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Ocean world · Outer Rim · S-15
Scarif
A tropical island world of white beaches that hides the Empire's most secret vault.
- Region
- Outer Rim
- Grid
- S-15
- Sector
- Abrion
- System
- Scarif
- Suns
- 1
- Moons
- 0
- Climate
- Warm and tropical
- Terrain
- Volcanic islands, white beaches, shallow seas
Overview
Scarif is a tropical world in the Outer Rim. Chains of volcanic islands run across its clear shallow seas, fringed with white-sand beaches and thick jungle canopy[1][7]. It lies in the Abrion sector, in a system of its own with one sun and no moons[7].
The scenery looks like a holiday postcard, but the Empire turned it into a heavily shielded military base and data vault[1]. A huge shield gate guards the sky above the islands, and the Citadel Tower rises at the centre of the complex, holding a high-security vault where the Empire kept its most secret projects[1][7].
The islands are held by an Imperial garrison that includes shoretroopers in coastal armour[1]. Scarif appears on screen only in Rogue One, so most fans know it through that single story, and through a Battlefront expansion that arrived just before the film[3][6].
Who lives here
Imperial shoretroopers
Troopers in coastal armour who make up the Imperial garrison of the islands. They patrol the beaches and guard the base and its vault[1].
Role in the galaxy
Scarif exists, in story terms, to keep a secret. It lies in the Outer Rim, a long way from the Core Worlds, and the Empire stored the Death Star plans there in a high-security vault inside the Citadel Tower, protected by a shield gate overhead and a garrison on the ground[1][7]. The islands look peaceful from orbit, which is part of what makes the base so unexpected.
That makes the planet the destination of Rogue One. A Rebel team goes to Scarif to steal the plans from the vault, and the raid is known as the Battle of Scarif[2][3].
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.
-
Reign of the Empire
The Empire builds a deflector-shielded military complex on the islands, with a high-security data vault in the central Citadel Tower, and uses it to guard its most secret projects[7].
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0 BBY
After Eadu, the Rogue One crew flies a stolen Imperial shuttle to Scarif to steal the Death Star plans from the vault[2].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowYou've watched it
Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO infiltrate the base while the rest of the team draws off the garrison, and the Rebel fleet joins the fight when it learns of the raid. K-2SO, Chirrut, Baze and Bodhi die during the mission[3].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowYou've watched it
Rebel ships under Admiral Raddus smash two Star Destroyers together and wreck the shield gate. That lets Jyn beam the Death Star plans to the Rebel command ship[3].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowYou've watched it
Tarkin orders the Death Star to fire on the Citadel. Krennic is killed, and Jyn and Cassian die in the shock wave[3].
-
0 BBY
Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryEpisode IV — A New Hope
Spoiler · Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowYou've watched it
Vader boards the Rebel command ship and cuts down many troops, but a smaller ship escapes with the plans, which lead straight into A New Hope[3].
Where to see Scarif
Every film, series and game in the timeline where Scarif appears, in watch order.
Filmed on Earth
Real places that played Scarif on screen.
Did you know?
Questions about Scarif
Where was Scarif filmed?
Scarif's beaches were filmed on the Laamu Atoll in the Maldives, on the islands of Gan and Baresdhoo. A former RAF airfield at Bovingdon in England was also used for Scarif scenes[4][5].
What is on Scarif?
Scarif holds an Imperial military base and data vault, shielded from the sky and built around the Citadel Tower. The Empire kept the Death Star plans there in a high-security vault[1].
Where is Scarif in Star Wars?
Scarif is a tropical island world in the Abrion sector of the Outer Rim, at grid square S-15 of the galaxy map. It has a single sun and no moons[7].