Spice. The intergalactic narcotic sought after by smugglers and syndicates alike, is in actuality a blanket term describing a wide variety of drugs — some medicinal, some more illicit. Although existing primarily in the background; Spice is an integral part of the Star Wars underworld, and has appeared countless times throughout the franchise.
The substances under the umbrella of “Spice” have a multitude of applications. Unrefined Spice can be used in medicine to treat wounds and relieve pain. Refined Spice, however, can become extremely addictive, and in Star Wars that habit-forming nature is exploited to drive economies and blackmail enemies.
Produced most notably in the Spice Mines of Kessel, slaves were used to harvest the minerals necessary to create dangerous drugs with a variety of side effects. The labor camps on Kessel were extremely hostile, and the life expectancy of the laborers was short.
In the grossly underappreciated film Solo: A Star Wars Story, a young Han Solo is tasked with stealing coaxium (a type of hyperdrive fuel) from the Pike Syndicate on Kessel. While there, fans were able to see the horrors of the Spice trade for the first time and catch a glimpse of the famed Kessel Run.
In The Rise of Skywalker it’s revealed Poe Dameron used to be a Spice smuggler, and it was Spice that got Han in trouble with Jabba the Hutt all those years ago in The Empire Strikes Back. The latest Star Wars animated series The Bad Batch even touches on Spice, and The Book of Boba Fett surrounds Boba’s desire to keep the Spice trade off of Tatooine.
One unique type of Spice produced on Kessel, Glitterstim, is especially volatile, able to awaken telepathic abilities and mental strength in users. Sound familiar? That’s right, we’re looking at you, Dune.
There’s no hiding the direct connection between the Spice of Star Wars, and Dune’s mind expanding drug – Melange, commonly known as Spice. It’s widely known that the two stories closely mirror each other, with Star Wars drawing a lot of inspiration from Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece. To see how Dune influenced Star Wars, take a look at the article here.
Spice in Star Wars is really just a combination of drugs and substances from across the galaxy. It’s a term that has many meanings, and is more fluid in definition than its predecessor, Dune. Either way, when it comes to Spice, it’s probably best (like with most illegal drugs) to just say no.