Drag the planet to turn it

Ice world · Unknown Regions · G-7

Ilum

A frozen crystal world sacred to the Jedi, which the First Order later turned into Starkiller Base.

Region
Unknown Regions
Grid
G-7
Sector
7G
System
Ilum
Suns
1
Moons
2
Climate
Frigid
Terrain
Glaciers, ice plains, crystal caves, snowy mountains

Overview

Ilum is a frozen planet of glaciers, ice plains and snowy mountains, and for the Jedi it was one of the most sacred places in the galaxy[1]. Under the ice lie the Crystal Caves, where grow the kyber crystals that power lightsabers. A very old Jedi Temple is hidden beneath the ice as well[1].

Young Jedi came here for the Gathering, a rite in which each initiate searches the caves until a crystal answers to their presence in the Force. Afterwards they built their lightsabers with the help of Professor Huyang[1].

Ilum did not stay a place of pilgrimage. The Empire took it over and mined it for kyber[4], and decades after the Battle of Endor the First Order carved the planet into Starkiller Base, a planet-sized superweapon in the Unknown Regions[2][5]. The Force Awakens shows it only in that form.

Unknown Regions · G-7 Show on the galaxy map

Who lives here

Role in the galaxy

Ilum stands for two very different ages of Star Wars. In the time of the Jedi Order it was the source of the kyber crystals at the heart of every lightsaber, and the Gathering made a trip to its caves a rite of passage for young Jedi[1]. The Clone Wars shows that rite, with Ahsoka Tano escorting a group of younglings to the caves[3][6].

Later the same ice served other masters. Under the Empire the planet was mined for kyber[4]. Decades after Endor the First Order rebuilt it as Starkiller Base, a fortress drawing on the energy of a star, commanded by Supreme Leader Snoke and General Hux[2][5].

Chronicle

Events are in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you open them — or mark the title as watched on the timeline, and they open by themselves.

  1. Ancient times

    The Clone Wars

    In ancient times the Jedi find the ice world, hide a Temple from the Order's earliest days beneath the ice and make the kyber Crystal Caves the place of the Gathering[1].

  2. 20 BBY

    The Clone Wars

    Ahsoka Tano escorts six youngling candidates to Ilum. Yoda oversees their trial in the Crystal Caves, and each of them finds a crystal for a lightsaber[6].

  3. 18 BBY

    Jedi: Fallen Order

    The Empire occupies Ilum and strip-mines its kyber crystals, cutting a huge trench into the ice[4].

  4. ≈ 14 BBY

    Jedi: Fallen Order

    Cal Kestis travels to Ilum to find a new kyber crystal for his lightsaber, and finds the planet crawling with Imperial miners[8].

  5. Rise of the First Order

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    Over decades the First Order turns Ilum's trench and ice into Starkiller Base, a superweapon hidden in the Unknown Regions that stores energy drawn from a star[5].

  6. 34 ABY

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    Spoiler · Episode VII — The Force AwakensShowYou've watched it

    On Hux's order, with Snoke's approval, Starkiller Base fires through hyperspace and destroys Hosnian Prime and the rest of the Hosnian system, the New Republic's capital and much of its fleet[2].

  7. 34 ABY

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    Spoiler · Episode VII — The Force AwakensShowYou've watched it

    While Han, Chewbacca and Finn infiltrate the base, Han confronts his son Kylo Ren on the bridge above the oscillator, calls him Ben and is killed by him[7].

  8. 34 ABY

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    Spoiler · Episode VII — The Force AwakensShowYou've watched it

    Poe Dameron's X-wings destroy the thermal oscillator while the weapon is fully charged, so the stored energy collapses the planet into a new star, later nicknamed 'Solo' in Han's memory. Rey and Finn escape with Chewbacca[5].

Where to see Ilum

Every film, series and game in the timeline where Ilum appears, in watch order.

Filmed on Earth

Real places that played Ilum on screen.

1

  1. Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

    This glacier-capped volcano was a location for the snow scenes of Starkiller Base[9].

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

Did you know?

Questions about Ilum

What is Ilum in Star Wars?

Ilum is an icy planet, home of the Crystal Caves where Jedi initiates found the kyber crystals for their lightsabers[1]. A very old Jedi Temple lies hidden under its ice[1].

Is Ilum the same planet as Starkiller Base?

Yes, Starkiller Base is Ilum after the First Order converted it into a superweapon[5]. The Force Awakens never names the planet, and the link was made explicit in later material[10].

Which Star Wars stories feature Ilum?

Ilum appears in The Clone Wars, where the episode 'The Gathering' is set there, in the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and in The Force Awakens as Starkiller Base[3][5][8].

Nearby worlds

Sources

  1. Ilum — StarWars.com Databank
  2. Starkiller Base — StarWars.com Databank
  3. The Gathering — StarWars.com episode page
  4. Ilum — Star Wars wiki mirror
  5. Starkiller Base — Star Wars wiki mirror
  6. The Gathering — Star Wars wiki mirror
  7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Wikipedia
  8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Wikipedia
  9. List of Star Wars filming locations — Wikipedia
  10. List of Star Wars planets and moons — Wikipedia