Wars enthusiasts revel in the thrill of the franchise, but what really gets their engines purring is uncovering hidden connections between iconic films and the vast expanse of the galaxy. While the franchise may share a desire to maintain continuity, its primary focus is not always on ensuring seamless connections between all elements.
Since the release of its planetary landscape, featuring a cluster of mysterious islands, Ahch-To has emerged as another crucial setting in the franchise.
The connection between Crait and Ahch-To seems striking, considering the vast oceans and majestic mountainous outcroppings that characterize both settings; however, location filming for the planet actually took place on the Portuguese island of Madeira, rather than Skellig Michael, the Irish island used in the sequel trilogy. We found that the planet is home to a unique, Porg-like native species known as the Skura, which resemble a fusion of a duck and an anteater in appearance. On a distant planet shrouded in mystery, the specter of darkness lurked, hidden from prying eyes – a place where even the most perceptive Jedi would least expect to find the dark side’s insidious presence.
Despite the longing for community, fans yearn to connect with the universe, as per showrunner Leslye Headland’s insight, the galaxy might be very akin to Ahch-To. “It’s not Ahch-To. When asked about the connection between a coastal setting and feelings of remoteness, Headland recently clarified that “it’s deliberate, it’s purposed to be related – when you’re talking terrain and feeling remote and surrounded by water, with fewer lush green spaces and more rocky areas.” While the notion of cortosis being mined elsewhere suggests exclusivity to this planet, it’s unlikely to be the case for Ahch-To given its unique properties. A rare occurrence of cortosis being found at his house base is one of the justifications for his claim. While we may not explicitly state it, our intention is certainly not to imply the existence of Ahch-To; therefore,
The Headland’s designation of the planet as “Unknown” in their mission briefing was a deliberate homage to the Star Wars saga, mirroring the Republic’s and the Jedi Order’s limited understanding of the galaxy beyond their borders. The unexplored planet remains unmapped, Headland noted, highlighting an underutilized aspect of the Excessive Republic setting that surprisingly offers significant worldbuilding context in this transmedia endeavour – a period where the Republic and its allies navigate the galaxy’s unknown territories. Because its nature is unfamiliar to many, it’s possible that individuals like the Stranger have already discovered it and, in doing so, gained access to an instrument like cortosis that they can use against their adversaries.
Whether or not the world will remain shrouded in mystery by the end of The Mandalorian’s first season remains to be seen—the show has sparked as many theories as there are fans speculating it could possibly be Ahch-To, speculating that the world may, in fact, be a cortosis-rich ocean world that served as a base of operations for Darth Plagueis and his apprentice, Tenebrous, within the galaxy. Until recently, planets were often regarded as mere duplicates of one another in terms of their basic characteristics.
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