What Happened To Its Oceans?
Emily Bell Star Wars has hinted at the ancient history of Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+ - just what happened to Tatooine's vanished oceans?
This article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 2.
The Book of Boba Fett confirms the ancient history of the planet Tatooine, even indicating that it was once radically different from the desert wilderness seen on screen. Throughout the Star Wars saga, the planet has been central to many major events in the galaxy; Tatooine was the birthplace of the Chosen One, the hiding place of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the center of Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire. However, although its arid deserts and twin suns are now iconic parts of sci-fi pop culture, it's clear that Tatooine once looked very different from how it appears across the saga.
Star Wars has long suggested Tatooine was not always a desert world. In the old Expanded Universe, Tatooine was once a lush world with large oceans and a world-spanning jungle, but it was bombarded from space by an alien race known as the Rakata; their weapons fused the dust of the surface into silica, which over time broke down into sand, creating the Tatooine seen in the movies. That backstory was rendered non-canon when Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, with the Expanded Universe officially dubbed "Legends," but it's beginning to creep back into the canon once again. Lucasfilm's Ultimate Star Wars confirmed Tatooine was once covered in deserts and rainforests, but for unknown reasons the climate changed.
The Book of Boba Fett has confirmed this ancient history, with one Tusken leader describing how the world has changed "since the oceans dried." It's only a brief comment, but it reveals Tatooine's indigenous Tusken Raiders have lived on Tatooine for longer than it has been a desert world, and their folklore retains knowledge of the time before the planet's temperature increased and its oceans dried. However, this history contains no account of a sudden, catastrophic event like a Rakatan bombardment, meaning the reason for the climate change is probably different.
It's reasonable to assume the climate catastrophe was a natural event, perhaps related to a change in the output from one of Tatooine's two suns. That would result in increased surface temperatures during the day, and Tatooine's oceans would evaporate away, with the water locked in the atmosphere instead of on the surface. The planetary ecosystem would naturally change as a result, with a mass extinction event that only a handful of creatures survived. It's interesting to note many of the species found on Tatooine - such as the fearsome Krayt Dragon seen in The Mandalorian season 2 - burrow through the desert sands like water, perhaps hinting they started out in an aquatic environment and survived by evolving.
Interestingly, there is subtle evidence in the first Star Wars movie to support this history. Moisture farmers like Owen Lars run vaporators to pull water out of the atmosphere, supporting the argument there's a large amount of water vapor on Tatooine. This, principally, is what makes the arid desert world inhabitable by human beings - and it hints that, were Tatooine just a little bit cooler, it would indeed have oceans. The Book of Boba Fett's surprising nod to Tatooine's backstory fits perfectly with the wider lore.
More: The Twins & Hutt Clans Explained: How They Connect To Jabba
The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
