| This is the article on the planet. For the mission in Homeworld, see HW Campaign: Hiigara. For other uses, see HWC Campaign: Hiigara System |
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Hiigara
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Region
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Inner Rim
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System
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Hiigara System
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Moons
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Species
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System
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31 million (pre-Landfall)
180 million (current) |
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Affiliations
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Hiigara, sometimes referred to as the Homeworld or simply Homeworld by Hiigarans,[1] is an Inner Rim planet that was the original homeworld of the Kushan, formerly indigenous to this world as descendants of the native Hiigarans during the ancient rule of the vast Hiigaran Empire. Upon its capitulation, Hiigara then served as the throne world of the Taiidan Empire during the three millennia to follow in the wake of The Exile. Considered a jewel of a world, Hiigara is remarkably untainted by environmental damage and renowned for its beauty. During many of the major wars in recent history, Hiigara was considered the single most important world to hold in the galaxy, partially due to the prestige associated with it (as well as its strategic position near the Galactic Core).
Hiigara was the second of at least five planets in its system.[2] It had one natural satellite, known as the Angel Moon.
Climate[]
Hiigara's climate is one of the more pleasurable in the galaxy, an interesting contrast with the world of Kharak which served as the Kushan's surrogate homeworld during their Exile. Whereas Kharak is desolate and barren, Hiigara is a lush paradise. As such it is easy to imagine why the Exiles, as their civilization devolved on the desert wasteland of Kharak, came to see Hiigara as heaven, rather than as an actual world.
This appears to be even lusher than most other worlds, during which the forests of Hiigara have expanded along with the tropics. Most of the world's agriculture is supported by seasonal monsoons and rich volcanic soil.
This actually caused some problems for the returning Kushan after the Homeworld War. Having adapted over three millennia to a life of low humidity and harsh weather they were unable to grow many of the staples they had domesticated on Kharak. Rains drowned the crops during the monsoons and those that managed to survive were plagued by various diseases and pests which found the alien Kharakian vegetation easy prey.
In most cases however Hiigara's climate is considered extremely pleasant and it is this, along with its strategic location and vivid history, which helps make it such a prized world by its various rulers from the early Hiigarans to the Taiidan to the returning Kushan.
Geography[]
Hiigara is a beautiful world, often remarked on as a "jewel." It has several large oceans and at least two major continents. The surface appears to be about 75% water and 25% land. The humidity of the planet is also high, with a warm climate. This has allowed lush vegetation to spread across much of the planet's surface and the oceans are similarly teeming with life.
It is also very geologically active, as there are several active faults and volcanoes. Many of Hiigara's most prosperous crops are grown in volcanic soil. With such a dynamic environment much of Hiigara's geography is characterized by tall snowcapped mountains, vast rainforests, and wide open oceans. Tundras are rare, deserts even more so. Hiigara has 3 major landmasses, the largest of which extends through over half of the planet's diameter.
Settlements[]
While little remains of the ancient Hiigaran cities, they act as living proof the kiithid existed before the Exile. Some of the oldest known kiithid like S'jet and Sagald left marks on the planet that not even the Taiidan could remove.
During their rule on Hiigara, the Taiidan built large, sprawling industrial cities on its surface. Surprisingly for being the crown world of the largest empire of the Inner Rim, the planet had very little population by the time of the Landfall, with only 31 million inhabitants. When the Emperor was killed and the Galactic Council ordered Hiigara to be returned to the Kushan, the Taiidani rose in protest across the planet and tried to enact scorched earth tactics in an attempt to deny it to the foreigners from ancient myth many had forgotten even existed.
Eventually they were left with only two choices: Leave Hiigara or stay under the Kushan rule. The richer families and those with connections with the Imperial government left, but most of the Imperial population, including serfs, servants, commoners and slaves had no choice but to stay, despite the Council's offers to help them to relocate. These Taiidani were forced to learn to coexist with their ancestral enemies, becoming known as the Kiithless.
The Kushan resettling of their homeworld after the Landfall was slow due to their depopulation. Unlike the Taiidan sprawls, Kushan cities on the planet are composed of ornate structures that blend in with nature. Assam Kiith'sid is a good example, said to feel more like a garden than a metropolis.
Bodies of Water[]
Certainly, the oceans of Hiigara are its most defining features. From a distance they make Hiigara appear a blue marble, clouded by occasional swaths of green. To the returning Kushan Exiles they were unbelievably vast and were enough to convince them that the journey home was worth the costs it had exerted on their people. They were certainly as vast and seemingly infinite as the sands of Kharak's deserts and probably in the past played as important a role in the lives of the Kushan.
The oceans are also very alive. They contain most of the planet's ecosystem, located along oceanic mountains or continental shelves. The evidence of this can be seen even from space where the algae in the sea give them a greenish tint and giant coral reefs remain visible to the naked, unaided eye.
Tropics[]
The tropics of Hiigara cover most of the planet's surface. Temperate regions are to be found in the north and south of the planet but it is the rainforests, grasslands, and swamps of Hiigara that characterize it. Here is an abundance of diversity unusual to the galaxy. The rainfall here is several times greater than that of the temperate regions and is characterized by seasonal monsoons that return each year.
These tropics have also proven benevolent to civilization. Not only is the environment pleasant despite the hostile effects of its climate (such as a predisposition to rot and parasites) but it also is a perfect environment in which to grow crops. As such, though Hiigaran agriculture was put back for a decade following the Homeworld War Hiigara has become something of an interstellar breadbasket.
Biology[]
Hiigara's ecosystem is incredibly diverse, the result of a planet which is very accommodating for life and plentiful in life-giving resources such as water. While the oceans and tropics are the most populated regions of Hiigara even the temperate regions contain vast amounts of life, which even one hundred years after the Hiigaran Landfall were still giving Kushan scientists plenty of research material.
Hiigara is also the homeworld of the small grain eating creatures known as riiti. The riiti was also the only species of Hiigaran fauna that traveled to Kharak alongside the Hiigarans themselves.
Trivia[]
- Hiigara shares many similarities to the real-life Earth in both its appearance and small in-game appearances.
- Hiigara is sometimes incorrectly written as "Higaara" in some interactive cutscenes.
- "Hiigara" means "home" in Kharakid.
Known locations[]
These are the known locations on Hiigara
- Assam Kiith'sid, the capital city and seat of the current iteration of the Daiamid. [3]
- Hiigara Star Navy Academy , not sure if it's located in Assam. [4]
- Massalo - A desert region home to the Third Ferin Sha. (probably the same desert for Burning Man Fest) [5]