Mos Espa is essentially the sibling town to the better known Mos Eisley from New Hope. The mudstone slum is known for illegal gambling, pod racing, and the birth of the chosen one himself. Though little Anakin didn't care for his childhood, the town is rich with lore not seen or discussed in the movies.
From hidden Easter eggs to ghost stories, we picked some of the best bits of information Star Wars fans can add to their ongoing list of trivia. With that, here are 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tatooine's Mos Espa.
10 2001 Space Odyssey Ship
Each Star Wars entry has its fair share of easter eggs and cameos, hidden in framers for keen viewers to find. One Easter egg, however, is quite obvious and easy to spot amongst the lot to pick from. In Watto's junkyard is the space pod form Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The pod can be seen laying amongst the junk pile to the right as Watto and Qui-Gon Jinn barter over Anakin's status as a slave.
9 Local Ghost Stories
Old towns and villages are bound to have a ghost story or two. Mos Espa is no exception with two stories. One is of the Nobot, or ghost droid that wanders the streets of Mos Espa. The pale droid (the same model of C3Po) walks the streets murmuring droid commands with no objective but to simply act as a pest.
The other story tells of a crashed ship out on the Dune Sea that's rumored to be haunted. Wander into any cantina in Mos Espa, order a drink and ask the bartender about these two, and you're likely in for a treat.
8 Galactic Empire Influence
The Empire ruled through fear and abolished inherent laws unique to planets all over the galaxy. Even though Tatooine sits in the Outer Rim, it doesn't mean it's free from Imperial jurisdiction. When Palpatine became Emperor, the Empire invaded the city and took over. The Hutts were cast out along with their usage of slavery as a means to rule and pod racing for illegal gambling.
7 Golden Age
The term Golden Age isn't likely to be associated with something (or somewhere, in this case) like Mos Espa, but the town did prosper at one point. After the fall of the Empire and the installment of the New Republic, the town was free of tyrannical and illegal rule.
No Hutts or Empire were there to reinforce the rules of slavery, leaving the town to build itself as a just spaceport.
6 Hidden Jedi Cameo
Mos Espa, like Mos Eisley, is a no questions asked kind of town with residents keeping to themselves for fear of getting in trouble with the Hutts. That's why Jedi Master Quinlan Vos was lying low in a cantina while Jar Jar had a run in with Sebulba. The Jedi can been seen sitting at a table with a light yellow line across his nose. The facial line gives him away, you may have to pause and rewind a few times to see him, but he's there.
5 Pod Racing Grand Arena
One of the most memorable scenes from Phantom Menace is the Pod Race that takes place for the Boonta Eve classic. The arena can fit the entire population of Mos Espa and is even equipped with private viewing boxes for those who can afford it. Though, the only ones with that kind of money (or credits in this case) are gangsters like the Hutts.
In the movie, fans can spot some familiar faces in the crowd from the Star Wars universe. It's rumored Indiana Jones, the trademark character also created by Lucas (and Spielberg) is hidden somewhere in the crowd, though it's not confirmed.
4 Watto and Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Toydarian parts seller has a history with both Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi. After the fall of the Republic, Obi-Wan agreed with Yoda to go into hiding. During his seclusion, Obi-Wan lived in a small hut not far from the Lar's Homestead (Luke Skywalkers home). Due to the excessive heat, Obi-Wan visited Watto's shop for a humidifier. The visit was brief and the two didn't recognize each other, but it's interesting considering these two raised the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.
3 Boonta Eve Classic
The Boonta Eve Classic Pod race is one of the most watched and attended events in Mos Espa. However, the race faced some economic chaos in its early stages as it had to compete with other popular race sites like Malastare.
It wasn't until Gardulla the Hutt, a relative of the well known Jabba the Hutt, stepped in and used the race as a means to control the people. By expanding the track to stretch further into Ben's Mesa so that pods could reach excess speeds of 900 KM an hour, this instantly made Mos Espa a hot spot for pod racing.
2 Pricey Auction
Mos Espa doesn't seem like the place for an auction, especially one of a highly sought out moss painting. The moss painting, called Kilik Twilight was sought out by Han Solo for the New Republic and Commander Quenton for the remnants of the Galactic Empire. However, when the time came for the bidding the painting was stolen by Kitster Banai. Solo and Chewbacca went looking for the painting with the help of C3PO. It's fitting the painting was stolen in a town where illegal acts are what keep the credits rolling in.
1 Moisture Farming or Junk Dealing?
Tatooine is a barren desert, an unforgiving landscape of heat and sun. This forces it's inhabitants to be either moisture farmers or gamblers in the local towns. Mos Espa, is mostly known for gambling and junk dealing rather than the moisture farming found in its sister town Mos Eisley. The presence of the Grand Arena convinces most of the population to rely on gambling rather than honest work found in farming.
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