Darth Vader’s castle from Rogue One could appear in future Star Wars films
By Elaine Tveit
Lucasfilm concept artist Doug Chiang hopes Darth Vader’s castle from Rogue One will appear in future Star Wars films.
Darth Vader’s castle in Rogue One is as imposing as the Sith lord. It’s a shame we saw so little of it in the standalone movie.
But there is a reason to hope we will see the location again in future Star Wars films. In an interview with Uproxx, Lucasfilm concept artist Doug Chiang talked about the ideas which went into designing the imposing fortress. At the end of that discussion, Chiang dropped a surprise hint that the castle will appear on-screen again:
"“…we’ve done quite a bit of exploration of what’s on the inside of it as well, and hopefully that’ll be seen in some other film.”"
In Rogue One, we got a good long look at the exterior of the castle: tall, black, and forbidding. Then we saw two rooms inside the castle: Vader’s bacta chamber and the throne room where Vader gives Director Orson Krennic a talking-to. But it’s a big place, and there is a lot more to explore. It’s one of those locations which would be fun to poke around in a video game. Dangers and secrets probably lurk around every corner.
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Which films could we see Vader’s castle in again? Kylo Ren might travel there in Episode VIII or IX. He might even move in and make it his lair. Regarding its appearance in the films outside the saga, I doubt we’ll see the castle in the Han Solo standalone movie. There is no advantage in Han and Vader encountering one another before the original trilogy era.
If Lucasfilm produces that rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff, however, a visit to Vader’s castle might fit there. Vader’s castle is on Mustafar, after all, the same planet where Obi-Wan cut off his legs and arm. Mustafar is where Vader was made. I envision a one-off scene showing Vader in his castle, brooding over his rage at his former master.
Chiang told Uproxx that it’s Vader’s connection to Mustafar which prompted him to build his castle there.
"“It’s interesting, we did a lot of history exploration. Why did Vader build his castle here? Why does it look the way it does? Why does he even come here? For us, it was really figuring out that Vader built his castle on an existing structure, which was this ancient lava dam. And he built it here for a very specific reason. It was to come back here to meditate, to rejuvenate, to reconnect with himself. And it became a very spiritual place, and it was all centered around his bacta tank. And that’s where the form language all built around there.”"
Even if we don’t see the castle again on-screen, I hope Lucasfilm incorporates it into a book or a comic series. There is so much storytelling potential in this one location.
Next: Will an Obi-Wan standalone film be announced at Star Wars Celebration?
Do you want to see Darth Vader’s castle again? If so, in what medium – movies, books, comics, or video games? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.