The moon Yavin IV has a very special place in Star Wars lore. It was the location of the Rebel Alliance headquarters during the Galactic Civil War, and the space around it played host to the climactic Battle of Yavin in which Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star in A New Hope. Since then, we’ve seen the base pop up in Rogue One, where Operation Fracture was planned. Now, if these rumors are correct, it’s sounding as if Star Wars: Episode IX may well be returning to the planet to round out the Sequel Trilogy.
According to Fanthatracks, the ongoing shoot has recently begun filming at the Cardington Sheds, a former Royal Air Force base in Bedfordshire, England. The Star Wars franchise has used this location in the past to capture Yavin 4 scenes in both A New Hope and Rogue One, so predicting that it’ll play the same location in Episode IX makes sense. Right now, Warner Bros. is using the cavernous Shed 1 as a place to store props, with Star Wars currently shooting inside Shed 2.
So, what could bring the characters back to Yavin 4? Well, I can think of a number of reasons. By the end of The Last Jedi, the Resistance is in a seriously tight spot and low on manpower and equipment. Perhaps regrouping at a site known for a triumphant victory would increase morale in the beleaguered group, not to mention that there should still be some military infrastructure left over from the Galactic Civil War. We’ve already seen the Resistance occupying an old Rebel base in the climax of The Last Jedi, so they’ve got form for this tactic.
There’s a whole bunch of iconic locations in the franchise, but if Star Wars: Episode IX really is going to wrap up the Skywalker saga once and for all, a nostalgia trip to one of the most important spots from the Original Trilogy makes a lot of sense, wouldn’t you say?