The Askar Trace was a hyperlane that ran through several sectors of the Mid Rim between the Leritor and Lannik systems. It was charted thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin and changed hands multiple times throughout galactic history. Just before the end of the Clone Wars, Senator Bail Organa and Jedi Master Yoda used the route while traveling to the planet Utapau. In later years, the Askar Trace was the site of multiple battles during the Noolian Crisis and the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Description[]

The Askar Trace^[2] was a hyperlane that ran through the Slice portion of the Mid Rim between the Leritor and Lannik systems^[1] and once defined the Coreward edge of Bothan Space.^[2] In 0 ABY, the Askar Trace ran through the Yucrales, Likasha, Hertae, Tandon, Noolian, and Lannik Space sectors,^[3] and the Leritor, Nexus Ortai,^[1] Galboron,^[4] Bresnia, Lanos, Dressel, and Lannik systems were all situated along the hyperspace route.^[1]

The hyperlane, which intersected with the Reena Trade Route near the Nexus Ortai^[1] and Galbaron systems^[4] and the Bothan Run at the Lannik system,^[1] shared its name with clan Askar, the group of Bothans that discovered the planet Dressel two hundred years before the Battle of Yavin.^[2] In 25 BBY, the average population of the systems located between the Nexus Ortai and Lannik systems numbered between five hundred million and one billion, although the Nexus Ortai and the Dressel were both home from one to ten billion. The systems between Lerritor and Nexus Ortai meanwhile averaged a population of between one hundred and five hundred million.^[1]

History[]

Early history and Clone Wars[]

The area in which the Askar Trace would eventually be located was explored by the Galactic Republic between 20,000 BBY and 15,000 BBY. The route was founded sometime after 3996 BBY but before the Mandalorian Wars, which lasted from 3976 BBY to 3960 BBY. During the final phase of the New Sith Wars, from 1004 BBY to 1000 BBY, the Askar Trace largely fell inside the territory that was either contested by or unaligned with the Republic or its Sith enemies, though a portion of the route lay within firmly Sith-controlled territory.^[1]

During the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Askar Trace was situated within the territory in which the Republic's Thirteenth Army was tasked with combating Separatist forces. At the time, a section of the Trace extending from the Leritor system to beyond the Nexus Ortai system was located within space controlled by the Confederacy.^[4]

Following the acquisition of the planet Ukio by the Commerce Guild during the Clone Wars, a facility managed by Magistrate Passel Argente^[5] of the Corporate Alliance^[6] displayed a map of the galaxy that featured the Askar Trace.^[5] In 19 BBY, just before the Clone Wars ended, the Alderaanian Senator Bail Prestor Organa and Jedi Master Yoda traveled aboard Organa's starship along the Askar Trace on their journey from the Mid Rim planet Kashyyyk to the Outer Rim Territories world Utapau.^[1]

From Empire to Empire[]

During the Noolian Crisis, an 18 BBY segment of the Reconquest of the Rim—a conflict in which the newly-formed Galactic Empire asserted its control over Separatist holdouts and other opponents in the outer regions of the galaxy—Aqualish forces attacked the Empire along the Askar Trace, taking Galboron and other worlds. Eventually, Imperial forces under Captain Par Lankin were able to defeat the Aqualish in the Battle of Galboron.^[4]

From 26 ABY to 27 ABY, as part of their invasion of the galaxy, the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong species launched attacks along the Askar Trace, capturing the Lannik, Dressel Nexus Ortai, and Leritor systems. All four systems remained under Yuuzhan Vong control until at least 27 ABY. By 137 ABY, the entirety of the Askar Trace lay within the boundaries of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

The Askar Trace was first pictured in the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas, written by Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry.^[1] The hyperlane made its first proper appearance in The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct, a webcomic authored by Pablo Hidalgo and released on StarWars.com^[5] over the span of the 2009^[7]–2010^[8] second season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.^[7] It was first identified by name in the 2014 roleplaying sourcebook Stay on Target, which was published by Fantasy Flight Games as part of the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion roleplaying game system.^[2]

Appearances[]

• The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct (First appearance) (Appears on screen only)

Sources[]

• The Essential Atlas (First pictured)
• Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (backup link) (Picture only)
• The Essential Guide to Warfare (Picture only)
• Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook (Picture only)
• Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook (Picture only)
• Stay on Target (First identified as Askar Trace)
• Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook (Picture only)

Notes and references[]