We’ve assumed it was Yavin IV… but what if we’re wrong?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is getting painfully close to release. As such, more and more details are leaking out, but there’s still plenty of information eluding us. We’ve caught glimpses of a Resistance Base where we’ve seen Poe Dameron, Leia, R2-D2, C-3P0, and the Millennium Falcon. Up until now, everyone has kind of assumed it’s been Yavin IV.
But what if it’s not? What if it’s another Rebel base from that time, the one on Dantooine mentioned by Leia in A New Hope? You might be wondering how we came to that conclusion, so we’ll take you through each argument. One for Yavin IV, while the other for Dantooine.
What’s the argument for the Resistance Base being on Yavin IV?
First of all, Yavin IV is an iconic Star Wars location (though, they’re all iconic aren’t they?). Returning there after more than 30 years makes a statement that Star Wars is going back to its roots.
Also, if you take a look at the interior shots, they very much look like the same Rebel base we saw back in A New Hope. There are similar displays and consoles scattered all over the place, not to mention vegetation growing over some very temple-like surfaces.
Lastly, we know for a fact that Rogue One will take place just before A New Hope, which means the Rebels will probably be stationed on Yavin IV. It makes a lot of sense to re-use the sets from The Force Awakens‘ Yavin IV base to cut costs.
So… what’s the argument for the Resistance Base being on Dantooine?
If you look at the exteriors, the outside of the base looks nothing like Yavin IV, which has a lot of dense forest near the Massassi Temple-based Rebel base. Here’s what it looks like in A New Hope:
Here’s the exterior of the base in the Force Awakens:
Here’s what the surface of Dantooine has traditionally looked like:
Notice the resemblance?
But what about the interior?
Well, there are a few possible explanations for that. First and foremost, we know that the Dantooine base was deserted by the time of A New Hope and probably has remained so for a good chunk of the 30 years after. If a place was deserted that long… it would probably start to have weeds taking over.
As for why the consoles look similar, it’s probably because they’re from the same era with the same technology.
What about returning to an iconic location?
Well, there’s something to be said for nostalgia… but there’s also a point to be made about over doing it. Going to Dantooine would still have a similar message while at the same time showing us something new. It would also give an onscreen answer to what Dantooine is like, which thus far hasn’t been seen in a Star Wars movie.
As for reusing the sets for Rogue One, we see no reason why they can’t be re-purposed in a similar way. All one needs to do is make some minor alterations and you have Yavin IV. People were already potentially confusing the two anyway.
Overall, we won’t know until more information comes out… but there’s a compelling argument that we’ll be seeing Dantooine on screen rather than Yavin IV.
