Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina/Legends

"Most of the best freighter pilots can be found here. Only watch your step. This place can be a little rough."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker

Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, also known as Chalmun's, Chalmun's Cantina, double-c/ceecee by the city militia, the Mos Eisley Cantina or simply The Cantina, was a popular drinking and dining establishment located on the desert world of Tatooine.

History


The building was first constructed by Cedo Partu, an early pioneer and Mos Eisley town leader, as a fortification against Tusken Raiders. Over the years it saw use as an armory, a brewery, and a flophouse for vagrants. Before the inception of the cantina, the site was occupied by B'omarr Monks and the Vriichon brothers, who before the purchase by Chalmun, were running an illegal spice den on the site and burying bodies in the basement.

Identified only by a sign over the door reading simply "Cantina," the cantina was a popular gathering place for spacers, smugglers, and the center of a host of criminal activity in the spaceport of Mos Eisley, Tatooine. It was run by the Wookiee Chalmun. Wuher (day shift) and Ackmena (night shift) shared the role of bartender. During Ackmena's night shift, Tork served as the bar's bouncer.

Maximum occupancy for the cantina was 102 humanoids, though any enforcement of this policy has not been recorded.

During the Invasion of Tatooine during the final days of the Clone Wars, the elite clone troopers X1 and X2 took control of the cantina in order to defend the city against Separatist invaders. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Bith band the Modal Nodes was forced to accept a regular gig working at Chalmun's Cantina after the leader Figrin D'an gambled away ownership of the band's instruments in a rigged card game with Kardue'sai'Malloc. They eventually worked off the debt, however.

Following the deaths of Owen and Beru Lars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker made their way to the Cantina to look for a pilot. There, they finally met with the pilot who would soon fly them to Alderaan: Han Solo and his copilot Chewbacca. During talks over a trip to Alderaan, Luke encountered Ponda Baba, who threatened to kill him. In defense of Luke, Obi-Wan slashed Baba's arm off with his lightsaber.

Later, Han Solo was confronted by Greedo, who was there to take the bounty on his life. He failed when Solo shot and killed him.



One reason Chalmun's Cantina was so popular among spacers was the droid detector that Chalmun installed in the foyer. For a long time, Imperial Sentry Droids made private discussions between smugglers and crime bosses all but impossible. While the detector didn't keep the Sentry Droids out, it did warn everyone that their activities and discussions were about to come under Imperial scrutiny. This enabled everyone time to compose themselves and present a perfectly innocent demeanor. Chalmun's also had a strict "No Droids" policy to prevent people from bringing their own droids into the Cantina with them. This was enforced by a refurbished Fabritech EPT-212 system in the entryway.

In 1 ABY, Tatooine, along with the rest of the system was put under Imperial curfew by a nameless Moff. Ackmena, the bartender at the cantina at the time, received the message, and responded by singing "Goodnight, But Not Goodbye" to her guests as she ushered them out the door.

Chalmun's Cantina was firebombed shortly after the death of Jabba the Hutt, but it remained open five years after the Battle of Endor, when Han Solo returned there to meet with the smuggler Dravis in an unsuccessful attempt to enlist him in cargo work for the New Republic. The cantina was also open at least 15 years later, when Zekk&mdash;working as a bounty hunter&mdash;sought Boba Fett to share with him information on Bornan Thul.

Inhabitants and patrons
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker

There were a number of regulars at Chalmun's during the Galactic Civil War. Included among them were the Sullustan pilot Garron, the Devaronian agent Kardue'sai'Malloc, and the Talz, Muftak. An Imperial logistics clerk, Beeyon Nace, was also a frequent visitor, as were Oxbel, Sinthia Pulchatt, and Vareth.

Behind the scenes


An IG-88 head can be seen behind the bartender when Ponda Baba's arm is cut off. A full one can also be seen in The Empire Strikes Back when Chewbacca is looking for C-3PO&mdash;both are white, while earlier in The Empire Strikes Back an IG-88 bounty hunter is colored gray.

Filming for the cantina exteriors in A New Hope took place in Ajim, Djerba, Tunisia on April 2-3, 1976. However, most of the interior shots were from Stage 6 at Elstree Studios on April 13-21.

Chalmun's Cantina was the same cantina in The Star Wars Holiday Special, set months after ANH, and shown during a night shift.

It is possible that the Episode I podracer, Gasgano, was one of the individuals present around the time of Luke Skywalker's meeting with Han Solo. Although not seen in the movie, Star Wars: Complete Locations points out a "multifingered former podracer, now a deft pickpocket" that can be located inside the cantina. It may be another Xexto podracer, however no Xexto podracers have been officially named, with the exception of Gasgano.

The cantina was featured in an official 1979 drunk driving PSA. In 2007, the official site made it available for viewing.

A skit on a 1977 episode of The Richard Pryor Show took place in the "Star Wars Bar", with Pryor playing the bartender. Though the skit did not reuse the original sets, many of the masks from A New Hope cantina scene were used for the patrons.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
 * Prey
 * Smuggler's Blues
 * Tall Tales
 * The Emperor's Court
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition
 * The Secret Tales of Luke's Hand
 * Star Wars Cantina
 * LucasArts Cantina