Ryloth Ryloth was a planet in the Ryloth system of the Outer Rim Territories , and the homeworld of the Twi ' lek species . Its terrain varied , filled with jungle s , mesa s , valleys , and volcano es , and had an atmosphere breathable for Twi ' leks and human s alike . A forest covered its equator , filled with dangerous predators . Given the varied and dangerous terrain , Twi ' leks lived in cave s underground where it was safer . History . Early history . Ryloth was the homeworld of the Twi ' lek species . For centuries , the planet and its people were exploited by the Hutt s and their criminal enterprises . Clone Wars . In the years preceding the Clone Wars , Count Dooku secretly backed coups on Ryloth as part of larger political attempts to seed discontent in the galaxy ' s Outer Systems during the Separatist Crisis . Upon the declaration of war between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic , Ryloth was invaded by the Separatist Droid Army , however was ultimately repelled by the Republic , several Jedi , including Anakin Skywalker , Ahsoka Tano , Obi - Wan Kenobi , Mace Windu and Ima - Gun Di . As well as the Twi ' lek Resistance , the latter of which was led by freedom fighter Cham Syndulla . Imperial protectorate . After the Clone Wars ended , Ryloth officially became a protectorate of the Galactic Empire . It was classed as free and independent , although that did not reflect reality as it was under the rule of the Empire , something which would cause a rebellion against its reign . Five years after the proclamation of the New Order , Darth Sidious and Lord Vader became trapped on the planet after the destruction of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Perilous " over the planet in an attempt to assassinate the Empire ' s political leadership , a move designed by Cham Syndulla ' s reorganized Free Ryloth movement . With the help of the disillusioned Imperial officer Colonel Belkor Dray , Cham and his lieutenant Isval attempted to hunt down and kill the two Sith Lords . However , Sidious and Vader managed to elude their hunters using their Force powers and lightsaber skills . The two Sith Lords were eventually rescued by Moff Delian Mors during a showdown with Cham ' s Twi ' lek forces at a remote village . Cham managed to escape but Dray and Isval were killed by Mors and Vader respectively . The failed assassination attempt ended Cham ' s plot to decapitate the Empire ' s leadership and sow anarchy throughout the Empire . About three years before the Battle of Yavin , Imperial TIE bombers based on an orbit ing " Quasar Fire " - class cruiser carrier were used to bomb Ryloth . Cham and the Ryloth resistance wanted to destroy the carrier in order to demonstrate the strength of the Ryloth resistance . However , his daughter Hera Syndulla , who had become the leader of the Spectres , disagreed with her father ' s plan and convinced him and his companions Numa and Gobi Glie to steal the ship for the Phoenix Cell ; which desperately needed a carrier to house its starfighter squadron . During the mission , the two rebel cells also managed to destroy an " Arquitens " - class command cruiser which boosted the morale of the Ryloth resistance . The following year , the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn was dispatched by the Empire to deal with the Free Ryloth movement . By studying Twi ' lek art , culture , history , and philosophy , Thrawn was able to devise successful counterinsurgency tactics that led to the capture of Tann Province and the loss of many Free Ryloth fingers . He also captured the Syndulla residence and forced Cham to flee . Cham later rendezvoused with his daughter Hera and her rebel cell . Together , the two rebel cells took part in an unsuccessful attempt to recover a Syndulla family heirloom , the Kalikori , from Imperial custody . However , Hera and her droid Chopper foiled an attempt by Captain Slavin to trap the two rebel cells under the pretext of facilitating a prisoner exchange . Independence . In the year 5 ABY , the Galactic Empire abandoned their garrisons on Ryloth . After the planet regained its independence , the rebel fighter Yendor became the planet ' s ambassador to the New Republic , the government that had been established by the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Following the Galactic Concordance , Ryloth did not join the New Republic and instead opted to remained a sovereign and independent world from both the Populists and the Centrists political factions . About six years before the destruction of the Hosnian system , Ryloth ' s economy and independence came under threat from the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di ' s cartel , which had become a major spice dealer and smuggling group . Rinnrivin ' s cartel exacted a heavy toll on Ryloth ' s offworld shipping due to sporadically - enforced New Republic financial regulations , infrequent patrols of the shipping lanes , and rampant bickering within the Galactic Senate . Emissary Yendor traveled to the Galactic Senate on Hosnian Prime to raise his planet ' s plight to the Senate . In response , Senator s Leia Organa and Ransolm Casterfo traveled to Bastatha and Ryloth to investigate Rinnrivin ' s syndicate . Over the course of their investigation , the two senators discovered that a mysterious entity was channeling funds to Rinnrivin ' s cartel through a militia group called the Amaxine warriors as part of a conspiracy to destabilize the New Republic . While visiting the Ryloth archives , Leia and her entourage discovered that Rinnrivin was formerly a lowly spice dealer who had rapidly risen to become the leader of a powerful criminal cartel .