The more behind-the-scenes stories and info we get from the various Star Wars films, the more interesting the making of these movies and the movies themselves become. Revenge of the Sith, for example, has been with us for 20 years now. But there's still so much about what brought the whole thing together that many of even its most dedicated fans don't know about.
Take the designs of the film's key locations, for example. Kashyyyk, the home planet of the Wookiees, hadn't been seen on-screen before. It ended up becoming one of the most important and iconic locations in the movie, since audiences are following characters on its surface the moment Order 66 goes into effect. At that moment, everything changes forever -- but the planet is as solid and resilient as the Wookiees who reside there.
According to senior concept designer Ryan Church, the inspiration from Kashyyyk came from real places on Earth. Even if you've never been to one of them, you've seen what they look like, and that's what he wanted to emulate in the planet's design.
“I knew I wanted to see something like Tahiti or Hawaii in Episode III," he said, "but just because it was different than what we’d seen in any previous Star Wars films." Something tropical, with a cohesive design. Hence the wooden aesthetic of everything on the planet -- a contrast to the shimmering, deadly machines of the droid and clone armies fighting on the village beaches.
There's a reason Kashyyyk doesn't appear as sunny or green as you might expect if you've seen photos from a Hawaiian beach, for example. It's dimmer, as if someone turned down the contrast. This is war, after all; it's greyer because it's supposed to be grim. You could even call it a little bit of foreshadowing, considering the terror that unleashes across the galaxy as Yoda stands over that battle expecting victory and receiving everything but.
Concept designers don't get nearly enough credit for their contributions to Star Wars and what fans see in the final product of these movies and shows. Art takes many forms, and designing locations is as important to the making of Star Wars as the music, the script, and even the actors themselves.
Kashyyyk certainly isn't the only Star Wars planet inspired by real-world places and ideas. From scorching deserts to frozen tundras, each location in this universe serves to remind us of our own world -- even as we travel to fictional places far, far away from the ones we know all too well.
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