See also: Galactic Gazetteer
Bespin is an immense gas giant located in the vicinity of the Anoat system, a desolate sector of the galaxy. Bespin has several moons, and its gaseous mass contains a thin stratum of habitable atmosphere. Its layers are a source of rare Tibanna gas, which is harvested and refined in several mining complexes, including Cloud City, an opulent metropolis suspended in the planet's huge billowing clouds. The Ugnaught city of Ugnorgrad is also located over the planet, ruled by King Ozz in the time after the Battle of Endor. During the Galactic Civil War, Bespin remained unaffiliated, but that did not prevent the Galactic Empire from garrisoning the planet and seizing Cloud City. However, with the Empire's defeat at Endor, the gas giant and its prosperous mining colony ended up recovering their freedom.
Swimming pools are considered a rare luxury on Bespin.
Bespin Statistics[]
Region: The Outer Rim
Climate: Temperate (in the Life Zone)
Gravity: Standard
Moons: 2
Length of Day: 12 Standard Hours
Length of Year: 5,110 Standard Days
Sapient Species: 68% Human, 8% Ugnaught, 6% Lutrillian, 18% other Species
Government: Guild
Capital: Cloud City
Major Exports: Tibanna Gas, Tourism, Cloud Cars
Major Imports: Foodstuffs, Technology
| DC | RESULT | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | The gas giant Bespin is renowned for its rich stores of Tibanna Gas, a key component in blaster ammunition. | |
| 20 | Cloud City was built by Ugnaughts, the descendants of whom now work the Tibanna Gas mines above the planet. | |
| 25 | The beldon is a huge, floating creature that lives in Bespin's atmosphere and feeds off of airborne plankton floating around the planet. |
| DC | RESULT | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bespin's primary outpost of civilization is Cloud City, an independent mining colony and haven port for travelers in the Anoat sector. | |
| 20 | Though Bespin is a mining colony, they are not a part of the Mining Guild and have rejected any attempts by the Mining Guild to bring the colony into the fold. | |
| 25 | Bespin maintains neutrality most due to its size, making it a favorite port-of-call for smugglers and others that do not wish to attract governmental attention. |
Additional Cloud City[]
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
Floating high above the gas giant Bespin, Cloud City remains as it was during The Dark Times. The Tibanna Gas mining colony is too small to interest the Empire, and it serves as a refuge for those who wish to escape the Empire while maintaining their commercial and social legitimacy. Two years before the Battle of Hoth, the infamous scoundrel Lando Calrissian wins control of the city from then Baron Administrator Dominic Raynor in a high-stakes sabacc game. Calrissian later discovers that the anonymous benefactor who helped him cover the enormous bet was, in fact, Lobot and thousands of Ugnaughts willing to put up their own credits to dethrone Raynor.
Lando proves to be a natural administrator, and the 6 million inhabitants of the city enjoy years of profit and stability. The city maintains strict neutrality in the Galactic Civil War and enforces a no-weapons policy for visitors and inhabitants, with some exceptions.
Cloud City still serves as a haven for underworld activity, but it has a low profile until the arrival of The Millennium Falcon and its Imperial pursuers. Although Lando Calrissian attempts to broker a deal with Darth Vader, handing over his friend Han Solo in the process, the effort ultimately fails. Lando and much of the population flee the city before an Imperial garrison is installed. The Empire maintains control of Cloud City until after the Battle of Endor, when Calrissian evicts the Imperial with the help of Lando's Commandos.
Planetary Updates[]
Familiar planets undergo significant changes over the centuries. The updates in this section should provide Gamemasters with enough information to use these planets in their respective sourcebooks' eras.
The Old Republic Era[]
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
The gas giant Bespin has not yet been colonized during this time period, and will not be until 1,989 BBY when Cloud City is first commissioned. However, hyperspace scouts discover Bespin years before the Galactic Civil War, and a number of corporations try- and fail- to establish Tibanna Gas mining operations above the world. With the decline of pulse-wave weapons and the ascension of blaster weapons, the undeveloped world of Bespin is rising in importance to the galactic economy. A number of corporations continue to lobby the Galactic Senate for mining rights to Bespin, though corporate lobbies keep the Senate tied up in procedures as each company jockeys for position.
The carbonite-rich planet Empress Teta stakes an extremely strong claim to Bespin, because explorers from The Hyperspace Navigator's Guild- whose guildhouse is on Empress Teta- discovered the world. No permanent outposts are established above Bespin, and Tetan mining operations consist mainly of large repulsorcraft dipping into Bespin's atmosphere to scoop up gas where they can. During The Mandalorian Wars, a fleet of Mandalorian warships destroys most of the Tetan mining infrastructure, hoping to break up the Tibanna Gas supply chain for the Republic. Following this attack, few companies have the time or resources to attempt to mine Bespin, and the planet remains nearly unheard of until the founding of Cloud City.
The Clone Wars[]
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Clone Wars Campaign Guide
While Bespin has always been an important source of Tibanna gas, its economic and strategic importance is only truly realized at the start of the Clone Wars. The Republic and the Confederacy, desiring a stake in Bespin's resources, dispatch forces to secure their interests. A number of small orbital battles, punctuated by lengthy dogfights in Bespin's upper atmosphere, ultimately end with the Republic having a slight edge over its Separatist foes. Even though the Battle of Bespin is considered a loss for the Separatists, occasional skirmishes continue to occur between the two enemies throughout the entirety of the Clone Wars.
One of the most popular tourist hubs on Bespin prior to the Clone Wars is Tibannopolis. Tibannopolis's only true competition is Cloud City, and the rivalry between the two settlements only fuels their popularity. As the Clone Wars intensifies and tourists are less inclined to travel to Bespin's resorts, Tibannopolis ceases to be a significant economic factor. Cloud City's ability to mine Tibanna gas on behalf of the Republic is its salvation, enough to keep it functioning until the official end of hostilities.
The Dark Times[]
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
Tibanna gas mining operations on Bespin and visitors to Cloud City remain steady during The Dark Times. The planet's remote location and insignificant strategic value keep it well under the Empire's sensors. The industrial facilities continue claiming that they mine Tibanna gas as a Hyperdrive coolant to downplay their significance and fend off inquiries from the Mining Guild; most still supply spin-sealed Tibanna gas for the arms market through discreet shippers who transport and market it in other systems.
Cloud City's first-rate hotels, restaurants, and entertainment still attracts tourists from around The Outer Rim. Coupled with its industrial prosperity, Cloud City's success outshines that of other floating platforms, which fall into financial ruin (such as the abandoned Tibannopolis facility) or isolate themselves as independent, forgotten platforms.
During this turbulent era, Bespin serves as a haven for smugglers, resistance fighters, and political dissidents. But the people of Cloud City, and particularly the authorities, value their independence and neutrality. They remain wary of political refugees and militant subversives who use Bespin as a base for their resistance activities against The Galactic Empire and they exert their influence to evict them when their operations threaten to draw unwanted attention to the planet. Those on the run from the Empire might find a temporary sanctuary on Cloud City, but they quickly wear out their welcome if they continue their subversive fight against the galactic authority. Others on the fringe, however, such as the Bloodhawk Pirates and other criminal organizations, still operate with freedom as long as they don't attract any undue attention to Bespin.
The Legacy Era[]
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Legacy Era Campaign Guide
Largely untouched by the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, Bespin continues to profit and prosper after the rise of The Galactic Alliance. Still a major shipper of Tibanna Gas, Bespin's location makes it less than ideal for most large-scale mining operations to attempt to control, allowing smaller operations to set up shop and reap a tidy profit. However, with the return of The Galactic Empire, restrictions on the sale of Tibanna Gas to non-government entities come back in force. This, in turn, forces many small operations out of business, driving their owners off of Bespin to seek cheaper places to make a living.
As a result of this exodus from Bespin, Cloud City is somewhat in decline. Coupled with the surging popularity of more mobile shadowports and fringe-friendly locales such as The Wheel, Cloud City has become a darker and more dangerous place. With fewer wealthy, respectable citizens capable of supporting Cloud City's government, cutbacks have eliminated much of The Wing Guard, leaving the city even more lawless than before. With much of the city abandoned, the current Baron-Administrator (a shrewd Ithorian named Ormo Haddon) has attempted to revitalize the economy by ordering all of the businesses and residential areas to move to more central locations, creating a populated nexus of commerce surrounded by abandoned outskirts. The outskirts of Cloud City are dark, empty places where shady dealings take place, and the honest citizens of Bespin avoid them.