There was a lot going on in the first third of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as both heroes and villains were racing around at breakneck speed trying to nab a bunch of space MacGuffins. That’s why most people – myself included – completely missed that we saw Kylo Ren taking a trip to Mustafar. The scene is the opening of the movie and shows Ren brutally cutting down opponents in a red-tinged forest.
So, why is Mustafar significant? Well, it’s the planet Darth Vader chose for his base during the age of the Empire, and the site of his life-changing duel with Obi-Wan that we saw in Revenge of the Sith. He went on to construct a citadel there, which we visit in Rogue One. If you’re one of the lucky few who’ve played the excellent VR title Vader Immortal, you get to explore Mustafar extensively, unearthing its cursed history and why Vader feels drawn to its dark side ambience. However, it looks quite different by the time we see it in The Rise of Skywalker.
The planet’s identity has been revealed by the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary, which explains that it’s now recovering from its dark side curse. This means that the ferocious lava has cooled a little and that the vegetation has begun to grow on its formerly unforgiving surface. But it’s still not exactly a top holiday destination, unless you’re a big Darth Vader groupie.
The dictionary also says that the place is full of cultists looking to tap into Vader’s powers. The group we see Kylo Ren attacking at the start of the movie are the Alazmec of Winsit, who guard Darth Vader’s Wayfinder, which eventually points both him and later Rey to the Emperor’s hidden Sith lair on Exegol.
Sadly, you won’t really understand much of that from the movie, as the first half-hour or so is borderline unintelligible. So, if you were sat there wondering why Kylo Ren was slicing up dudes in a mysterious forest, that’s why.
