During the Galactic Civil War, Aruza was controlled by the COMPNOR officer, General Sinick Kritkeen. Kritkeen was ordered to "Redesign" the peaceful inhabitants of Aruza into a "viable social force," effectively turning the planet into an efficient war machine, by stripping them of most of their humanity and turning them into vicious servants of Imperial doctrine. If the Aruzans resisted, they were to be "alleviated of the potential for further evolution." The process had impoverished the Aruzans and turned Kritkeen into a very wealthy man. The Empire destroyed all of the Aruzans' ships to prevent them from escaping the planet. Additionally, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer orbited the planet.