Hello everyone, I recently decided to go and do a deep dive into some of the most iconic locations in SW and explain some of the meaning behind them and where they originate. These locations are used to subtly invoke various thoughts, feelings, and themes through visual means. As you could've guessed from the title of this post, I'm going to start with probably some of the most recognizable iconography throughout the saga first. So, I would be honored if you would join me as we delve straight into the pits of hell, from crude machinery to the literal plumes of fire & ash.

Prelude: Before we begin, I would like to show you one of the primary sources that almost all of these places share similarities with or pay homage to. That source is the famous painting by John Martin called Pandemonium created in 1841 inspired by the 1667 book Paradise Lost and now hangs in the Louvre Museum in France.

Here we see the mythical creation of Hell as the recently fallen angel Lucifer, renamed Satan, looks over his newly created palace built in an hour. Dressed as a Greek warrior (presumed to be Achillies), he peers over the vast plane of volcanic rivers & ashen wasteland to where his army of demons stand at attention. Barely piercing through the plumes of smoke you can see lightning attempting to strike, that even the power of heaven cannot pass fully into the forsaken realm. With these images in mind, certain patterns shall appear. Now without further delay, we shall begin;

1) Geonosis: This planet is perhaps one of the more prominent locations on this list, but it is a fine example compared to what we learned looking at Pandemonium. On the surface, the crude Geonosian spires reach the sky above the arid canyons and sharp crevices. Only the insectoid species of the Geonosians could be comfortable in a place like this as it would be forboding and unwelcoming to many.

Under the surface, we see the droid factories where the sparks of machines are tireless constructing various tools of war and where our heroes, Padme & Anakin, are captured by the enemy.

The Geonosian colosseum is where our heroes are forced to fight in a pit against ferocious monsters. The rest of the Jedi Order follow as they descend into the arena, thus resulting in the opening battle of the Clone Wars pushing the galaxy further into chaos and furthering Palpatine's ascent to complete domination. And it's from here that the plans for the ultimate weapon, later known as the Death Star originate.

2) Bespin/Cloud City: This location is a bit of a two-sided coin as our heroes approach a literal city in the sky decorated with hallways clad with white, reflecting the sunlight throughout the entire structure.

Once they are betrayed by Lando, as George Lucas once said, "Our heroes think that they are safe in heaven only to find themselves in hell..." the security and placidness of Cloud City now turn into a hellish nightmare. Hidden behind closed doors is the carbon freezing chamber, where heavy machinery and clouds of exhaust obfuscate the audience's vision. The menacing red light coming from below is the only light source in the room as Leia, Chewbacca, & C3-P0 helplessly watch Han frozen in carbonite as the villains callously observe off to the side.

But it doesn't end there, during the duel between Luke and Vader Luke is led away from the carbon-freezing chamber and onto a catwalk overlooking a pit-like air shaft. After a cruel revelation and being tempted to join the dark side, Luke escapes the oppressive environment and falls back into the safety of his friends.

3) Utapau: This is one of the more subtle/atypical of the locations we've seen so far, but like Bespin, there is more going on beyond the surface. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much going on for the planet, the vast open plains almost make the place look naturally benign. It is only when we explore the sinkholes that dote across Utapau's surface we see some more nefarious implications.

When Obi-Wan lands in the search for Grievous, he is met by a group of local Pau'ans that tell Kenobi that Grievous is on the "tenth level" where Grievous, his army, and the Separatist leaders congregate. This information is important, for in the mythical story of Dante Alighieri's Inferno the pits of hell are divided into nine rings, with the final and deepest ring reserved for traitors, betrayers, and oathbreakers.

Once Kenobi chases and finally defeats Grievous, he is betrayed by Cody and 212th as Order 66 is issued, and where Kenobi falls all the way to the bottom barely escaping with his life.

4) Mustafar: Saving the best and most obvious location for last is the planet Mustafar. The planet's surface is almost completely covered in lava and ash as distant volcanoes violently erupt in the distance, but the mining facility and its machines continue unbothered.

Here the fallen hero Anakin Skywalker continues his murderous rampage against the Separatist leaders, who are the final victims of Palpatine's ultimate betrayal. While awaiting further instructions, Anakin reflects as he observes the lava flow, shedding a tear for the man he used to be and what had led him to get to this point. Despite the pleas from Padme and the verbal confrontation of Obi-Wan, it is far too late for Anakin to turn back as he has embraced his new power-mad state of the dark side and attacks his former master in a blind rage. After leaving almost the entire mining facility in ruins, does the epic duel end on the ashen bank of a lava river where Anakin's fatal mistake and pride nearly kill him.

Here Anakin is maimed, scarred, burned, and left for dead as the ultimate price for his crimes, but his pain has only just begun. From the ashes of Anakin Skywalker, raises the specter of Darth Vader, a hollow tormented soul artificially given life to serve for eternity.

Bonus) Korriban/Moraband: Although not seen in the films the planet of origin for the Sith still borrows similarities from the places we've explored above.

The inhospitable sands of Korriban reveal some of the cruelest landscapes. The large pyramids, lavish tombs, and imposing statues built by slaves still stand menacingly tall as reminders of the once great and terrible Sith Empire.

Structures that still bring bone-chilling fear to those that look upon them and the pained cries of the restless spirits of ancient Sith Lords long past can still be heard across the winds.

Of course, these are just one of many facets & patterns that are present throughout the entire Star Wars saga and there are many more things that were not mentioned in this post that could be applied. Thank you for reading, I hope you've learned something from this post and I will be working on part 2 some time in the future. May the Force be with you, always.