Lars homestead

Layout

Located on the Great Chott salt flat, near the Jundland Wastes, and quite a distance from Anchorhead, the Lars farm was a moisture farm featuring sixty-three vaporators spread across the land. To maintain a cool environment, the majority of the homestead was constructed underground, ensuring sufficient space for the Lars family.

The primary living pit, a crater that housed a courtyard, stood out as the most notable characteristic of the homestead, providing inhabitants access to various rooms, lofts, and sections. The main entry dome provided access to it, situated to the side of the living pit, opposite the vehicle utility pit. Cliegg Lars personally constructed the dome using pourstone. It included an exterior security access keypad, a message center, and was frequently surrounded by various devices like area sensors and dew condenser jugs.

The crater's walls, consisting of firmly packed soil combined with magnetic ore, acted as insulation against both the intense heat from Tatooine's twin suns and the cold nighttime temperatures. Funnel flowers flourished around the crater's edge. Two GX-8 water vaporators, frequently maintained by a droid patch-in unit, occupied the courtyard's center. The family dining room, kitchen, a storage area, and sleeping lofts could all be accessed from the courtyard. Typically, the crater rim was surrounded by fusion generator supply tanks and power distribution conduits.

The tech dome was located behind the entrance dome. A hinged roof on the tech dome allowed access to an elevator that went down to the garage. The garage had enough room for the family's vehicles, including Luke's X-34 landspeeder, the family's V-35 Courier, and Luke's T-16 skyhopper. The exterior dome was located next to a vehicle recharge port.

History

Cliegg Lars resided on the farm alongside his son, Owen, and his wife, Shmi, for the final years of her life. Following 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, and later, Cliegg himself. Prior to the beginning of the Clone Wars, two tombstones were visible outside the homestead: one for [Edern Lars](/article/edern_lars-legends], Cliegg's brother, and the other for Shmi. However, they were taken down by the conclusion of the Clone Wars.

In 0 BBY, Owen acquired two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, from Jawa traders. He either failed to recognize or chose not to acknowledge C-3PO as the droid that Luke's father had owned more than twenty years prior, nor did he know that R2-D2 possessed the secret plans for an Imperial superweapon and was being sought after by the Empire. When Imperial stormtroopers tracked the sale of the droids back to the Lars home and did not find them there, they set fire to the farm, resulting in the deaths of Owen and Beru, who were still inside. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker were keeping the droids safe.

In 1 ABY, Zef Ando, a Rodian, came across the abandoned farm and made the decision to claim it as his own. Luke went back to the remains of his childhood home sometime after the Battle of Yavin and gave his last respects to his murdered aunt and uncle. Following their execution, tombstones were put up once more. He then gave the alien Throgg ownership of the farm when he left Tatooine. Huff Darklighter, the father of Luke's childhood friend Biggs, was angry about this because he wanted the property for himself. He got the Anchorhead Municipal Council to approve a tax on landowners who were not from the area. Throgg was forced to sell the farm to Jula Darklighter, Huff's brother, because he couldn't afford to pay it.

In 8 ABY, Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo journeyed to Tatooine to obtain the Alderaanian moss painting titled Killik Twilight, which held encrypted details regarding Rebel operatives working undercover within the Imperial Remnant. Leia and Chewbacca were caught in a sandstorm while searching for the painting and eventually made their way to the old Lars homestead, which was still owned by Jula Darklighter. While they waited for the storm to pass, Jula's wife, Silya, gave Leia an old holojournal she had discovered buried in the sand close to one of the moisture vaporators. The journal, recorded by Leia's grandmother, Shmi, provided Leia with an understanding of her father's past, which had influenced the man, and the monster, he had become. After the storm subsided, Jula and Silya assisted in finding Han, who had become lost in the desert during the storm.

Cade Skywalker, Luke's descendant, sought refuge in the long-deserted Lars homestead during a sandstorm typical of Tatooine more than a hundred years later, by 137 ABY. While there, he had visions of the Lars family, and Luke appeared to him. He saw a potential future in which he would turn into a Sith and his loved ones would die at his feet after a tense confrontation with his ancestor. These visions assisted Cade in regaining his focus on the narrow line he was walking between the light side and the dark side of the Force; it remained deserted after Cade and his group departed when the sandstorm subsided.

Behind the scenes

The Lars homestead scenes throughout the saga were shot in Tunisia, which is located in North Africa. The domed Lars homestead was allowed to fall into disrepair after filming for the original Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was completed in 1976.

The crater remained unchanged over the years, which aided in pinpointing the precise location for the construction of a new dome on Attack of the Clones in 2000. The dome, crater, and inner courtyard appear to be in the same location thanks to movie magic. The courtyard is located at the Hôtel Sidi Driss in Matmata, which is 249 kilometers away, while the dome and crater rims are located in Nefta.

Terry Cooper, Mark Cox, Robert L. Cunningham, Mark Dermul, Imanuel Dijk, and Michel Verpoorten saved and restored the homestead site in 2012 after raising $11,700 from fans all over the world through a Facebook group.

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

Non-canonical storyline

During the Dark Times, Darth Maul, who had been given cybernetic legs after Obi-Wan Kenobi had bisected him, followed the Jedi to the Lars homestead. Owen Lars made an attempt to fight Maul, but he was disarmed. Kenobi, who had been hiding close by, jumped out to fight the Sith Lord and beat him. Kenobi held his lightsaber hilt to Maul's head because he was reluctant to kill him, but Lars shot the Sith with the remains of his rifle. Lars then told Kenobi to stay away from the young Luke Skywalker.