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- "Manaan's an unusual place. Not for its water, mind you... it's the kolto. Healing juice. Only place where it occurs in the galaxy."
- —Jolee Bindo[src]
Manaan was an aquatic planet in the Pyrshak system. It was home to the Selkath, an amphibious species. It was completely covered in water and was the only known source of the healing liquid, kolto. Kolto was so important to the galaxy that the Selkath were able to use it to enforce their neutrality policy. The only above-surface settlement on Manaan was the floating city of Ahto. During the Jedi Civil War, both the Sith and the Republic attempted to get an upper hand in the war by creating secret deals that would give them more kolto. In the end, the Selkath banned the Sith from Manaan for trying to overthrow the government. When kolto was replaced in favor of bacta, the Republic abandoned Manaan, and the Selkath left Ahto City for their ancient cities in the depths of their oceans. Manaan did not have contact with the galaxy until the Selkath were enslaved by the Empire. The Order of Shasa later overthrew their Imperial masters, only to become servants to Darth Vader. Manaan was presumably freed in 5 ABY, by the New Republic.
History[]
Infinite Empire[]
Thousands of years before the creation of the Galactic Republic, Manaan was invaded and conquered by the expanding Infinite Empire. The native Selkath were among the numerous species enslaved by the Rakata, and their language was among several spoken by an ancient droid that Revan encountered many millennia later. Some Selkath slaves were sent off-world to places such as Dantooine and Lehon. As slaves, they were used to construct large structures across the Rakatan empire, including temples and the Star Forge. When their empire began to collapse, however, the Rakata abandoned Manaan. By the Jedi Civil War, the only known evidence the Rakata left behind on the planet was an incomplete Star Map in the Hrakert Rift on the ocean floor.
Jedi Civil War[]
Manaan was rediscovered by the broader galactic community by the beginning of the Great Manifest Period, which began in 20,000 BBY. By the time of the Jedi Civil War, Manaan had established itself as one of the most important planets in the galaxy. As the sole provider of kolto, Manaan's resources were in high demand. In order to serve the needs of non-Selkath visitors, the Selkath built Ahto City, which was so large that it could be seen from orbit. Since kolto was in high demand during the war—due to its powerful healing properties—Manaan's entire economy revolved around its exportation. During the years prior to the Mandalorian Wars, Manaan's main client was the Galactic Republic, though Manaan itself was not a member of the Republic. Instead, Manaan adopted a state of neutrality. As the Jedi Civil War began, the Selkath established a series of laws to preserve their neutrality, sovereignty, and protection. Both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire had to abide by these laws, or risk full kolto sanctions. If any faction decided to invade the planet, the Selkath threatened to destroy the kolto supply.
Despite the laws, both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic were constantly looking for ways to gain the advantage. A few of the Selkath recognized the potential consequences of a Sith victory and made a secret deal with the Republic, allowing them to build their own kolto harvesting base on the ocean floor. Unfortunately, the location chosen for the station was the Hrakert Rift, and the Progenitor was not pleased by the invasion of her territory. Through what was described as a telepathic scream, she drove the Selkath in the base and the firaxan sharks outside the base insane, and they attacked and killed nearly all of the Republic personnel. The operation was a disaster, and for some time the Republic Embassy did not know what had happened.