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Welcome back, Rebelscum fans! This week on the site we’ve been looking at the planet of Mustafar that’s spotlighted in the climax of Revenge of the Sith. Make sure to check out our “Expand Your Mind” article first to read all about the sequence’s importance within the franchise, but stay tuned throughout the week for more articles, insights, videos, and information about the most essential merchandising content that collectors will want to be looking out for.
If the line “you were my brother, Anakin, I loved you…” doesn’t get you a little emotional, then you might need to check your pulse. The prequel trilogy reached its conclusion in the epic battle of Mustafar duel, and Anakin’s fiery fate finally forced him to don the iconic black armor of Darth Vader. Mustafar was the perfect location for one of the darkest moments in the series. Here are our Force Facts of the week about the birthplace of Darth Vader.
Anakin shuts off the droid army when he wipes out the Sepratist Council. In the LEGO Star Wars video game, the clones and droids team up during the switch during the Kashyyyk level. Players of Yoda and Chewbacca have to elude both the Republic and Separatist armies.
The original 2005 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel LEGO set featured a first for the brand: Anakin and Obi-Wan both have light up electronic lightsabers.
Palpatine’s exploration of Mustafar was introduced in season three of Star Wars: The Clone Wars when Darth Sidious plans to bring Force sensitive children to the planet for training. Anakin and Ahsoka must rescue the infants kidnapped by Cad Bane in the episode “Children of the Force.”
Mustafar popped up again on The Clone Wars in season five. Darth Maul, Savage Opress, and their new allies Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch recruit the Black Sun leaders to join their growing alliance of criminal organizations based on Mandalore.
Despite the incredible visual effects that are seen during the Mustafar duel, Revenge of the Sith was the first (and to date, the only) live action Star Wars film not to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. Anakin’s graphic transformation did earn the film a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, but it lost to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
When Vader is revealed on Mustafar in Rogue One, it was the rare time that James Earl Jones returned to voice the character after the original trilogy. He had only appeared in The Star Wars Holiday Special, Star Tours, Rebels, and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga previously.
Some of Ralph McQuarrie’s early concept art for what would become Mustafar was first designed as a version of the Emperor’s palace for Return of the Jedi way back in 1983. Lucas’ long time friend in the industry Steven Spielberg helped during some of the production on the Mustafar battle as a favor. Spielberg used the same pre-visualization process in his film War of the Worlds, which was released the same summer as Revenge of the Sith.
A deleted scene from The Rise of Skywalker features General Hux and Richard E. Grant’s character Pryde join Kylo Ren on Mustafar. It was meant to help set the stage for Hux’s big reveal that he was secretly a Resistance mole.
An early template for what would become Mustafar was featured in the young adult Expanded Universe novel Junior Jedi Knights - Vader’s Fortress way back in 1997. In the book a young Anakin Solo visits a mysterious castle on a lava planet that served as his grandfather’s lair, but the mysterious world is referred to as Vjun.
What do you think, Rebelscum fans? Is Mustafar one of your favorite Star Wars planets? What are some of your own Force Facts? Let us know in the forums, and as always, may the Force be with you!
