Tatooine orbits two suns and is a complete desert with less than 1% of the planet covered in surface water. Despite the arid nature of the planet, life has still found a way. Tatooine's feral residents include Krayt Dragons, Womp rats, Dewbacks, Wraids, and eventually even a Sarlacc. In addition to these creatures, many sentient species carve out a place amongst the sand and rock.
Tatooine was not always a desert. It was once a lush and beautiful world with large oceans and plentiful life. At this time the planet was inhabited by the technologically advanced Kumumgah. Unfortunately this would not last. Tatooine was eventually invaded by the Rakata, and they proceeded to conquer and enslave the native species. When the Kumumgah eventually rebelled, even managing to push the Rakata off the planet, the Rakata responded by "glassing" the planet; turning the lush Tatooine into a virtual desert. The resulting climate change caused the Kumumgah to split into two races: the Tusken Raiders, or Sandpeople, and the Jawas.
Tatooine was eventually rediscovered by the Galactic Republic in 5,000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). In 4,200 BBY the first colony, named Anchorhead, was established by off worlders. The settlers presence eventually disturbed the native Tusken Raider's culture, resulting in their evolution into the aggressive Sand People.
Over many years, the settlement was abandoned and recolonized continuously. At the time of the Jedi Civil War, the planet was practically controlled by the Czerka Corporation. They were attempting to mine ores from Tatooine. This operation provoked attacks from the Tusken Raiders, causing countless skirmishes. Into this environment Revan appeared, and he managed to barter a truce between the Tusken Raiders and the settlers.
At the time of Star Wars: The Old Republic very little history is known about Tatooine. It is worth noting that the lore record states that Anchorhead, and the planet in general, was abandoned sometime after Revan's departure and would not be rediscovered until 1,100 BBY. This large gap of history allows for Bioware to make up their own story for the planet. Based on what we know, it is possible to include speculation with Bioware's vision as the reasons that Tatooine is being included in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
With the absence of settlers, Czerka Corporation has decided that Tatooine is a perfect planet for their Secret Weapons division. Without any supervision, Czerka Corportion proceeded to perform outrageous experiments and test alien technology. The extent to which these experiments warped the native or non-native life on the planet is unknown. What is clear, however, is that Czerka Corporation pulled out of Tatooine almost as quickly as they arrived, leaving behind their Secret Weapons complex.
After the departure of Czerka Corporation, Anchorhead became a smuggler's refuge with many outlaws and pirates using the planet. Although Anchorhead often serves as a resupply stop for Republic starships in the Outer Rim, the Republic has no official presence here. Unbeknown to the Republic however, the Sith Empire has decided to explore the abandoned Czerka Corporation complex. The Imperials have even gone so far as to establish a military presence on the planet, using the revamped spaceport of Mos Ila as a base. Mos Ila sits precariously close to Anchorhead.
With the influx of smugglers, pirates, and outlaws, Tatooine might have plenty of illegal activity going on. Underground Sabacc games, dangerous arena matches, and illegal swoop bike races could all be lures for such a planet. Even though Tatooine is listed as Independent, the planet sounds as if it should be considered under Sith control. Although the planet hasn't been officially taken over yet, it may be possible that players will be able to side with the Sith Empire and attempt to take over the planet completely. Something worth noting is that one of the screenshots of Tatooine includes a sarlacc pit. This pit, however, seems to be devoid of the beak that Great Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi had. This could mean it is a different sarlacc or it could be the same one, just earlier in development. Whether this sarlacc will come into play during questing or it is simply an interesting terrain feature, only time will tell.
Tatooine is a planet that once had it all. It was lush and vibrant, but it quickly became a desert, nearly devoid of all civilized life. It is a frequently visited planet to all fans of Star Wars video games and movies. Its inclusion with the other more unfamiliar planets begs the question, why this planet, over all the others? Only BioWare can answer that question and only time will tell. Either way, it is a welcome addition to The Old Republic universe.
External sources for this article:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tatooine
http://swtor.com/info/holonet/planets/tatooine
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Posted 12/20/2009 9:25:11 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/20/2009 2:16:23 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 10:16:25 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 6:35:25 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 6:11:54 AMAlthough if you wanted speculation (After I read it, heh); I would say the over-arching story for Tatooine is mostly about the secret weapons facility (Possibly ending with a Flashpoint of said weapons facility). Finding it, rumors about it and so forth (With a few spiced up quests to add variety)
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Posted 12/19/2009 5:39:03 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 4:48:32 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 1:03:49 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 10:11:14 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 3:47:34 AMThis may even be the same Sarlacc as the one in RotJ, since Sarlaccs are known to live thousands of years. When you take a thousand years to digest prey, it helps to live long enough to eat at least one meal. :P
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Posted 12/19/2009 5:51:00 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 9:14:37 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 1:45:58 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 12/19/2009 12:17:40 AMThe environments are without question beautiful and I can't wait to see earlier planets revisited/updated with the lighting and additional work that looks like there is in these later more 'polished' planet reveals (as is happening with character models/textures ie getting better and better as they go).
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Posted 12/18/2009 7:51:42 PM