Yavin 4's Planetary Guide

Yavin IV in Canon on Wookieepedia

Yavin IV is one of three habitable moons orbiting the gas giant Yavin. Many thousands of years ago, the moon was a Sith world, where the likes of Naga Sadow, Freedon Nadd, and Exar Kun made their strongholds: the Massassi Temples. The small, relatively innocuous moon became famous as the site of the Battle of Yavin, where the Rebel Alliance, their headquarters based inside the Great Temple, achieved their first major victory against the Galactic Empire; a young X-Wing pilot and Jedi hopeful named Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star, ending the superweapon's brief but devastating campaign.

Now, the Great Temple on the moon of Yavin IV houses the Jedi Praxeum, a Jedi Academy first started by Luke Skywalker in 11 ABY. The Praxeum was rebuilt and reopened under the leadership Jedi Master Ander Tagira in the years after the Yuuzhan Vong war, remaining under his administration for some time. After Master Tagira departed the Praxeum, the leadership responsibilities for the Jedi Temple were taken over by the Yavin IV Jedi Council, and is now run by the resident Jedi Masters of the Yavin Praxeum under the leadership of the Jedi High Council.

The terrain of the moon itself is mostly covered by thick, wild, and untamed forests, with a variety of flora and - often predatory - fauna. Dotted throughout one region of forest are the Massassi Temples, the most noteworthy being the Great Temple that houses the Jedi Praxeum of Yavin IV. Other Massassi Temples of interest include the Temple of Exar Kun, which houses a small, secure research post again run by the Jedi Praxeum, and the Temple of the Blueleaf Cluster. A river passes through the Massassi Temple region, flowing between the Great Temple and many of the other noteworthy Temples, including the Temple of the Blueleaf Cluster, and is crossable on foot at a few locations where there are wide but shallow fords. Other locations of note include the Massassi Arena, used occasionally as a training location by the Jedi. The forests are broken by large semi-volcanic mountains in places, and there are six interconnected oceans and a large landlocked sea across the planet.

There are no cities on Yavin IV, nor are there any sizable military outposts outside of the Great Temple. Dotted throughout the landscape in the 100km area surrounding the Great Temple are a number of small settlements set up by various groups of people. With a total population numbering less than five hundred across all the settlements, they can be described as villages or, at best, very small towns.

The jungle moon of Yavin IV is accompanied by twenty-five other moons which orbit the gas giant, Yavin Prime. The other two habitable moons of these twenty-six natural satellites are the eighth and thirteenth moons.



The Jedi Praxeum of Yavin IV is one of the longest standing and most significant Jedi installations in the Galaxy. Rebuilt following the destruction of the Great Temple during the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Yavin IV Jedi Praxeum has grown and evolved greatly in its time, developing into one of the cornerstones of the Jedi Order, and the permanent home to over three hundred Jedi. Many of the most prolifically significant and successful Jedi of the modern age have trained at the Praxeum at some point or another, and its tutors are recognised as knowledgeable and wise Jedi Instructors.

Led and guided by the resident masters of Yavin IV, who themselves follow the guidance of the Jedi High Council, the Yavin IV Praxeum is perhaps the premier Jedi training facility in the Galaxy. Its training includes all aspects of the Jedi, with tutors specialising in every school of Jedi expertise. The Jedi Praxeum has extensive Archives, with access to the Holonet and a direct link to the Archives of Coruscant's Jedi Temple. The Jedi Praxeum also conducts research and training exercises in the Temple of Exar Kun and the Temple of the Blueleaf Cluster, and makes use of the ancient Massassi Arena to train Jedi in various physical skills and combat techniques from time to time. Students are housed in one of two sets of barracks on levels one and two of the Praxeum. Jedi Masters usually have their own two-room quarters, with ensuite bathing and refresher facilities, whereas Jedi Knights and Padawans usually have a large single room arrangement with ensuite facilities, and Jedi Initiates and Younglings often bunked up two to a room.

Although the Jedi Peacekeeping Taskforce is based in orbit, the Praxeum's security needs are primarily handled by the Jedi themselves. The Temple itself is defended by an Energy Shield that protects it from orbital attacks.

Key Teaching Staff
Headmaster and Chief Instructor: Jedi Master Zuli Madoon
Lightsaber Combat and Jedi Guardian Training: Jedi Battlemaster Dav Man'Sell
Jedi Aces and Jedi Sentinel Training: Jedi Master Jago Pulastra
Combat Fleet Tactics: Jedi Admiral Ronan Starflare
Force Healing and Jedi Consular Training: Jedi Master Vesten Kor-taan
Jedi Guardian Training: Jedi Knight Joshua Kierra-Solo


Yavin IV is one of twenty-six moons in orbit of the vast, intimidatingly large gas giant, Yavin Prime. Only three of the twenty-six moons are inhabitable, with Yavin VIII and Yavin XIII also capable of supporting life.

Very few entry vectors allow ships to drop out directly on top of Yavin IV, due to the presence of the other moons and the gas giant's gravity well covering the majority of approach vectors, acting as a natural defence for the Jedi Praxeum - ships are forced to drop out of Hyperspace and approach from some distance, often circumnavigating the gas giant or having to weave between the outermost moons. Only someone extremely familiar with the system, with up to date navigation data, can leave Hyperspace close to the fourth moon.

Upon entering the region around Yavin IV, usually, the most obvious things to spot would be the Faction command ship for the Jedi Peacekeeping Taskforce; the 19km Mraz, an Executor-class Star Dreadnaught. In orbit of Yavin IV, Yavin Station holds position immediately above the Great Temple. At over 4000 meters, this Yavin Station is a clear central hub for traffic in the system. Surrounding the station, above the moon, is an assortment of ships of the Jedi Peacekeeping Taskforce.

Please read the Defence and Traffic details further down.



As home to one of the largest Jedi Factions in JvS, Yavin IV sees most, if not all, types of Roleplaying. However, there are some preferences that are insisted upon, as Yavin IV - and the Praxeum in particular - seeks to harbour a friendly, creative, and enjoyable roleplaying community. Types of RP encouraged here:

- IC Training: The Jedi Praxeum is one of the largest Jedi training facilities in the Galaxy. As such, we actively encourage players to come to the Praxeum and roleplay as either a student or tutor.

- Long-Term Pre-arranged RP: A core part of the Yavin IV RP involves Long Term or Pre-arranged RP Arcs, including ongoing arcs run by the Praxeum's leading writers. Although involvement in the majority of RPs are voluntary, Pre-arranged RPs take precedence here, and we insist that you take heed of RP events on going and do not hinder their progression. We actively encourage people to contact the leaders/organisers of pre-arranged RP events and join in the RPs, though please take care not to interrupt RPs they may be closed or private. If in doubt, contact the writers involved in an RP you wish to join.

- Duels and Fight Scenes: Welcomed on Yavin IV by writers OOC, even if IC, violence is discouraged. Although welcome, please refrain from doing so within the Jedi Praxeum group pages unless it is a part of a pre-arranged RP or a sparring session, as the Jedi would not allow a fight to just break out within its halls without stepping in, and many of the RPs inside the Praxeum are planned RPs that shouldn't be disrupted. If you would like to organise a duel within the Praxeum, and the realistic response of Praxeum security, please contact one of Yavin IV's head writers to arrange something.

- Starfighter Engagements: A key element in the Yavin IV RP is our resident elite Jedi Starfighter Squadron, Dragon Squadron. We are, therefore, actively seeking RPs that can involve the Dragons. To RP with the the Squadron, please PM the three commanding officers of Dragon Squadron, Dav Man'Sell, Jago Pulastra, and Ronan Starflare. The Squadron is a Player Character/Major NPC Squadron, and membership to the Squadron is by invitation only from the leading members of the Squadron; when vacancies are available, we will be on the lookout for writers who write Jedi Pilot characters in or around Yavin IV whom we feel fit with the group's style.

- Other (Non-fleet/troop battle) Combat Scenarios: We are also always willing to set up battles, conflicts, and contests of various kinds. We welcome people to provide villains for us to defeat or missions for our Jedi to complete, and would love to hear, OOC, from anyone who would like to write with the Jedi here.

- Reactive or Spur-of-the-Moment RP: Welcome and encouraged, but anything that will involve conflict with the defence forces or residents, injury to any resident player character, or anything beyond minor/superficial damage to the locations present, must be discussed OOC with the necessary players VIA PM first. Please bear in mind, when RPing within the Jedi Praxeum group boards, or on the Great Temple threads that these locations are a major Jedi facility, and contain a large number of NPC Jedi at all times.

- Fleet/Troop Battles: We ask that anyone wishing to engage in any kind of blockade or combat action against the Praxeum or the forces defending it contact the head writers first VIA PM and discuss this OOC. The Praxeum is home to a number of major long-term and pre-planned arcs, and these take precedence over any competitive play, so combat of this kind will only be welcomed once an OOC agreement of some kind has been made.

- OOC Discussion: Absolutely forbidden on all Yavin IV boards. Instead, please use PMs, or the designated OOC boards.

- Voiding RPs: Whilst we accept that sometimes it is necessary to do so, consistency of RP is very important to writers on Yavin IV, and Voiding RPs is not liked or desired by the resident writers. Voids must be mutually agreed upon with the resident writers before they are permitted, and they should be handled delicately and without OOC spamming of the IC boards.

The nature of the writing team on Yavin IV means that we place a strong, dedicated emphasis on IC consistency and sensibility, and also on pre-planned or at least roughly outlined RPs. This means that we will make decisions based on what a Jedi would do, and what our Jedi characters believe is the right course of action, and simple outright logic about what would happen in reality. This may include, sometimes, refusing to permit access to certain areas, or refusing business deals, military alliances, and other, similar things. Please be assured that this is usually due to IC character beliefs and Jedi principles or to maintain consistency of storyline, and not any kind of OOC reaction to any individual. The only OOC element that will affect IC decisions will be whether or not we believe that any given action or RP is beneficial to the desires and needs of the Yavin IV writing group as a whole. This may sometimes mean that we will refuse to partake in an RP that we don't want to be involved in - however, we are always willing to negotiate and discuss ideas with other writers, so please don't be turned off if our initial response is that we do not want any particular RP on our planet. We will always work to figure something out. Our primary interests, in this regard, are outlined in this Traveler's Guide entry.


Primary Sympathies tend towards:
- Jedi
- Non-Jedi Light-Siders
- Grey Jedi
- Republic Representatives
- Any primarily Light Side friendly neutral forces

A strongly Jedi system, and a fortress world of the Republic, Yavin IV is friendly to all Light Side Jedi, Republic Representatives or Personnel, would-be Jedi, and generally Light Side aligned neutrals. Visitors who wish to make use of the various IC facilities of Yavin Station are welcomed: However, we request that you bring only the ships you need into the system when doing business with these groups. Whole fleets can often be reacted to with extreme suspicion, or can cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so we encourage visitors to leave combat-fleets at home when making visits to the Yavin system.

Non-hostile ships within the Yavin System will always be protected and assisted by the Jedi Peacekeeping Taskforce should they come under attack or get in trouble whilst in our space. Escorts are also available upon request. With the defences available from the Jedi Forces, this should alleviate any need for visitors to bring their own fleets into the system.

We will meet with and discuss situations with other Force Users, Mandalorians, or any other non-Jedi, non-Light Side group or individual, though we tend to prefer to do so 'by appointment'. Please send a PM before you come to talk to us.

Smaller groups of people or individuals travelling alone, such as smugglers, traders, and similar sorts are welcome and encouraged to come land on Yavin Station to make trade, meet people, or resupply. The military forces that run Yavin Station do not mind trading and business being conducted there, and most people will be allowed to go about their business unhindered, so long as the trade and business conducted are not illegal or morally unethical. Yavin Station contains a number of retail outlets, entertainment venues, and consumer services, as well as the Onyx Dragon, a famous Cocktail Lounge and bar known for stocking exotic and rare beverages. Visitors to Yavin Station seeking to use these services are always welcomed; both private craft and publicly used transports regularly dock at the station.

Regardless of how it might be justified by other groups, we will not ally with or befriend Dark-Jedi, Sith, or anyone who engages in 'Evil' acts that wildly disagree with the Jedi principles of the Yavin Jedi. This is a matter of IC principle and dedication to playing a Jedi Order that upholds the principles and attitudes of the Light Side.


We welcome newcomers to the game, and are always willing to work with any individual seeking to write in a mutually enjoyable RP. New arrivals can expect:
- Visiting writers welcome
- Long term writers welcome
- New players to the Universe welcome
- New players will receive answers to questions through PM's and RP training (see below)
- Jedi looking for a base of operations and characters wishing to receive or give IC training as a Jedi actively encouraged and sought for.


To join the story here, please do one of the following:

- Arrive IC in Yavin's Orbit and introduce yourself/request to land. Yavin Control will respond, and instruct you, in most cases, to land on Yavin Station for security checks and clearance, and there you'll be met by someone. Landing on Yavin Station first is the standard operating procedure. Due to the history of Yavin IV on JvS, we ask that you contact Yavin Control before attempting any sort of landing on Yavin IV, unless some other OOC arrangement has been made before hand. Permanent residents of the Jedi Praxeum itself are assumed to have clearance and may RP the conversation with Yavin Control themselves. Resident Jedi of the other major Jedi bases are also usually cleared directly for the Praxeum - permission may sometimes be given OOC to RP their own clearance. Access to the surface is otherwise often controlled, although we are always willing to come up with a way, OOC, of accommodating as many personal RP desires as possible. Always PM us to discuss ideas and possibilities outside of these normal boundaries, as we welcome your visit!

- Make a post on the IC disputes settled OOC.

- PM one of the Jedi listed below and introduce yourself.

We will always endeavour to get in touch with new arrivals in orbit in some fashion as soon as possible; usually, this is within 24 hours, although sometimes it may take a couple of days due to sometimes casual post rates on the world. We will always endeavour to contact you at least OOC at the first possible opportunity.

The Faction leaders at current are Jedi Battlemaster Dav Man'Sell, and Jedi Master Jago Pulastra, who are responsible for the leadership of all activities in the Praxeum and can be asked about any element of the Praxeum's activities. The Academy's teaching staff is headed up by Jedi Master Zuli Madoon, making him a good first-stop for anything related to being a student of Yavin IV. Other leading writers include Jedi Master Ronan Starflare, who is one of the primary defenders of the planet and one of the three joint Commanding Officers of the Peacekeeping Taskforce, Jedi Master Vesten Kor-taan, and Jedi Knight Joshua Kierra-Solo.


In orbit of the moon, Yavin Station serves as the primary control point for all traffic in the system. A large Spacestation, it includes vast public hangers and docking facilities, and various trade outlets, shopping precincts, and consumer services. Its primary purpose is as the Headquarters and control centre for Yavin IV's Peacekeeping Taskforce. The station is heavily armed, with concealed fire power matching three Golan III Defence platforms, and holds Geosynchronous orbit over the Massassi Temple region of Yavin IV. There are no other fixed orbital defences, as Yavin Station combines all of the permitted defences into one facility; however the station is often surrounded by the various fleets of the Taskforce, each assigned to the supervision of one of the Jedi based on Yavin. The Faction Command ships is almost always present and is usually the most noticeable of the defences; the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer, Mraz. Starfighter Squadrons (usually XJ9 X-Wings, TIE Interceptors, or Series IV E-Wings) engage in frequent patrols of the area. These forces are primarily seen in orbit of Yavin IV.

On the surface, chief defence comes from the Praxeum's defence shield, which is strong enough to withstand substantial orbital assault and spreads thirteen kilometres in every direction from the Praxeum, a pair of V-150 Anti-orbital Ion Cannons, and groupings of Anti-Aircraft flak pod towers, all concealed in the area around the Jedi Praxeum. There is also natural defence to be found in the thick forests, dangerous wildlife, and difficult terrain, which will significantly hinder the progress of any external ground travelling forces. Friendly military forces are quite sparse on the surface of the planet themselves under normal circumstances, with only a small defence allocation normally stationed within the Praxeum, the Temple of Exar Kun, and the Temple of the Blueleaf Cluster. The Jedi Praxeum itself also has a few extra defence squadrons stationed inside the Hangar, piloted by a combination of Jedi and Military pilots, that launch only in the circumstance that attackers make it into the Atmosphere. The biggest defensive challenge faced by any attackers that reach the surface is the presence of so many Jedi, who are generally more than capable of defending themselves and repelling any attacks.


Although a fortress world of the Republic, Yavin IV is sparsely populated. All official representation for the planet is done through the Jedi Praxeum, which is by far the largest community on the planet, and its Jedi are the primary leadership for the planet. The occupants of Yavin Station are primarily members of the Peacekeeping Taskforce military, and are governed according to Military Hierarchy.

The Yavin IV Jedi Praxeum is part of the Jedi Order, and as such takes its lead from the High Jedi Council, on which Jedi Masters Jago Pulastra and Dav Man'Sell, both leading Jedi at the Praxeum, hold seats. Yavin IV is also closely affiliated with the Republic as a fortress world, but since it has almost no civilian population, does not hold a seat on the Republic Senate.


To raise a concern or speak with the leading Yavin Jedi, please contact Dav Man'Sell or Jago Pulastra, or one of the other lead writers.

Membership to the Jedi Praxeum Usergroup is not automatically granted to people who apply. We reserve the right not to disclose our reasons on the occasions that we refuse membership, though these occasions are rare.