While the franchise may be called Star Wars, several of the films have had epic planetary battles. The Last Jedi, is no exception. The Resistance and the First Order will face off on the planet of Crait. What makes the small mineral planet so important?
The Past
Crait is located in a remote sector of the galaxy and houses a small, bare bones outpost that housed a small faction of rebels, one of the precursor groups of the Rebel Alliance.
While a teen, Leia Organa was taken to the outpost. It was there that she learned her adopted father, Bail Organa, was involved in the Rebellion. The young princess herself would eventually become a major force against the Galactic Empire.
The outpost was abandoned sometime prior to the Battle of Scarif (depicted in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
The Present
Some three and a half decades later, after the destruction of Starkiller base, Leia’s Resistance relocates to Crait. Perhaps they go there because Leia knew of the outpost, or because it is relatively remote. While hospitable, Crait is arid, home to few creatures including the crystalline foxes known as Vulptex.
Regardless, the First Order discovered their presence, and invade. The consequent battle between the First Order and the Resistance will play out in The Last Jedi.
The Battle of Crait
The Battle of Crait hearkens back to the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back. During the Battle of Hoth, the Empire deployed massive AT-AT walkers to the snow planet to destroy the Rebellion’s Echo Base.
Upon first glance, the white surface of Crait also appears to be snow, but it’s actually salt.
The First Order sends at least a half-dozen upgraded AT-M6 Walkers against the Resistance. The Crait outpost appears less well-defended than Echo Base, with only a small garrison.
Resistance ski-speeders are deployed to defend the outpost. The nimble fighters have stabilizer struts to help navigate, but the struts also stir up the red minerals underneath Crait’s salt layer, creating clouds of red dust that may serve as cover. Will Leia once again suffer defeat and be forced to flee?
Fans will find out when Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters December 14 in the U.K. and December 15 in the U.S.
