To the casual Star Wars fan, the Ring of Kafrene gained instant notoriety in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when Rebel agent Cassian Andor engaged in Bothan-level espionage and killed someone in cold blood. After his informant became anxious, Andor sent him to his grave with a blaster to the belly, certain that if interrogated by Imperials he would give up the Rebels' plans.
There's a lot more to the Ring of Kafrene than dastardly deeds done in dark alleys, though; beyond the tumult of deep-space trading and Imperial occupation, it's a vibrant community that, with any luck, will get even more screen time once Andor premiers on Disney+ in the second half of 2022.
10 Kafrene Is Two Asteroids Joined Together
The Ring of Kafrene is an asteroid belt once used by the Old Republic as the basis for a mining colony, but "Kafrene" as it's colloquially called is mostly known for being a trading post used frequently by deep spacers on specific trade routes going through the Thand sector. It's located between two of the largest of Kafrene's asteroids, fused together by durasteel and other powerful materials, creating a chaotic environment that rivals some of the deadliest Star Wars planets.
Imperials occupied it following the formation of the first Galactic Empire, necessitating the Rebel Alliance to send one of its top intelligence operatives --Cassian Andor-- to spy on their proceedings and eventually discover the existence of the Emperor's superweapon, the Death Star.
9 It Was A Failed Business Venture By Republic Nobility
According to the novelization of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the Old Republic saw the Ring of Kafrene as a business opportunity and set about constructing a mining operation that would extract valuable minerals from the asteroid belt that could be used to enrich its infrastructure.
Unfortunately, the Ring of Kafrene ended up producing very little in the way of minerals, leaving the Republic no choice but to abandon the venture and turn Kafrene into a bustling trading post, which the Empire promptly took over along with other interests in the Expansion Region.
8 The Construction Was Precarious
The novelization of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also goes into depth about the construction of the Ring of Kafrene, and maintains that the bulk of its structures was made from materials like plastoid and durasteel, with docking bays haphazardly placed around the two largest asteroids that provided its anchor.
Routes led from these docking bays to rock quarries, and the trading post at its center was composed of shacks constructed by its inhabitants, often making labyrinthian corridors where anyone could get lost (sometimes intentionally). Only Coruscant's lower levels could rival Kafrene for its maze-like urban sprawl.
7 The Layout Changed Constantly
Even with Imperial occupation, it was possible to slip in and out of Kafrene unnoticed, especially a skilled operative like Cassian Andor. Not only because the docking bays were swarming with cargo ships and shuttlecraft, but because the cityscape changed so drastically from day to day.
Some of the buildings in Kafrene had a more permanent structure to them, especially if they were around the main thoroughfares, but once outside of those wider streets and market places, the construction of Kafrene was a diurnal change; entire shantytowns would be built and moved around like squares on a Rubix cube, broken down and rebuilt using anything citizens could find.
6 The Spice Flows Through Kafrene
The spice mines of Kessel are well-known throughout the galaxy for their mind-altering resource, and thanks to the lucrative trade happening on Kafrene, it made its way through its streets along with death sticks and other substances designed to bend reality into something more surreal.
According to the book Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide, substances like spice could make it through Kafrene without much attention, especially since alien tenements often meant a variety of exotic substances could be found at any given time and it could be easily disguised.
5 It Was Designed To Look Like Blade Runner
The dim, gritty streets of Kafrene's cityscape and market places in Rogue One evoke another well-known science-fiction movie; Blade Runner. Cassian Andor meeting up with a shady informant amidst the bustling crowds is not unlike Rick Deckard hunting replicants in the shadowy underworld of the Ridley Scott classic.
According to Inverse, the Blade Runner vibe was intentional, with concept artists who worked on the film and contributed to The Art of Rogue One all saying how much the noir cult classic inspired their work, proving just how much Blade Runner still holds up today. Tonally and aesthetically, it wasn't distracting and still managed to feel at home in the Star Wars Universe.
4 It Had Famous Marketplaces
The Rogue One novelization elaborates on Kafrene's reputation as a robust trading outpost by emphasizing its importance as a junction between planets like Takodana and Malastare and Core Worlds like Coruscant. Being a fixture of the Corellian Trade Spine meant that it could offer items from across the galaxy at its famous marketplaces.
It only makes sense that with all the comingling of species on Kafrene there would be a high demand for everything from grogs to blue milk, with the marketplace providing everything a citizen might need to make their lives more comfortable or anything an offworlder was missing from back home.
3 The Imperials Used It To Ship Kyber Crystals
With all the hustle and bustle going on in Kafrene, and Imperial stormtroopers marching down the main thoroughfares, it would be easy for certain specialty shipments for the Empire to go uninvestigated. But when they're kyber crystals, the Rebel Alliance takes notice.
The traffic of Imperial cargo between planets like Jedha and the Ring of Kafrene was of great interest to Mon Mothma, and sending her best agent in the field to investigate them was what led to the greatest discovery of all; that kyber crystals were the power source for the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star.
2 Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO Once Paid The Ring Of Kafrene A Visit
In Star Wars #51 and Star Wars #55, when Han Solo was still a wanted man by Jabba the Hutt, he visited the Ring of Kafrene with Chewbacca and C-3PO on a special errand. The Rebel Alliance was celebrating its newly minted fleet on the space docks of Mako-Ta, but the smuggler was more interested in getting his hands on some transponder codes.
Needless to say, the trio ran into some of Jabba's bounty hunters, but Solo got the drop on them before they could capture him and get the data. Thankfully, Kafrene's complex construction was the perfect cover for Solo's plan. Right after that, he would head to Mako-Ta and engage Darth Vader and his Death Squadron in some of the most iconic Han Solo panels in Star Wars comics.
1 Fans Can Explore The Ring Of Kafrene For Themselves
Many locations in Star Wars movies have real-life counterparts; Tunisia fills in for Tatooine, Jedediah Redwood National State Park represents Endor, and so on, giving fans the opportunity to actually visit the filming locations of their favorite movies.
If fans have an Oculus Quest, they can use the VR headset to play Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, a completely 360-degree interactive gaming experience that begins its first chapter around the Ring of Kafrene, bringing fans the closest they'll ever get to the vibrant world of the trading outpost.
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