Flitter ( planet ) Flitter was the codename for a Rebel Alliance safe world in the Tierfon system during the Galactic Civil War . Flitter became a graphic example of why the Rebellion needed to keep its safe world locations secret after an Imperial starship captured an Alliance transport bound for the planet and discovered its existence . The Empire responded by leveling Flitter ' s cities and poisoning its ecosystem with air - dropped toxins . Because the Imperial attack occurred in the dead of one of Flitter ' s harsh winters , the Empire merely stationed a pair of corvettes in orbit and left the rest of the planet ' s refugees to die . By the next spring , 95 percent of Flitter ' s population of over 40 , 000 had succumbed to starvation or exposure . Description . The planet Flitter was located in the Tierfon system of the Sumitra sector , within the galaxy ' s Expansion Region . Flitter was a temperate world with a cool temperature , a moist hydrosphere , very cold winter seasons , and terrain primarily comprising mountains , plains , glaciers , and forests . Flitter featured a Type I atmosphere breathable for Humans and standard gravity . A day on Flitter lasted twenty - five standard hours , and a year 378 local days . Flitter ' s fauna included grub s . History . Rebel Alliance safe world . During the Galactic Civil War , agents of the Galactic Empire routinely eliminated family members of known Rebel Alliance personnel as a form of terror . In response , the Alliance Support Services branch established a number of remote safe world s , where Rebel sympathizers and their families could safely live free of Imperial oppression . " Flitter " became the codename for one of these safe worlds , located in the Tierfon system , which also included the planet Tierfon , home of the Tierfon Rebel Outpost . Eventually , Flitter ' s population swelled to over 40 , 000 men , women , and children , more than twice the average population of a Rebel safe world , and the planet became a prominent producer of ores for conversion into fuel . However , an Alliance Support Services transport was captured by an Imperial starship en route to Flitter , and the transport ' s pilot talked under Imperial interrogation , revealing the safe world ' s location to the Empire . Imperial discovery . Within one month ' s time , the Empire laid waste to Flitter . An Imperial fleet destroyed many of the planet ' s cities and poisoned all of the nearby land and forests with air - dropped toxins , contaminating much of Flitter ' s ecology . The Imperial attack came in the dead of winter — rather than dispatching ground troops to the planet surface , the Empire simply posted a pair of corvettes in orbit and let Flitter ' s elements take their toll . By the time spring arrived , more than 95 percent of the safe world ' s population had died from starvation or exposure . The remaining survivors scattered and hid in caves , subsisting on grubs and tree bark . By 2 ABY , Flitter ' s population numbered only 1 , 000 . The Rebellion desperately wished to rescue the Flitter survivors but as of that year was unable to muster enough firepower to challenge the Imperial blockade around the planet . Flitter thus became a graphic example of the Rebellion ' s need to keep its safe worlds secret . Inhabitants . Flitter ' s refugee population ranged from Humans to many other species , and the populace lived at a feudal technology level , with no starports . Following the Imperial attack on Flitter , the planetary government degraded into anarchy , and Flitter itself afforded no major imports or exports . Locations . Flitter hosted one major city for its refugee population , which was summarily turned into rubble following the Imperial attack on the planet . A number of other cities were similarly destroyed . Behind the scenes . The planet Flitter was created for the October 1990 West End Games " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " , written by Paul Murphy for " " . " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " presented Flitter as an example of a Rebel Alliance safe world . Further expansions came in the sourcebook ' s 1994 second edition and the 2008 " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " .