The Chiss Ascendancy and the Eternal Empire

When the Eternal Empire's violent rise to power began, the Chiss Ascendancy watched both Imperial and Republic worlds fall before the Eternal Fleet's might. Rather than see their society crumble in the face of tyranny, the Chiss decided to strike a deal: they would freely give their two richest industrial worlds to Arcann as tribute. In return, the Eternal Empire would allow the Ascendancy to retain their homeworlds.

This deal let the Chiss remain largely untouched by the war. After the Alliance's victory, the Ascendancy easily claimed their lost worlds with the Sith Empire's help. Though the Chiss claim to be suffering a resource crisis like the rest of the galaxy, rumors circulate about secret stores they've kept hidden from the Sith.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic)

Taris and Nonhumans

In the century preceding its destruction by Darth Malak, Taris experienced a devastating planet-wide famine among the working classes. In desperation, the poor declared war on the nobility, only to have their rebellion quickly and violently put down.

Since many of the rebellions' leaders were nonhuman immigrants, those in power sought to quell further unrest by enacting a number of harsh anti-alien laws. Nonhumans were banned from public office and forbidden to leave the lower levels of the city without special government permits. The institutionalized segregation of nonhumans inevitably fostered an anti-alien prejudice among the human population, though many Republic historians prefer to gloss over this unsavory fact.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic)

State of the Galaxy - Resource War

Even before the Eternal Empire's reign, the war between the Republic and Sith Empire created a constant strain on resources. Vital raw materials from planets on both sides were often shipped to the military for use in the war, creating scarcity on Republic and Imperial worlds.

When both factions fell to the Eternal Empire, what little raw materials and supplies they'd managed to save were forfeited to the Eternal Fleet. Conquered worlds suffered a major resource crisis and resorted to heavy rationing. In extreme cases, like Tatooine, civilian vehicles were confiscated for scrap, and residents were limited to a single government-issued ration bar per day.

After the Eternal Empire's defeat, many hoped for an improvement in the availability of resources. However, what little the newly freed planets had left was needed to repair the damage caused by the devastating war. Those hit hardest by the Eternal Fleet, such as Voss, struggled to survive amidst the wreckage of their crops and manufacturing facilities. For both the Empire and Republic, hope lies in what little they can secure from neutral worlds discovered during the war.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic)

Shock Drum

A prototype superweapon developed in secret by the Republic on Tatooine, the Shock Drum has the potential to destroy an entire planet. Designed to emit a series of sonic bursts, the initial stages of activation disable droids and other electronics in an ever-widening circle with the Shock Drum at the epicenter.

The sonic bursts become progressively more intense, with the second stage causing damage and even death to organic life. Left unchecked, the ever-stronger vibrations of the Shock Drum can eventually destabilize a planetary core, causing a world to literally fracture.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic / SWTOR - Knight Class Story)

Raz and the Ubo-Kings

For years, Raz and the Ubo-Kings existed as an obscure band, living gig-to-gig in the nightclubs of Nar Shaddaa. According to Raz--the short-tempered Duros band leader--their talents were wasted playing backup to underworld deals and barroom brawls. Raz and the Ubo-Kings were ahead of their time, a band of musical pioneers seemingly destined to never achieve stardom.

But everything changed when the Eternal Empire conquered the Core Worlds. Through unknown means, holos of the band's performances made their way to Zakuul--where they were soon played on street corners and in underground dance venues. Raz and the Ubo-Kings became an overnight sensation. Within a few months, their intoxicating music was played and sampled in every club on the Spire.

Unfortunately, Raz and the Ubo-kings were still stuck on Nar Shaddaa and didn't collect a single credit from their explosive success on Zakuul. Hungry for fame and fortune, Raz prepped his band for a tour to the Eternal Empire's capital, but their plans were derailed when Empress Vaylin took power and forbid any offworld music from polluting her mighty empire.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic / SWTOR)

Power Guards

Power Guards are synthetically augmented supersoldiers created by a secret Republic research project. Ethical and legal restrictions against experimenting on living soldiers required the Republic military to conduct the research as a black ops project on Nar Shaddaa; on the virtually lawless Hutt moon, those in charge could easily acquire technology and resources that were banned in the Republic without raising suspicion in the Senate. However, being located on a non-Republic-controlled world left the project vulnerable to enemy attack or infiltration in the event of discovery.

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic / SWTOR - Knight Class Story)

Pneumatic Trams

The pneumatic trams of Iokath cross every kilometer of the planetary megastructure in a complex network of tubes that doubles as a transportation system and cooling matrix for the technological world. The trams were initially built as an energy-efficient method of moving construction supplies to the far corners of the planet. Propelled by pressurized gas, these materials were transported across entire continents, speeding up Iokath's creation tenfold.

For centuries, the trams operated without incident--until an act of sabotage ignited the pressurized gas and sparked a catastrophic explosion that killed thousands and leveled a nearby settlement. This attack sparked the Iokath Civil War, a centuries-long conflict that ended with the extinction of every organic species on the planet. When the dust settled, Iokath's droid caretakers fixed the tram and used it to help repair the damage wrought by their deceased creators. 

(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic / SWTOR)