A protectorate was a system of government where a territory was controlled by a foreign government while remaining autonomous. Moons had the right to claim their planet as a protectorate providing that they were uninhabited, and were able to establish military installations on them to protect them. Prior to the discovery of its indigenous Talz population, the planet Orto Plutonia was a protectorate of its moon, Pantora. After making first contact with the Talz and determining that they were sentient, representatives of the Pantoran Assembly conceded control of Orto Plutonia to the Talz.