Maridun

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Affiliation:
  Neutral

• Climate:
  Temperate

• Terrain:
  Extensive grasslands and forested plains

• 

An uncharted grassland planet in the Outer Rim Territories, Maridun was the main locale showcased in The Clone Wars episodes "Jedi Crash" and "Defenders of Peace." Prior to that, it figured in a three-issue story arc in the Star Wars: Empire comic series from Dark Horse Comics.

Origins

Maridun is first referenced in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens -- Enemies and Allies, a 96-page roleplaying game sourcebook supplement published by West End Games in 1995. It is established as the homeworld of the Amanin, a species that appears in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (1983), and known to many as the headhunter character of Amanaman.

Several authors are listed in the book, with the Amanin entry attributed to Harry Heckel. The planet is described as having high treetops where the Amanin dwell, as well as plains. Wildlife native to Maridun includes birds, herd animals, and a dangerous predatory animal called a charnoq. Other creatures to come from subsequent sources include mastiff phalones, carrier butterflies, fwits, and enormous lumbering corinathoths.

The Guide establishes that Maridun was discovered by the Empire "a decade ago," meaning it only existed on Imperial charts within 10 years before Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. This means that, whatever the results of its "discovery" in The Clone Wars episodes, it will be "forgotten" or records of it will otherwise be lost by the rise of Palpatine's authoritarian regime.

The Clone Wars Depiction

Maridun is said to be in "neutral space," far from the frontlines of the Clone Wars. This is what made it so appealing to Tee Watt Kaa and his pacific tribe of Lurmen who sought an escape from the destruction of the war.

The areas of the planet in the episodes "Jedi Crash" and "Defenders of Peace" are shown as wide open savannahs, with the occasional outcropping of enormous trees. The look of the grasslands are very much inspired by designs first developed by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie for Return of the Jedi. In the early drafts of the Jedi story, the action would turn to a grassland planet called Sicemon. McQuarrie's artwork of Sicemon was later appropriated by the Expanded Universe to be previously unseen sections of Alderaan's grasslands in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe, a hardcover "coffee table" type book showcasing McQuarrie's art and author Kevin J. Anderson's essays on various planets. It was published by Bantam Books in 1995.

The Lurmen used fallen seedpods from the giant trees as shelter. Living near the trees proved too dangerous, as the falling pods could be deadly. Instead, the Lurmen dragged the pods into a clearing and used them as huts. They also extracted essential oils from the pods for nutrition and healing medicines.

The greatest native threat to the Lurmen (aside from the Amanin, which would not appear in the episodes but would be featured in an online comic) were the mastiff phalones, vicious turkey-headed quadrupeds that hunted in groups. But even in thwarting these beasts the Lurmen attempted to remain true to their pacifist ideals, and not inflict any injury to the creatures.

When the Separatists arrived on Maridun, they targeted the Lurmen village for extinction as a field-test of a new defoliator weapon system. The Jedi Knights were able to repel the Separatist army, despite the wishes of the pacifist Lurmen.

The Coming of the Empire

Whatever managed to keep Maridun off the charts during the Clone Wars failed to keep the Empire from eventually finding it. Galaxy Guide 12 reveals the Amanin who made first contact with the Empire responded uncharacteristically well to them, keeping their distance but observing with curiosity. (It should be noted that the relative aggressiveness of Amanin is keyed to their population levels).

The Empire established a mining colony, complete with a few small towns. An Amanin brokered the sale of captive rivals to the Imperials as slave, opening up the Amanin to that despicable trade. This would lead to the proliferation of Amanin elsewhere beyond Maridun.

"To The Last Man," the 2004 Star Wars: Empire story arc from Dark Horse Comics written by Welles Hartley and illustrated by Davidé Fabbri and Christian Dalla Vecchia, shows Maridun as of shortly after the Battle of Yavin. There, the planet's more jungle-like environs are shown, with great overgrown trees and difficult underbrush proving a challenge to Imperial vehicles like armored Juggernauts.

The non-forest areas (called gruntak by the Amanin, according to The New Essential Guide to Alien Species by Ann Margaret Lewis and Helen Keier, 2006, Del Rey Books) are easier on the Imperial hardware, but leaves the Imperials exposed to territorial Amanin attacks.

When the Empire reduced its presence on Maridun, smugglers and other scoundrels took over the abandoned colonies. According to The Essential Guide to Aliens by Ann Margaret Lewis (2001, Del Rey Books), the Hutts to muscle in and took over the slave trade.