Begeren

Begeren was a planet in the Sith Worlds region of the Outer Rim Territories. It was originally part of the Sith Empire, which constructed enormous monuments dedicated to notable Sith on the planet's surface—a project that cost the lives of an estimated hundred thousand slaves. Following the Empire's defeat in the Great Hyperspace War, Begeren was claimed by the Galactic Republic. The Republic allowed the construction of a gemstone quarry at the expense of the Sith statues, which fell into ruin. In 3678 BBY, the planet was seized by a revived Sith Empire. During the Galactic Civil War, Begeren was the site of a battle between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire.
==Description==
The planet Begeren was located in the Begeren system of the Sith Worlds region—technically part of the Esstran sector—of the Outer Rim Territories. It was one of the end points of the Kamat Aegit hyperlane that ran across the Sith Worlds region to connect with Khar Delba.
At least part of the planet was covered in rocky desert, dotted with large, light blue constellations of gemstones. Tall cliffs loomed over the landscape, some of which had been sculpted into enormous statues of notable Sith. Under the Galactic Republic, some of these monuments were destroyed to make room for a gemstone quarry. The Republic also operated at least one settlement on the planet.
Politically, the planet was initially controlled by the Sith Empire, based on the nearby planet Korriban. Begeren was later claimed by the Galactic Republic, which installed a governor to oversee the planet. The world was seized by a resurgent Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War. Begeren would later fall under the hegemony of organizations such as the Brotherhood of Darkness, Warlord Zsinj's Empire, and Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire.
==History==
===Sith world===
Begeren was seized by the Sith Empire sometime prior to approximately 5000 BBY.Since the Sith Empire was defeated around this date per The Essential Atlas', they could not have colonized Begeren at a later point. The Empire set about constructing massive monuments of noteworthy Sith alchemists, warriors, and philosophers. Slave labor was used to build the statues, and an estimated hundred thousand slaves died before the work was completed. The Force ghost of the Sith Lord Vacuus claimed the title of "conqueror of Begeren" when possessing a host centuries after his death.
In the years following the Sith Empire's defeat in the Great Hyperspace War, Begeren was claimed by the Galactic Republic. A governor was installed to oversee the world. At least one gemstone quarry was constructed to exploit Begeren's precious natural resources. This mining industry came at the expense of the Sith monuments, which fell into disrepair.
The world remained under Republic supervision until the year 3678 BBY,The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire Act 1: Shades of the Sith places the invasion of Begeren 25 years before the Treaty of Coruscant, which Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia puts in 3653 BBY. Thus, simple math provides a date of 3678 BBY for the battle on Begeren. when it was invaded by the resurgent Sith Empire as part of the Great Galactic War. Despite suffering losses, the Imperial Army—aided by the Sith Teneb Kel—defeated the Republic and killed its governor. In the aftermath of the Imperial invasion, the Human Lassicar was born to slave parents on Begeren, and when the youth discovered his parents were part of a terrorist cell, he personally executed them and reported the cell to the Imperial Moff Harvus.
During the Cold War that followed the Great Galactic War, the Sith Lord Tytonus rebelled against the Empire and declared her own kingdom on Begeren, earning her exile. Despite this, she hired alien mercenaries to supplant her own forces and landed troops on the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas. Also during the Cold War, the Sith Lord Darth Zhorrid maintained an estate on Begeren, returning there at irregular intervals along with her estates on other worlds.
While hunting for their missing ally, the Jedi Master known as the Hero of Tython, three of the Hero's companions—the former Sith Scourge, the Jedi Kira Carsen, and the doctor Archiban Frodrick Kimble—visited Begeren, though Kimble became separated from the other two while on the planet, and lost track of them as a result.
===Galactic Civil War===
In the early stages of the Galactic Civil War, Begeren was the site of a battle over the minesStar Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. When the Alliance won, news of the victory spread as far as Klatooine, giving hope to the native Klatooinians that they too might achieve freedom from their Hutt oppressors.Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies
Following the Battle of Yavin, some shadowfeeds claimed that Begeren, alongside the planets Jaguada, Korriban, and the moon Khar Shian, were explored and blockaded by the Empire, while some said these worlds were four ancient homeworlds of the Sith.
==Inhabitants==
Under the Sith Empire, an estimated hundred thousand slaves died while working on Begeren's monuments. One of the Republic's governors was of the Advozse species, while at least some of its soldiers were Humans.
==Behind the scenes==
Begeren was first introduced in a throwaway mention in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies, a sourcebook for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game published by West End Games in 1995. It first appeared in the webcomic The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire Act 1: Shades of the Sith, published semi-weekly by Dark Horse Comics on the official website of the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic throughout 2010. The Old Republic included "Begeren Colony" as one of its server names at launch, though the server was eventually shut down during server consolidation.
==Appearances==
*The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire Act 1: Shades of the Sith 
*Star Wars: The Old Republic 
*Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne 
==Sources==
*Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies 
*Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
*Far Horizons
*Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook
==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Republic planets
Category:Reconstituted Sith Empire planets
Category:Sith Worlds