Drag the planet to turn it
Rocky world · Outer Rim · N-19
Utapau
A remote Outer Rim world of giant sinkholes, with whole cities built into their walls.
- Region
- Outer Rim
- Grid
- N-19
- Sector
- Tarabba
- System
- Utapau
- Suns
- 1
- Moons
- 9
- Climate
- Temperate and windswept
- Terrain
- Deserts, plains, giant sinkholes, caves
- Inhabitants
- Pau'ans, Utai, Varactyl
Overview
Utapau is a remote, officially neutral planet in the Outer Rim. Its surface is a dry, windswept stretch of plains and deserts, but the real cities are hidden in giant sinkholes, with homes and streets built into the walls and Pau City as the capital. Pools of water lie far below the surface, and numerous moons hang in the sky above[1].
Two peoples share the sinkholes. The tall, gaunt and long-lived Pau'ans run the government, while the smaller Utai do much of the manual work, living mostly underground[1]. Utapauns ride varactyl, large lizards, as mounts[1].
The Utapau seen in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars was made almost entirely from scale models and digital effects rather than filmed on location. In its system it is the fourth of seven planets[4].
Who lives here
Pau'ans
Tall, gaunt and long-lived, the Pau'ans run the government of Utapau's sinkhole cities and are the planet's most noticeable inhabitants[1].
Utai
Smaller native people who do the menial and manual work. They live mostly underground[1].
Amani and Sugi
Other groups that share the planet with the Pau'ans and Utai. They are not native and are thought to have arrived later[1].
Varactyl
Large lizard mounts used by Utapaun riders. Obi-Wan rides one named Boga during his hunt for General Grievous[1].
Role in the galaxy
Utapau is a place to hide. Officially neutral and far from the Core, it let the Separatists tuck a base out of sight at the bottom of one of its sinkholes, protected by battle droids, with the Separatist Council sheltered on the planet as well[1][2].
That makes it a late stop in the Clone Wars. General Grievous retreats here, and Obi-Wan Kenobi follows him to Pau City, where the local Port Administrator, a Pau'an named Tion Medon, is the official he has to deal with[2][3]. A separate Clone Wars story also sends Obi-Wan and Anakin to Pau City to investigate a Separatist plot to obtain a huge kyber crystal[1].
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.
-
≈ 19 BBY
Obi-Wan and Anakin go to Pau City to investigate the death of the Jedi Master Tu-Anh and uncover a Separatist plot to obtain a huge kyber crystal. They escape and destroy it. The story was told in unfinished Lost Missions episodes[1].
-
19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
After escaping Coruscant, General Grievous retreats to a Separatist base hidden at the bottom of an Utapau sinkhole, guarded by thousands of battle droids[2].
-
19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
Obi-Wan lands at the port and meets the administrator, Tion Medon, who pretends to know nothing but secretly warns him where Grievous is hiding[3].
-
19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
Spoiler · Episode III — Revenge of the SithShowYou've watched it
A clone battalion invades. Obi-Wan fights Grievous, and when he loses his lightsaber he shoots the cyborg general in the chest with a blaster pulled to his hand by the Force[2].
-
19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
Spoiler · Episode III — Revenge of the SithShowYou've watched it
Commander Cody receives Order 66 and opens fire on Obi-Wan, who barely escapes the planet[1].
Heroes from Utapau
Tion Medon
home world
A Pau'an and the Port Administrator of Utapau, who secretly helps Obi-Wan find Grievous[3].
Where to see Utapau
Every film, series and game in the timeline where Utapau appears, in watch order.
Filmed on Earth
Utapau was created in the studio and with visual effects — there is no real location to visit.
Did you know?
- Utapau was built largely from scale models, including a 1:200 model of the well and a 1:90 reconfigurable model of Pau City, with foam, wax and clay for the main shaft, plus digital effects[4].
- Bruce Spence, who plays Tion Medon, needed more than four hours of make-up each day for the Pau'an look, and the Utai were created entirely with CGI[4].
- Obi-Wan's mount Boga was modelled on a Komodo monitor, and Ewan McGregor rode a mechanical saddle on a hydraulic dial for the varactyl scenes[4].
Questions about Utapau
Where was Utapau filmed?
Nowhere on location: Utapau was built largely from scale models and digital effects for Revenge of the Sith. The crew made a 1:200 model of the main sinkhole and a 1:90 model of Pau City[4].
Where is Utapau in Star Wars?
Utapau is an Outer Rim planet in the Tarabba sector. It is the fourth of seven planets in its system, orbiting a single star[4].
Who lives on Utapau?
The Pau'ans and the Utai. The tall Pau'ans run the government of the sinkhole cities, while the smaller Utai do the manual work, mostly underground. Other groups, the Amani and Sugi, share the planet[1].