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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Droids - Tail of the Roon Comets (1985) [E10]
Mungo Baobab searches for the mysterious planet Roon.
Star Wars: Droids - The Roon Games (1985) [E11]
The fate of the planet could be decided in the Roon Colonial Games.
Star Wars: Droids - Across the Roon Sea (1985) [E12]
Mungo continues his quest for the source of the roonstones.
Star Wars: Droids - The Frozen Citadel (1985) [E13]
Mungo, Koong, and Screed struggle to control the roonstones.




CONTINUITY
These four episodes form a single storyline titled Treasure of the Hidden Planet.
The planets Manda and Roon are seen for the first time, and are the two worlds seen in these episodes:


- Mungo was already wanted by the Empire, and seemingly all the more so after the affair involving the Great Heep. Screed later makes
this point when he tells Koong, "the Emperor has been looking for him for some time", however this has apparently become more
urgent because the Emperor wants the map to the Cloak of Sith, which he has somehow learned Baobab is close to finding.

- Manda is a populous planet located in the Manda Sector, in the Slice region of the Mid Rim, relatively near to the boundary of the Outer
Rim. Manda was colonized by settlers from the Core civilization, primarily Humans, during the beginning of the galactic middle ages.
When the region was incorporated into the Republic, Manda became the administrative center of the sector which bears its name.
The planet has an agreeable climate, and enough fresh water to support the billions of people who live there. Manda has a colonial
history forged by settlers and pioneers, and is a prime example of post-colonial self-sufficiency. While independent minded, Manda
established itself not only as a center of Rim civilization but also a fiercely loyal member of the Republic. The prominent Baobab
family were very important to Manda's history and development. Manda is home to the galactically famous Baobab Archives.


- This storyline contains the first two-headed humanoid alien in SW, Krox, a member of an unidentified race who is paid by Mungo for
the data about the Cloak of Sith. Later, at the Roon Games, two alien announcers call the event from a broadcast booth overlooking
the action, very much as would be seen at a modern day sporting event on Earth. These three characters were all paid tribute to
in Episode I by the character of Fodesinbeed Annodue, the two-headed Troig announcer at the podrace on Tatooine.

- It is unclear exactly where Krox got this map to the Roon system. According to supplementary material there are still smugglers, particularly
Twi'leks, who know less-accessible routes into the Cloak of Sith and the numerous planets within, allowing these worlds limited access to
items and people from the larger galaxy, but this information has not been made part of public knowledge. Long ago, Roon was part of
the colonial civilization of the region, and the main route to Roon was known. It is possible that Krox tracked down some trace of a map
which allowed him to locate one, after Mungo told him of his interest in finding one. Otherwise, this scenario seems highly unlikely.

- Military helmets used by the Republic and the Empire have "audio amplifiers" next to their ears. This allows them to receive orders by
transmission, to filter out excess noise so that sound cannot be used as a weapon in battle, and most importantly to hear clearly even
though they are wearing a helmet. The downside is that if their audio channel can be flooded with noise it can be incapacitating.


How does the Emperor know about the map to the Roon System? As unbelievable as it is that Mungo was able to get
his hands on a map to an area lost for over a millennium shortly after becoming interested in obtaining it, it is even
more absurd to suggest that the Emperor decided to start looking for it at the same time. The stormtrooper states
very clearly "the Emperor wants that map", suggesting that is the primary point of their mission to Manda, and is
more important than capturing Mungo. In this instance, the idea that the Emperor saw this through the Force is
extremely unlikely, since he has no personal connection to any of the people or places involved which would have
perhaps shown him some clue about this. This type of explanation is a lazy and poor quality attempt to cover for a plot
hole. The only explanation that makes any logical sense in the context of the story is that Krox's search came to
Imperial attention, or that their investigation of Mungo while searching for him turned up a similar clue.


- The Baobab Archives is a renowned institution which is a great library as well as an archival collection of items and specimens, not unlike
the Smithsonian Institute, the Great Library of Alexandria, Baghdad's House of Wisdom, or similar parallels from Earth histoy. Built
by the Baobab family for which it is named, the Archives included vast storehouses of information both ancient and recent, including
historical, political, scientific, linguisitic, and cartographic documents gathered over the millennia from throughout the galaxy.


- Mungo's ship, which he says belongs to his father, is the Caravel, which is a type of transport called a Strato Driver.
This model of ship was first seen in use by the Fromm Gang in 'The Trigon Unleashed' (E3).


Mungo says, "the Rainbow Comets pass by Manda once every season on their way to the Roon System." Comets do not
travel through hyperspace, nor do they travel anywhere near to the speed of light. The time it would take for a comet
to orbit a star in one system before being flung to another system and then flung back would be measured in many years
based on Earth time. If Manda rotates so slowly or tilts on its axis so slowly that it takes years for one "season" to occur
would either make life out in the open on the planet impossible or would make it extremely unlikely the planet could host
its huge colonial population. Any comet that returns to the sky four times a year does not leave one starsystem and
travel to another, space is far too big, even where two starsystems formed as close as possibly allowed by the laws of
physics. Ordinarily, comets form in a starsystem and orbit its star. Any comet ejected from a starsystem would not
return to it again, but if there is an amazing gravitational alignment which did make such a loop possible, it would take
many decades, probably centuries, to complete one loop. If pressed about such matters, disney-Lucasfilm always uses
the excuse of hyperspace anomalies to explain away nonsense such as this, rather than admit continuity errors.
This is one of a few examples in this series where the creators clearly had a tenuous grasp on basic astronomy.
As this all takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away", the laws of physics and nature always apply.


- The Cloak of Sith is a dense nebula in the Abrion Sector, in Slice region of the Outer Rim, near to the boundary of the Mid Rim. It is a massive
region which seems to be a stellar nursery like most large galactic dust clouds. Numerous starsystems lie within, surrounded by thick
curtains of nebular gases, some of which are radioactive, and physical objects such as dense asteroid fields. As a result, safe corridors
to fly into the region which remain stable are few, and only a few are always safe to travel through at lightspeed, particularly the main
route which used to run from Manda to Roon. Following the Roon comets is the only sure way to rediscover this path once it was lost.
This nebula got its name during the New Sith Wars, during the dark ages which preceded the last Republic, sometime between
the 65th century (c. 1500 BBY) and the 70th century (c. 1000 BBY). In those centuries, many Sith Empires and domains both large
and small existed, and one was apparently based within the safety of the Cloak of Sith. It is likely during the chaos and upheaval of
those centuries that the knowledge of the route was lost, probably because using a route guarded by the Sith was unsafe, and fell
out of use, and because the Sith of the time located there were the only ones keeping this information alive. Eventually this Sith
domain fell to the Jedi during the wars, and knowledge of the route was apparently not held or not passed down by Darth Bane to
future Sith, as Sidious and all of his Sith resources have not provided him with a way in. The missing planet Roon is paid tribute to
in Episode II by the planet Kamino, which in galactic terms is actually very near to Roon and the Cloak of Sith. In other SW
non-canon material it is always called the 'Cloak of the Sith', but it is only called the "Cloak of Sith" in these canon stories.


- The Rainbow comets are two comets which move in tight formation alongside each other, and apparently give off a tail which appears as
a rainbow. Mungo states, "the comet's light will lead us", but of course comets do not give off any light. Comets are composed of ice
around a rocky nucleus, and only shine in the sky by the light of the star they are orbiting. The tail of a comet is similarly illuminated
by a star's light, and while it is difficult to believe that this tail could appear as a rainbow in space for numerous reasons, it isn't totally
impossible, especially when traveling through the nebula. Within the Manda system, where they are also seen, it is extremely unlikely
that water vapor in space would appear anything but the same color, but of course all of this should be put aside, since just like their
assumption that comets can travel to other starsystems four times in a Manda-year it is obvious that the creators had an exceedingly
childish notion of how space and the objects in it work. C-3PO calls somethings "asteroids" which also appear to be burning balls of
fire flying around at much higher speeds than the other asteroids, which don't appear to be on fire. This is very similar to the flaming
space 'meteors' seen in 'Escape Into Terror' (E2), which were burning meteoroids in space rather than meteors, all of which are
more examples of those making this series not knowing the most basic facts about astronomy.
Main Article: Planetology

- The Demolisher, Admiral Screed's Gladiator-class light destroyer, was last seen earlier this year in 'The Pirates of Tarnoonga' (E7). Stolen
by Kybo Ren and his pirate horde from a repair dock, it sustained some additional damage during the Battle of Tammuz-an, but
its hull and primary systems were more or less intact. It can be assumed that the Tammuz-an contacted the Empire and informed
them the ship was recovered from pirates, since the Empire was already looking for it and would not have been pleased to find it
in the hands of Tammuz-an's navy otherwise. Repairs have since been completed, and Screed is back in command.


- The character of Admiral Screed is in some ways a tribute to Colonel Dietrich, the Nazi officer in charge of the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant
in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, co-written by George Lucas and released in 1981. The Empire has many facets which are allusions to
the Nazis, and like Dietrich, Screed is employed by his supreme leader who is a member of an obscure cult interested in mythological or
occult items which might make him more powerful. First, Screed tried to reactivate the legendary Great Heep to form an alliance with,
and now searches for the hidden route which will lead to the lost planet of the roonstones, all in the Emperor's name.

- The Imperial salute is performed by setting one's right arm at a 90 degree angle so that one's forearm crosses straight across one's lower
torso, and making a first as the arm swings into that position. This may have been a common historical method of saluting in
a military. This is also seen performed in the original trilogy films.


At one point in the adventure of navigating the Cloak of Sith, Mungo says, "If I can just get the aft thrusters aimed at
the cloud, we might be able to blast our way through." The ship is then shown firing lasers from its forward batteries
to make a hole in the cloud, with its aft thrusters still in the back, and then flying forward through the hole. After this,
Mungo exclaims, "It worked!" It seems the animators didn't understand that "aft thrusters" is not obscure technobabble.


- Koong's New Umboo Lightstation is a giant spacestation in the shape of a predatory sea creature. It uses its beacon lights which
ships would expect to see coming from a lightstation to guide ships to it rather than showing them the proper course, after
which it uses tractor beams to pull the ships inside. Its presumed targets for piracy are likely mostly ships from planets within
the Cloak of Sith, however as mentioned above, supplementary material suggests regional smugglers have been coming and
going from this region in the centuries since it became hidden from the galaxy, and have been keeping this secret from others.


- The blaster pikes used by Screed's Imperial troops are seen to work as force pikes and as blaster staffs, and are here seen to have
another function where they can be set to fire a stream of energy to power-down a droid, and likely other technology which
has an independent power source, taking only a few seconds to drain C-3PO or R2 of functional power.

- Screed takes possession of C-3PO and intends to make use of him and thus orders him to be reprogrammed. While a memory-wipe
essentially resets a droid's personality to its original state, a reprogramming changes a droid's essential purpose, almost like
giving them a new heart and soul. It is possible this would also include a memory-wipe, however not necessarily, and that is not
directly implied. While droid designations usually seem to have been assigned at the production facility, this material seems to
imply that droids are often given new designations when reprogrammed. Gaff asks C-3PO, "Any preferences for a new name?
You'll need one to go with your new behavioral circuitry matrix", to which C-3PO replies, "Well, I've always been partial to
Anthony". Anthony Daniels is of course the actor who plays C-3PO on screen and voices him in all the animated series.

- The Umboo Lightstation is a beacon set near the edge of the Roon System at the point where it can be seen from the end of the primary
route through the Cloak of Sith. While not necessary in most regions of the galaxy, in a nebula or other difficult to navigate locations,
it is very helpful to have signal stations to use as a guide. There may be a number of these lightstations throughout the Cloak of Sith.


- Roon is an isolated planet located in the Abrion Sector, in the Slice region of the Outer Rim, within the treacherous Cloak of Sith nebula.
The planet is terrestrial with a native ecosystem, and the usual range of terrain and climate. Roon is geologically active, and is in
some areas occasionally prone to 'roonquakes'. No sentient races emerged on Roon before the coming of alien colonists, however
the planet has a fully developed ecology with countless species of plants and animals. A number of animals are seen, including
a species of bee-like invertebrates which build nests, a strange kind of colony creature called mudmen, primate-like creatures
called moorvs, snake-like feline creatures called goorls, and huge carnivorous sauropods called shamunaars. The domesticated
banthas and rockhoppers were definitely brought by colonists or traders, as well as mogos, which were likely imported as well.
Roon was colonized during a period of settlement and expansion sometime before the 10th century (7000 BBY), primarily by
Humans. There are significant populations of a number of species often found in the Slice region of the Rim. Since its isolation
over a millennium before these events, Roon has not been politically unified, however its historical and de-facto capital is the city
of Nunurra, located in an arid region of the planet. As is the case with many colony planets, the various countries are referred to
as provinces, among which are the provinces of Galaxeed, Quinelith, Tawntoom, and Umboo. Tawntoom is a mountainous
region which lies on a fault line and contains volcanoes. Umboo is a verdant and forested region. The planet contains many large
lakes and rivers, but no true oceans. There is a one very large inland sea known as the Roon Sea. The old capital of Nunurra,
shown in the image below, still functions as the cultural center of the planet by virtue of hosting the Roon Colonial Games.


- Screed says, "the Emperor would enjoy these games, provided that he always won." It isn't totally clear what Screed is implying, and
while it is true that Palpatine likes to always win, he is unlikely to take pleasure from competing in sports. Screed must be suggesting
placing bets, or at least having a 'horse in the race' so to speak, as the people on Roon use the games to settle matters of political
dominance between the provinces. Screed may be implying that is the aspect which Palpatine would enjoy about them most.
The Sith and their philosophy place great emphasis on competition, believing it is the only true measure of the will of the Force,
and that it is natures way of deciding who or what is superior, which is therefore considered to be of greater value.

- The Roon Colonial Games are a tradition that dates back to early centuries of the settlement of Roon. At this point in history, they
serve as the primary cultural glue holding the planet together, and have evolved to play a part in the fragmented political
system between the provinces. One event is called the Drainsweeper, where the race on mounted animals is conducted
on a track circumnavigating a funnel leading to a pit. Competitors who are thrown off of their mounts into the hole fall
into a lower level, where an official manually operates the device which adjusts the gravity to slow their descent and prevent
injury. This technology, known as an inertial compensator, is a core technology of galactic civilization, as it provides the inertial
dampers and artificial gravity used in spaceflight, and allows vehicles, objects, facilities, and ships to float without falling.
The Drainsweeper race is a three-leg relay where each team must have two organic riders and one droid rider.


- Governor Koong has a planet wide network of probe droids referred to as sloyd probes, which his primary method of gathering
intelligence. These droids are one of many technologies produced on Roon despite its isolation, and indeed Screed observes,
"one would scarcely expect to find such a surveillance system on a backwater planet like Roon."

- Nime is a port city on the Roon Sea, located in or near to Umboo Province. It has a particularly high population of non-Humans
compared to many places on Roon. The Roon Sea is the largest body of water on Roon, and while entirely locked within
the continental landmass, it is nonetheless the size of a small ocean on many worlds. While not certain, it is very likely
salt water, or at least brackish, due to its size and its status as the primary sediment basin on the planet.
Due to the terrain and atmospheric conditions surrounding it, "storms on the Roon Sea cause huge whirlpools.
Anything on the surface gets sucked under."


- Mungo attempts to make a deal for roonstones with two individuals, one who seems to be a Suerton, and the other a member of
an unidentified race. C-3PO refers to them using plural tenses as the Lutki, which therefore seems to be an organization or
group rather than the name of a race of beings.

- The seed gun given to Mungo from his great uncle fires seeds which instantaneously grow out of metal or ground, and become
predatory vines similar to those seen on the Bog Moon of Bogden in 'The Revenge of Kybo Ren' (E8). While this is certainly
a fast-growing alien vine of some kind, its ability to grow fast without water and even without soil is very improbable, and its
growth rate severely violates the laws of thermodynamics. This is an interesting idea, but one that is almost certainly fantastic.

- Lin-D is a model of "entertainment droid", who is programmed to be a comedian. His success at this is of course a matter of taste
in humor, but from his reception in the episode he does not appear to be very well-received. After their adventure together,
Lin-D proposes R2 and C-3PO go on tour with him as "Lin-D and the Cosmic Cut-Ups".

- The slave driver on Governor Koong's boat the Roon Clipper uses an electro-whip, the first appearance of one in canon.
They will subsequently be seen in other SW material, beginning with The Clone Wars 'Kidnapped' (S4E11).

- Umboo Province is one of the countries on Roon, and is also home to the Yomm family. The region features mountains, forests, and
grasslands, and also lies along part of the shore of the Roon Sea. Governor Koong describes it as "a land of wealth and plenty",
and Admiral Screed calls it "the one area worth having on this planet."


- Koong launches a biological weapon against Umboo, known as rooze. Admiral Screed is familiar with it, saying "a strain of germ
warfare used during the Mavvan Conflict. It destroyed as many Imperials as it did rebels. We've never used it again." Which
suggests the Empire already attempted the use of a biological weapon in a strategic situation, but finds they have limited
utility when the goal is occupation rather than destruction. Koong says that the vegetation will grow back in a year. Despite
infecting every cell of Humans and all kinds of plants, Koboks are somehow immune, which makes very little sense.

- The Mavvan Conflict was a rebellion against Imperial occupation, or a resistance to Imperial expansion, which took place at some
point in the last 4 years, during the Reorganization era of Imperial rule. It may have been former Separatists, a new local
rebel group, or some combination of the two. It was large enough of a conflict to involve Imperial ground forces and for
the Empire to employ a biological weapon in hopes of easing their path to victory.

- Imperial armor worm by stormtroopers includes 'decontamination shields', which allow some protection against biological agents.


Where does Admiral Screed get his gas mask from? The scene cuts back to him and he is already wearing it, so we don't
see him take it out, and he was able to access it quite quickly. Screed does wear a bit more complex uniform than many
Imperial officers, and it does at least appear he may be carrying some gear, although this does seem like an item which
would be difficult to store without having been more obvious. All Imperial officers should be so ready for trouble.


- Dr. Yomm is the only healer on Roon who can save him from the rooze, according to Governor Koong.


Apparently, "a cure for the rooze must be found within three days. After that, a victim fades away into nothing." This
seemingly metaphorical statement is made all the more ludicrous when people are actually shown to fade away into
nothing in a matter of seconds, leaving no residue of any kind. The writers, or the animators, or everyone creating
these episodes, seem to have a very poor understanding of science, or simply feel free to use magic or magic-like
elements in the story expecting that the Force or some other ridiculous explanation can account for it. Simply put,
a disease will kill someone long before the integrity of the physical body is threatened. If this disease somehow
attacks every cell simultaneously, and reaches a critical point around 72 hours after infection causing a massive
cellular breakdown, in this very unlikely scenario there would be a big mess of fluids and chemical remains left behind.
The animation makes it seem like people are disappearing into another dimension or otherwise vanishing like magic.


- Auren tells Mungo, "If it comes to a choice between people and treasure, family and friends must come first." Mungo is probably
more akin to Indiana Jones than he is to Han Solo, but he does undergo a similar journey of growth. At first, he is all consumed
by his mission and his need to find the treasure to save his father's embattled business. That doesn't mean that Mungo doesn't
have time for the ladies, as he was seen to have made a female friend among the Biituians in 'The Great Heep', but he was
soon after gone back to Manda, his merchant fleet, and his adventures searching for riches. Having finally gotten his personal
priorities straight, he now cares more about Auren and the Yomm's than he does about the treasure.


- Governor Koong says that he was promised an "Imperial Charter", which is assumed to be an official document issued by the Empire
stipulating the nature of a starsytem's integration into the Empire, and conferring authority upon specific officials.

- The 'Fortress of Tawntoom' is built into the inside wall of a volcano's caldera, and is powered by geothermal energy. This kind of highly
advanced engineering is only possible due to the advanced shield technology available to this civilization. Like the facilities on Mustafar
seen in Episode III, the ability to build safely inside volcanoes and near lava flows requires adequate shielding.

- C-3PO couldn't read the writing on three sides of the pyramid because it was written backwards, but once held up to a mirror he can
suddenly make sense of it. For all a droid's intelligence and self-awareness, there are leaps of logic and levels of planning which are
beyond their capacities. As Dex mentions in Episode II, "those droids in your archives only focus on symbols." Obi-Wan replies
by emphasizing how dangerous it would be if droids "could think". Even droids as dynamic as C-3PO, or as unusually clever as R2,
are not capable of leaps beyond the bounds of their programmed thoughts, what we usually call inspiration or 'eureka moments'.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence


- Koong's fortress is protected by defense mechanisms called molecular disruptors. They appear to be mirrors, but when an object
connects with them it shrinks. This effect wears off later, so this is some kind of incredible technology which can remove space
at a molecular level without causing a loss of molecular cohesion. As the creators of this episode were likely unaware, this would
be a huge continuity error if anyone but R2 had been shrunk using this technology. An organic being would be killed by any
shrinking process for too many reasons to count, for example oxygen molecules would be now too large for them to breathe.
This technology is never again seen in SW material, and really should be not be brought up again. Science is not magic.


Large concentrations of roonstones fall into an active subterranean lava stream, and causes the lava to flash freeze.
Why the creators thought that this made sense is a mystery. Roonstones are a rare and valuable gem, which based on
these events seem to be formed by volcanism. Having fallen out of the walls of a volcano, one would think the roonstones
were already fairly warm, but regardless of their temperature, gems falling into a river of lava will have no significant
effect on the temperature of the lava. Between the comets, the flaming "asteroids", the unstoppable seeds, the rooze
vanishing, the shrinking, and now the freezing lava, it seems that not one person involved in the creation of these
four episodes knew anything about basic science. Unlike the other errors, it is hard to see why this one was made.
Main Article: Planetology


- Mungo tells Auren, "I must return to Manda to let my father know I'm alright" but also tells her, "I'll be back soon, I promise."
It seems he intends to stick with Auren, which according to supplementary material is indeed what he does. He must follow
the comets to safely leave and return, so this obviously cannot be put off. He tells all present, "R2 and C-3PO were the best
friends I could ever hope for", seeming to suggest their adventures together have come to end. Why he wouldn't have taken
them with him to continue working for him, or at the least give them a ride out of the impassible nebula is not known.
It seems they are going to stay with the Yomms for the time being, and their future intentions are not discussed.


How do R2 and C-3PO end up returning to Captain Antilles? Obviously, they get out of the Roon System and the Cloak of
Sith at some point, and different supplementary and non-canon material has various tales of their journeys and exploits.
The question cannot be answered in canon other than to say that they did eventually return to Alderaan, as they are
seen working for Senator Organa 10 years later in Rebels 'Droids in Distress' (S1E3). When this series was created,
the prequels did not yet exist, and their delivery to Antilles 5 years prior to this had not yet been established. Perhaps
they eventually came to the conclusion that returning to Aldreaan was their best option at the time, or perhaps they had
an opportunity to travel to Alderaan or near-by, and decided to return there at that point. They do not seem to care
about returning, but they have thus far been seen taking whatever opportunities they can get, and likely continued to.


ANALYSIS
The race between Baobab and the Empire to discover the route into the Cloak of Sith was almost certainly triggered by some unmentioned
event which made this seem far more possible. Mungo wants to be "first to open a trade route for roonstones", not only because they are
valuable, but because he wishes to "save my father's merchant fleet from financial ruin." It seems the pressure exerted by the Empire against
the Baobab Merchant Fleet has begun to deteriorate their business, which is what the Imperial program has intended. The existence of
a map into the Cloak of Sith has somehow come to the attention of the Emperor, as the troops hunting for Mungo have been notified that
"the Emperor wants that map." The Emperor may wish to inspect former places of power for the Sith within the nebula, but the chief Imperial
motivation for this is territorial and resource expansion. Admiral Screed has sent a probe droid into the Cloak of Sith, with this expressed
purpose, saying, "now we will learn if there are any systems worth conquering in the cloud of cosmic dust." Moves against regional interests
like the Baobab Merchant Fleet and Imperial expansionism in the Rim regions are the beginning of the Empire moving from its initial period
known as the 'Reorganization era' into a secondary period known as the 'Expansion era'. Having dealt with Separatist holdouts and an early
round of rebellions, including the Mavvan Conflict, the Empire is once again interested in pressing its military advantage to secure new holdings.
The initial overhaul of the political structure, military, and trade infrastructure took several years to institute, and is still an ongoing process
in many ways, however the new stability and streamlining of resources has succeeded in putting the Empire on an outward trajectory.

The Imperial probe makes contact with Governor Koong, who says that he looks forward to dealing with the Empire, suggesting Roon under
his command "would make a valuable ally to the Empire." To his credit, Admiral Screed is upfront and honest with Koong, telling him,
"we shall deal with you, Koong, however we see fit." Koong offers the valuable gems known as roonstones, as well as other valuable
mineral resources like the explosive substance nergon-14. Screed suggests, "what else could the Empire possibly want from a desolate
planet like Roon?" Koong intends to present himself as an unequaled ally due to his scheme to monopolize piracy inside the Cloak of Sith.
While it seems like his pirate lighthouse will eventually run out of ships to prey on by reputation and by having eliminated most of the ships
which routinely come and go, the opening of the region to the rest of the galaxy would bring him new opportunity. On the other hand,
Koong probably has not considered that if the region becomes part of the Empire, it will be their business which he is pirating. Screed does
see some potential, offering, "You may attempt to convince me that your petty pirating operation is worth something to the Empire."
The loss of this pirating operation makes Koong's only remaining value to the Empire his tenuous political hold over Roon itself.

As leader of Tawntoom Province, Governor Koong has achieved a "hold on Roon that took me years to build." His political dominance over
the other provinces has become so concrete that he asserts, "I run this entire planet, except for Umboo." This move towards reunification
of the political structure on the planet was probably a long time in the making, and somewhat inevitable, however the isolation of Roon and
the other planets within the Cloak of Sith significantly decreased the rate of this process. Interaction with millions of planets makes a lack
of planetary unity a serious weakness, one that most planets address immediately or are quickly overtaken by some off-world power, be that
another regional planet that is powerful, major corporations, or other interstellar interests. Political unity on Roon was somewhat difficult
due to the planet's history and diverse regions. Regarding Koong's accomplishment in this area, Screed observes, "you have done nothing
that I could not have done myself, but you have saved me a little time." In order to maintain his politically-based dominance over the other
provinces, such as Galaxeed, Quinelith, and others, Koong cannot simply invade Umboo or he will lose his support. Instead, his Tawntoom
racing team must defeat Umboo at the Roon Games. Despite being "meddlesome revolutionaries that challenge my rule", according to
Koong, Umboo has won the last few Roon Colonial Games, which the people of the planet traditionally see as the will of the Force. While
this is not stated explicitly, it is clear that no matter how one phrases it, those who dominate at the games have essentially won the right
to take the lead on the planet, meaning that under an Umboo victory, the rights of the provinces will continue to be respected. This means
that Koong's allies will still be free to choose siding with him, but he cannot move openly against Umboo for now. The Umboo team believes
their victory "ends Tawntoom's reign of tyranny", as it effectively stops Koong's momentum at its culminating point, threatening any possible
consolidation of his gains. This also threatens his new alliance with the Empire, as Screed points out, "the Emperor dislikes allies who lose."

After his repeated failures, Screed decides, "you're an arrogant fool, Koong, and the Emperor has no use for fools." Intending to leave this
mess behind Screed demands the roonstones he was promised so that he has something to show for all of these efforts. Koong insists his
failures are only temporary setbacks, but Screed has remained consistently upfront and honest with Koong, and now tells him, "after I make
my report to the Emperor there may not be a next time", as "the Empire has no use for weak allies." After Koong infects himself with his
own germ weapon, and Screed announces his departure, Koong states, that Screed "promised me an Imperial Charter, stormtroopers,
a star destroyer." Koong does not realize that Sidious always betrays his allies, and that the Empire acts with his personal philosophy.
The Emperor only values those who carry out his orders without question, and even they are considered expendable to him. Those who
wish to ride his coattails to riches and power, like the trade guild leaders who worked with him to form the Separatist Alliance, will ultimately
be betrayed and discarded when they have outlived their usefulness. When the roonstone treasure is revealed by Mungo to lie in the walls
of Koong's volcano, and that Koong has been "sitting on a fortune and never knew it", Screed instantly betrays Koong, having finally gotten
the bare minimum of what he wanted for the Empire all along. He orders his troops to impound this fortress, declaring, "it is now Imperial
property", and rhetorically asking Koong, "did you really think the Empire would form an alliance with a petty tyrant such as you?" There
is no benefit to trying to work with the Empire, as ultimately like any imperialist force it cares only about itself and its maximalist goals.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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