5 Interesting Facts About Yavin 4

Though it only got a small amount of screen time in the very first film, Yavin 4 has a storied history within the Star Wars universe. Its misty jungle canopy inspired several critical moments in our favorite galaxy, so whether you're hunting rebels or just planning a sightseeing trip, check out our five interesting facts about Yavin 4 below.

1. Before The Rebellion, Yavin 4 Was Home To The Massassi.

Thousands of years before the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the moon of Yavin 4 was inhabited by a species known as the Massassi. They lived deep in the jungles and rainforests that dominated the moon's surface, and they constructed massive stone temples that could barely be seen from orbit due to the thick forest canopy.

RELATED: 'Tales Of The Jedi' Trailer Breakdown

However, they were also a slave race of the Sith. While the canon history only goes that far, Legends describes the Massassi as a sub-race of the Sith, native to Korriban and having dark red skin and large, glowing yellow eyes. They relocated to Yavin 4 under the command of Exar Kun, who used Sith alchemy to make subsequent generations into hulking brutes.

The Massassi then continued to serve the Sith, building the many temples on the planet at the orders of Exar Kun. However, when Ulic Qel-Droma betrayed Exar Kun, he ultimately wiped out the entire species. Their spirits were then trapped in their temples.

2. The Great Temple Served As The Rebellion's Headquarters For The War's Most Important Missions.

About five thousand years after its construction, the Great Temple was once again occupied. This time, however, it was by the Rebel Alliance. Dubbed "Base One," General Jan Dodonna established his rebel cell, the Massassi Group on the planet and converted the temple into its home base. Sometime later, after the Declaration of the Rebel Alliance, Mon Mothma relocated Alliance headquarters to Yavin 4.

The temple underwent significant renovation as the Alliance brought it up to their standards. They reinforced the structure with seamed metal and ferrocrete, drilled new chambers into the existing stone blocks, and added turbolifts that led to subterranean spaces, including survival shelters in case of orbital bombardment. Once finished, Base One held thousands of soldiers, sixty starfighters, and two GR-75 transports, with dozens of rebel cells calling the facility home.

It was from here that two critical missions were launched. The first was the Battle of Scarif, where the plans for the Death Star were stolen from the Empire, its first major defeat at the hands of the Alliance. The second was the Battle of Yavin, which saw the Death Star's destruction. These two actions set the pace for the rest of the Galactic Civil War, though the rebels wouldn't remain on Yavin 4.

3. The Evacuation Could Have Gone Two Different Ways.

What follows next is different depending on whether you're following canon or Legends.

Canonically, the Alliance made the decision for a hasty withdrawal following the Death Star's destruction. The medallions were barely around Han Solo and Luke Skywalker's necks when the rebels packed up and left, slipping out before the Empire could counterattack. While a single Imperial-class Star Destroyer arrived during the evacuation, it was infiltrated by Evaan Verlaine, a rebel pilot, and its attack was thwarted.

Legends, however, tells a different story. The Empire responded swiftly by blockading the Yavin system and laying siege to the Alliance's position in order to force a surrender and capture the rebellion's leaders. However, thanks to some quick maneuvering and destroying the Great Temple in order to wipe out a fleet of TIE bombers, the Alliance was able to break out of the blockade and escape.

4. Yavin 4 Was The Site Of Many Significant Legends Events.

As we mentioned earlier, the Sith colonized Yavin 4 in the Legends continuity, directing the Massassi to build their temples before they were ultimately wiped out. But that's just the beginning of the moon's history in the older timeline.

The Jedi at one point assaulted Yavin 4, which by then was a Sith stronghold. After eliminating their enemies, the Jedi built an underground city there intended to repair the damage to the moon that the Jedi had inflicted. Thousands of years later, a certain boy named Ken, the so-called "Jedi prince," was secreted away to what was now known as the Lost City of the Jedi. During the Galactic War (the subject of Star Wars: The Old Republic video game), Yavin 4 served as a base for the Order of Revan as they attempted to restore the Sith Emperor to life.

In the years before the Empire, Yavin 4 received few visitors. The gas giant of Yavin became the center of a short-lived corusca gem rush. A fuzzy little Jedi Master attempted to break an ancient curse in one of the Massassi temples. Most notably, Asajj Ventress lured Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker there for their first duel.

But the fate of Yavin 4 after the Galactic Civil War differs wildly between Legends and canon. In Legends, Luke Skywalker eventually returned to the moon in order to establish the Jedi Praxeum, the heart of his New Jedi Order. The Praxeum was eventually destroyed during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and Skywalker decided against rebuilding it.

In canon, post-war Yavin 4 was a much quieter place, with a colony established by the New Republic that was largely peaceful. In fact, said colony was the birthplace of one of the greatest heroes of the next generation...

5. Yavin 4 Is the homeworld of Poe Dameron—because of Oscar Isaac.

Poe Dameron was born to Shara Bey and Kes Dameron and eventually settled in Wetyin's Colony on Yavin 4. Their homestead was located next to a koyo grove, and the Damerons planted a fragment of the Great Tree of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, a gift given to Shara by Luke Skywalker. Poe grew up in the shade of that tree until he later decided to run away from home and join a group of spice runners, then later the New Republic and the Resistance.

Of course, more interesting than that story is how it came to be: when filming A New Hope, the ruins of an ancient Mayan city at Tikal, Guatemala served as the location of Yavin 4. Poe's actor, Oscar Isaac, is himself Guatemalan and was introduced to the Star Wars films by his uncle. During the production of The Force Awakens, Isaac suggested to director J.J. Abrams that Poe could be from Yavin 4. The idea had so much appeal to Abrams that he incorporated it into Poe's backstory.

To make this anecdote even better, when Isaac brough his uncle to visit the set of The Force Awakens, Abrams agreed to put him in the background of the movie.

READ NEXT: Star Wars: 10 Lines Worse Than 'I Don't Like Sand'

Written By: James Taber

Sources: Wookieepedia, Business Insider

Syndicated From: Culture Slate

Join The Team