Mustafar
Encyclopedia
| Distance from Core | 53,000 Light Years |
|---|---|
| Region | Outer Rim Territories |
| Oversector | Oversector Outer |
| Sector | Atravis sector |
| System | Mustafar system |
| Number of suns | 2 |
| Population | 20,000 |
| Surface water | None |
| Affiliation | CIS, Galactic Empire Galactic Empire (Star Wars) The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars... |
Mustafar is a fictional planet in the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. It is depicted in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
.
The planet is covered by hundreds of volcanic caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
, most of which are in a state of constant eruption. The volcanic activity is caused by gravitational stresses on the planet created by the two gas giants that affect its orbit (similar to Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
's Galilean moons
Galilean moons
The Galilean moons are the four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610. They are the largest of the many moons of Jupiter and derive their names from the lovers of Zeus: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede, Europa and Io participate in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance...
). An automated energy and mineral collection facility on the planet is used by the Separatist Council as their last headquarters.
History
Despite its hellish conditions, Mustafar has developed native lifeforms. A sentient race known as Mustafarians developed in the cooler hollows of the planet. They are divided into two subspecies: the tall, thin Northern Mustafarians (led by the enigmatic "Maverick Main") and the shorter, hardier Southern Mustafarians (aka "The Mustafar Rats"). The Techno Union took an interest in the planet and the mineral-rich molten rivers covering its surface, and employed the Mustafarians to mine these minerals. The Mustafarians made use of native "lava fleas," as well as the Techno Union's technology that gave them further protection from the heat. The natives had little interest in outworld politics and were content to work on their homeworld. As revealed in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II, Mustafar was destroyed by the Empire to prevent the production of a new droid army some time between the Clone WarsClone Wars (Star Wars)
The Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given , and the wars themselves are not featured until the series' fifth and sixth...
and the rebellion. Which contradicts the sequel Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is a spin-off from the Star Wars Battlefront series released November 3, 2009 on the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. It has been called the sequel to Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.-Plot:...
when X1 and X2 have their final duel there sometime after the Battle of Endor.
Confederate World
As a planet controlled by the Techno Union, Mustafar was a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but remained largely untouched by the Clone Wars. As the war progressed, Count DookuCount Dooku
Count Dooku is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe. Dooku is one of the main antagonists of both Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the events of the Clone Wars and is a supporting villain in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Count Dooku plays a substantial role...
and the Separatist Council saw fit to build a fortified stronghold on Mustafar to be used in the event that the war against the Galactic Republic did not go well. The Techno Union, the Commerce Guild and the Trade Federation
Trade Federation
The Trade Federation is a fictional organization in the Star Wars universe at the time of the Galactic Republic. It appears in the franchise's three prequel movies and the Star Wars Expanded Universe...
funded the costly fortress, which was designed to be able to withstand any prolonged assault. Mustafar's terrain and environment made it difficult enough to reach the bunker, but it was designed so that even if enemies could negotiate the terrain, they would be unable to take the fortress. Tractor beam and ray shield technology protected it from the lava rivers and its interior chambers were climate-controlled. This bunker was the setting for the duel between Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several primary characters in the Star Wars series. Along with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in all six Star Wars films...
.
Confrontation
During the course of the fight, Kenobi slices off the lower half of Vader's legs and his left arm. Vader falls near the shore of a river of lava, where his robes catch fire, burning off most of his skin and hair and damaging his lungs. It is these wounds that force him to wear the black life-support suit in which he appears in the original Star Wars films.
Expanded Universe
Mustafar appears in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II. In the game, Gizor Delzo, a Geonosian who was in complete denial of the separatist Geonosian leader Archduke Poggle the Lesser being killed and still with the idea that the Clone Wars were occurring, planned to start another attack on the "Clone Army". He reactivates a droid factory and begins creating a new droid army. He acquires engineering drawings for a new, superior battle droid, but his plans to use these droids are foiled when Vader's 501st Legion destroys the factory. After the level is over, a cutscene tells that the Empire destroyed Mustafar to eliminate the threat of the creation of another droid army by Gizor Delso. It also appears in the game Star Wars: Empire at WarStar Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War is a 2006 real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph Games and published by LucasArts. Set between Episode III and Episode IV, it focuses on the fledgling struggle between the Empire and the Rebels. It uses Petroglyph's game engine Alamo. The most recent patch was...
.
Concept and creation
Star Wars creator George LucasGeorge Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
has on multiple occasions used ideas in his films that had been considered but not used in earlier projects. Mustafar originated from rough drafts of the script for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
, which describe a similar world for the setting of the final battle between Vader and Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
. The novelization of Return of the Jedi mentions that the duel between Obi-Wan and Vader which led to Vader's terrible injuries happened very close to a "molten pit," in which Vader had fallen after losing to Obi-Wan.
The name Mustafar derives from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word "Mustafa
Mustafa
Mustafa is the primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, . The name is an epithet of Muhammad that means, Chosen One. It is a very common male given name, throughout the Muslim world.-Mostafa:...
", which translates as "the chosen one." However, also compare with Muspelheim
Muspelheim
In Norse mythology, Muspelheim , also called Múspell, is a realm of fire. This realm is one of the Nine Worlds and it is home to the fire jötunn or the Sons of Muspell, and Surtr, their ruler. It is fire; and the land to the North, Niflheim, is ice...
, the mythical Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
realm of fire.
On screen, the Mustafar scenes were realized through a combination of film of Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
, models and computer generated effects. One effect used was backlit methyl cellulose. Ultra-powerful lights from the bottom of the "lava" flow produced the glow of the molten rock.
Mustafar was originally designed to look like Lucas' vision of hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and drew heavy inspiration from Jupiter's volcanic moon Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
.