The Star Wars galaxy is full of rich worlds and cultures. While the core franchise can only touch on so many of these, the series’ video games have been a great way to fill in the gaps. A lot of games have featured appearances of different worlds and helped to establish how intricate the galactic community can be. However, even with the planets featured across all the Star Wars games, some locations have yet to be thoroughly explored by players.
Some of these locations have been introduced through movies and TV shows, but the amount of attention given to them was limited. Despite this, they are still full of potential for an appearance in a Star Wars video game. Recent titles like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order were great examples of how Star Wars can develop intricate levels that take place on some of these planets that fans already know.
The Worlds of Mandalore in Star Wars
The worlds that have been under the influence of the Mandalorians throughout the series would be a great place to start. Given the culture’s prominence throughout the galaxy, and the many fans of Mandalorians like Din Djarin and Boba Fett, there is a lot of potential in exploring the worlds that once fell under Mandalore’s rule. The rumored Mandalorian video game could be a great place to do this. It could explore the planet proper, as well as its moon, Concordia.
The planet itself is shown to have grown into more peaceful times during the Clone Wars, but the militaristic ways of Mandalore’s past actions were still held in high regard by many of the warriors exiled to Concordia. Here, the Death Watch was established and fought to return the Mandalorian people to the old ways in spite of the peace that Duchess Satine Kryze pushed for. Mandalore itself has had a tumultuous history, at the hands of its citizens and outside aggressors, but its culture has spread across the galaxy in Star Wars. This culture is not limited by species and focusing on it could incorporate some of the things fans have been dying for from Star Wars games.
Both Concord Dawn and Nevarro are also places that have been significant to Mandalorian characters. The former was the homeworld of Jango Fett, the genetic template for the clone army used by the Republic before its fall, and has been known for the elite warriors that it produced. While Jango’s time in the Star Wars spotlight has likely been passed on to Boba Fett that does not mean that the history of this planet has to be ignored. Its unique structure and surrounding space could make it an interesting location to explore given that about a third of the planet’s original mass now orbits as asteroid-sized debris.
Alternatively, the volcanic planet Nevarro, home to the Bounty Hunter Guild in The Mandalorian, housed a significant population of Mandalorian warriors for a time. While the years around the fall of the Empire and leading into the New Republic is a bit murky setting a game in this time period, and on Nevarro, could help flesh out the galaxy’s history. Bounty Hunters are some of the more intriguing and mysterious figures in the Star Wars universe as their alliances were often dictated by their self-preservation. Whether that means accepting jobs or denying them having Nevarro, and the guild located there, in a video game could offer some firsthand insight into the mysterious belly of Star Wars’ underworld.
Moraband
Moraband was one of the many worlds that fell due to the influence of the Sith. The planet became the home of the ancient Sith and while it was originally part of a fertile and prosperous system it was left a wasteland after countless wars. So far it has only had brief appearances within the Star Wars Canon but the location’s importance can’t be understated.
Moraband is the final resting place of Darth Bane, the Sith Lord that instated the rule of two, and is home to the tombs of many others. Still, most of the planet’s history continues to be shrouded in shadow and mystery. While the Sith are not the most likely characters to lead future Star Wars games there could still be a lot to learn from the planet.
Force powers like Cal Kestis' Psychometry have proven to be incredible tools for storytelling across an array of Star Wars media. Using the power on a planet like Moraband could help fans to understand the threat that Sith posed at the height of their power. The planet’s current desolation was brought on by the conflict between the Jedi and Sith 1000 years before the Empire, but due to the number of force sensitives that perished it still is a place full of psychic energy.
The planet also had several high-profile visitors during the Republic era and the years that followed. While Darth Sidious seems an obvious pilgrim to a place like Moraband both Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker and Yoda also made visits to the Sith planet. Though they were interested in learning more about the Force, Yoda’s visit is one of the more mystical interactions from within the Star Wars Canon.
On his journey to discover more about eternal consciousness the Jedi Master journeys through the Valley of the Dark Lords and comes into contact with several spirits of deceased Sith Lords. Though Yoda doesn’t spend a lengthy amount of time on Moraband it shows how much the planet could offer in a game. Toeing the delicate line between curiosity and corruption has resulted in several Sith Lords, but it has also given Star Wars some of its tensest moments. Leaning into this for a future game could be a great way to offer some weight to the actions that players take.
Not every planet that is used in a Star Wars game has to already be canonically relevant though. While there are a lot of planets Cal Kestis should visit in Jedi: Fallen Order 2 one of the first game’s greatest strengths was its introduction of new locations. It showed how much a Star Wars video game can contribute to canon material without having to overlap too much with other major characters or locations. Using a similar approach in future titles could be a great way to introduce new locations while still developing systems that fans haven’t gotten to play through yet.