Mustafar () is a fictional
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
and
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
planet
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise. Introduced in the
final prequel film, ''
Revenge of the Sith
Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
'' (2005), it also appeared in the films ''
Rogue One
''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Luc ...
'' (2016) and ''
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production ...
'' (2019). The lava planet consists largely of volcanic environments, featuring lava
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s and active
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
es. It is mostly remembered for the role it played in ''Revenge of the Sith'', being the site of a climactic
lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the or ...
duel between
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
and his former pupil,
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
, which resulted in the latter's disfiguration and need of life support. The planet also featured in various
spin-off media, including the
VR game ''
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series'' (2019), which reveals that Mustafar used to be a forested planet, and explores the origins of its current state.
Development
While franchise creator
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
was writing the sequels of the
original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, he outlined the backstory that would eventually be seen in the
prequel trilogy
The ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was re ...
, including the climactic duel between
Jedi Master
Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Sith Lord Darth Vader (formerly Kenobi's pupil, Anakin Skywalker). In the
novelization of ''Return of the Jedi'', Obi-Wan recounts his battle with Anakin, stating that the latter "fell into a molten pit".
During the pre-production of ''Revenge of the Sith'',
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
was brought in as a "guest director" to make suggestions to the art designers for the duel scene. He suggested that Anakin and Obi-Wan should be "dripping sweat" and that "their hair at some point should be smoking", which Lucas loved. While the film was in production,
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
erupted in Italy. Camera crews were sent to the location to shoot several angles of the volcano that were later spliced into the background of the film; 910 artists created 49 seconds of footage for the duel over 70,441 man hours.
[''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' DVD documentary ''Within a Minute'' 005]
In the anthology film ''Rogue One'', Vader is depicted as having his personal headquarters on Mustafar. In creating the design for Vader's fortress, the film's developers drew inspiration from a
Ralph McQuarrie
Ralph Angus McQuarrie (; June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, the film '' ...
concept painting from the original trilogy depicting
the Emperor enthroned over a lava lake.
Appearances
In ''Revenge of the Sith'', following
Count Dooku
Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith, Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Count Dooku, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. One of the main antagonists of the St ...
's death,
Darth Sidious
Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) ...
orders
General Grievous
General Grievous is a character and antagonist in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Grievous was introduced in the 2003 animated series '' Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (voiced by John DiMaggio in the second season and Richard McGo ...
to send the remaining Separatist leaders into hiding on Mustafar. They remain there during the final days of the
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to:
Star Wars Film and television
* ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy
* ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
, until Sidious, having achieved his goal of transforming the
Galactic Republic
The Galactic Republic, often referred to as simply the Republic, is a fictional galactic polity depicted in the ''Star Wars'' universe, where it existed prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The Republic is most prominently por ...
into the
Galactic Empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
and put an end to the war, orders his new apprentice, Darth Vader, to assassinate them. Shortly after the Separatist leaders' deaths, Vader is confronted by his former mentor,
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, with whom he engages in a fierce lightsaber duel. Their battle ends with Vader being permanently scarred and left to die on the banks of a volcano on the planet, until Sidious rescues him and places him in a cybernetic suit to keep him alive.
In ''Rogue One'', it is revealed that Vader has built a fortress on Mustafar, which serves as his personal headquarters during the reign of the Empire. The fortress makes a brief appearance in the film, during Vader's meeting with Director
Orson Krennic
Director Orson Callan Krennic is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed by Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn in the 2016 film ''Rogue One'' as the main antagonist. Krennic is the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for t ...
.
In ''
The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production ...
'', set over three decades later, Vader's grandson,
Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared as the main antagonist of ''The Force Awakens (2015)'', in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his role in the sequel films '' Star Wars: The ...
, retrieves a
Sith wayfinder from the ruins of Vader's castle. The setting is not made explicit in the film itself, as it looks different from its earlier appearances. This change is explained in the VR game series ''
Vader Immortal'', which reveals that the planet was originally lush and forested, before becoming volcanic and almost lifeless during an ancient battle. During the events of the game, the
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
restores Mustafar to its original state, but the planet will take several centuries to be completely healed. By the time of ''The Rise of Skywalker'', only a few changes have occurred, such as the appearance of iron trees.
Mustafar also makes brief appearances in the animated television series ''
The Clone Wars'' and ''
Rebels''.
In the spin-off comics ''Tales from Vader's Castle'' (2018) and ''Return to Vader's Castle'' (2019), published by
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
, the Sith Lord's fortress serves as the location for a Halloween-themed anthology series of horror stories.
While largely lifeless, the planet hosts a few native species, known as
Mustafarians.
See also
*
List of ''Star Wars'' planets and moons
References
External links
*
*
{{Star Wars universe, state=collapsed
Star Wars planets
Fictional terrestrial planets