Cynda Cynda ( ) was the thorilide - rich moon of the planet Gorse , located in the Inner Rim of the galaxy . The moon was vital to the production of turbolaser s in the Galactic Republic and , later , the Galactic Empire . Count Denetrius Vidian of the Empire attempted to destroy Cynda in order to further his political power , but the moon and Gorse were saved by rebels led by Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus . Description . Cynda maintained an elliptical orbit around Gorse , often bringing it close enough to cause minor earthquakes on the planet ' s surface . Cynda ' s surface was described as ' icy ' looking , and its interior contained vast caverns of diamond stalagmites and stalactites containing the precious and volatile thorilide , a vital resource in the building of Galactic Republic and , later Imperial warship turbolaser batteries . The moon ' s orbit would bring a reflected daylight to the population of Gorse for a few days every month , the planet being tidally - locked with its star and thus permanently too hot on the side closest to the sun , and permanently dark and damp on the side facing away . Discoveries of rich thorilide deposits on the sun - facing side of Gorse , kept secret by the Empire , meant that mining operations on Cynda were wound down and the moon was returned to its former status as a reserve and tourist attraction . History . Prior to the Galactic Empire , Cynda was a pristine natural reserve whose oxygen - filled caves were popular with tourists from Gorse . This changed when the famed efficiency consultant Count Denetrius Vidian published a report claiming that Gorse had exhausted all of its thorilide reserves . During the reign of the Empire , miners from Gorse commuted to the moon for daily work shifts . In 11 BBY , Vidian attempted to detonate Cynda in order to maximize short - term thorilide yields and thereby maintain favor with Darth Sidious , the Emperor . This was in response to greatly increased demands for the substance , and Vidian hoped to pass the blame for long - term losses onto his political rival Baron Lero Danthe . Count Vidian got this idea from Skelly , a dissident miner , who opposed mining on Cynda and tried to reason with Vidian . When the Imperial Navy Captain Rae Sloane expressed concerns that detonating Cynda would damage the thorilide crystals , Vidian conducted a test result on the mine ' s Zone Sixty - Six , which killed many miners including Okadiah Garson . While the original test results showed that the explosion would cause the thorilide crystals to disintegrate , Vidian produced a fake set claiming otherwise . After securing the support of the Empire , Vidian used a fleet of mining ships to deliver baradium - 357 explosives to the Gorse system . Before Vidian could put his plot into action , he was thwarted by the actions of rebels Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus , with the aid of their associates Skelly and Zaluna Myder from Gorse . The rebels were also helped by Captain Sloane , who had learned about Vidian ' s subterfuge from Kanan and forwarded the original results to the Emperor . Following the death of Vidian during the Gorse conflict , Baron Danthe assumed control of all mining operations in the Gorse system . All mining operations on Cynda were stopped and the moon was restored to its former status as a nature reserve . However , access was limited to members of the Imperial elite . Inhabitants . Many of the daily inhabitants of Cynda lived on Gorse , traveling to the moon to work in the mines . Once a month , at full moon , a number of secretive blood cultists appeared and would hunt stray domestic animals in the planets settlements , sacrificing these to Cynda . Behind the scenes . Cynda first appeared in " A New Dawn " , a canon novel written by John Jackson Miller . The author chose the name " Cynda " because it sounded like " cinder . "