Outer Rim Territories

The Outer Rim Territories are the outermost official regions in Known Space. They are by far the most expansive and least explored areas, a wide swath of space, tracing the rim three-quarters of the way around the galaxy. The area's extreme distance from Coruscant and the Core Worlds has always been both a great asset and major hindrance to its prosperity, political fortunes, economic development, and security. As with the Republic before it, Imperial control and influence varies greatly from system to system, and sector to sector. The region's reputation for lawlessness and danger is well deserved, but is often simply not the case in highly developed systems and sectors. Despite its remoteness, the Outer Rim has played a significant role in galactic politics, economics, and warfare since ancient times well before the origins of the Republic. The expanding Hutts clashed with the Tion Hegemony and Xim the Despot before the Perlemian Trade Route connected Coruscant to the region. Since that time, exploration and colonization of the territories has been irregular and haphazard. The rate of Outer Rim exploration was closely tied with the extension of the major hyperlanes into the furthest reaches of the galaxy. The earliest development expanded from the Perlemian Trade Route in the northeastern quadrant, around the Jedi world of Ossus and the Tion Hegemony. The presence of Hutt Space slowed and deterred colonization of the Slice, driving colonists to seek worlds away from Hutt influence and interference. Similarly, difficulties with various Sith and Mandalorian attacks and invasions disrupted development of the northern area. Exploration picked up in the southern reaches with the extension of the Rimma Trade Route, the Corellian Trade Spine, and the Hydian Way. Republic control over the Outer Rim varied greatly over the ages, and each system was often responsible for its own security. Power struggles between regional factions, isolationist systems, and militant species all contributed to the difficulties of maintaining order in the Outer Rim. Beyond that, significant criminal enterprises found a great haven in the Outer Rim, sometimes officially sanctioned by corrupt and disreputable governments and corporations.

Outer Reaches

Chancellor Palpatine used the Outer Rim as a great game board in his bid to take total control of the Republic. The Separatist Movement enabled him to oversee the creation of a powerful central government and military, to counter the growing Separatist threat in the Outer Rim. The Clone Wars greatly disrupted political control in the Outer Rim. The Hutts took advantage of the situation to extend Hutt Space to cover more than three quarters of the Outer Rim portion of the Slice. The Separatists controlled most of the rest, plus about half of the northern reaches. They also held a large continuous region along the Hydian Way and Rimma Trade Route. After the war, the Empire used its ever-growing military might to reestablish control over significant areas in the Outer Rim. The Hutts were pushed back to their traditional holdings, more or less. Outer Rim citizens often welcomed the return of civilized trade and transport. However, some systems and sectors benefited more than others. Some felt the oppressive actions all too common within the Empire. Over time, Imperial political realities, interference, and military interventions started to wear thin on the independent-minded Outer Rim residents. Rebel sympathy generally runs greatest in the Outer Rim. However, given the hugely diverse civilizations, species, and geography, there is no consensus. Worlds that fare extremely well under the Empire enthusiastically support Imperial Center. For the most remote fringe worlds, little has changed with the rise of the Empire. They must rely on themselves for their own security and destiny.

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Region

Included Locations