Summary
Since the release of the firstStar Warsfilm, the franchise has seen many changes. Main protagonists have shifted and creative leads have come and gone, but the series does seem to have one constant. ThatStar Warsconsistency is the planet of Tatooine, embedded firmly in its iconography as an IP staple.
Theplanet of Tatooinewas first introduced inA New Hopeand was Luke Skywalker’s original home. Since then, it’s been a planet that the franchise has a bizarre habit of always coming back to. After over 45 years of extensive use and reuse, it may be time for the franchise to leave the planet in the dust.
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Tatooine’s Extensive History in the Star Wars Franchise
Tatooine is by far the single most overused location in the franchise. Luke and company would return to the planet for the first act ofReturn of the Jedi, for example, and the location would also be used for extended story beats inThe Phantom MenaceandAttack of the Clones. It would be largely absent from the sequel trilogy, though the planetJakku inThe Force Awakenswas Tatooine in all but name. The only time the trilogy actually went to the planet was for the final scene ofRise of Skywalker.
The Disney PlusStar Warsshows would see the desert world used to a greater extent. The vast majority ofThe Book of Boba Fetttook place on the Tatooineas did the occasional episode ofThe Mandalorian. The planet would also be a major location in theObi-Wan Kenobiseries and would, on occasion, be a setting for the various animated series.
Luke Skywalker’s home world has also popped up in more video games than can be counted. Tatooine was a major setting inStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicand arguably did more for its world-building than any other franchise installment, even with how intimate its map is. Moreover,Star Wars Outlawswill have players rubbing shoulders with Jabba the Huttand the planet has been confirmed as a location in the game. Unfortunately, because of all of this, it’s a location thatStar Warshas used a few too many times.
How the Star Wars Franchise Manages Without Tatooine
What makes the overuse of Tatooine so bizarre is that the franchise itself has shown that it has plenty of more interesting worlds to choose from. Many of the games, shows, and films only feature the desert planet for a limited amount of time and almost feel something akin to a narrative pit stop for nostalgic fans to recognize.
This is made stranger based on the fact thatStar Warsis meant to be a diverse universe, but the IP continues to circle around to Tatooine. The characters in films likeThe Last Jedi,The Empire Strikes Back, andRogue Onenever make their way to the desert world.Andoris often considered to be the bestStar Warsshowand there isn’t even a reference to Tatooine. TheStar Wars Jedigames likewise feature many diverse locations, but the iconic desert planet is not one of them. All of which proves that the franchise can manage without even mentioning the location.
WithStar Wars Outlawsset to be released next year, it is clear that fans will see more of the iconic desert planet whether they want to or not. However, as previous games, films, and shows, have proven, the franchise doesn’t need to keep coming back to this world in order to survive. It’s for these reasons that Tatooine is aStar Warsplanet that should be shelved for a new iconography to rejuvenate the IP.
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