, a result of a successful plot orchestrated by Sajé Tasha, an Anzat assassin, with the intention to murder Valorum. All individuals aboard the freighter perished, in what was publicly perceived as an act of terrorism committed by the Separatists. The resulting wreckage caused further devastation, claiming thousands of additional lives as it crashed upon the Coruscanti cityscape. Certain members of the Galactic Senate exploited the destruction of the Star of Iskin to facilitate the passage of the controversial Enhanced Security and Enforcement Act, a legislative measure that transferred greater wartime authority to Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor and Valorum's political adversary.
The Star of Iskin was a tramp freighter that transported both cargo and passengers from the Republic capital world of [Coruscant](/article/coruscant-legends]. This AA-9 Coruscant freighter was 390 meters in length and was constructed by Botajef Shipyards. It was equipped with three engines.
By 20.65 BBY, which corresponds to sixteen months after the initial battle of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the transport named Star of Iskin was actively serving. On the date 14:9:19, the freighter was scheduled for departure from a spaceport situated on Coruscant, carrying a diverse assortment of passengers and various cargo items. Among the passengers intending to utilize the Star of Iskin for their journey towards the Rimward regions was Finis Valorum. Valorum, the former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, had returned from a period of self-imposed exile with the purpose of aiding Senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma in their opposition to the increasing wartime powers being assumed by the current Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine.
However, adversaries of Valorum had formulated a scheme to kill the former leader of the Republic. The Anzat assassin known as Sajé Tasha was contracted by the corrupt Senator Viento and the Separatist acolyte Sora Bulq to eliminate Valorum. Following the boarding of the Star of Iskin by the disgraced politician, Tasha carried out the assassination of Valorum, consuming his "soup," in accordance with Anzati customs, before sabotaging the freighter and making her escape. As a direct consequence of Tasha's actions, the Star of Iskin was destroyed in an explosion shortly after its departure. All individuals on board perished, and thousands of additional lives were lost when the wreckage of the freighter plummeted back towards Galactic City.
The destruction of the Star of Iskin was regarded as an act of terrorism, with the responsibility for the attack ultimately being attributed to the Separatists. Ask Aak, a Gran Senator, cited the Republic's failure to prevent the destruction of the freighter as evidence supporting the critical need for the Enhanced Security and Enforcement Act. This controversial legislative measure was designed to grant Palpatine greater authority at the expense of the Galactic Senate. Despite the strenuous efforts of Senator Organa to obstruct the bill, the Senate ultimately approved the act on the day following the freighter's explosion. This granted the Chancellor expanded wartime powers, which was precisely what Finis Valorum had been actively opposing. Additional policies, including the Core Worlds Security Act, were also enacted in response to the disaster.
In the immediate aftermath of the Star of Iskin's destruction, plans were initiated to establish a memorial dedicated to the late Valorum along the Chancellery Walkway within Coruscant's Jrade District. However, due to security concerns, the memorial remained closed to the general public until weeks later. Quinlan Vos, a Jedi Master, subsequently located Tasha. Utilizing his psychometric abilities, the Kiffar Jedi was able to access the Anzat's memories, witnessing both the murder of Valorum and the destruction of the Star of Iskin. In the months that followed the destruction of the Star of Iskin, Organa grew increasingly suspicious of Palpatine. Alongside Senator Mothma, he began establishing a political body in opposition to the Chancellor's growing influence. By 19 BBY, shortly before the Battle of Coruscant, Organa still considered Valorum's assassination to be among the many conveniently timed events that had occurred during Palpatine's consolidation of power.
The first appearance of the Star of Iskin was in Dead Ends, which was the sixty-first issue of the Star Wars: Republic series of comics. This issue was released on February 18, 2004. "The Lost One," an episode from the sixth season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, depicts Finis Valorum as alive and well in 20 BBY. This time period follows the destruction of the Star of Iskin in 21 BBY.