An estimate for Ziost's population

I have seen the "billions" figure thrown around quite liberally regarding Vitiate's mass mind-control of Ziost's populace, but I never saw any basis for this, well, anywhere. Upon further inspection, it would seem that it is indeed wildly exaggerated. Per The Old Republic Encyclopedia:





Ordinary citizens of the Empire outnumber the Force-sensitive Sith 10,000 to one, and those Sith number in the millions. So the total population of the entire Sith Empire would be in the tens of billions. Now, that's the whole Empire, and Ziost is just one planet, so it really makes no sense that Ziost would have a population even close to billions even if it is noted to be a major population center in the Empire. In fact, the capital city of the Sith Empire, Kaas City, only has millions of citizens, and the rest of Dromund Kaas is pretty much just jungle from what we know, so it's likely the total population of the Sith Empire's capital is merely in the millions.



And with that, I think a safe estimate for Ziost is also in the millions, not billions or anywhere close. This isn't to say what Vitiate accomplished isn't impressive, as mind-control on a single target is still exceedingly difficult, much less on a sizeable chunk of a planetary population, but the idea that it is anywhere close to what Palpatine has done, at least in sheer numbers, is entirely unfounded.

This quote here makes it pretty definitive that it was somewhere in the millions:

Agt. Rane Kovach wrote:[AUTO-SEND-PROTOCOL]
Mentally composing this message in case I meet an untimely end on Ziost, which I now see is even more of a distinct possibility than when Vitiate first surfaced. The Republic has gone to war, possessed combatants line the streets of New Adasta, and you may very well like to kill me yourself.

If my service here is cut short, know that it was ultimately life that I served. My own life, yes, but also Agent Shan's, Minister Beniko's, the Supreme Chancellor's, those of the millions in New Adasta and the countless masses across the entire galaxy--even yours. If Vitiate wins, no one wins.

Farewell.

--Kovach

Praxis wrote:This quote here makes it pretty definitive that it was somewhere in the millions:

Agt. Rane Kovach wrote:[AUTO-SEND-PROTOCOL]
Mentally composing this message in case I meet an untimely end on Ziost, which I now see is even more of a distinct possibility than when Vitiate first surfaced. The Republic has gone to war, possessed combatants line the streets of New Adasta, and you may very well like to kill me yourself.

If my service here is cut short, know that it was ultimately life that I served. My own life, yes, but also Agent Shan's, Minister Beniko's, the Supreme Chancellor's, those of the millions in New Adasta and the countless masses across the entire galaxy--even yours. If Vitiate wins, no one wins.

Good quote. Scan?

Azronger wrote:

Praxis wrote:This quote here makes it pretty definitive that it was somewhere in the millions:

Agt. Rane Kovach wrote:[AUTO-SEND-PROTOCOL]
Mentally composing this message in case I meet an untimely end on Ziost, which I now see is even more of a distinct possibility than when Vitiate first surfaced. The Republic has gone to war, possessed combatants line the streets of New Adasta, and you may very well like to kill me yourself.

If my service here is cut short, know that it was ultimately life that I served. My own life, yes, but also Agent Shan's, Minister Beniko's, the Supreme Chancellor's, those of the millions in New Adasta and the countless masses across the entire galaxy--even yours. If Vitiate wins, no one wins.

Good quote. Scan?

I'll try and find one if I can. Don't have it on me right now as I got this from the archive that Jedipedia sent me.

Found it.

Nice

I think most people pegged it in the millions also.

DarthAnt66 wrote:I think most people pegged it in the millions also.

^ I've thought for a while now that it was in the millions. Ziost had dwindled as a central planet within the Empire for centuries.