Oltanis was a planet plagued by deadly lightning storms (which was the reason Clank couldn't go and explore with Ratchet). In order to stop the storms from causing any damage, the residents utilized massive lightning attractors that harnessed the energy. The citizens of Oltanis were completely unarmed, preferring to live peaceful lives rather than to go to war. This made the planet an easy target for Drek of the Blarg, during his attempt to create a new planet for his people on Orxon. The stated aim of the unprovoked attack was the theft of Gorda City's numerous power generators, which would be used to supply energy to Drek's New Planet instead. The population suffered heavily at Drek's hands, but have likely recovered from the disaster since then.