The Maw, located in the Kessel Sector, is a large cluster of black holes. The various radiations from its component bodies have always made The Maw an enigma to stellar cartographers. While many black holes have been documented, the exact number has not been determined. In addition to making hyper-travel through the region impossible, the interaction of the various strong gravity wells in the area causes the positions of some of the smaller black holes to shift from time to time, making it next to impossible to map a safe route through the region.

The Maw has significantly impacted the smuggling trade. It's position near Kessel makes it a favored route for spice smugglers who wish to transit the region undetected and -- more importantly -- uninspected. The safe routes to and from Kessel give The Maw a wide berth, as do the legal freighters doing business in the system and the capital ships that patrol them. Persons with more illicit business often skirt dangerously close to The Maw's shifting event horizons in order to avoid detection.

Perhaps because it is such a unique stellar phenomenon, there are varying explanations for the very existence of The Maw. Old Republic scientists theorized that, given the sheer vastness of space, a configuration like The Maw was bound to develop somewhere. Many smugglers, displaying a pessimistic superstition characteristic of those in their trade, believe The Maw was in fact constructed by an ancient race with advanced technology.

Regardless of how it was formed, The Maw's black holes continue to grow as they consume more and more mass and cosmic debris. The Maw is expected to consume the entire Kessel system at some point in the future, though no one knows how distant that day is.