6 fascinating Star Wars planets you might not know about

The Star Wars films are known for the many iconic planets that you get to see the characters in. Of course, many people know the likes of Tatooine, Hoth, Mustafar and Coruscant.

And while these planets are undoubtedly interesting, the television shows, comics, novels and video games introduce a plethora of new worlds that many fans have probably never even heard of.

There’s a whole galaxy of Star Wars planets out there, and so here are six fascinating Star Wars planets you might not know about.

1. Abafar

Star Wars is particularly notorious for its abundance of desert worlds. Tatooine, Savareen, Jakku and Arvala-7 are prime examples of similar arid planets. However, one parched world stands out for its desolation and strangeness: Abafar. Seen in The Clone Wars season 5 episode 11 “A Sunny Day in the Void” and subsequent episodes, Abafar is the eerie world Meebur Gascon, R2-D2 and company crash land on after a botched escape from the Separatists. Unlike Tatooine’s Jundland Wastes or Jakku’s ship graveyard, Abafar’s entire surface is covered in a solid layer of rock that bears no tracks or other identifying marks. The atmosphere contains particles that create a semi-opaque orange appearance, contributing to the oppressive expanse called the Void. Though few live on Abafar, notable residents included Clone Commando Gregor and the notorious Dr. Evazan.

2. Gorse

Called by some as “the ugliest planet in the galaxy,” Gorse is a swampy planet whose orbit is such that only one side of the planet faces the system’s sun, leaving the other half in permanent twilight. Unfortunately, the dark half is also the habitable half, as the sunlit side reaches surface temperatures lethal to most sentients. The denizens of Gorse live in a sprawling capital comprising of toxic refineries and sleazy bars, with most working as miners on Gorse’s crystalline moon Cynda. Making its first and only appearance in John Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn novel, Gorse is where Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla first team-up, taking on the nefarious Imperial Count Vidian.

3. Quarzite

The crystal world of Quarzite first appeared in The Clone Wars season 4 episode 20 as the site of a contract gone wrong for budding bounty hunter Boba Fett and his comrades. Little is known about the surface of the planet thanks to crushing atmospheric pressure and raging storms. Visitors to the planet can only access its crystalline core through a massive turbolift from outer space. Below ground, the crystal caves provide an environment for the native Belugans and Kage Warriors to clash over control of the planet.

4. Hissrich

Jungle planets are some of the least well-represented in Star Wars, making the Outer Rim planet of Hissrich a standout. The rainforests of Hissrich only see the sun once per month thanks to its planetary cycle. Primitive sentients reside in the caves running beneath the planet’s surface, which are also stalked by giant insects known as Milodons. Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, Jedi Master Mace Windu led a team of Jedi to investigate Separatist resource extraction operations on the jungle world, led by the murderous mercenary droid AD-W4. Only seen in Matt Owens’ comic Mace Windu: Jedi of the Republic, Hissrich was interestingly enough where Jedi Master Prosset Dibs, also known as Tenth Brother, first turned to the Dark Side.

5. Chandar’s Folly

Though its climate is more temperate than others on this list, Chandar’s Folly is anything but hospitable. Varying environments on the planet’s surface include craggy mountains, arid savannahs, shimmering crystal canyons, and the Stormlands — an open expanse of land ravaged by perpetual thunderstorms. Native fauna include the dangerous, self-camouflaging Valath, considered the most dangerous predator on the planet. Chandar’s Folly appeared in Darth Vader #18 by Charles Soule as the site of a showdown between Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. Testing Tarkin’s prowess, Vader challenged Tarkin to hunt him. The battle ended in a draw, with mutual respect built on both sides.

6. Pillio

The oceanic world of Pillio serves as an important source of food for the surrounding sector thanks to its abundance of seafood. The coral-covered caves of Pillio boast spectacular formations, rare fossils and Emperor Palpatine’s observatory where he collected various artifacts relating to the Force. After the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker recovered a compass from Pillio with the help of former Inferno Squad member Del Meeko. Eagle-eyed fans playing this mission in 2017’s Star Wars: Battlefront II will recognize this as the very same compass that led Luke to his self-imposed exile on Ahch-To.

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