The novel Champions of the Force, by Kevin J. Anderson, takes place on the rocky Imperial training world of Carida, to the hot and steamy jungles of Yavin 4. Carida is an extremely rugged Training ground for potential stormtroopers, it also has a higher gravity to toughin muscles. Yavin 4 is where Luke Skywalker has set up his Jedi Acadamy. Courscant is the capital of the New Republic and is basically a planet sized city.
