Hello all, I apologize for the delay, but I have finished the final part of this analysis series. The last two parts of the series were about planets/places that represented or bore qualities associated with either Heaven or Hell. This post will be examining the planets/places that don't bear qualities of either side of the mythical dichotomy within the SW universe and how they relate to other parts of the mythology. No art history lesson for the beginning of this post (little film history though, so you are not getting out of learning something this time). So, join me as we look at the middling planes of existence that SW has to offer.

1) Tatooine: It might have surprised some that Tatooine did not make an appearance in the earlier posts of this series, despite it being an iconic location having made an appearance in five out of six films in the saga. The reason for this is that I believe that Tatooine represents purgatory, at least in some minor sense. For those uninitiated Purgatory is a place in the Christian (mainly catholic) afterlife commonly believed to be neither Heaven nor Hell. It is a place where sinners who either were not baptized by the church or had accepted the word of God are sent to pay penance for their minor sins on earth and eventually work off their sin to get into heaven.

The reason Tatooine is purgatory in my mind is that Tatooine is heavily based on the 1942 film Casablanca where refugees fleeing the Nazi invasion of Europe congregate, waiting for passage to salvation in the United States. On a similar note, we also learn that Tatooine is where Obi-Wan Kenobi pays penance for his failure in teaching Anakin Skywalker that he watches over Anakin's son, Luke, in the prospect of a second chance for new hope to bring balance to the galaxy.

Other than that Tatooine is this cruel irony in the grand scheme of the saga as the planet itself is a backwater fringe world that also happens to be the stage for some of the most important events in the SW galaxy. This aspect plays into the origin of Anakin Skywalker since his story resembles the classic messianic tale of the virgin birth, similar to Jesus Christ, Anakin originates in a location that closely resembles ancient Nazareth not only in climate but in reputation as well.

Showing how Anakin is a boy born into a "neutral" world, one that is a far cry from paradise but still isn't deprived of all goodness like Hell (greedy perhaps, but not wholly evil), helps show how Anakin's fate is undetermined when we first see him in TMP.

2) Kamino: When we first see this planet in AOTC is shrouded in mystery, as Obi-Wan continues his investigation and after flying the rain clouds that constantly obfuscate Kamino's surface he is greeted by Tipoca city.

This planet quite possibly represents Limbo, a place in Christian mythology where children who die at birth or young age and aren't baptized go since they haven't committed any sin other than being born into already sinful humanity. The reason I believe Kamino represents Limbo is because it is the origin of the Clone Army of the Republic, children who are artificially created and therefore lack connection to the living force.

With its stark white interiors and aloof residents, it's hard to imagine anyone living there and having a "natural" well-rounded life. Kamino's surface also reflects the theme of creating life, for as we all know that biological life begins from water (a common occurrence in origin mythologies across the world), so the entire planet being one large ocean supports this theme.

3) Death Star: Though not technically a planet, it remains a very important symbol both within and outside of SW. The Death Star is quite possibly the greatest haven for evil and can be debated to be even worse than hell itself in some respects. This makes the Death Star qualify for what is known as the Void, a place devoid of natural life as its sole purpose is to bring ultimate destruction through complete and total annihilation of entire planets. Even Hell has some sort of life and activity; erupting volcanoes, firey pits, demons, and the souls of sinners take residence there, but in the Void, everything is uneventful, stagnant, and unchanging.

We see this as imperial officers and stormtroopers casually walk to and from locations within the great space station like mindless machines going about their day surrounded by seemingly unending halls of sterile black and grey (in contrast/similarity to Kamino's pure white aesthetic).

Though the Death Star may take the form of a small moon it is a vicious mockery of planets that support and create life and all things touched by the living force. The symbology of a complete circle (referenced by Vader in ANH) is often the symbol associated with death in most human cultures as it represents the close of the famed "circle of life" or "wheel of life" seen in Hinduism.

That is why when the Death Star II is under construction the Rebel Alliance hurry to prevent its completion to prevent the great circle from closing again.

4) Coruscant: Sitting within the galactic core of the SW Galaxy, Coruscant represents the very heart of a fledgling democracy. From its towering skyscrapers to the sophisticated Jedi temple the entire planet is completely covered with urban aesthetics akin to major cities like New York or Tokyo.

As we see in AOTC, however, beyond Coruscant's glimmering surface lies a seedy underbelly not too far down in its bowels where shady characters congregate in betting parlors, something that would be more akin to Tatooine rather than a place of supposed prosperity and certainly not a place where the Jedi are to be concentrated. No real mythology connection is here other than the reference to the film Metropolis, it's more of a subtle commentary on political/industrial exploitation commonly seen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It's here on Coruscant in ROTS that when Anakin makes his ultimate decision to dedicate himself to the dark side we see the literal sunset on the Republic and then rise with the Empire.

5) Hoth/Yavin 4: No real snappy title for what these places represent since we don't see these places for very long, but these locations do show how the Rebel Alliance operates compared to the Empire. For Yavin 4 a jungle planet that the rebels use a temple made out of stone as a sanctuary.

This location shows the contrast between the crude machine-like architecture of the Death Star/Empire but also the Rebel Alliance's religious aspect versus the Empire's "atheistic" nature. Hoth is similar, where the rebels try to use the planet's natural temperature to carve out a base within the ice banks.

Another thing about Hoth is how similar it is to locations like Tatooine (just taken to the opposite extreme in terms of climate), where the flat planes of snow and ice lend a kind of neutral landscape. This place allows Luke to perceive the ghost of Obi-Wan, a location that would be ideal for one to commune with the dead in other mythologies.

So there you have it, all planets and locations that are seen in the SW universe and seeing whether they be Heaven, Hell, or somewhere in-between. Hope you learned something as you followed along with this series and can appreciate some of the more subtle/finer details that went into the creation of some of the most iconic locations in science fiction. Hope you enjoyed the final part of this series as it was fun to go into various mythologies/references within the SW universe, and as always, May The Force Be With You.