Like many backwater planets forgotten by the rest of the galaxy, Jakku only gained prominence by its connection to a powerful Force user – or did it? The desert planet is known for being the homeworld of Rey, a scavenger-turned-Jedi who led the Resistance to victory against the First Order in the Sequel Trilogy, but there’s more to it than sand and junk.
Die-hard fans know that prior to its involvement with Rey, Jakku had a long history with the Force, housed secret Imperial research facilities, and even became the birthplace of Emperor Palpatine’s Contingency plan.
The Battle Of Jakku Actually Ended The Empire
While casual Star Wars fans might think the Empire ended when the second Death Star was destroyed at the Battle of Endor, die-hard fans know that the decisive battle that ended Emperor Palpatine’s reign of tyranny was actually the Battle of Jakku over a year later, in 5 ABY.
Downed Star Destroyers, like the one Rey explores in Star Wars: The Force Awakens could be found everywhere on Jakku, leading to a scrap renaissance in the region for the wreckage.
The Emperor Wanted To Blow It Up First
Despite its barren appearance, the life essence in Jakku’s core once attracted Emperor Palpatine who, decades before the Battle of Yavin, believed he could use it to detonate the planet and thereby destroy the last vestiges of the Empire in the event of his death. This would become known as the Contingency, and it would involve the creation of the Jakku Observatory on Plaintive Hand plateau, and the deposit of Palpatine’s collection of Sith relics.
The Aftermath trilogy (novels that expand on the Star Wars movies) explains Palpatine nearly succeeded with his plan, but tensions between a protege from Jakku, Gallius Rax, and Grand Admiral Sloane, prevented Jakku’s destruction.
Jakku Was Once Covered With Water & Forests
Jakku might look like a backwater world but it’s actually in the Inner Rim, and was once known to be a lush world full of forests and water until the ravages of time and various environmental calamities turned it into a scorched shell of its former grandeur. Vegetation remains scarce but does include spine barrels and night bloomers.
According to both Rey’s Survival Guide and Star Wars: Complete Locations, the inhabitants of Jakku turned to scavenging and mining out of necessity when the planet became less hospitable, using luggabeasts to haul their finds, and occasionally lifting their spirits with the Wheel Races.
The Locals Make A Strong Moonshine
There’s not much to do on Jakku other than hunt for scrap, participate in the Wheel Races, or brew Knockback Nectar, a local favorite and strong alcoholic beverage. This moonshine, created by scraping the lichen off of the southern buttes, packs a powerful punch and helps drown traders’ sorrows after a bad payday at Niima Outpost.
While not as fine as Alderaanian Ale or some of the fine wines on Coruscant, according to Corwin Ballast it’s a hearty beverage not for the faint of heart. Brined in old fuel barrels and served in an oil can with a spongey head, it’s been known to make a spacer’s teeth buzz, their gums go numb, and possibly even make a space slug drunk.
It Shares Some Similarities With Dune
Like Arakis, the desert planet made famous by the movie Dune, Jakku boasts several inhabitants that have managed to make a life for themselves despite its inhospitable environment. The reptilian Teedo, telepathic creatures from the Western Reaches who scavenge for junk, wear something similar to the stillsuit worn on Arakis by Paul Atreides that filters their own bodily fluids into potable water.
And like Paul on Arakis, Rey needed to be careful about worms that dwelled beneath the sand. Called nightwatcher worms, they could reach 20 meters in length, and fed on scrap metal (and anything else they could find). Their triangular-shaped head and glowing eyes would pop up from the dunes, concealing the much larger body below.
The Force Was Worshipped On Jakku
Not every resident on Jakku was a scavenger or a smuggler trying to escape a turbulent past. Some inhabitants, like the villagers of Tuanul, worshipped the Church of the Force, an underground faith that hid from the Empire and pledged itself to the Jedi.
Lor San Tekka, an ally of the Resistance, led a group of Jedi worshippers after helping Jedi Master Luke Skywalker recover various Jedi artifacts and holocrons that the Empire endeavored to erase after Palpatine’s ascendency. They often refused to use modern technology in favor of an ascetic lifestyle that brought them closer to nature and thus, the Force.
It Was Also Home To The Anchorite Sect
Along with followers of the Church of the Jedi, Jakku was home to Anchorites, hermits who aligned themselves with the light side of the Force and swore allegiance to the Jedi over 1,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. In later years, their tenants emphasized suffering as a constant tempering guide in life, even though according to Master Yoda, suffering was brought on by fear, hate, and anger, all of which formed a path to the dark side.
Die-hard Star Wars fans will remember seeing anchorites in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but their sect is discussed in further detail in the Aftermath novels, where they’re responsible for raising orphaned children as slaves, one of whom (Gallius Rax) grows up to be the powerful protege of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine.
Niima Outpost Wasn’t The Only Settlement
Rey often took her wares to Niima Outpost (named after Niima the Hutt), the biggest settlement on Jakku, hoping to trade them for rations or other usable items. Not as bustling as Mos Espa, with many more tents instead of structures, the outpost provided a refuge for smugglers or anyone looking to escape trouble.
Aside from Niima Outpost (which had its own militia), Tuanal, Cratertown, and Reestkii made up lesser-known settlements, with trading happening between them to keep the scavenger economy booming.
Jakku Had A Secret Research Facility Devoted To The Unknown Regions
In addition to the Jakku Observatory built by Emperor Palpatine, Jakku was also home to an Imperial research base that charted the Unknown Regions thanks to the information provided by Grand Admiral Thrawn, a terrifying Imperial officer with an intimate knowledge of their vast expanses.
With Thrawn’s help and intelligence gathered by Gallius Rax and others under Palpatine’s command, Jakku became the jumping-off point from which Imperial warships could head into the Unknown Regions in search of planets like Exegol and the origins of the dark side. After the Battle of Jakku, the research facility was protected by guards known as the “Dead Enders,” mentally insane individuals who were seen shuffling around its entrance in old Imperial armor.
It Looks Like Tatooine On Purpose
While originally designed to be a “junk planet” entirely made out of the wreckage of ships and debris from previous Star Wars films, it was given a very Tatooine-like look instead. According to Sideshow, unused designs from concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, who worked on the Original Trilogy, were used to create its exterior.
The real inspiration for Jakku was not Tunisia, however, as had been used as the filming location for Tatooine, but rather the Rub al Khali desert, the topography of which gives its sand dunes and bluffs a distinctly different look.
