Sanctuary Sanctuary , a small , island - dotted oceanic planet located in Mon Calamari Space , was one of the oldest and most well - known Rebel Alliance safe world colonies , predating the Declaration of Rebellion . Sanctuary was originally settled by religious pacifists dodging an Imperial draft . These colonists joined the Alliance on the condition that they would not have to fight in the war against the Galactic Empire . So began a mutually beneficial relationship , in which Sanctuary accepted all manner of Rebels and political exiles seeking asylum from Imperial oppression in exchange for equipment that would boost the planet ' s agricultural capability . As the war progressed , Sanctuary ' s population swelled to nearly thirty thousand , while the refugees ' surplus in food production enabled them to export many tons of fish and grains to the Rebel cause each year . Although Sanctuary ' s location remained strictly classified , the planet ' s name became synonymous with Alliance safe worlds , as Rebel troops began referring to anyone who mysteriously disappeared as having " found Sanctuary . " Description . Sanctuary was a small terrestrial ocean world located in the Sanctuary system at the southern edge of Mon Calamari Space , within the northeast quadrant of the Outer Rim Territories . Sanctuary was positioned at the intersection of two hyperlane s running through the Calamari sector — the Tidal Circuit and Prously ' s Rim Run — that eventually connected with the planet Mon Calamari itself . A temperate world with a moist hydrosphere , Sanctuary ' s surface terrain primarily consisted of deep green seas and small rocky islands . The planet had a Type I atmosphere breathable for Humans and standard gravity . A day on Sanctuary lasted twenty - two standard hours , and a year 312 local days . Sanctuary ' s oceans boasted an abundance of fish life and seaweed . History . Sanctuary was originally settled by a few thousand religious pacifists who were attempting to escape enforced Imperial conscription . The planet also attracted several aliens who felt discriminated under Emperor Palpatine ' s New Order . Together , these people colonized a small island chain and used steam - powered ships built from scratch to feed the colony through deep - sea fishing , supplemented by small - scale agriculture . Shortly after the formal Declaration of Rebellion against the Galactic Empire , Sanctuary reached out to the Rebel Alliance . Although unwilling to directly join the Rebellion ' s fight , the planet ' s colonists agreed to join the Alliance , provided they did not have to take up arms in the growing conflict . Alliance Chief of State Mon Mothma agreed to their provision , and the two groups struck a mutually beneficial arrangement : Sanctuary would provide asylum to wounded Rebels , Alliance family members , and political exiles for an initial investment in supplies and equipment to increase the planet ' s agricultural production . Sanctuary thus became one of the Rebellion ' s first and most relatively well - known safe world s . The Alliance guarded Sanctuary ' s location at the most restricted levels . Only a few select transport crews tasked with ferrying personnel and supplies to and from the planet were trusted with Sanctuary ' s coordinates . Rumors of Sanctuary ' s existence abounded , and a common saying developed among Rebel troops to describe anyone who mysteriously disappeared as having " found Sanctuary , " regardless of which safe world they had actually been sent to . Over the first few years of the Galactic Civil War , Sanctuary ' s population swelled to include several thousand new refugees . By 2 ABY , Sanctuary ' s population numbered 29 , 000 , well over the average population of a Rebel safe world . Once the planet ' s fishing and agriculture began to produce far more than the refugees needed , they began trading their surplus to the Rebellion in exchange for common technologies , including datapads and labor droids . Sanctuary also began growing textile crops , becoming a major supplier of Alliance military uniform s . By the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY , Sanctuary was producing a significant portion of Alliance foodstuffs and exporting tons of fish and grain each month . Inhabitants . Sanctuary ' s population of 29 , 000 , which included Humans and many refugees of other species , grew out of the planet ' s original colonists , who sought freedom from Imperial oppression . A common interest with the Rebel Alliance led to Sanctuary becoming a Rebel safe world in exchange for items that would expand the planet ' s agricultural capability , which created a synergetic trading relationship between both groups . The abundance of fish life and seaweed in the planet ' s oceans formed the staple of Sanctuary ' s inhabitants ' diets . Sanctuary ' s fishermen utilized steam - driven wooden vessels and hand - woven net s to catch such a wealth of fish as to be able to export many tons every year to the Rebellion as a source of protein . Along with an agricultural surplus that furnished Alliance military uniforms , several varieties of Sanctuary ' s seaweed were found capable of being made into serviceable cloth for uniforms — though some soldiers claimed they never quite got the fishy smell out . In turn , Sanctuary imported common technology items from the Rebellion . Sanctuary ' s denizens lived in independent villages affiliated with the Rebel Alliance . These individuals lived at a feudal technology level , with limited starport services catering only to the Rebellion . Behind the scenes . The planet Sanctuary was first mentioned in the October 1990 first edition of the West End Games " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " , written by Paul Murphy for use with " " . Subsequent expansions came in the 1994 second edition of " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " ; the 2009 " The Essential Atlas " , which established the planet ' s galactic location in Mon Calamari Space ; and " Strongholds of Resistance " , a 2015 sourcebook supplement for Fantasy Flight Games ' " " roleplaying system .