Why Does Everybody Want to Go Back to Jakku?

"Inconsequential" backwater or this galaxy's equivalent to Area 51?



Site of the Battle of Jakku, referenced both in the film and in several books

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Jakku



Rey's Journal about potential secret Imperial buildings or military bases hidden out in the desert



Site of LST's creepy militant Force worshiping village, maybe in proximity to Rey as the Force source?



Will Finn have to go back to his least favorite place in the galaxy in a future episode?

I'm absolutely sure now that Rey being on Jakku is no coincidence. Every new book and bit of info is making Jakku out to be a big deal and considering how Lucasfilm loves to put hints and real info ( albeit vaguely at times ) in the books. I have a strong feeling we'll see it again this trilogy.

I knew there was a reason I chose this name back in December!

Jakku was mentioned so many times by characters, there had to be a point to it. The name really stuck in my head.

I think something happened there and something is hidden there. I read one theory that something about it jammed Force abilities, which may explain why Rey was left there and why she never exhibited Force sensitivity until she left (though Kylo helped too).

I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

Jakku wrote:I knew there was a reason I chose this name back in December!

Jakku was mentioned so many times by characters, there had to be a point to it.  The name really stuck in my head.

@Jakku
haha right? Btw I consider us to be username siblings because of the jakku thing. I actually chose my name just because I thought the jakku scenes were pretty, but it is really cool how important jakku seems to be now! Go team Jakku!

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

@Slade

I would presume that he at least knows whoever left her there with him, even if it wasn't a family member. Perhaps part of the arrangement included Plutt perpetuating the belief that Rey's family would return one day as a means to keep her there. Even if he knew her family was dead, I don't see him being above accepting money to perpetuate a lie, especially if it kept a skilled scavenger in his indentured servitude.

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

@Slade

I would presume that he at least knows whoever left her there with him, even if it wasn't a family member. Perhaps part of the arrangement included Plutt perpetuating the belief that Rey's family would return one day as a means to keep her there. Even if he knew her family was dead, I don't see him being above accepting money to perpetuate a lie, especially if it kept a skilled scavenger in his indentured servitude.

@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah I see it strictly as self serving financial interest on his part, free child labor. Especially when there's been collateral information that she was considered his highest earning scavenger and the cut scene was that he came to reclaim both her and the MF as punishment because he didn't get whatever reward Hux had offered from the droid (he's such a cheat you know it was > 60 portions). Also most viewers inferred that the creepy novel passages came from the earliest drafts of the script, he really did consider her to be his property. Simon Pegg's a friend of the producer and wrote his college thesis on the hegemonics of Star Wars, so it'd be surprising if Plutt doesn't make a return appearance.

snufkin wrote:

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

@Slade

I would presume that he at least knows whoever left her there with him, even if it wasn't a family member. Perhaps part of the arrangement included Plutt perpetuating the belief that Rey's family would return one day as a means to keep her there. Even if he knew her family was dead, I don't see him being above accepting money to perpetuate a lie, especially if it kept a skilled scavenger in his indentured servitude.

@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah I see it strictly as self serving financial interest on his part, free child labor. Especially when there's been collateral information that she was considered his highest earning scavenger and the cut scene was that he came to reclaim both her and the MF as punishment because he didn't get whatever reward Hux had offered from the droid (he's such a cheat you know it was > 60 portions). Also most viewers inferred that the creepy novel passages came from the earliest drafts of the script, he really did consider her to be his property. Simon Pegg's a friend of the producer and wrote his college thesis on the hegemonics of Star Wars, so it'd be surprising if Plutt doesn't make a return appearance.

@snufkin

Yeah, I don't think there's any way that we've seen the last of Plutt. In the novelization, the scene where he tracked them to Takodana felt a bit forced, so I was glad that they cut that, even if the gag where Chewie ripped his arm off was a bit darkly humorous.

Them cutting that scene also leaves the door open for a more impactful return for the character--I would guess in IX or whenever they focus on what happened to Rey's parents.

@ISeeAnIsland

Platt was a real jerk. I'd like to see him in IX so he gets his comeuppance.

@ISeeAnIsland @Darth Dementor - I forsee Plutt being on the receiving end of a Jedi mindtrick. He's like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist, the workhouse beadle who sells Oliver for £5 as an apprentice after "please sir, I want some more." Plutt definitely sold Rey out to the FO once she beat off his thugs, at least that's how I figured she'd been identified as a scavenger by the FO.

Also putting here that the "I'll come back from you, it'll be alright" exchange between Poe and BB-8 is a parallel to what happened with Rey and her parents

I'm not sure that Plutt betrayed Rey to the FO.  They'd already worked out that Poe and Finn were going back to Jakku to get the droid, so they found the crash site and tracked Finn's trail to Niima Outpost.

Finn thought that they were there to punish him - but I don't think they gave a toss about him.  The FO was clearly determined to destroy the droid and its contents rather than get them back safely to Ren.  So Snoke/Hux simply don't want the Resistance to find Luke and bring him back, whereas Ren isn't bothered if the Resistance get to Luke, as long as he gets to him too.

snufkin wrote:@ISeeAnIsland @Darth Dementor - I forsee Plutt being on the receiving end of a Jedi mindtrick. He's like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist, the workhouse beadle who sells Oliver for £5 as an apprentice after "please sir, I want some more." Plutt definitely sold Rey out to the FO once she beat off his thugs, at least that's how I figured she'd been identified as a scavenger by the FO.

Also putting here that the "I'll come back from you, it'll be alright" exchange between Poe and BB-8 is a parallel to what happened with Rey and her parents

@snufkin Yes, and like her family, he didn't.

@Jakku, but Finn is a big deal, of course they're after him ;)! Mostly I just wondered how the FO knew she was a scavenger since Daniel Craig calls her 'scavenger scum,' and figured Plutt wasn't above selling them some intel on her to make up for losing out on the BB-8 bounty.

And yes, her parents left her in a similar desperate situation because something bad was going down and she wasn't safe with them. At least for BB-8's sake, Poe survived. But that's part of the reason why she takes up the cause of protecting him and returning him to his "home."

snufkin wrote:

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

@Slade

I would presume that he at least knows whoever left her there with him, even if it wasn't a family member. Perhaps part of the arrangement included Plutt perpetuating the belief that Rey's family would return one day as a means to keep her there. Even if he knew her family was dead, I don't see him being above accepting money to perpetuate a lie, especially if it kept a skilled scavenger in his indentured servitude.

@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah I see it strictly as self serving financial interest on his part, free child labor. Especially when there's been collateral information that she was considered his highest earning scavenger and the cut scene was that he came to reclaim both her and the MF as punishment because he didn't get whatever reward Hux had offered from the droid (he's such a cheat you know it was > 60 portions). Also most viewers inferred  that the creepy novel passages came from the earliest drafts of the script, he really did consider her to be his property. Simon Pegg's a friend of the producer and wrote his college thesis on the hegemonics of Star Wars, so it'd be surprising if Plutt doesn't make a return appearance.

@snufkin

I would love to read that thesis.

Jakku wrote:I'm not sure that Plutt betrayed Rey to the FO.  They'd already worked out that Poe and Finn were going back to Jakku to get the droid, so they found the crash site and tracked Finn's trail to Niima Outpost.

Finn thought that they were there to punish him - but I don't think they gave a toss about him.  The FO was clearly determined to destroy the droid and its contents rather than get them back safely to Ren.  So Snoke/Hux simply don't want the Resistance to find Luke and bring him back, whereas Ren isn't bothered if the Resistance get to Luke, as long as he gets to him too.

snufkin wrote:@ISeeAnIsland @Darth Dementor - I forsee Plutt being on the receiving end of a Jedi mindtrick. He's like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist, the workhouse beadle who sells Oliver for £5 as an apprentice after "please sir, I want some more." Plutt definitely sold Rey out to the FO once she beat off his thugs, at least that's how I figured she'd been identified as a scavenger by the FO.

Also putting here that the "I'll come back from you, it'll be alright" exchange between Poe and BB-8 is a parallel to what happened with Rey and her parents

@snufkin Yes, and like her family, he didn't.

@Jakku

I thought that Plutt called or otherwise notified the First Order after Rey refused to sell BB-8 to him? I could have sworn that was in the movie. At the very least, the FO had been sniffing around looking for the droid, and Plutt knew to alert them because of that.

Ugh, I see some parallels between Plutt and Snoke.  Both are extremely skeethy "men" who are controlling and arguably mistreating Kylo and Rey.  Both come across as predatory (Plutt seems like a rapist or child molester to me...just that vibe).

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Jakku wrote:I'm not sure that Plutt betrayed Rey to the FO.  They'd already worked out that Poe and Finn were going back to Jakku to get the droid, so they found the crash site and tracked Finn's trail to Niima Outpost.

Finn thought that they were there to punish him - but I don't think they gave a toss about him.  The FO was clearly determined to destroy the droid and its contents rather than get them back safely to Ren.  So Snoke/Hux simply don't want the Resistance to find Luke and bring him back, whereas Ren isn't bothered if the Resistance get to Luke, as long as he gets to him too.

snufkin wrote:@ISeeAnIsland @Darth Dementor - I forsee Plutt being on the receiving end of a Jedi mindtrick. He's like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist, the workhouse beadle who sells Oliver for £5 as an apprentice after "please sir, I want some more." Plutt definitely sold Rey out to the FO once she beat off his thugs, at least that's how I figured she'd been identified as a scavenger by the FO.

Also putting here that the "I'll come back from you, it'll be alright" exchange between Poe and BB-8 is a parallel to what happened with Rey and her parents

@snufkin   Yes, and like her family, he didn't.

@Jakku

I thought that Plutt called or otherwise notified the First Order after Rey refused to sell BB-8 to him? I could have sworn that was in the movie. At the very least, the FO had been sniffing around looking for the droid, and Plutt knew to alert them because of that.

@ISeeAnIsland

He immediately did.

It'd be cool if in episode 8, kylo and rey are trying to figure out some mystery on ach-to and they figure out the key to saving the galaxy or whatever is the big epic plot lies *pans toward rey's face as she slowly realizes it's* "jakku."

The 'scavenger' comments once she's captured is what made me think that Plutt sold her out. He's nothing if not a capitalist first and foremost.

@slade - bingo, exact parallels. Like I've said, even Dickensian analogues. Snoke is an extra creepy, predatory version of Miss Havisham and Plutt is Mr. Bumble. Havisham uses Estella as a weapon (Snoke wants power/retribution) and Bumble sells Oliver for £5 (Plutt cares about money).

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Slade wrote:

snufkin wrote:I think that there's going to be a return visit and not because Rey forgot to take her nightguard with her. Especially if they cut out a follow up confrontation with Unkar Plutt (who might as well be a Dickensian workhouse owner with that name and cheating on rations). Dude is the key to who her parents were or at least what happened when she was left there to wait for them.

@snufkin

I wonder how much Plutt knows about Rey's family.  If he knows anything substantial, why didn't he tell Rey?

@Slade

I would presume that he at least knows whoever left her there with him, even if it wasn't a family member. Perhaps part of the arrangement included Plutt perpetuating the belief that Rey's family would return one day as a means to keep her there. Even if he knew her family was dead, I don't see him being above accepting money to perpetuate a lie, especially if it kept a skilled scavenger in his indentured servitude.

@ISeeAnIsland

Yeah I see it strictly as self serving financial interest on his part, free child labor. Especially when there's been collateral information that she was considered his highest earning scavenger and the cut scene was that he came to reclaim both her and the MF as punishment because he didn't get whatever reward Hux had offered from the droid (he's such a cheat you know it was > 60 portions). Also most viewers inferred  that the creepy novel passages came from the earliest drafts of the script, he really did consider her to be his property. Simon Pegg's a friend of the producer and wrote his college thesis on the hegemonics of Star Wars, so it'd be surprising if Plutt doesn't make a return appearance.

@snufkin

I would love to read that thesis.

@Slade

You're a prof, right? I bet the library at your school has access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

ISeeAnIsland wrote:

Jakku wrote:I'm not sure that Plutt betrayed Rey to the FO.  They'd already worked out that Poe and Finn were going back to Jakku to get the droid, so they found the crash site and tracked Finn's trail to Niima Outpost.

Finn thought that they were there to punish him - but I don't think they gave a toss about him.  The FO was clearly determined to destroy the droid and its contents rather than get them back safely to Ren.  So Snoke/Hux simply don't want the Resistance to find Luke and bring him back, whereas Ren isn't bothered if the Resistance get to Luke, as long as he gets to him too.

snufkin wrote:@ISeeAnIsland @Darth Dementor - I forsee Plutt being on the receiving end of a Jedi mindtrick. He's like Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist, the workhouse beadle who sells Oliver for £5 as an apprentice after "please sir, I want some more." Plutt definitely sold Rey out to the FO once she beat off his thugs, at least that's how I figured she'd been identified as a scavenger by the FO.

Also putting here that the "I'll come back from you, it'll be alright" exchange between Poe and BB-8 is a parallel to what happened with Rey and her parents

@snufkin Yes, and like her family, he didn't.

@Jakku

I thought that Plutt called or otherwise notified the First Order after Rey refused to sell BB-8 to him? I could have sworn that was in the movie. At the very least, the FO had been sniffing around looking for the droid, and Plutt knew to alert them because of that.

@ISeeAnIsland

Plutt contacts his heavies and says "Follow the girl and get that droid." Presumably the FO has put out a 'Wanted' notice for BB-8, and Plutt intends to get hold of the droid and sell him to the FO.

The FO probably know Rey is a scavenger because stormtroopers were in Niima Outpost asking locals about the droid, and presumably were told that one of the local scavengers - a human girl - had been seen around with a droid that looked like that. I think we can assume that the 'What girl?' moment was followed by Mitaka explaining to Kylo what the troops had found out. That's how Kylo knew she was a scavenger, and possibly also how he'd 'heard so much about' her in the first place.

You know what's also weird about Jakku? Its location. As it's described as being in a remote section of the Western Reaches, and a jumping point to the Unknown Regions, you'd kind of expect it to be an Outer Rim planet. But the official map makes it look like it's in the Inner Rim and not even in the Western Reaches proper. On the map it looks closer to the Colonies than the border. (Huge map, so I'll put it behind the spoiler tag.)

Spoiler:

It appears I'm not the only one wondering about this, going by this Twitter exchange from last November:

https://twitter.com/pablohidalgo/status/670112380420952064

Pablo only replies "Western Reaches is as specific as I'll get at the moment". So is there a mystery related to Jakku's location as well?

Another weird thing is that the nearby planets of Jakku are said to be Ponemah and Ogem. But the non-canon Ogem was in a completely different location - the D'Aelgoth sector in the Mid Rim. Why would they bring a random planet like Ogem into canon but put it in a completely different place? Rakata Prime was brought into canon and hasn't been moved anywhere. Am I missing something here?

The reason why I started wondering about Jakku's location is because I was curious whether Jakku might once have been Zakuul. Zakuul from the in-game map is actually level with Jakku on the official TFA map, but it's much further to the west in the Unknown Regions so I suppose it can't be Jakku. Unless this map is meant to be inaccurate and Jakku is really further off to the west, which I doubt but still. Weird.

I have a feeling they will be visiting Jakku as well. I thought it was a made up nothing planet, until my husband was telling me about the history of it. It also feels a little foreshadowing that Finn kept saying, " Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku? " , humorous as that was. I could see it being really humorous if he has to go in episode 9. I keep hearing episode 8 is about the Skywalkers and wonder if 9 is about Rey's family?

bashfulblueeyes3 wrote:I have a feeling they will be visiting Jakku as well. I thought it was a made up nothing planet, until my husband was telling me about the history of it. It also feels a little foreshadowing that Finn kept saying, " Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku? " , humorous as that was. I could see it being really humorous if he has to go in episode 9. I keep hearing episode 8 is about the Skywalkers and wonder if 9 is about Rey's family?

@bashfulblueeyes3

Jakku has an amazing history if you've ever read the Aftermath books. I'm still half way through Empire's End, but Palpatine thought it was the source of the Darkside and he was heading up excavations there after he came to power. I really need to finish that book one of these days...

As far as VIII being all about the Skywalkers, I have a feeling it's going to focus very much on Ben Solo's backstory, and why he fell to the Darkside, along with what kind of role Luke played as well. Likely we'll see all of this unfold through Rey's eyes.

Glad to hear your hubby is a big enough SW fan where he can tell you the history of Jakku. Mine is asked me who the guy on the right was when he saw the TLJ teaser poster...

Welcome to the board, btw!