5 Star Wars Planets That We Wish Were Real

With Elon Musk this past weekend reiterating his desire to help humanity become a ‘mult-planetary spacefaring civilization’ on SNL, and a recent article from the folks over at BetWay posing the age-old question of which Star Wars planet is the best to live on, here at Movie Marker HQ (which is not merely whichever room our writers happen to find themselves in with a WiFi connection – pfft!) we’ve been thinking about which worlds from that galaxy far, far away we wish were real. So, here’s five planets we wish existed for real and the reasons why we would happily hop on the next X-Wing outta here to visit them.

1. Tatooine

The place where it all began for Star Wars, and the place where it all began for farmboy turned Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, Tatooine’s appeal comes from its grounding in our own world and its flirtation with a planet of pure fantasy. The Tunisian desert was used to conjure the desert homeworld of Luke, his aunt Beru, and uncle Owen, with its endless horizon and desolate landscape acting as the perfect starting point for a hero’s journey. For us though, it’s the allure of the planet’s binary sunset, the sight of the Krayt Dragon’s legendary remains, and the prospect of going rogue and visiting the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Mos Eisley, chugging blue milk at the Cantina while avoiding Ponda Baba and Dr Evazan, that has us wishing we could go there for real.

2. Naboo

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace didn’t give fans an awful lot to marvel at truth be told, but most agree that the way the film opened up the Star Wars universe on the big screen was a genuine joy. And, of the new planets Ep. I gave us, Naboo was surely the greatest. On the surface, an opulent cosmopolis awaits, with great waterfalls, luscious meadows, and ornate architecture representing a utopian idyll of what the Republic strove for. Beneath sea-level however is where the magic happens –  the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga is just breathtaking. A shining array of pearlescent, biome-like bubbles, the Gungan city is like nothing we have here on old planet Earth but is so well designed it feels like you could go. The folks at BetWay ranked Naboo number one in their list of best planets to live on – we just wish it was real!

3. Ahch-To

It’s all well and good to wish a sprawling city or a twin-sun desert world were real, but for the introverted isolation lovers out there (cf; me), the prospect of heading to the Unknown Regions and actually being able to visit the Jedi Order’s origin world of Ahch-To is a giddying one indeed. Like Tatooine, Ahch-To draws great appeal from its tangibility and real-world roots. Where Tatooine came courtesy of the Tunisian desert however, we can thank Ireland’s singularly stunning Skellig Michael for Ahch-To, a sea-covered world with rocky islands that stand out like cairns marking weary travellers’ way forwards. A place of immense spirituality, home only to the odd Porg and caretaking Lanaian but undisturbed by-and-large by people, if Ahch-To was real it would take the idea of an island getaway to a whole new level.

4. (Forest Moon of) Endor

Depending on whether you can’t get enough of the Ewoks or if your idea of a good time would be an Ewok roast dinner, the Forest Moon of Endor (bending the rules a little here, even though the most diehard of fans still see it as a planet) deserves a place on this list. With its luscious greenery, Redwood-dwarfing trees, and ingenious treetop village system, the homeworld of the Ewoks is not only beautiful, but also sustainable and very eco-conscious. Imagine roasting a trout over the campfire, chowing down on a few dangleberries, and taking in the serenity of your surroundings as you quietly hope Force Ghost Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda make an appearance. Bliss. And if the little teddy bears make a scene? More meat for the fire.

5. Sorgan

Featured in Season Two of The Mandalorian, the forested swamp planet Sorgan is lovingly referred to by Mando as a ‘backwater skughole’. In actuality though, when you forget the Klatooinian raider kerfuffles its played host to, there’s something quite alluring in its offering of a simple life in the Outer Rim, far away from the hustle and bustle of the galaxy’s biggest worlds. With its rustic hut domiciles, adorable little frogs, and strong sense of community, half an hour on our screens was more than enough to make Sorgan feel like a place with stories in its roots and a place well worthy of a place in our hearts. Heat us a Spotchka and we’ll be right over Sorgan… if only you were real.