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 Cantina, also known as the Mos Eisley Cantina or the double-c/ceecee (by city militia), was a drinking and dining establishment on the planet of Tatooine.

Description


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, and both Wuher (day shift) and Ackmena (night shift) shared the role of bartender. It has been known to "get a little rough" at some times, as noted by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Maximum occupancy for the cantina is 102 humanoids, though any enforcement of this policy has not been recorded. During Ackmena's night shift, Tork served as the bar's bouncer.

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 to 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 similar "businessmen" 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.

Chalmun's Cantina 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.

Regulars in Chalmun's Cantina



 * Garron
 * Beeyon Nace
 * Oxbel
 * Sinthia Pulchatt
 * Vareth
 * Kardue'sai'Malloc (Labria)
 * Muftak

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.


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


 * It was also seen in a skit on a 1977 episode of The Richard Pryor Show.

Appearances

 * Prey
 * The Hovel on Terk Street
 * Rebel Dawn
 * A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale webstrip
 * Star Wars Empire: Darklighter
 * Smuggler's Blues
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 2: Six Against the Galaxy
 * Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine
 * Star Wars: Galaxies
 * Star Wars 3-D
 * Spare Parts
 * Droid Trouble
 * Allegiance
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Tatooine Sojourn
 * Tales from Mos Eisley: Light Duty
 * Tales from Mos Eisley: Mostly Automatic
 * Tales from Mos Eisley: Heggs' Tale
 * Shadows of the Empire comic
 * The Mandalorian Armor
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Tall Tales
 * Young Jedi Knights: Delusions of Grandeur
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth

Non-canon appearances

 * The Emperor's Court
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition
 * The Secret Tales of Luke's Hand
 * Star Wars Cantina