Lars homestead

Nestled on the Great Chott salt flat, bordering the Jundland Wastes, and quite distant from the nearest settlement, Anchorhead, the Lars farm was a moisture farm equipped with sixty-three vaporators spread across its grounds. To maintain a cool environment, the primary structure of the homestead was constructed largely underground, ensuring ample space for the Lars family.

The central living pit, a sunken courtyard providing entry to the homestead's various rooms, lofts, and sections, stood out as the homestead's most notable element. Access to this area was granted via the main entry dome, positioned adjacent to the living pit and across from the vehicle utility pit. Cliegg Lars personally constructed the dome from pourstone. It incorporated an external security keypad, a message center, and was frequently surrounded by equipment like dew condenser jugs and area sensors.

The crater's walls were made of firmly packed soil interwoven with magnetic ore, which insulated against both the heat of Tatooine's binary suns and the cold nighttime temperatures. Funnel flowers flourished along the crater's edge. The courtyard's center featured two GX-8 water vaporators, regularly serviced by a droid patch-in unit. The courtyard provided entrances to the family's dining room, kitchen, a storage space, and sleeping lofts. Power distribution conduits and fusion generator supply tanks commonly encircled the crater rim.

A tech dome was located behind the entrance dome. This tech dome had a hinged roof, offering access to an elevator that descended into the garage below. The garage was spacious enough to accommodate the family's vehicles, including Luke's X-34 landspeeder, the family's V-35 Courier, and Luke's T-16 skyhopper. A vehicle recharge station was situated next to the outer dome.

Cliegg Lars resided at the farm alongside his son, Owen, and his wife, Shmi, for the final years of her life. Upon his father's passing, Owen and his wife, Beru, took ownership of the farm. Shmi Skywalker Lars was laid to rest there in 22 BBY, followed later by Cliegg himself. Before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, two tombstones were visible outside the homestead: one dedicated to Edern Lars, Cliegg's brother, and the other to Shmi. However, by the conclusion of the Clone Wars, these had been removed.

In 0 BBY, Owen acquired two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, from Jawa traders. He either failed to recognize or chose to ignore that C-3PO was the same droid that had belonged to Luke's father over two decades prior. He was also unaware that R2-D2 possessed the classified blueprints for an Imperial superweapon and was being pursued by the Empire. When Imperial stormtroopers tracked the droids' sale back to the Lars residence and did not find them, they set the farm on fire, resulting in the deaths of Owen and Beru, who were still inside. Fortunately, Obi-Wan Kenobi had secured the droids and Luke Skywalker.

In 1 ABY, the Rodian named Zef Ando came across the deserted farm and chose to claim it as his own. Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, Luke revisited the ruins of his childhood home to pay his respects to his deceased aunt and uncle. Tombstones were re-erected to honor them following their execution. Subsequently, he permitted the alien Throgg to take ownership of the farm after he departed from Tatooine. This decision angered Huff Darklighter, the father of Luke's childhood companion Biggs, who desired the property for himself. He successfully lobbied the Anchorhead Municipal Council to enact an anti-alien landowner tax. Unable to afford the tax, Throgg sold the farm to Jula Darklighter, Huff's brother.

In the year 8 ABY, Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo journeyed to Tatooine in pursuit of the Alderaanian moss painting titled Killik Twilight, which concealed encrypted details about Rebel operatives working undercover within the Imperial Remnant. While searching for the painting, Leia and Chewbacca were caught in a sandstorm and sought refuge at the old Lars homestead, which was still owned by Jula Darklighter. While waiting for the storm to subside, Jula's wife, Silya, presented Leia with an ancient holojournal that she had unearthed in the sand near one of the moisture vaporators. This journal, recorded by Leia's grandmother, Shmi, provided Leia with insight into her father's past, which had influenced the man, and the monster, he had become. Once the storm had passed, Jula and Silya assisted in locating Han, who had become lost in the desert during the storm.

More than a hundred years later, by 137 ABY, Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke, sought shelter in the long-abandoned Lars homestead during a typical Tatooine sandstorm. While there, he experienced visions of the Lars family, and Luke appeared before him. Following a heated exchange with his ancestor, he witnessed a potential future in which he became a Sith, with his loved ones lying dead at his feet. These visions aided Cade in regaining his focus on the delicate balance he maintained between the light side and the dark side of the Force; the homestead remained deserted after the sandstorm abated and Cade and his companions departed.

The Lars homestead scenes throughout the entire saga were filmed in Tunisia, located in North Africa. The domed Lars homestead was abandoned to deterioration after filming concluded on the original Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, in 1976.

The crater remained unchanged over the years and helped pinpoint the exact site location for new dome construction on Attack of the Clones in 2000. The magic of cinema creates the illusion that the dome, crater, and inner courtyard are all situated at the same location. The dome and crater rims are located in Nefta, while the courtyard is situated at the Hôtel Sidi Driss in Matmata, which is 249 kilometers away.

In 2012, Terry Cooper, Mark Cox, Robert L. Cunningham, Mark Dermul, Imanuel Dijk, and Michel Verpoorten rescued and restored the homestead site by raising $11,700 from fans worldwide through a Facebook group.

The Tatooine Training mission in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike commences at the Lars homestead.

During the Dark Times, Darth Maul, who had been fitted with cybernetic legs following his bisection at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, tracked the Jedi to the Lars homestead. Owen Lars attempted to fight Maul but was disarmed. Kenobi, who had been concealed nearby, emerged to confront the Sith Lord and ultimately defeated him. Kenobi held his lightsaber hilt to Maul's head, hesitant to kill him, but Lars shot the Sith with the remains of his rifle. Lars then instructed Kenobi to stay away from the infant Luke Skywalker.