Massassi

The Massassi were a species who lived on Yavin 4, the fourth moon of Yavin Prime. Thousands of years before the Imperial Era, they built enormous stone temples on the moon for unknown purposes. It was believed that the Massassi may have been a slave race in thrall to the Sith, who brought them to the moon. The Massassi went extinct millennia before 0 ABY, sometime after finishing their temples.
==History==
===Early history===
The Massassi were a mysterious species that built enormous stone temples of unknown purpose on the fourth moon of Yavin some five thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Whether the Massassi had evolved on Yavin 4 or were a slave race in thrall of the Sith and brought to that moon was unknown, although the latter seemed more likely. 
Five thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, the ancient Massassi warriors lived on Yavin 4 and constructed the Great Temple. The Great Temple was alleged to have been built under the leadership of the Sith Lord Naga Sadow. establishes that the Great Temple on Yavin 4 was built by Massassi warriors, allegedly under the leadership of Naga Sadow, around the year 5000 BBY. The Massassi admired Sadow as a god despite being poorly treated by him, and the Temple was raised in Sadow's honor. Archeologists later proposed that the Great Temple may have functioned as a large-scale communications device to contact other Sith Lords throughout the galaxy. The species went extinct millenniaDoctor Aphra (2016) 3 before 0 ABY, sometime after finishing their temples.
At some point, either as part of the original intent of the building or through ulterior additions, the Jedi splinter group known as the Ordu Aspectu used one of the Massassi temples, the Great Temple, to store information, including a map room that gave directions to their hidden space station-fortress base, the Citadel of Rur. The Massassi piece crystals were associated with the Massassi and were used as activation keys at the Great Temple, and at the headquarters of the Ordu Aspectu.Doctor Aphra (2016) 5 They were almost identical in shape to the Massassi temples on Yavin 4.
===Legacy===
The purple-barked Massassi trees found on Yavin 4 were named after the species.Star Wars: Complete Locations
Sometime before the Battle of Coruscant, an archaeological dig on the moon of Yavin 4 uncovered the Great Sith Wars Bas-Relief in one of the enormous stone temples built by the Massassi.
After setting up a rebel cell on Yavin 4, General Jan Dodonna decided to honor the Massassi by naming his cell after them.Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
After their extinction, the Massassi warriors were mentioned in a travel advertisement written by a Special Galaxy Reporter who had investigated the Great Temple ruins after the Alliance to Restore the Republic abandoned the jungle moon.
==Behind the scenes==
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 23's Guide to the Galaxy section established that the Great Temple on Yavin 4 was built around 5000 BBY. However, Doctor Aphra (2016) 3 and the seventy-sixth issue of Star Wars Helmet Collection establish that Ordu Aspectu, which according to Star Wars: Timelines existed around 20,000 BBY before their defeat,Star Wars: Timelines dates the defeat of the Ordu Aspectu around 20,000 BBY. Therefore, Ordu Aspectu must have been active before c. 20,000 BBY. used the Great Temple to store data.
==Appearances==
*A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy 
*Star Wars: A New Hope junior novelization 
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*Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure 
*Doctor Aphra (2016) 2 
*Doctor Aphra (2016) 3 
*Poe Dameron: Free Fall 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Journey Through Space 
*Ultimate Star Wars 
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*Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
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*Star Wars: Complete Locations
*Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
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*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
*Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
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*Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills
*Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
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*Star Wars: Timelines
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==Notes and references==
Category:Enslaved species
Category:Extinct sentient species
Category:Outer Rim Territories species