Hutt Space

Hutt Space was a region of the galaxy on the border between the Mid Rim and the Outer Rim Territories, near the entrance to Wild Space. It encompassed the Si'Klaata Cluster, and bordered on the Tion Hegemony. Hutt Space was named for the Hutt species, who dominated the region. Differing accounts attributed different numbers of planets in Hutt Space, but reasonable estimates range from a few hundred to a thousand inhabited worlds. The far end of Hutt Space tapered into The Maw.

Early Beginnings
During the Pre-Republic Era, the Hutts originated on the world of Varl. It is unknown whether the Hutts developed interstellar technology or acquired it from another species due to conflicting historical accounts. An aggressive and expansionist warrior species, the Hutts invaded several outlying worlds and exterminated or enslaved hundreds of other species. Hutt Space was formed by the Hutts of the Hutt Empire in 21,547 BTC and Varl became the capital, for the next two centuries, they were the most powerful government in the galaxy.

In 21,449 BTC, the Hutts were challenged by the human Tionese warlord Xim who had carved up a substantial interstellar empire in the Tion Cluster. Following a devastating war, Xim’s forces were routed by Kossak the Hutt at the Third Battle of Vontor in 21,443 BTC. The Hutts had assembled a sizeable mercenary army of Nikto, Vodran and Klatooinian warriors whose leaders had ratified the Treaty of Vontor which bound the three species to a permanent state of servitude. With Xim eliminated, the Hutts then invaded and devastated much of the Tion Cluster. The Tionese were so debilitated militarily and economically that they did not pose a military threat for a long time.

In 20,347 BTC, Hutt Space and the Tion Cluster were first encountered by the Core Worlds&mdash;based Galactic Republic which had discovered the Perlemian Trade Route. Conflict between the Republic and the Honorable Union of Desevro and Tion led to the Tionese War which ended in the former’s favour when Republic agents stirred up trouble in Hutt Space. The Hutts then invaded the Tion Cluster and exterminated many of the Tionese. The surviving Tionese appealed to their former Republic foes for protection and most of the Tionese worlds subsequently joined the Republic. With their human foes united, the Hutts prepared for war which did not occur.

Republic Entanglements
Around 15,000 BBY, much of Hutt Space was devastated during the Hutt Cataclysms that rendered the Hutt homeworld of Varl and other colony worlds barren and incapable of sustaining life. The surviving Hutt clans relocated their capital to Evocar which they renamed Nal Hutta&mdash;having displaced and exiled the native Evocii to its moon Nar Shaddaa. Budhila Hestilic Amura established the Hutt Grand Council to oversee the activities of the Hutt kajidics and to mitigate rivalries. He also developed the philosophy of kajidic which promoted fierce inter-clan rivalry and infiltration of institutions in favor of war and expansionism.

In the following centuries, the Republic and the Hutts ratified treaties that established the boundaries between the Republic and Hutt Space. Spacers also discovered the Ootmian Pabol trade route that linked the Republic frontiers with Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa. Due to increasing trade with the Republic, its capital came to rival Coruscant as a center of installer trade. However trade along the Ootmian was disrupted by a supernova which destroyed the Kyyr system and created the Thornhedge Nebula. This coupled by the rise of the Corellian Run ended Nar Shaddaa’s existence as a legitimate trade center and it devolved over the millennia into a crime haven. Despite the expansion of the Republic into the nearby Mid Rim and Outer Rim, the Hutts made little complaint but rather infiltrated and took over the economies of these colonies.

In 12,000 BBY, the Republic came under the influence of the theocratic and humanocentric Pius Dea sect which posited Contispex as Supreme Chancellor. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji Taking advantage of the unpopularity of the Hutts among the Republic's citizens, Constipex sanctioned a crusade against the Hutts. Over the following centuries, his descendants sanctioned several crusades against some rival alien sects in the Outer Rim which fought back; leaving the galaxy in a never-ending state of alternating hot and cold wars. The anti-alien nature of the crusades precipitated an exodus into Hutt Space until the end of Pius Dea rule in 11,000 BBY. The repercussions of these crusades would sour relations between the Core and the outlying regions over the millennia.

Politics
Hutt Space was what remained of the ancient Hutt Empire, which existed in the times before Xim the Despot. The Hutt Grand Council controlled the region by overseeing the activities of the Hutt clans (kajidics) and their criminal syndicates. As a result, Hutt Space was not the most lawful place in the Galaxy.

The heart of the region contained the Bootana Hutta, the "Garden of Hutts", an area containing the various Kajidic throneworlds. Even in the Empire's days, this area remained secretive to outsiders, who knew it only through rumors.