The plight of the Xa Fel is a galactic tragedy and a perfect example of what modern mega-corporations without adequate supervision can do to a planet. The Kuat Drive Yards facility that eventually dominated the planet Xa Fel was constructed with cost as the only concern. Now, decades later, the planet is poisoned almost beyond repair. Environmental cleanup crews have begun work, but the process is very slow so far because the Imperials show little interest in helping out.
The Xa Fel themselves are a species of near-humans. Before KDY began construction on the planet they were genetically almost identical to mainline humans (presumably, the planet was one of the countless "lost" colonies of ancient history). Now, though, the pollution and poverty of their world has left the Xa Fel permanently scarred.
Many Xa Fel are undernourished; ugly sores and blisters mark most of the inhabitants. The damage seems to have affected the Xa Fel at the genetic level: new generations of Xa Fel are born with these disfigurements covering their bodies. Many Xa Fel tend to have respiratory problems, due to the high acid content of Xa Fel's atmosphere. When visiting "clean" worlds, Xa Fel often choke or pass out because they are unused to the purity of a clean atmosphere. The life span of an average Xa Fel has dropped from 120 standard years to less than 50 years since the shipyards were constructed.
The Xa Fel have been trapped in a spiral of poverty since their simple tribal government was overpowered by the corporate might of Kuat Drive Yards. The Xa Fel tend to distrust and even outwardly dispise visitors from other worlds, particularly corporate executives, though some have a modicum of gratitude to the New Republic for its attempts to fix the planet and heal the Xa Fel people. | 
