Marasa is a small and hostile planet. A combination of molten terrain that covers a large area of the planet's surface and an almost nonexistent atmosphere make it inhospitable to most advanced forms of life. For this reason, the use of sophisticated technology is required to allow most sentient beings to survive on the planet. The planet is most noteworthy for its continual rivers of molten rock that rise to the surface and start solidifying before they even have a chance to take any kind of gaseous form.

Due to its small size and both its proximity to the Marasan sun and the forces acting upon it from the surrounding Nebula, Marasa is unable to retain any significant atmosphere over long periods of time. Nevertheless, it does have a tenuous surface-bound exosphere caused by the volcanic activity, which either diffuses back into the planet's crust or is lost to space. Due to this lack of atmosphere, it is possible to see the azure blue of the surrounding nebula quite clearly during the planet's night phase. The cave systems that riddle the planet are thought to be formed from extinct lava tubes from when the planet used to be even more volcanically active. Away from the molten terrain, minor eruptions of lava have still been known to occur and to even form small pools for short amounts of time.

Life which somehow finds a way to survive, not including the microbiological life found in even the toughest places the galaxy has to offer, usually does so in a violent and aggressive manner in and around the vast cave systems that riddle the planet. The majority of creatures found on Marasa are silicone-based, sharing much in common with the reviled mynocks. Each species found on the planet comes equipped with some variation of razor-sharp teeth or claws, either used to chip away at cave walls so they can feed upon the various minerals contained within, or to allow them to hunt and feed on each other. Not only are these creatures tough enough to survive the hostile temperatures, ranging from extreme highs while under direct sunlight to extreme lows during the planet's night phase, but they are also robust enough to survive the lack of any meaningful atmosphere and solar radiation should they spend any time on or near the planet surface.

Few sentients visit the planet since most of the system's visitors travel exclusively to the more hospitable Marasai, the only other planet in the system. Those that do visit Marasa, or live upon it, inhabit state of the art facilities nestled within the cave systems or on the surface under complex electromagnetic shield systems. These not only protect them from the extreme temperatures and the deadly solar radiation present from a lack of atmosphere and a weak magnetic field but also help retain a breathable atmosphere. Light from nearby lava pools has been known to reflect upon these shields, giving them a faint red glow.

Marasa's hostile environment masks and protects the activities which occur upon the planet, leading it to be a home for research facilities with questionable ethics, often causing the planet to play host to experiments considered too dangerous for highly populated locations. With such a hazardous backdrop, the planet is often subject to dark rumors; chief of which is the suggestion that Marasa is the seat of power for a dark lord of the Force, said to have been attracted by the planet's dangerous beauty.