Cerea / Legends Cerea was a planet located in the Mid Rim region of the galaxy . The homeworld of the Cerean species , Cerea was notable for its inhabitants ' harmonious relationship with nature . Technology and pollution were frowned upon by the conservative government , a major point in the planet ' s decision not to join the Galactic Republic . The Cerean population mainly lived in giant buildings that took up a minimum of space , allowing the remainder of the planet ' s area to be employed as farmland . Foreign immigrants and visitors were , with a few exceptions , only allowed in Cerea ' s Outsider Citadel s , enormous buildings erected to let non - Cereans practice their technological ways . This ensured that the foreigners ' technology did not contaminate Cerea ' s nature , but also led to a concentration of criminal elements within the Citadels . Cerea was ruled by the Council of Elders , which in turn was led by a president . The planet was for the most part ignored by the Republic until a few years prior to the Clone Wars . Cerea ' s seclusion caused a unique culture to develop , one that focused on other values than the mainstream galactic civilization . In 21 BBY , Cerea was the site of a battle between the Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems , which had an adverse effect on the planet ' s relatively untouched nature . Description . Located in the Mid Rim region of the galaxy , Cerea ' s system was home to no less than three suns . Cerea was situated far away from other planets , which meant it was isolated from the galactic community for several millennia . The planet ' s remote location made it a relatively safe place ; an invasion by any of the galaxy ' s factions was unlikely throughout its history due to the sheer cost of such a long - distance war . However , this also meant that interstellar trade was both laborious and expensive . Cerea was a planet that went relatively untouched by pollution and advanced technology . This was due to the native Cerean species , who worked to preserve Cerean nature , even at the cost of both prosperity and technological advancement . As a result , Cerea was a lush , green world that was covered by vegetation , save for some mountainous regions and several large oceans . Cerea ' s vegetation consisted mostly of grass , bushes , and palm - like trees . The planet was home to an abundance of rivers , which were used for transportation . Among the few sources of pollution on the planet were the enormous Outsider Citadels , built at the request of the Galactic Republic to house non - Cerean immigrants . Technology was allowed in these structures , which , despite the strict supervision of the Cerean government , were riddled with poverty and various forms of crime . The numerous plains of Cerea were the galaxy ' s only source of the organic matter malium , which was required in the growth cycle of the native tecave plant , which in turn produced the euphoria - inducing substance guilea . The effects of guilea made it a desirable trading commodity , particularly for crime lords such as Jabba Desilijic Tiure , who sought to synthesize malium to produce his own guilea . History . Early history . At some point in Cerea ' s history , the Cerean species , led by Bi - Dar Tyunda , founded a government that encompassed their entire planet . Although it is not known whether Tyunda ' s government originally included it , a Council of Elders came to be the governing body of Cerea . Cerea was introduced to the rest of the galaxy around the time of the Mandalorian Wars , when it was discovered by Hyperspace Navigator ' s Guild scouts . Dubbing the planet " 36 - AFE - 2C " , these first visitors reported no sightings of intelligent life or useful resources . Shortly after its discovery , the Arkanian corporation Adascorp sent an expedition to Cerea . For reasons unknown , the native Cereans did not welcome these first extraterrestial guests , resulting in the Adascorp agents kidnapping an entire native village and leaving behind several damaged starships . This violent encounter , coupled with the pollution from the discarded Adascorp vessels , caused the Cerean people to adopt an isolationist and anti - technological mindset that would influence their culture for millennia . Cerea remained fairly isolated over the next few thousand years ; the only contact consisted by and large of Navigators ' Guild survey ships passing by . It was not until a few years prior to 67 BBY that Cereans fully established contact with the Galactic Republic and the galaxy at large . Finding certain aspects of Republic politics disturbing , Cerea ' s government decided not to join the trans - galactic union . At least one rural community on Cerea was lorded over by bandits in the years leading up to the Clone Wars , but the Cerean Jedi Ki - Adi - Mundi ended their reign in 67 BBY . Pro - tech movement . In 33 BBY , the Galactic Republic dispatched several diplomats to convince Cerea to join their galactic government . The Republic was interested in modernizing the planet , particularly the way Cereans handled their plentiful natural resources . Some diplomats , such as Silais , unsuccessfully attempted to convince the Cerean Council of Elders . Others , such as the charismatic Bron , sought to appeal to Cerea ' s younger generations . Through huge political rallies , he gathered a large amount of supporters with fiery speeches that condemned Cerea ' s " antique " traditions as the laughing stock of the galaxy . Bron was not above employing illegal means to raise support for his pro - tech movement ; his campaign was in part financed by the gangster Jabba Desilijic Tiure , who traded technology such as swoops for malium . Bron was also aligned with Dorr - Femi - Bonmi , a member of the Council of Elders who acted as the pro - tech movement ' s spy in the government ' s affairs , while profiting from their trading operations . After Ki - Adi - Mundi and his daughter , Sylvn , exposed the connection to Jabba , Bron and his movement died down , though Elder Nar - Somo - Dali suspected the lack of activity was only temporary . Clone Wars . At the height of the Separatist Crisis , Cerea joined the Refugee Resettlement Coalition , a program run by the Refugee Relief Movement . In doing so , Cerea ' s government volunteered to allow vast amounts of displaced refugees to settle on the planet . However , the refugees were forbidden from bringing any vehicles or heavy machinery , in accordance with Cerean law . During the Clone Wars , the Confederacy of Independent Systems secretly encouraged a tendency in the younger Cerean generation to seek out more technological ways of life . This culminated in the Separatist - aligned Trade Federation holding a number of young Cereans hostage , until Jedi intervention rescued the youths . The planet chose neutrality during the war , which caused both the Republic and the Confederacy to fear the planet would join the other faction ' s side . This led to the Battle of Cerea in 21 BBY , which resulted in an estimated 1 , 000 , 000 civilian casualties , the despoiling of much of the planet ' s pristine nature , as well as the assassination of the reigning planetary president , Bo - Ro - Tara . Isolationism . Following the Clone Wars , the Cerean government adopted an isolationist stance , choosing not to get involved in galactic politics . As a result , the planet remained secluded during the reign of the Galactic Empire , although at least a few Cereans found themselves working for the Imperial military . Although it is unknown if Cerea eventually joined the New Republic , a Cerean dignitary witnessed the signing of the Pellaeon – Gavrisom Treaty between the Republic and the Imperial Remnant in 19 ABY . Cerea maintained its isolationism even after the Yuuzhan Vong War . Darth Krayt ' s Galactic Empire also had little interest in the planet and left it under only a light Imperial supervision . This allowed members of the Galactic Alliance Remnant , Jedi in exile and other dissidents to visit Cerea without risking being caught by the Sith . The Cereans , however , continued to view the outsiders as trouble and were even known to hand those seeking refuge over to the Empire in order to avoid a larger Imperial presence on their world . Inhabitants . The planet ' s dominant species were the native Cereans , a peaceful people with large , cone - shaped craniums . The Cereans were not very technologically advanced , instead preferring to rely on non - polluting tools and vehicles , as part of their philosophy that called for a harmonious relationship with nature . The species generally preferred to stay on Cerea , although the few individuals who left for the galaxy on occasion rose to prominent positions such as Jedi Master or neurosurgeon . The Cereans suffered from a low male - to - female birth ratio ; females outnumbered the males twenty to one , which led to a culture of polygyny . By 22 BBY the Cerean population numbered 450 million . Non - sentient species on Cerea included the aryx , an avian species that possessed great stamina and speed , that was domesticated by the Cereans for transportation . The rivers of Cerea were home to the crown of silk creature , a short - lived species that found nourishment in the brain energies of its victims . Locations . Tecave City . Most of Cerea ' s inhabitants resided in large cities , allowing for much of the planet ' s area to be employed for farming purposes . This trend also applied to Tecave City , the planet ' s largest city and capital . Notable for its ornamented , architecturally distinctive buildings , Tecave City shared its name with the tecave plant . The one deviation from the semi - tall buildings that characterized the city was the structure that housed the Council of Elders — a massive , metallic edifice seemingly overgrown with vegetation . Outsider Citadels . As part of an agreement with the Galactic Republic , several Outsider Citadels were built to house non - Cerean immigrants and visitors . The Citadels were enormous buildings that each housed an entire city , and were among the few locations where non - Cerean technology was allowed . The concentration of polluting technology and the relative lack of space caused some Citadels to devolve into environmentally contaminating and overpopulated ghettos . Crime was rampant , despite the supervision of Cerean police forces . Behind the scenes . Writer Jan Strnad created Cerea for the of the " " series of comics . When naming the planet , Strnad sent in a number of suggestions to Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm , among them " France . " They chose the name Cerea , which Strnad had come up with based on the Roman goddess of harvest , . Strnad felt the name fit with the agricultural nature of Cerea .