6 Fascinating New Details Star Wars Fans Can Find On The New Official Galaxy Map

What self-respecting sci-fi or fantasy fan doesn’t love a good map? They look cool, they help tie the story together, and they’re often filled with little lore details that snuck into the margins. When it comes to something as massive as the “Star Wars” galaxy, however, things can get pretty overwhelming pretty quickly. “Star Wars” has had many maps over the decades, crossing various canons and eras and often shifting exact planet locations from one iteration to the next. It’s a lot to keep up with, but fortunately, most of the stories set in a galaxy far, far away require very little (if any) geographical knowledge.

Now, though, learning the layout of the “Star Wars” galaxy is easier than ever thanks to a new (sort of) interactive map from Lucasfilm that you can explore at StarWars.com. The map may seem a bit daunting at first, and you’ll have to pull up those wiki entries yourself to read more on each planet and outpost, but a handy appendix listing all featured locations and a corresponding grid system make it pretty simple to track down your favorite spots.

In addition to the appendix, this updated map has added hundreds of new locations and tweaked the details of many others (as noted in a full breakdown shared by writer Jason Fry, who helped lead the project). Looking through the map yourself is a fun exercise if you’re a longtime fan, but for those less prone to wiki deep-dives, I’ve assembled a few standout details from the new “Star Wars” galaxy map.

In addition to being the greatest live-action “Star Wars” TV show (and, for some, the high point of the entire franchise), “Andor” brought us a ton of new planets to get lost in. The combination of stunning live-action locations and a galaxy-spanning story meant more distinctive and memorable places, and their relation to each other on the new map carries is quite interesting.

For starters, it feels like yet another bit of classic “Andor” foreshadowing that Narkina 5, where Cassian Andor (Diego Luna” is imprisoned in the show’s first season, and Scarif, where he ultimately dies after stealing the Death Star plans in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” are practically right next to each other. The irony only grows when you remember that the inmates in the prison on Narkina 5 spent every waking moment building components for the Death Star itself. Yes, the scale of the galaxy means that these locations aren’t exactly next door to one another, but we have to talk in relative terms here. It is a galaxy, after all.

Other “Andor”-related details include Cassian’s adopted home of Ferrix, which is very close to the Corporate Sector — a matter that factors heavily into the show’s first arc. You can also see Ghorman’s position along the Rimma Trade Route, from which the planet is blockaded in “Andor” season 1 during a series of anti-Imperial protests. Steergard and Spellhaus, two locations busy with Rebel activity throughout the series, are also quite near to each other along the Hydian Way, which is one of the galaxy’s other main navigational routes. That could explain why they make such prime targets for Rebel groups. Finally, other prominent “Andor” planets like Niamos, Segra Milo, and Wobani (of the Wobani Run) are featured here as well.

“Andor” isn’t the only live-action “Star Wars” TV show to get some planets added to the new galactic map. At Attin, the secret treasure world featured in “Skeleton Crew” and the place where that show’s intrepid group of young adventurers grows up, is also included. Curiously, it’s very near one of the most important planets in the modern “Star Wars” canon: Dathomir.

Dathomir is a world that’s been around since the early days of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (which is now officially referred to as Star Wars Legends) and has since played a crucial role in various “Star Wars” animated series by serving as both Darth Maul and Asajj Ventress’ home world. What’s perhaps more relevant here, though, is that it’s the planet where Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) leads his Imperial remnant to at the end of “Ahsoka” season 1 after escaping Peridea and making it back to the main “Star Wars” galaxy.

As you may recall, it was previously announced that Dave Filoni plans to direct a live-action “Star Wars” movie that will tie up the assorted plot threads from “The Mandalorian” and its spin-offs, which includes “Ahsoka,” “Skeleton Crew,” and “The Book of Boba Fett.” Fans have since theorized that the film will be something of an “Avengers”-style crossover event, with Thrawn serving as the Thanos-level threat. That said, “Ahsoka” season 2 is currently in production, so a lot could happen before that movie comes out (if it ever comes out). Still, positioning Dathomir — the source of Thrawn’s mysterious plans — so close to At Attin could be a natural way to bring the characters from “Skeleton Crew” into the larger story.

Then again, maybe it’s just a fun coincidence — two planets of particular interest to the Empire’s remnants happening to be right next to each other.

Over the past decade, there have been a lot of stories set in the years between the original and prequel trilogies — perhaps too many, if we’re being honest. As a result, we’ve seen a bunch of new planets that either housed Rebel bases or hidden bastions of freedom beyond Imperial control. Several of these can now be located on the new “Star Wars” galaxy map, and their locations reveal why they were able to keep such low profiles.

One such example is Pabu, a naturally gorgeous, watery planet used at times as a refuge by Clone Force 99 in “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.” In that show, Pabu is home to a community of refugees — some displaced during the Clone Wars, others by natural disasters or Imperial violence. Its location deep in the Outer Rim explains why it became such a haven.

Similarly, you can see hidden planets like the ancestral Lasat homeworld of Lira San, which exists outside the Outer Rim (and therefore the technical bounds of the charted galaxy) in a region called “Wild Space.” In “Star Wars Rebels,” this planet can only be reached by performing a magical ritual that allows you to traverse an otherwise deadly nebula.

“Rebels” fans may also notice the planet Atollon, the location of a major Rebel base during the show’s third season. The unsettled world proved an excellent hiding place from Imperial eyes, but the new map also shows its proximity to both “Rebels” protagonist planet Lothal and Mon Cala — one of the most important allied planets in the Rebel Alliance. Mon Cala provided much of the Rebel fleet, which was helmed by admirals like Raddus and Ackbar. It’s certainly interesting that this world is so close to Atollon, i.e. where the Rebellion built one of its first substantial organized fleets.

“Star Wars” hasn’t only built out the galaxy far, far away through new shows over the last several years. There have also been a number of major new video games set in the canon, most notably “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, “Jedi: Survivor,” and the (pretty impressive) “Star Wars Outlaws.” Planets from all three of these titles have now joined the franchise’s most iconic locations on the updated galaxy map.

Bracca, where you first meet Cal Kestis at the start of “Fallen Order,” can be found in the Mid Rim relatively close to Kashyyyk (where Cal ventures to later in the game). Zeffo, another prominent planet from the game, can similarly be spotted deep in the Outer Rim. Perhaps more interesting to fans of the “Jedi” games is the hidden world of Tanalorr, a planet discovered but abandoned by the Jedi during the High Republic era. In “Jedi: Survivor,” Cal and crew aim to use the planet as a haven for Force users escaping the Empire along the underground railroad known as The Path. You won’t see Tanalorr on the map itself, but you will see its home nebula of Koboh, right at the edge of the charted galaxy. This location both reflects the Jedi’s departure from the planet and why it’s such a prime hiding place.

“Outlaws” locations like the windswept moon Toshara (Outer Rim, near famed pod racer Ben Quadinaros’ homeworld of Tund) and the forested Akiva (just off the Hydian Way) are included as well. “Outlaws” also features the “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” planet Kijimi, where Poe Dameron once worked as a spice runner.

As detailed and filled with planets as the new “Star Wars” galaxy map is, there are a number of notable locations that aren’t featured. Some of these exclusions are explained by Jason Fry in the aforementioned breakdown. For instance, the clone homeworld of Kamino was removed from the map because, as Fry explains, it’s “extragalactic.”

That fits with the dialogue about Kamino’s location in “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,” which describes it as being “beyond the Outer Rim.” The planet’s exact location has been a matter of some dispute over the years; at times, it’s been characterized as Wild Space, but it’s now definitively marked as outside the bounds of the galaxy. Similarly, the “Ahsoka” planet Peridea doesn’t appear since it exists in a wholly separate galaxy.

There are other notable exclusions from the more recent “Star Wars” shows as well. Brendok, home of the Force witch coven from “The Acolyte,” isn’t on the map, nor are the other hidden treasure planets from “Skeleton Crew” other than At Attin (perhaps because they have remained a secret).

There are lots of other nifty details for “Star Wars” lore lovers or amateur geographers on the new map. Remember Ochi of Bestoon from “The Rise of Skywalker,” famous for leaving that mysterious dagger in the desert? We now know where Bestoon is! The Ring of Kafrene from the start of “Rogue One” is also on the map, as are a number of prominent sequel trilogy planets. The most notable of those is probably Ahch-To, the hidden world in the Unknown Regions where Rey finds Luke Skywalker living in exile. Given its location in uncharted space, it makes sense why that map was so essential.

Exegol is located in a different corner of the Unknown Regions, not entirely far from Ilum, where Starkiller Base was built. Just don’t look too closely at the distance between Ilum and Hosnian Prime — remember, Starkiller Base fired its shots through sub-hyperspace to strike the New Republic. That’s why the First Order was able to do it from halfway across the galaxy. (It makes sense, right? Right…?)

If you’ve ever enjoyed the more ancillary pieces of the “Star Wars” universe (a pulp novel, a comic, whatever your vice), it’s worth spending at least a few minutes looking over the map and finding familiar locations. For example, seeing just how far out Jedi Temple planets like Lothal and Ahch-To are brings up fun questions about the navigational advancements of ancient Jedi and the knowledge that’s been lost to the galaxy with time. With roughly half of what would be the full Outer Rim still uncharted in the Unknown regions, there’s a ton of room for the franchise to keep exploring as well — and that’s without even mentioning the new galaxy glimpsed in “Ahsoka.” Take a look for yourself, and you’ll surely find some new details I missed.