Cult of M ' dweshuu The Cult of M ' dweshuu was a brutal religious sect that originated on the Nikto homeworld of Kintan . The cult , which predated the Republic , worshiped the nearby star M ' dweshuu , whose radiation caused a high Nikto mutation rate . Followers of the Cult sought to appease the star through blood sacrifices . As such , its followers were common among violent or dangerous professions . The Hutts put down the M ' dweshuu Cult " on numerous occasions " , but never quite succeeded in eradicating it . The Cult once ruled Kintan , which necessitated the planet ' s brutal annexation by the Hutts centuries before the Clone Wars . During the Great Sith War , the Cult briefly gained a resurgence as they attempted to kill Churabba the Hutt . Shortly before the Clone Wars commenced there was an outbreak of increased M ' dweshuu Cult violence when adherents found their way off Kintan and plagued the Sisar Run area of the Periphery . As of 13 : 2 : 28 , they had killed and ritually mutilated 27 travelers . At this point in time , the Cult was estimated to number less than 100 individuals . Dorosii the Hutt , Appointed Intermediate to the Galactic Senate , assured Republic officials that the Hutts did not require their intervention to resolve the situation . However the Jedi Council was reportedly looking into the matter . Jasper McKnives was an adherent of this cult . Practices and beliefs . The Cult of M ' dweshuu was considered bizarre by those who studied the records of it . Cultists performed blood sacrifices on those they deemed impure , hoping to appease the spirit of the M ' dweshuu Nova . History . Origins . M ' dweshuu was a volatile star located in the heart of the Si ' Klaata Cluster in the Outer Rim Territories . Millions of years before even the rise of the Republic , the dying star hurled massive amounts of radiation emanating from its death throes , which reached the nearest star system , home to the nondescript , blue - green world of Kintan . After making its way into the planet ' s biosphere , the radiation wiped out most of Kintan ' s native inhabitants . Some species survived , but the radiation caused great mutations in them . During a sped - up process that lasted thousands of years instead of millions , giant , fearsome monsters , similar to the likes of the feared rancor of Dathomir , were formed . Creatures such as spine dragon s , tuskbeast s , and horned trogwhale s made the world a dangerous place . However , the radiation affected different species in different ways , and it caused certain diminutive , non - sentient reptilian quadrupeds to evolve into an intelligent , sentient species : the Nikto . Living in such a dangerous environment made the Nikto a hardened , warlike species , and after many technological advancements , they conquered the world , using atomic weapons to clear their homeworld of some of its more vicious predators , but turning it into a desert wasteland in the process . The Nikto ' s scientific advancement eventually led to the discovery of the M ' dweshuu Nova , and the source of the creatures they had ruined their planet to annihilate . Word of the radiation and its effects on the planet spread quickly , and from it a death cult known as the Cult of M ' dweshuu arose . Reign . Details about the cult ' s founding were few and far between in later eras . Some Nikto began to worship M ' dweshuu as a death god , and a religion sprouted from this , advocating living , sentient sacrifices to the deity . Its followers also believed in a doomsday prophecy related to the star . Later historians came to regard the cult as bizarre , and no - one was really sure of how and why it had come about . The cult grew in size and influence , beginning a reign of terror . Thousands of " infidels " were put to death — or " purified " — by the burgeoning cult ; thousands joined the cult and embraced its beliefs ; but most Nikto hid , waiting for the tyranny to end . The cultists established numerous strongholds on Kintan , as well as a main , though relatively small , headquarters in the planet ' s northern continent . Those that joined the cult in the interests of their own self - preservation spread the cult ' s beliefs to each and every corner of Kintan , until the cult took power over the world . Its followers were brutal and fanatic , fierce and unpredictable warriors ; its subjects lived in fear . Even though the cult ' s members numbered less than its terrorized subjects , it had a firm stranglehold over Kintan ' s population and ruled comfortably for thirty years from its small , northern seat of power . However , while the cult ' s leaders believed their subjects to be loyal , the Nikto were in fact a disgruntled people , who hated the Cult of M ' dweshuu . Enter the Hutts . Three decades after taking power , however , the cult finally met a worthy adversary . The Hutt Empire , embroiled in a struggle against Xim the Despot , ruler of another interstellar empire , sent envoys into the Si ' Klaata Cluster , looking to recruit warriors to aid in the struggle against Xim and his empire . Churabba was the Hutt envoy dispatched to the Kintan . During their time in the Si ' Klaata Cluster , the Hutts had already recruited the Vodrans and Klatooinians to their cause , but the Nikto presented a far greater challenge , because they were more technologically advanced . Upon arriving in the Kintan system , the keen , business - minded Churabba realized that the cultists were feared by the Nikto population , and that they were a people ripe for a rebellion in which they were destined to be victorious . It was said that Churabba respected the cult , because it was few but ruled many . Churabba decided to simply bombard the cult ' s seat of power from orbit . She did so , without regret , destroying the stronghold and killing many cultists , while at the same time displaying the Hutts ' might and the fallibility of the cult . Many Nikto regarded the Hutts as saviors , and all were grateful for Churabba ' s actions ; thus , it took little persuading for them to sign the Treaty of Vontor in 25 , 100 BBY . The treaty bound the Nikto and two other species , the Vodrans and Klatooinians , to the Hutts as permanent slaves . This represented something of a coup for the Hutts , as the Nikto were far more technologically advanced than the Vodrans or Klatooinians , and Churabba feared it would take much bargaining or trickery to recruit them . Hordes of Nikto warriors fought against Xim ' s empire at the Third Battle of Vontor , helping the Hutts to defeat him . The pact between the Nikto and their Hutt masters stood unbreakable for centuries , and the cult was thought to be vanquished . Resurgences and insurrections . However , the Hutts began taking much of Kintan ' s population to worlds such as Nal Hutta and giving the Nikto less and less say into their own affairs . The species began to resent their once - saviors and question the value the Hutts had brought to their lives , for millions had perished fighting the Hutts ' wars and millions more had been forced to leave their homes for their masters . Around 4000 BBY , the Cult of M ' dweshuu rose again . Looking at their history , the Nikto found that the cult was opposed to the Hutts , and saw it as their best way to achieve freedom . The entire population fully embraced the cult , unlike before , and the Cult of M ' dweshuu quickly rose in popularity and power . Its members overthrew the minimal Hutt presence on Kintan , but the Hutts retaliated by sending in an army of mercenaries to brutally quell the uprising . The Republic was embroiled in a war of its own , so it did not come to the Nikto ' s assistance . The cult was destroyed , but it continued to return in different forms and start minor insurrections for centuries . The Hutts who ruled the Si ' Klaata cluster consistently quashed the cult , only for it to rise once again . One thousand years before the Battle of Yavin , the cult once again gained planetwide prominence , and managed to drive the Hutts off Kintan for a second time . Again , though , the Hutts responded with force , regaining control after a series of bloody mercenary attacks that left almost a third of Kintan ' s population dead . After this , the Hutts totally liquidated the Nikto government , giving the Nikto zero say in the running of their homeworld . Minor uprisings and insurrections against the Hutts occurred almost every year , though these were disorganized and often unpopular , especially since offworld Nikto cared little about their homeworld . Each uprising was put down , either by the Hutts , the Jedi , or the Nikto themselves . The Hutts still saw an aura of danger around the species , though , and tried to keep them in check . Separatist Crisis incarnation . The cult returned once more around the time of the Separatist Crisis . Numbering less than one hundred individuals , the cultists were based deep within the Endless Wastes , in a series of caverns , and were described as smart , merciless , and heavily armed . The cultists were mainly active offworld , along the Sisar Run on which Kintan was situated , where they embarked upon a bloody campaign of scattered violence against the myriad traders who utilized the route . The Nikto plagued and terrorized the Sisar Run for a time , killing over twenty - seven travelers by 22 BBY , piloting their own freighters in Nikto " war pack s . " This outraged the Republic , and garnered much media attention ; the Bureau of Ships and Services warned spacers who would be using the Sisar Run to use caution , and many local businesses and planetary government put bountys on any free Niktos — those not in the employ of the Hutt Empire — believing them to be potential cultists . The Hutts , via Appointed Intermediate to the Senate Dorosii , assured the Republic they could handle the cultists themselves , and hired mercenaries to scout the Nikto ' s suspected hideout . The Jedi High Council ignored the Hutts ' assurance and dispatched Jedi Master Ma ' kis ' shaalas , himself a Nikto , and his Hiitian Padawan to Kintan , early in the Clone Wars . The Jedi and mercenaries then joined together to combat the cultists , eventually tracking a war pack from Kintan to Sriluur , where the cultists murdered a number of Republic - sanctioned Vaathkree traders . These attacks prompted the Republic to dispatch another task force to Sriluur ; this force , along with Ma ' kis and the Hutt mercenaries , tracked the cultists to the slick volcanic canyons of the world ' s deserts , defeating them . This further sparked the media interest in the M ' dweshuu affair . The cult lived on , though , in some form , during the continuing Clone Wars . The mentally unstable Jasper McKnives was one of its followers during this time , fighting in gladiator tournaments on Rattatak out of fanatical devotion to the cult . Manipulated by the Azure Cabal . At the time of the Galactic Civil War , a group of Nikto cultists had established a base of operations on the Mid Rim world Naboo . They had built a small stronghold inside a cave in the Nabooian wilderness . In 1 ABY the Azure Cabal mercenary organization used this group of cultists as pawns in their ongoing struggle with other mercenary groups . The Mon Calamari Cam ' doen , a leading member of the Azure Cabal , considered the Nikto to be not very bright and easily manipulated . They would be quick to attack targets of his choice if given a nudge in the right direction . So Cam ' doen ordered a member of his organization to break into a safe house of the rival Mistryl Shadow Guard on Naboo and steal some of their Emberlene essence . The mercenary then attacked the cultists ' stronghold while masking his own scent with he stolen essence , leading the Nikto to believe that they had been attacked by the Mistryl . When the Mon ' Shallok terrorist group tried unsuccessfully to slice the Azure Cabal ' s database , the Azure Cabal identified their data - trail . Cam ' doen decided to manipulate the blood - cult once again into attacking the Azure Cabal ' s enemies . He sent his mercenary back to the M ' dweshuui stronghold and had him kill several of the cult ' s overseers . The mercenary then sliced into the stronghold ' s power grid and deliberately botched the job , leaving the Mon ' Shallok ' s data - trail behind . Behind the scenes . The Cult of M ' dweshuu was created by Pablo Hidalgo as part of " " in 1995 . It was subsequently referenced by " The Essential Guide to Alien Species " , " " , " Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds " , several StarWars . com Databank entries , and " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , as well as Hidalgo ' s HoloNet News Vol . 531 45 . The developers of the " Star Wars Galaxies " added a dungeon of M ' dweshuui cultists to the game as part of the " Azure Cabal " quest series in the Chapter 6 update in April 2007 There are several timeline and continuity errors surrounding the cult . " Galaxy Guide 12 " establishes that a major cult revolt occurred on Kintan in 4 , 000 BBY , culminating in the revolt being quelled by Hutt mercenaries , and the Hutts taking much power away from the Nikto . However , in " University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life : The Nikto " and " The Essential Guide to Alien Species " , a revolt with the same description is mentioned as having taken place in 1 , 000 BBY . This may be an error , or could be considered a separate revolt . In " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , the 4 , 000 BBY revolt is said to be put down by Churabba the Hutt . However , " Galaxy Guide 12 " establishes that Churabba existed over twenty - thousand years earlier , and her actions against the cult were entirely separate from the revolt .