Kal'Shebbol (ASWS)

Kal'Shabbol, also referred to as Little Kal'Shabbol though not to be confused with the Ashlan Expanse world Kal'Shabbol for which it was named, was a planet located within the Kathal sector in the Outer Rim Territories. The planet was a member-state of the Galactic Republic and served as the capital planet of the Kathol sector as it was located on the Trition Trade Route.

Discovery
Kal’Shebbol was initially discovered by explorers from the Order of the Jedi Bendu of the Ophuchi thousands of years before the formation of the Galactic Republic. Although it did share some characteristics with Kal'Shabbol, the Jedi Bendu homeworld, the Jedi Bendu did not feel that it was an important enough planet to stake any claim on. Therefore, although the planet’s existence was documented, it was left uninhabited for many thousands of years.

A few centuries after the formation of the Galactic Republic, when Republic scouts were exploring the Trition Trade Route, they entered into the Kathol sector and found Kal’Shebbol once again. They reported the find to Coruscant which in turn reported back with the initial Jedi Bendu reports from thousands of years earlier. Jokingly referring to it as Little Kal'Shabbol, they later returned to Coruscant with more detailed reports about the planet.

The Jedi Bendu, who had since become the guardians of the Republic, studied the reports and recommended that it be studied further, as they found evidence of what was called unique forms of plant and some animal life. The Galactic Senate approved further exploration, and they also named the planet Kal'Shebbol in honor of Kal'Shabbol and the initial reports from millennia earlier that noted the certain similarities between the two planets.

Shortly after further exploration, the Jedi Bendu set up a monastery on the planet, though no major settlements were constructed. During the schism that saw the creation of the Jedi Order and the Bendu Order, Supreme Chancellor Fillorean ensured that all links to Kal'Shebbol, including the Jedi Bendu monastery, were severed. The Jedi Order abandoned the planet and all significant information on it was deemed classified.

Settlement
Four hundred years before the Invasion of Utapau, Kal'Shebbol was rediscovered and settled by escaped Twi'lek slaves. They chose the planet because it was located on the trade route, which gave them easy access to the wider galaxy while remaining isolated enough for them to live in peace. Although they found the wide open plains and moist climate somewhat unnerving, they were able to adapt. They eventually domesticated the native herds of chollas and built farms to support their growing societies.

Over the next fifty years, many families that were both Twi'lek and otherwise emigrated to Kal'Shebbol. Before being allowed to settle, each new arrival had to be adopted by one of the Twi'lek clans. Within these fifty years, the planet also had become a major trading post with a population of several million, enough to regain the attention of the Galactic Republic that had abandoned it. Because of that, Kal'Shebbol was soon inducted into the Republic and was granted the status of being the capital world of the Kathol sector.

Behind the scenes
When author Brandon Rhea was first gathering ideas and creating concepts for the Alternative Star Wars Saga, he began searching for names for the planet that would be the homeworld of the Bendu Order. One of his searches brought him to SuperShadow.Com where he found the name “Kal'Shebbol" on the planetary map that SuperShadow had stolen from Nav-Computer.Com. Not knowing much about SuperShadow or the canonical Star Wars universe at that time, Rhea assumed that the planet name was made up by SuperShadow, so Rhea changed the spelling to Kal'Shabbol and used it as his own.

Some time later, Rhea discovered that Kal'Shebbol was, in fact, a world in Star Wars canon. Not wanting to give up the name Kal'Shabbol, Rhea instead created a back story involving Kal'Shebbol being named in honor of Kal'Shabbol. Although he did not document it officially for some time, he did explain it on the few occasions when questions about the two names arose.