Across the galaxy, spice served as a common name for various prohibited substances. Kessel's spice mines were a major source, where slaves, including captured Wookiees, were forced to work until death, transforming medicinal spice minerals into recreational drugs. Mining spice also occurred in other planetary systems, such as those of Ryloth and Naboo. A form of the drug ryll was extracted from the planet Ryloth, possessing both scientific and leisure applications. Sansanna spice represented one type of spice available throughout the galaxy.
Reath Silas, a Padawan, likened Captain Leox Gyasi's manner of speaking to that of Grand Master Yoda under the influence of spice. The Pyke Syndicate utilized raw spice to produce a potent drug, prompting Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to dispatch Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas to investigate its origins.
In 22 BBY, an attempted assassination on Senator Padmé Amidala was initially attributed to disgruntled spice miners from the moons of Naboo. However, it was later revealed that Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists, had hired the assassin. Naboo's laws concerning spice were based on its recreational use, not its pain-relieving properties. Kharl of the Torada Collective required medical-grade spice for his chronic pain, necessitating travel from Naboo to Nooroyo, another spice-producing planet.
As the Clone Wars began, Naboo aligned with the Republic, while Nooroyo fell under Separatist control. The planet's spice production threatened to attract warring factions and disrupt daily life. Before any conflict could erupt on Nooroyo, Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker and Amidala journeyed to Nooroyo to rescue five members of the Torada Collective, but only Antraya chose to leave. When the Ohnaka Gang captured Count Dooku, they demanded a million credits worth of spice, to be delivered via an unarmed diplomatic ship, in exchange for him. After Obi-Wan Kenobi and Skywalker were captured during a meeting to confirm Dooku's capture by the pirates, Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan, and Senator Kharrus were dispatched with the spice. However, Dooku had already escaped by the time they arrived, rendering the spice irrelevant.
In 20 BBY, Hondo Ohnaka, a pirate, provided missile launchers to the rebels of Onderon in exchange for payment from Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Upon meeting their leader, Steela Gerrera, Hondo attempted to flirt with her, suggesting she could become his new favorite spice, but Gerrera rejected his advances.
Delian Mors, an Imperial Moff, was known to use spice, and Colonel Belkor Dray observed that she remained functional despite its effects.
Baz, an Ensign, was dismissed from duty on the Carrion Spike by Moff Tarkin due to his spice use during a voyage to Coruscant following an attack on Sentinel Base.
Imperial Moff Ghadi employed polstine spice, a spice variant, to blackmail Arihnda Pryce, who was then an aide to Domus Renking, a Senator from Lothal. He described it as "highly prized, highly expensive, and highly illegal," indicating that even a trace amount on one's clothes could result in a life sentence.
Scarn, a pre-spice substance, caused a land dispute between the native Cyphari of the Afe clan, led by Chief Joko, and the human colonists under Mayor Pord Benchel. This dispute was orchestrated by human colonists Clay Tanoo, Lenora Scath, Brigte Polcery, and Nightswan, a mercenary, to access a large scarn deposit beneath the Afe Clan's land. Commander Thrawn and Ensign Eli Vanto quickly uncovered the conspiracy and resolved the dispute by destroying the scarn vein with assistance from Lieutenant Gimm, a TIE fighter pilot, and Lieutenant Commander Osgoode.
Luke Skywalker was led to believe that his father, Anakin, had been a navigator on a spice freighter. Han Solo incurred the wrath of Jabba the Hutt by abandoning a spice shipment to evade the Empire, resulting in a substantial debt to Jabba. When Imperial forces boarded the Tantive IV, C-3PO expressed concern that he and R2-D2 would be sent to the spice mines of Kessel.
In 9 ABY, Mok Shaiz, the mayor of Mos Espa, promised the late Jabba the Hutt's territory on Tatooine to the Pyke Syndicate. The Pykes planned to expand their spice trading operations using the planet. However, Boba Fett, a former bounty hunter who had taken control of Jabba's criminal empire, learned of the mayor's agreement and prepared for war with the Pykes. After a fierce battle in Mos Espa between Fett's forces and the Pyke Syndicate, the Pykes suffered such heavy losses that they abandoned their plans to incorporate Tatooine into their territory, thus freeing the world from the spice trade.
It is thought that Frank Herbert's influential science fiction novel Dune from 1965 significantly shaped Star Wars. In the Duniverse, a drug known as "the spice" Melange plays a pivotal role. The first mention of spice occurred at the beginning of the original Star Wars, when C-3PO worried to R2-D2 that "We'll be sent to the Spice Mines of Kessel, smashed into who-knows-what!"
Spice received mention in Attack of the Clones, a film from the prequel trilogy.
Spice as payment formed a crucial plot point in two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In canon, the exact nature of spice remained ambiguous until "The Lost One" episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which revealed its use in creating a dangerous drug.
Reference materials for Star Wars Rebels definitively identify spice as a hazardous drug. Numerous narratives within the Expanded Universe continuity, later rebranded as Star Wars Legends, provided details about the spice trade and described it as encompassing various mind-altering drugs, including ryll and glitterstim.
The spice smokers featured in the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series were designed in a style reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt's hookah pipe, complete with similar gold accents. Brad Elliott, the propmaster, explained that the design incorporated a pressurized canister that released spice upon pressing a button. Additionally, props were created for the spice sticks seen in the series.