When I first heard that Disney was building a “Star Wars Land” I immediately began speculating which setting it would emulate. I dreamed of being able to walk the narrow trenches in Echo Base on the ice world of Hoth or climb to the Ewok village high in the trees on Endor. I’d never even heard of Batuu.
When I learned that ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ would feature a new world no-one had ever heard of, I was extremely let down. I couldn’t understand why Disney would make such a poor decision. But my disappointment abated when I realized that there were still more Star Wars stories to tell. Black Spire Outpost would surely become as iconic of a location as Yavin IV and Bespin…right?
Batuu was highlighted in the Thrawn Alliances novel as the location for a couple exciting, but relatively obscure adventures. It was also highlighted a couple times in The Flight Of The Falcon novel series, but only briefly. Up until now, it has just been a backwater world, reeking of insignificance.
It has taken a long time, but finally Delilah Dawson has given context to Batuu’s importance to the Star Wars story. In her new book, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Black Spire, Dawson effectively set the stage for how Batuu will become a key strategic strongpoint for the Resistance following its defeat on Crate.
Galaxy’s Edge Black Spire Summary
Shortly after suffering a devastating defeat on Crate, Leia Organa was desperate to keep the fire of the Resistance alive. She sent one of her most trusted allies, Vi Moradi, to organize a Resistance base on the edge of The Outer Rim and begin the process of recruiting and rebuilding. Vi chose the backwater world of Batuu, thinking that its insignificance would deter the First Order from hunting them there.
Leia also sent Archex, a recently defected former First Order Captain, to accompany Vi on her mission. Archex and Vi have a complicated relationship. Archex tortured Vi before his defection. And Vi rescued Archex from Captain Phasma after his betrayal of The First Order.
Vi and Archex’s mission got off to a rough start when their transport crashed in the forest outside of Black Spire Outpost. Having to begin from scratch, Vi and Archex worked hard to obtain materials to recoup what they lost. They also began recruiting the locals to their cause, which initially didn’t work out well at all.
After a short time, The First Order received a tip and tracked Vi and Archex to Batuu. The First Order sent a detachment of stormtroopers to the surface to flush them out. But getting rid of them presented a unique challenge. Attacking and defeating the First Order troops would only serve to alert their superiors to a growing threat on the planet.
Vi and her crew had to figure out a way to get rid of the troopers while simultaneously keeping the resistance base secret. They carried out a plan to sabotage the First Order transport. They rigged it to send a falsified “all clear” message and then explode from mechanical failure.
Batuu Brings Back Hope
It’s no secret that The Last Jedi was the most controversial Star Wars movie to date. Perhaps one of the reasons is that it has the most uncertain ending of any other Star Wars movie. I just sat in my seat for about 10 minutes after seeing it for the first time. The ending gave absolutely no hints about what would happen next. Star Wars for me has always been about hope, but all I could feel was despair.
Galaxy’s Edge Black Spire finally added a glimmer of hope for the Resistance. Building a base on Batuu gives the Resistance a home. I have no doubt that The Rise Of Skywalker will feature Batuu as a Resistance hide out. This gives me hope that Batuu will no longer be an obscure backwater location. It can become an iconic location, which will justify it being chosen as the set for Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.
