Corellia

Just a short post to talk about one of my favorite planets: Corellia. There was very little information about Corellia in the movies. In fact, the only direct mention I recall is when Han mentions "Big Corellian Ships". Later (somehow through books and the like) we find out that Han Solo is actually a Corellian. Initial, sketchy information seemed to suggest that this planet (and indeed the whole system) was a major trade and industrial center, mainly concerned with starship production. It was also suggested that Solo's attitude is generally shared by other Corellians—i.e. they're brash, adventurous and love their ships and vehicles.

In my mind, at least, the concept of Corellia as a system centered around the United States 'Rust Belt'—Pittsburgh, Toledo, Buffalo and, most importantly, Detroit. To me, the Corellians are the 'motorheads' of the Star Wars galaxy. They like their ships and speeders, they like sports and professions involving their ships and speeders. Smuggling was not uncommon to Corellians as a whole, again reinforcing the whole 'brash' concept of the culture. It reminded me of moonshine-runners in the American South, and how that profession turned into the sport of stock car racing. I don't think I'm too far off from George Lucas' original intentions on this, considering his own love of motor sports and speed.

The very name 'Corellia' speaks of a 'Core' planet, heavily populated, urbanized and industrialized- with lots of sprawling cities and starports throughout the entire system and in orbit of the major planets. I also saw this system as being predominantly human. I mean, every other species seems to have a 'homeworld' that is populated mostly by their race. Why not humans? And what system more aptly named for it.

So this was the concept a 'ran with' in my Star Wars campaign. There was nothing to contradict my assumptions for quite a few years. And then the Corellian novels came out and.. bleh. Corellia was a pastoral world of small farms and tranquil beaches, with all the nasty smelly industry up in space! And the system itself? Well, seems two of the planets there are actually the homeworlds of two different species of space-weasels/cute-n-fuzzy-sea-otter-type-critters.. who also live on largely pastoral planets. It just... went against everything I had ever thought of. And, as with many novels, it just seemed to be a convenient setting for some Author's plot idea so they just molded the setting to fit the story. I didn't like what I read of the novels, and I think a lot of it stems from the fact that mine and the author's views are so far apart. That's really 'my problem', but as with many things in the Expanded Universe, I can take it or leave it in my own perceptions of the Star Wars galaxy. I choose to leave it.

To me, Corellia will always be a 'big city' planet. The Detroit of Space- warts and all.