Yavin IV

The Beginning

Brief History of Yavin IV

Back in the day of the battle of the first Death Star (also known as the Battle of Yavin), the Rebellion established a base on Yavin, and the New Jedi Order was practically founded here. A young Luke Skywalker, using the Force, led the Rebellion into the destruction of the original Death Star, and eventually to the downfall of the Empire. It wasn't until years later when Yavin IV was realized as a potential location for Jedi Training. At Yavin IV, the Jedi are interviewed, and begin their first steps of training into becoming a Jedi.

The rest of this text comes courtesy of Hawk from the Original Jedi Academy page:

"The fourth moon of Yavin is small
but lush, an isolated jungle world covered
with dense and uncharted rain forests, dotted
with deep clear lakes and wrinkled with
up-thrust volcanic mountains - a naturalist's
paradise, uncatalogued, a whole world waiting
for the sharp eye of a trained nature lover"
-Dr'uun Unnh (Taken from the illustrated Star Wars Universe)

The Rebellion and Yavin IV

Dantooine was the original base of operations for the Rebel Alliance. After a breach of security due to the complacency of the early Rebellion's security force. A new home needed to be found. From system to system the Rebel Fleet traveled, until a long range scout located the gas giant Yavin. The 4th moon was soon discovered and was adopted after the only trace of civilization that was found belonged to an ancient race whose abandoned temples still stood proudly amongst the dense forest many millennia after those who had built them had been destroyed by some distant cataclysm.

After some investigation of the planet it was discovered that some form of devastating conflict had occurred on the planet's surface. Widespread destruction was evident in geotechnical scans on most of the planets surface. Dr'uun Unnh, the sullustan naturalist who made these discoveries, theorized that this must have been the event that led to the extinction of the Massassi (the name given to the race of temple builders). However this cannot be confirmed or dismissed.

Alliance soldiers worked for months clearing the debris and growth from the 'Great Temple', the largest structure found on the moon at that time. Finally 2 levels of the Great Temple were cleared and the Rebel Alliance finally had a new base which could be called home.... until the Empire found them. What followed was the famous 'Battle of Yavin 4', In which Luke Skywalker became a hero, learned to use the Force and destroyed the Imperial's dreaded 'Death Star', which many soldiers in the Empire believed was the ultimate power in the galaxy. Soon they realized that it paled in comparison to the power of the Force.

Wildlife and Climate

Most sections of the Yavin IV jungles are so dense that it may never be known what creatures truly exist out there in the heart of the wilderness. Dr'uun Unnh referred to the Yavin IV jungles as, "a dense tapestry of interconnected life-forms: plants, insects, all species cooperating and competing with each other in a series of check and balances that makes the ecology of the small moon. The jungle thrives with supercharged life, as if Yavin IV somehow has left over energy and diverts it to the biological systems covering the moon." It would take dozens of xenobiologists and botanists many years to catalogue to most common of the species that exist on this planet. From the time of the Rebel's secret base and the time I have been here many creatures have been discovered. Mucous Salamanders, Tree Ticks, Armored Eels as well as dozens of species of birds, flying lizards and mammalian carnivores. However it is not known if these are the major species of the planet or if they are all we have been privileged to see.

The climate of Yavin IV depends on the cycle of the planet. In the dead of night the temperatures drop suddenly, the moisture in the air condenses and thick fogs settle throughout the jungles and cling to the canopies of the forest. This is due to the high humidity of the thick atmosphere. During the day the planets temperature is mild, however the high humidity can make this temperature seem hotter than it is, particularly for species who use their skin to sweat. There is usually a storm or light rain, late in the afternoon on the planet however there are also several storm seasons in which monsoonal and particularly violent tropical storms do occur.

Because Yavin IV orbits a gas giant it experiences 2 kinds of night. A 'Twilight Night' is experienced when the surface is facing away from the sun but toward the gas giant Yavin. When the gas giant moves between the sun and the planet than 'Dark Night' occurs. Over some months the 'Dark Night' can last excessively long due to the planets rotation and the orbit of Yavin itself.