Despite the fact that it's mostly filthy and usually under the control of an evil wizard's fascist regime, a lot of us wish that we could step inside the Star Wars universe. After all, who wouldn't want to wield a lightsaber, ride a speeder bike, or get a bartending job at a Mos Espa cantina purely to pee in Watto's iced tea?
Amazingly, there is a way you can visit the world of Star Wars – one that doesn't involve handing over a single dime to Disney. It turns out that a lot of real-world locations were used in the creation of that galaxy far, far, away. Unfortunately, not unlike anyone with the last name "Skywalker," life has been pretty hard on some of these iconic destinations, such as how …
Advertisement
5
The Forest Moon Of Endor Was Deforested
The Forest Moon of Endor is home to the adorable Ewoks and also several species of bloodthirsty monsters that never showed up in Return of the Jedi for some reason. Instead of an ice planet, or a desert planet, or a planet full of dive bars and '50s diners, Endor, perhaps not coincidentally, is topographically identical to the Northern California woods that were within driving distance of George Lucas' home.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Originally, the production hoped to shoot in Muir Woods National Monument, just north of San Francisco, but since Stormtroopers use blasters instead of T-shirt cannons, the crew needed to employ pyrotechnics for several sequences, which was a "deal killer." Some scenes ended up being shot in a state park in Humboldt county, where fans are still able to visit to this day, presumably while carrying a boombox blasting "Yub Nub" at full volume the entire time.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
But the "majority" of filming took place on "inaccessible lands owned by the Miller-Rellim Redwood Company." Yeah, since Lucas and company were obviously intent on having a bunch of explosions in their epic final battle, the only real option was to shoot on private property owned by a logging company where the crew "could do anything they wanted" with "no permits were needed."
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
While the deal was made under the production's fake name, Blue Harvest (an alleged horror movie that inexplicably wanted to film giant action scenes in the middle of a sea of redwoods), locals soon got wise when they noticed Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford hanging around town. Regrettably, for fans of Star Wars and/or trees, the Ewok's woodland sanctuary was decimated after filming wrapped since the loggers had already "scheduled to clear-cut the area" before the deal with Lucas was made. It's unclear whether or not this behind-the-scenes story inspired the Marvel comic in which the Ewoks are terrorized by alien tree-cutters.
Luke's Peaceful Jedi Island Is Full Of Vomiting Tourists
When Luke Skywalker went full space-Salinger prior to the events of The Force Awakens, he headed straight to Ahch-To, the distant planet full of adorable porgs, frog nuns, and the lactating sea creature that stole America's hearts. Not to mention that ancient tree full of the sacred Jedi texts (which, in retrospect, seems like the worst possible place to store ultra-rare books) and also the precarious stone steps, which we're guessing most Jedi just Force-jumped over to save time.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
The real-life location, Skellig Michael, is in County Kerry, Ireland – and despite the fact that it's practically as remote as its fictional counterpart, this spot has predictably attracted a wave of Star Wars tourists.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Skellig Michael and its ancient monastic ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visitors are meant to be limited to "11,100 people annually." But in 2018, the year after The Last Jedi came out, "nearly 17,000" people toured the island. And this has come with some problems beyond simply tipsy fans loudly complaining about Snoke in the local pub.
Mustafar is, of course, the volcano planet where Darth Vader built his spooky castle, either as a symbolic tribute to his descent to the Dark Side or because the real estate there is simply cheap as hell. But it's most fondly remembered as the setting of Anakin and Obi-Wan's fateful duel in Revenge of the Sith.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Rather than risk burning Ewan McGregor beyond recognition, this was shot on a soundstage. Still,some real-life filming was utilized in the scene. Mount Etna, located in Sicily, coincidentally erupted in 2002 during the making of the movie. When Lucas saw the news reports on TV, he remarked that "the footage is extraordinary," so he sent a camera crew, who "rushed off to Italy" and filmed lava explosions for an entire week.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Sadly, the volcano that informed much of Mustafar is apparently sliding into the sea, with scientists warning people of a "potentially disastrous collapse" that could "cause a tsunami." This is certainly worrying for future generations, who may all have to attain some "high ground."
Perhaps the most iconic location in the entire Star Wars saga (with the possible exception of Chewie's dad's adults-only VR lounge) is Tatooine, and especially the Lars Homestead -- the desert-dwelling where Luke spent his awkward teenage years, only to have his lightsaber returned there by Rey decades later, presumably trapping his soul in his uncle's crappy farm for all eternity.
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Luke's old home and many other landmarks first seen in A New Hope were filmed in Tunisia, with many original props simply abandoned in the desert for some reason – although the exterior of Lars' farm had to be restored by fans in 2012.
But the CNN report was "inaccurate" – while Lucas had taken the name "Tataouine" and appropriated it for his outer space fantasy, the actual Star Wars sets were located in the Eastern part of the country, which had "not seen any unrest." Unless you count electronic dance music festivals as "unrest."
Continue Reading Below
Advertisement
Hopefully, season two of Obi-Wan Kenobi will just be seven hours of the Jedi Knight getting super-into EDM.
Yavin IV's Temple Was Damaged In An "End Of The World Party"
Yavin IV – it's the planet housing the secret Rebel base in A New Hope, and the site of the killer afterparty we're assuming went down following the destruction of the Death Star. We're first introduced to the planet with a shot of the Millennium Falcon landing in the rainforest while being tracked by a dude who is seemingly the Rebel Alliance's resident speed trap traffic cop.
Tikal was also the site of a big "end of the world" party in December 2012, back when everybody thought that the end of the Mayan calendar would somehow validate the events of a Roland Emmerich movie. Probably because they didn't think that tomorrow would arrive, and with it any consequences, partiers ended up causing "irreparable" damage to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.