The Valley of the Eremite was a valley on the planet Jakku that was near the Plaintive Hand plateau. From 30 BBY, Sheev Palpatine built a secret research and weapons facility known as the Jakku Observatory beneath the Valley of the Eremite. He tasked a local boy named Gallius Rax with guarding the site for the next ten years. As a reward, Rax found a place in Palpatine's Galactic Empire and eventually rose to the position of Counselor to the Empire shortly before the Battle of Jakku.