Jedha City

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Jedha City, also known as the Holy City, NiJedha in the ancient texts, or simply Jedha, was an ancient walled city located on the desert moon of Jedha. In the city was the ancient Temple of the Kyber, a great temple held sacred by those who followed the teachings of the Church of the Force. For some time before the Battle of Yavin, the Galactic Empire had occupied the city, an action that was met with firm resistance by Saw Gerrera's Partisans. Jedha City was destroyed by a single-reactor superlaser blast from the newly-operational Death Star.

Description

Jedha was an ancient city located on the^[4] cold, desert^[13] Mid Rim^[5] moon of Jedha. Standing atop a rocky mesa,^[10] the city was surrounded by a large wall and contained various temples and adorned buildings.^[4] The city was divided into two sections by a Division Wall, one section was known as the Old City and the other known as the New City, though even the New City was well over 5000 years old.^[1] The most notable structure in the Holy City was the ancient Temple of the Kyber—a great temple protruding high above the city wall that was held sacred by those who followed the teachings of the Church of the Force.^[10]

Considered a holy site for followers of the mystical energy field known as the Force, the Holy City's streets were filled with priests, scholars, and holy men and women,^[14] many of them pilgrims, who could be recognized by their distinctive and often ornate robes.^[10]

History

High Republic Era

Long before^[11] 382 BBY,^[15] the city was governed by the Jedi Order. During this time, four statues of Jedi were built in the deserts outside the city, though by^[16] 382 BBY,^[15] only one of the statues,^[16] known as the Final Protector,^[17] still stood.^[16] The Jedi Order's control over Jedha City, regarded by some as a "rule" over the Holy City, generated dislike towards the Order:^[11] the Order eventually stepped back when the other religions objected to Jedi control, as those faiths feared the Jedi were trying to position themselves as the one true religion.^[18]

Anti-Jedi sentiment remained to a degree in the Holy City among some citizens.^[11] The Battle of Jedha instigated by the Path of the Open Hand saw fighting hit the city, with the Final Protector falling during the battle^[7] at the hands of anti-Jedi protestors. The battle was generated in part by religious tensions in the city, including lingering anti-Jedi sentiment. The battle also involved the forces of Eiram's military and E'ronoh's military clashing in the Holy City,^[18] where they had hoped to sign a peace treaty interrupted by the Path's scheme.^[7] The rioting people of Jedha also clashed with the soldiers suddenly before them. After the battle, while the peace that fell over the city was uneasy, various factions came together in the name of rebuilding Jedha City.^[18]

Imperial Era

In the wake of the Jedi Order's eradication and the Declaration of a New Order by the Galactic Empire^[19] in 19 BBY,^[20] a procession of mourners gathered in the Holy City to grieve the fallen Jedi. Cries mourning Jedi Saesee Tiin, Stass Allie, O'ra've and Caladastorous were heard. Among the attendees was Senator Bail Prestor Organa, traveling incognito in Ztenortha pilgrim clothing, and a Tarsunt admiral acquainted with Organa.^[21]

Amidst the somber vigil, in which mourners pushed the massive rotating disk known as the Stone of First Tears in ritual mourning, a bomb detonated within the city, triggering chaos and widespread panic. The detonation caused a stampede, in which several individuals were crushed as they attempted to flee through narrow streets. Later, news feeds described the perpetrator as aligned ideologically with the Imperial regime, wishing to eliminate the Jedi and their supporters.^[21]

Sometime before the Battle of Scarif,^[10] Jedha City, along with the rest of the moon, was occupied by the Galactic Empire, with Imperial stormtroopers, KX-series security droid, TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tanks, TIE/ln space superiority starfighters, and cargo shuttles being deployed to the city. However, the occupation was met with firm resistance by rebel extremist Saw Gerrera^[4]—leader of the Partisans^[22]—who coordinated the insurgency from his hideout.^[10] In response to Gerrera's insurgency, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Dauntless was dispatched to sit over Jedha City^[4] at the suggestion of Imperial Intelligence.^[23]

A Battle of Jedha City was fought^[24] in 1 BBY.^[3] During the Alliance to Restore the Republic's mission to find the location of Imperial scientist Galen Erso, Captain Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, and reprogrammed Imperial KX-series security droid K-2SO traveled to the Holy City to meet with Gerrera. While there, the trio became involved in a firefight with Imperial and Partisan forces.^[4]

Hours later, all Imperial forces were ordered to withdraw from the city immediately. Unknown to many of them, Director Orson Krennic and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin had decided to test the capability of the Empire's new superweapon-equipped battle station, the Death Star, by firing its superlaser at the city using a single-reactor ignition. The test was a success, resulting in the complete destruction of the Holy City and its inhabitants, as well as the surrounding area.^[4] At least 3% of Jedha's Imperial forces were presumed destroyed in the blast as well, having been unable to evacuate. The Imperial casualties included such forces as JN-093's squad, who had been assigned to check possible rebel hiding spots outside the city, leaving them unable to get to the extraction point in time.^[8]

After the blast

In order to prevent the public from finding out about the weapon and the true circumstances of Jedha City's destruction, the Empire portrayed the event as a mining catastrophe to the Imperial Senate.^[4] While some reports indicated that the city's destruction had left only a modest crater,^[25] in reality the Death Star's blast had obliterated almost a quarter of the moon and exposed its core. Alliance forces traveled to the ruins of Jedha to meet with the remaining Partisans^[26] in 1 ABY.^[3]

Behind the scenes

Jedha City is a location created and developed for the 2016 Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The city was inspired by real life holy cities such as Mecca and Jerusalem and has Middle Eastern influences with its narrow market alleyways, desert sands, and Ottoman-inspired architecture.^[14] It is also partly inspired by Sarajevo, a city situated on the Balkans and usually referred to as Jerusalem of Europe, due to its multicultural nature. Jedha City also bears striking similarity with the Jewish fortress-city of Masada. First footage of the holy city was released with the teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on April 7, 2016.^[28] The city was first identified as the holy city in Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, a reference book released on November 3, 2016.^[10]

Appearances

Sources

Non-canon sources

• LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Galaxy Atlas

Notes and references