The following is a compilation of information taken from the Holonet and the Essential Atlas of the Star Wars the Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition. None of this is speculation and can be treated as canon. Despite the depiction of the Dathmorian Assajj on the banner, this compilation does not extend past the current era.

HISTORY

The Outer Rim Territories are the largest region in the galaxy, the least explored, and the most diverse in terms of population and culture. As this is the territory farthest from the center of galactic civilization, the hand of the government has historically been lightest in the Outer Rim, and for millennia dissidents, pilgrims, and freedom seekers have fled the galaxy’s more populated precincts for a new start in its vastness.

But while the Outer Rim has offered greater freedom, that freedom has come with a price: The Outer Rim is so far from Coruscant that the institutions of galactic civilization have often been little more than theoretical concepts, with communications and the rule of law unreliable or wholly absent. And this far from the prying eyes of the Core, terrible crimes and abuses often go unseen or unchecked. Whether its source is the void between the stars or the empty souls of those who thrive when justice falters, darkness is never far away in the Outer Rim, and wise Rimmers trust their blasters and their wits above faith in anything so ephemeral as civilization.

The exploration of the Outer Rim proceeded in fits and starts. The Jedi stronghold of Ossus and the planets of the Tion Hegemony were known before the founding of the Republic; the Hutts were a galactic power long before Republic traders reached their borders; and many of the Outer Rim worlds on or near the Corellian Run and Perlemian Trade Route were settled when parts of the Inner Rim were still considered the frontier. Plucky traders have made us of alien scouts’ navigational data since the dawn of the Republic, and the discovery of the ancient “lost” colonies is so common that it barely makes HoloNet newscasts. The chalk-skinned Rattataki are believed to be the descendants of such a forgotten Republic expedition.

Deep in the Outer Rim, the Rattataki species evolved in bleak isolation for thousands of years, clinging to existence in sprawling caverns beneath the planet’s surface. They were driven underground by monstrous beasts they believed were gods and savage storms that made the land nearly uninhabitable. In their subterranean exile, the Rattataki tribes fought amongst themselves incessantly over scarce resources, and many tribes even resorted to cannibalism. The weak and the sick were sacrificed so that the strong might survive and one day claim the surface world.

The pale-skinned Rattataki are made for battle. A war over resources exploded between Rattatak’s six major federated tribes and countless small syndicates. But the relative backwardness of Rattatak technology restricted their armies to the use of blasters, blades and bombs. Centuries of constant warfare have weeded out the weak, shaping the remainder into proud, passionate, and deadly combatants. Even entertainment for this violent species is combat; the gladiator pits of their home planet, Rattatak, are the planet’s most popular amusement, well-known for being the most brutal in the galaxy. Exposed to their species’ competitive culture from birth, Rattataki develop into fearsome warriors.

An ebb-and-surge cycle of worldwide wars ground on for generations. Eventually, the mighty warlord Rattatak managed to unite his people long enough to drive back the horrible beasts on the planet’s surface and establish mighty fortresses amidst the mountainous terrain. Though his life was lost in the struggle on the surface, Rattatak’s name lived on. The unification of the Rattataki was brief, and tribes settled back into their constant infighting, but at long last they had emerged from their dark exile and contact was made with the greater galaxy. The Republic’s mass settlement of large portions of the Outer Rim hadn’t begun until 1850 BTC, when colonists marched down the galaxy’s “new” trade routes—the Corellian Trade Spine, Rimma Trade Route, and southern Hydian way—and then expanded rapidly among these three routes in the southern portion of the galaxy. This led many Rattataki to settle on other worlds, becoming sought after mercenaries, bodyguards and bounty hunters.

A crafty Rattataki arms merchant exploited the planet’s blood-sport culture by building the Cauldron, an immense gladiatorial arena. Inside its stone pit, local champions and offworld challengers battled to the death while wagering profits fed the arms industry. The Cauldron’s notoriety spread among underworld infochants in the Republic, and the hypperroute to Rattatak became a prize traded among shadow kingpins.

GEOGRAPHY

Rattatak is distinguished by square-walled canyons and dry gullies; its red rocks evoke the hue of spilled blood. The Rattataki are the native species, while the rest of the plannet’s population seems to be drawn from hundreds of Outer Rim worlds. Mercenaries often come to Rattatak and are forced to make it their home when its ruined infrastructure fails to provide offworld passage. Animal life has been hunted nearly to extinction, though a few hungry alpha predators still feed on corpses in the outer wastelands. Conditions are too harsh on Rattatak to sustain widespread agriculture. The planet’s population has been dying off for centuries.

POLITICS

Loyalty to the Empire varied immensely in the Outer Rim. Beyond loyalist enclaves such as Eriadu and the surrounding sectors, many planets weary of lawlessness welcomed the return of central control (to the extent that such control was possible in so vast a region) and the renewed push to expand the galactic frontier.

Shortly after the Empire returned to Republic space, the young Sith Lord Darth Vich took notice of Rattatak and its people. Eager to make a name for himself, he journeyed to the planet and, casting aside 1000 years of anti-alien tradition, recruited a hundred tribes of Rattataki to populate his own personal army. Their prowess in battle made them a dangerous force, and the dozens of Force Sensitive among them became his personal acolytes. With the Rattataki at his command, Darth Vich made a play for power in the Sith Empire that ultimately failed. In the wake of this failure, the Dark Council enslaved or killed all of the Rattataki who followed Vich. Rumors about a small group of Rattataki acolytes who helped betray Vich and were fully accepted for Sith training remain unsubstantiated.

Question: were the Rattaki tribes matriarchal, patriarchal, or mixed?

This came up with one of my guild members...

Let me put yesterday's reply differently; both Rattataki men and women are learned to defend themselves the same way we are learned to voice our opinion. Both has to do with law; both solve disputes that's concern the law and a conflict of interests. We learn how to voice our opinion and how to hold speeches so one day we can defend ourselves in front of court or to our peers. On Rattatak... Well, you get to defend yourself in front of court or to your peers. Just physically instead of verbally. Violence is a vary valid argument in the Rattataki culture and both men and women understand it.

However, an important note to make is that women are the gender that procreates the species and all Rattataki understand the implications of that. A). more babies means more mouths to feed. B). more babies means more warriors to defend the nest. Successful tribes(i.e. those with the biggest food supplies) are therefore more likely to take a gender-specific stance than 'weaker' tribes. This can be both matriarchal or patriarchal. The men might have 'enslaved' their women for the sole purpose of expanding the clan. Or, the women might have 'enslaved' the men to ensure their own safety.

It's all possible in the end, though. Just keep in mind that Rattataki have only three arguments; food, arms and violence.

I'm surprised how little info is available here:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rattataki

It surprised me as well, but I wasn't aware there was actually as much information as I found. The entry on the holonet wasn't added yet and most of the information on Rattataki itself was left out. I recombined all of it and combined what information there was on the Outer Rim to better explain the origin of the Rattataki.

Do note that none of this is my text. I simply edited texts from official sources into one cohesive piece of text.

1,950 BTC – 1,850 BTC

Retaking of the surface.

Latest Suspected life-time of Warlord Rattatak.

Unnamed Planet christened as ‘Rattatak’.

Rediscovery of Galactic Communication.

Shouldn't none of the above have happened yet since the game is taking place in 3000 BTC mark?

Which would mean:

1. The Rattataki still live below the surface in the world in caves.

2. Rattatak has yet to be disovered by the rest of the galaxy.

????

This is amazing work thanks. Rattataki are amazing but the only thing I don't understand is why this warrior race can't become Sith Warriors.

I expect because Bioware didn't want to give a single race all classes(apart from humans, muttermutter) and they wanted to have the Rattataki Inquisitor to allow Ventress-like characters. After all, Ventress was a sith Assassin and as such a role model for many Rattataki(even though she was Rattataki only by culture rather than race).

I expect because Bioware didn't want to give a single race all classes(apart from humans, muttermutter) and they wanted to have the Rattataki Inquisitor to allow Ventress-like characters. After all, Ventress was a sith Assassin and as such a role model for many Rattataki(even though she was Rattataki only by culture rather than race).

They wanted Humans and Zabrak to be the only ones that could be all of them.

But I don't see why they cannot be SW anyhow, just remove Cyborg from the list and replace them with Rattataki.

sorry but isn't sith inquisitor' story in contraddiction with rattataki lore?

The above post is replied to in the spoilers below:

I have a Ratta BH, and I was trying to think of a good storyline to go with for her, and after reading this info, I have one. I just love the hardass look of the Ratta girls, especially with all the piercings I wish other classes could have the ritual scarring that the SI Ratta can have.

As for lineage, I believe on Rattatak, whomever is strongest is the matriarch or patriarch. If a little skinny girl comes in and beats the crap out of everyone and proclaims herself as the leader of the clan. Guess what? You're now beholden to a little skinny girl. lol

sorry but isn't sith inquisitor' story in contraddiction with rattataki lore?

 

 

we are supposed to be the descendant of an ancient sith lord

the way i look at it is

The ritual scarring is specific to the SI class and every race can have them. Warriors do not have the same options, meaning that it has specifically to do with being an inquisitor, not being a sith.

Reviewing the material, I see little reason to believe these scarrings are marks from enslavement. These markings seem arcane in their nature. The scars are also meant to represent the inquisitor background, not being a slave. I think it's rather incredable(note, not incredible, but incredable) to presume that every inquisitor has been a slave and that Bioware calculated their character creation towards a miscellaneous item of the character's background.

There is also no cross-referencing that I know of that these scarrings indicate a past of slavery. I've not encountered such in other material before and I must therefore induct that this is not the case here. Seeing that it is implied nowhere else that these markings are connected, I must conclude that they are not so.

The ritual scarring is specific to the SI class and every race can have them. Warriors do not have the same options, meaning that it has specifically to do with being an inquisitor, not being a sith.

 

Reviewing the material, I see little reason to believe these scarrings are marks from enslavement. These markings seem arcane in their nature. The scars are also meant to represent the inquisitor background, not being a slave. I think it's rather incredable(note, not incredible, but incredable) to presume that every inquisitor has been a slave and that Bioware calculated their character creation towards a miscellaneous item of the character's background.

 

There is also no cross-referencing that I know of that these scarrings indicate a past of slavery. I've not encountered such in other material before and I must therefore induct that this is not the case here. Seeing that it is implied nowhere else that these markings are connected, I must conclude that they are not so.

they're slave brands. the slider, for humans, is labeled "slave brands".

also, purebloods and rattataki cannot have slave brands; only zabraks, humans, and twi'leks.

still, i haven't seen any NPCs at all in the game with the markings in question.

This is amazing work thanks. Rattataki are amazing but the only thing I don't understand is why this warrior race can't become Sith Warriors.

Agree, I said that on the day the game came out! When i was looking at the races and thinking about what to RP! swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=71964

- Oh, and like this thread, they seem cool, I have a few friends that are RPing Rattatakis I'm not sure if I am going to make my Bounty Hunter one or wait and see if they finally fix it so Twi'leks can wear Bounty Hunter stuff too, it seemed kinda lazy to miss a lot of races out on stuff

they're slave brands. the slider, for humans, is labeled "slave brands".

Either way, there isn't any relation between that and the topic, so let us return to discussing Rattataki!