Despite opinion dividing sharply over the most recent three films in the saga, there’s seldom been a better time to be a Star Wars fan thanks to the advent of Disney+ which is currently showering fans with a host of shows set in that far, far away galaxy.
As well as The Mandalorian – which ended its second run with a fan-pleasing return for a major original trilogy character – the service is currently streaming the new animated series The Bad Batch, as well as offering all eleven live-action films in glorious 4K.
As if that wasn’t enough, filming has been underway on three further series which will see the return of familiar faces from the saga’s past – The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi which sees Ewan McGregor reprise his prequel trilogy role of Obi-Wan opposite Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.
The last of these shows will presumably return us at least temporarily to the desert planet of Tatooine where we first met Obi-Wan back in 1977 when he was played by Sir Alec Guinness. Tatooine is also where McGregor’s younger version of the character was last seen at the end of Revenge of the Sith delivering the infant Luke Skywalker to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.
For some fans that sequence feels like a bit of a continuity blunder – when Revenge was released in 2005, McGregor was 34 years old and his Obi-Wan was still a tough, energetic fighter while Uncle Owen’s description of Obi-Wan as a “crazy old man” in Star Wars: A New Hope is a clear nod to the fact Guinness was in his 60s when that film was made.
Given there can only be a maximum 19 years between the two films, our Jedi master seems to age at an alarmingly bad rate.
In a recent discussion with Betway casino, about the saga’s most famous planets, Matt Hudson – co-host of the Star Wars Sessions podcast – suggests this very visible ageing could be down to Tatooine’s twin suns.
Describing the planet as offering a hard “but immensely satisfying” life provided you’re careful in the local cantinas where an ill-considered glance can quickly get you killed, he noted: “you have to have tough skin, both literally and figuratively, to withstand the weather and also the locals.”
Of course, while Tatooine’s a bit on the warm side, it’s infinitely preferable to a trip to Mustafar, the lava planet where Obi-Wan fought Anakin towards Revenge’s conclusion.
Here, as Hudson noted, the local tourist spots seem limited to Darth Vader’s castle and if the Sith Lord is at home when you go visiting, “you’re dead”.
So both Anakin’s planet of birth and his adopted home world rate pretty low in the planets to consider visiting – at least for any length of time.
Instead Hudson suggests visiting Naboo where its “beautiful scenery” including “the countryside, the meadows, the lakes, the waterfalls, the animals,” will make a splendid backdrop for your trip.
For a full rundown of Hudson’s thoughts on the worlds of Star Wars visit Betway Insider.
