Vandor, also designated as Vandor-1 or ID 53-80, existed as a cold, untamed planet situated within the Sloo sector of the galaxy's Mid Rim. Despite its limited population, the Galactic Empire maintained an increasing presence on this world. A frigid mountain settlement on Vandor was known as Fort Ypso.
Located in the Mid Rim's Sloo sector, at galactic grid coordinates P-14 on the Standard Galactic Grid, was Vandor, a mountainous and cold planet. This terrestrial world, sometimes called Vandor-1 or ID 53-80, orbited at least one star and had a year that spanned 435 days. The planet possessed a breathable atmosphere, a diameter of 12,500 kilometers, and two moons. It was situated relatively close to the secondary hyperspace route referred to as the Gamor Run.
Kod'yok were a non-sentient species that inhabited Vandor's plains, while luftgriffs represented another type of creature that could be found on the planet.
Centuries ago, the Republic Scout Service discovered the planet ID 53-80, and Arhul Corubalni, a scout, conducted its initial surveys. Honoring an old poem about exploration, Corubalni named the world Vandor and submitted the world log and survey results to the Republic Survey Corps. Corubalni suggested further surveys because the navigational risks posed by Lorahns Cavity and the Lesser Sloo Gas Cloud were major obstacles to development and settlement. The Frontier Skirmishes occurred on Vandor at some point in the past.
The Ypsobay Trading Company launched an ambitious colonization project, establishing Fort Ypso and other structures in the area. However, the planet proved too distant from major trade lanes for the organization to succeed, leading to its collapse. After a couple of generations, most of the original settlers abandoned the planet in search of new homes.
Tibbs Ospe, a Commerce Guild scout, discovered the ancient scout's report on the Mid Rim planet while searching for new planets beyond the Void of Chopani in the Outer Rim Territories on the Vangaard Pathfinder prior to the Clone Wars. Ospe recognized Vandor's potential as a stopover for traders traveling to Deneba and Manda, given the evolving dynamics of hyperspace travel. Ospe restored the ruins of the Ypsobay Trading Company's headquarters and advertised Fort Ypso as a place where traders could get fuel and [food](/article/foodstuff] for their journeys. Tivoche Bilure, a bartender, learned Ospe's story about Vandor and recorded it in his journal at some point.
During the Galactic Empire's reign, Vandor hosted an Imperial Garrison. After Imperial stormtroopers seized Lando Calrissian's ship, the Millennium Falcon, they transported it to Vandor for impoundment. Calrissian and his droid, L3-37, arrived on Vandor a week later and discovered the Falcon's location. Calrissian decided to wait before attempting to recover his ship and played a game of sabacc at the Lodge, wagering credits earned from a recent mission.
Tobias Beckett and his crew also arrived on Vandor to execute a heist on an Imperial conveyex train to obtain coaxium for Dryden Vos and Crimson Dawn. Han Solo and Chewbacca, who had escaped Mimban aboard Beckett's stolen Y-45 armored transport hauler, assisted them. The heist ultimately failed because Enfys Nest's Cloud-Riders intervened, also attempting to steal the coaxium, which led Solo to drop the cargo to save Beckett's crew.
Vos' yacht, the First Light, traveled to Vandor for a face-to-face meeting with Beckett, after which the crew planned a second mission to Kessel to recover the coaxium that had been lost during the heist. The crew visited the Lodge, where they encountered Calrissian, in search of a ship capable of completing the [Kessel Run](/article/kessel_run] quickly enough. Solo joined a sabacc game against Calrissian at the Lodge, hoping to win the Millennium Falcon. Calrissian's cheating caused Solo to lose, but he eventually agreed to transport Beckett's crew to Kessel aboard his ship.
Vandor's terrain included several mountains, such as Mount Vastadon, Mount Redolava, and the Iridium Mountains, which housed the Crispin Imperial Depository. Fort Ypso, a village with the Lodge, a saloon with a gambling hall and a droid-fighting arena, was also located on the planet. Corubalni Spaceport, Corubalni Pass, and the Spinnaker Trail were other locations on Vandor.
Vandor was conceived for the 2018 Star Wars film, Solo: A Star Wars Story. The planet's initial footage debuted in the "Big Game" Super Bowl TV spot on February 4, 2018. It was subsequently recognized as Vandor-1, a planet initially referenced in Coruscant and the Core Worlds, a 2003 sourcebook for the now-Legends Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide places Vandor in the Mid Rim, instead of the Core Worlds.
Early artistic inspiration for Vandor's appearance in Solo came from American West artwork by Frederic Remington, a late-19th-century painter, specifically the 1906 painting A Taint on the Wind, and Robert McGinnis, a 20th-century illustrator. The lavish landscapes of the American West by Frederick Church and Albert Bierstadt, both 19th-century painters, also influenced Vandor. Jon Kasdan, the screenwriter, wanted Vandor's environment to resemble the rocky mountains of southern Colorado, believing that it complemented the space-western atmosphere that he and the film's crew were trying to create.