Uman Rai was a moon in the Mid Rim, located near Kashyyyk. It orbited the much larger planet of Umas, a molten planet of poison gases and erupting volcanoes. It was home to the Republic of Uman Rai, and later the Droid Empire.
Geographic features[]
Isis Pass, one of the seven sacred valleys of Uman Rai.
Uman Rai had one large continent called "Ore Madertole" or "The Motherland."It was surrounded by many lesser continents and islands. Uman Rai's core was, like most other planets in the galaxy, made up of molten metals. Uman Rai had many rare metals that allowed the Umanians to develop Phrik alloy, a powerful lightsaber resistant material. They used Phrik to forge armor and weapons since it was so abundant. The planet had many dormant volcanoes that created many islands in its vast oceans. They also made the soil much more fertile allowing life to flourish on the islands. The surface was dotted with high mountains and low valleys. There were also plains on the planet and rivers cut the surface creating canyons and huge lakes. Most of the planet was covered in dense tropical foliage that made it dangerous to colonize. The planet was 75% water, of this 35% was fresh. Uman Rai was rich in swamplands that held dangers for the unwary "offworlder."
Fauna[]
The most intelligent species of life on Uman Rai were the native Umanians. They were cold blooded lizard-like creatures that evolved to have massive intelligence. They used the metals in the planet's surface to construct massive cities. The terrain proved difficult to build on, but their capital city of Uman Rai rivaled many other great cities in the galaxy. The Umanians built huge electric fences around their settlements to protect the populace from the carnivorous K'Rahk that roamed the jungle. The K'Rahk were distant relatives of the Umanians. They were a bit smaller and weren't as intelligent. They were pack hunters and used their claws and razor sharp teeth to bring down their prey. Their small legs were very powerful allowing them to run at great speeds.
An Uforaptor hunting.
There were also many forms of marine life in the planet's oceans. The most notable was the Uforaptor, a reptilian fish-like creature that swam in all of Uman Rai's oceans.
Culture[]
The Umanians were rich in culture. First of all religion was one of the most important aspects of an Umanian's life. They believed that there were seven sacred valleys where their chief god Toteka created each part of the their daily lives. Umanians were expected to pray at the Pantheon of Gods every morning before they set off to a day of work. The Umanians viewed long range rifles and the like as cowardly weapons and preferred to use melee weapons instead. They highly valued architecture and filled their cities with many different types of beautiful architectural styles. Boys in Umanian society were expected at age 16 to leave the safety of the electric fences to hunt and kill a K'Rahk and scalp it. They would then bring the spines back to their fathers for approval. If their fathers approved then they would be considered men and would move out. The K'Rahks' spines were used as status symbols in their culture. The more spines they had on their headdresses the higher their rank in society. The Umanians while advanced did not ever create crafts capable of taking them off the planet. They thought it would invoke the wrath of their gods to leave the planet. They separated into different countries on the planet and traded with each other for income. They remained cut off from the rest of the galaxy until the Trade Federation landed on the planet that fateful day.
History[]
Independence is a virtue in our society and to lose this means war.
—Excerpt from the Umanian Declaration of Independence.
Pre-discovery[]
The Umanians were a species divided. The many kingdoms warred with each other for land, riches, power, and glory. Many kingdoms like the Kingdom of the Royale, the Republic of Zastra, the Principality of Algiers, and the Kingdom of Uman Rai became dominant forces on the planet. Later all of these factions came together to form the Republic of Uman Rai and later fought against each other once more in the civil war.
Map of Uman Rai circa 54 BBY.
Old Republic 54 BBY-27 BBY[]
Uman Rai remained cut off from the Galaxy until the Trade Federation approached it in 54 BBY. The Federation was looking for a planet in the Mytaranor sector that they could set up a colony on. They sent several probes to each planet in the sector and found that Uman Rai had minerals that couldn't be found anywhere else in the sector. The Neimoidians approached the many different factions of Umanians on the planet and the different leaders agreed. Then Uman Rai became a colony of the Trade Federation and was subject to its laws. The Umanians accepted the Federation mainly because the different societies were going bankrupt. They thought the Neimoidians would bring new trade to the planet. Things went perfectly until 28 BBY. It had been a few years after the debacle at Naboo and the Trade Federation was in financial turmoil. Viceroy Nute Gunray traveled to Uman Rai. From the staff on the planet he learned that the Umanians weren't being taxed very much and that they should construct more mines on the planet to maximize income. Gunray instituted heavy taxes on Umanian trade and had several new mines built. Unrest engulfed the populace with many speaking of a life without the Trade Federation and many others participating in acts of outright rebellion. In 27 BBY the Trade Federation began construction on strip mines in one of the seven sacred valleys. This was the last straw for the poverty stricken Umanians who immediately began rioting in the streets. An organized rebellion led by an Umanian military developer named Iscarrd Veston broke into the droid control facility and took control of the battle droid army left on the planet to keep order. The Trade Federation acted immediately to put down the rebellion by landing a core ship beyond the Royale River. They then unloaded their troops and marched on the city of Port Royale thus beginning the Battle of Port Royale. The Trade Federation had to march through a canyon to get to the city, which was an obvious choke point that was overlooked. The Umanians constructed gun emplacements on top of the canyon walls and barricades through the canyon. By the time the Trade Federation's droid forces broke through the barricades they had already taken massive casualties. The Umanian rebels put up a good fight but were defeated by the Trade Federation's superior numbers. Iscarrd Veston planned to attack the droids again at Isis Pass, a valley that led into the capital city of Uman Rai. The combined force of battle droids and Umanian warriors repulsed the Trade Federation in the Battle of Isis Pass. Viceroy Gunray decided retaking the colony was a lost cause and would cost more money than he was willing to spend. The Neimoidians abandoned the planet and later all the governments of Uman Rai came together and formed one government called the Republic of Uman Rai.
Life under the Republic of Uman Rai 27 BBY-23 BBY[]
Life was good under the Republic of Uman Rai; trade began to flourish with the construction of a spaceport at Port Royale and Umanians began to travel the galaxy. However, the Republic was doomed from the day of its formation. Far too much power was given to the senate and the other two branches were almost powerless to control it. It was a source of constant conflict on the planet and corrupt senators put more interest in their personal ambitions than the good of the planet.
The Republic survived for just four years when in 23 BBY the governments fragmented into their former borders. The Republic was then destroyed when the Kingdom of Uman Rai took the city and made it its capitol.