One Scene Can Make All the Difference: The "Cantina" is Crucial to Star Wars

There is one scene in each Star Wars original trilogy film that inspires wonder and intrigue within the mysterious galaxy far, far away. In Star Wars, it's the Cantina Scene. This encounter at Mos Eisley set the standard for what makes an immersive environment that is both familiar and alien to the viewer. To me, it's all about the variety of beings and unknown histories of the spacer buying a drink or the two conversing aliens in the corner booth. The Cantina experience we have as viewers is most akin to Luke's first time in this space port, which, as Ben Kenobi notes, is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. We sure aren't in the Jundland Waste anymore, Luke. We're a long way's away from Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's homestead. This was Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina!

The jazzy music played by the Cantina band, also known as "Mad About Me" and consisting of a Bith quartet, sets the scene with peculiar sound and visuals surrounding our heroes, many not paying any attention to their entrance besides the bartender and the immediate patrons. Luke gets involved in a confrontation with Ponda Baba and Dr. Cornelius Evazan, but Kenobi steals the scene (and Ponda Baba's arm) with a swift swipe of his blue lightsaber. If the Cantina customers weren't paying attention before, they sure were at that moment. Of course, it's really nothing new to them, and so they turn back to their drinks. Think about that. Someone loses an arm and it's business as usual. Just another day in Mos Eisley. Forget about it. Mind you, the Imperial troops don't take too kindly to the violence.

With consideration to the now defunct Expanded Universe, there were many stories to be told in this one scene. Who were the Snaggletooth aliens (Zutton and Zutmore), or that pilot (BoShek) Ben was speaking with before meeting Chewie? Why did Cornelius have the death sentence on twelve systems? How about that pair of Duros in the back having a very active conversation in their native language? Not knowing every single story in the film or series of films is what makes this scene so excellent. There is a rich world beyond the Skywalker legacy that we follow, and it doesn't have to be explained. It is serving its purpose by throwing us into a lived-in world. You cannot know everything, but neither could Luke. If you weren't feeling immersed before arriving in Mos Eisley, surely the Cantina helped you dive in.

The Empire Strikes Back doesn't have the same Catina scene by formula, but there is one instance where the viewer is thrown into an encounter that leaves us wonder "who were they?" On the bridge of the Executor, Vader speaks with a series of bounty hunters who all look menacing and aggressive in their unique ways. Boba Fett gets the spotlight and the iconic dialogue, and he does remain my favourite of the mercenaries, but what about the others? What's up with that lizardheaded dude (Bossk the Trandoshan) or the protocol droid guy (4-LOM)? Of course, there is a lot of Expanded Universe content, but the scene holds an equally intriguing atmosphere surrounding the bounty hunters. Each character has a grimey history to them, with physical traits being the only glimpse into their deep worlds. I mean, who did Boba Fett disintegrate last? Crazy.

Return of the Jedi brings us back to a Cantina vibe in Jabba's Palace. The worst of the worst on Tatooine hang out with the gangster and his friends like Salacious B. Crumb and Bib Fortuna. This place is full of aliens new and old as well as shady humans and droids. What kind of life would lead some of these criminals and undesirables to spend time with Jabba the Hutt way out in the desert on an Outer Rim planet? How did Max Rebo and his fellow bandmates land a residency at the Palace? Does Beedo the Rodian hate Han for killing Greedo? How did that Jawa get separated from his scavenger friends? It's a pretty interesting place, especially when Lando Calrissian is able to enter in disguise and no one questions the continued presence of the bounty hunter Boushh who is in fact Leia. The music is similar in mood to the Cantina and the company is just as questionable.

So, why am I thinking about Cantinas and bounty hunters? Well, with the release of The Force Awakens less than a week away, it has me pondering the atmosphere and environment of the 2015 sequel. JJ Abrams has confirmed that a Cantina sequence does occur and there has been music written for the unique experience. I believe it will occur in Maz Kanata's (Lupita Nyong'o) palace where Finn, Rey, BB-8 and presumably Han and Chewie visit at some stage in the film. It's supposed to be a meeting place for many pirates and spacers like the Cantina, so hopefully it serves to immerse us in this world, not just for nostalgia purposes but for the depth of the Star Wars galaxy and the sake of a lived-in environment that made the original films great.