10 Secrets Of Mos Eisley Cantina You Need To Know

If you’ve ever wondered about the secrets hidden in the dusty corners of Mos Eisley Cantina, you’re not alone. 

This place isn’t just a watering hole on Tatooine; it’s a crossroads for smugglers, bounty hunters, and even ex-Sith warriors—all bringing their own stories and mysteries. 

From hidden histories to lesser-known characters, the Mos Eisley Cantina has layers that most fans only begin to uncover. 

Let’s take a closer look at the ten secrets lurking behind those doors and see how much more there is to this infamous “wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

10. The Cantina’s Many Faces Were Created Through Different Filming Locations

The Mos Eisley Cantina is more than just a setting in Star Wars; it’s a carefully crafted blend of multiple filming locations that brought its gritty, unforgettable atmosphere to life.

The sandy, worn-down entrance we see on screen was shot in Ajim, Tunisia, giving the cantina that authentic, weathered Tatooine look. 

Once we’re inside, though, it’s a different story. Most of the bustling bar scenes were filmed at Elstree Studios in London, capturing the core of the cantina’s action and energy. And for those close-up shots of alien patrons? 

Those were filmed at Hollywood Center Studios, adding to the chaotic and lively atmosphere that gives Mos Eisley Cantina its unforgettable character. 

All these locations seamlessly pieced together to create the gritty, unified setting that still stands out today.

9. The Cantina’s Crazy Aliens Were Made in Just 10 Weeks

Creating the Mos Eisley Cantina creatures was a race against time. Makeup effects artist Nick Maley shared that his team had just 10 weeks to bring a whole bar of aliens to life. 

They worked long hours every day, but the time crunch meant they couldn’t finish every creature themselves. 

Other effects artists, like Rick Baker, stepped in to add more aliens to fill out the scene. 

Maley recalled it as a scrappy, creative effort: “We were just a bunch of guys sitting in a little room trying to make aliens for this scene where it [the script] said, ‘It’s a bar full of crazy aliens.’”

8. The Cantina’s Real Name Is Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina

We may know it as the Mos Eisley Cantina, but in the Star Wars universe, it actually has an official name: Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina. 

This detail revealed in the book Star Wars: Complete Locations, brings a new layer to the famous hangout. 

Named after Chalmun, the Wookiee owner, this place isn’t just any bar—it’s one of the most popular, if not the most dangerous, spots in Mos Eisley.

Chalmun’s Cantina was a prime meeting point for smugglers, bounty hunters, and anyone else looking to do business on the edge of the law. 

For a time, even the Bounty Hunter Guild operated out of the cantina, using it as a front for their activities. 

And, of course, it was frequented by Jabba the Hutt’s employees, including the infamous Greedo.

7. Chalmun the Wookiee Owner of the Mos Eisley Cantina

Interestingly, the Mos Eisley Cantina’s owner, Chalmun, was a Wookiee with quite a colorful past. 

Though we don’t see him in A New Hope, the children’s book The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight reveals Chalmun as the clever Wookiee who runs this infamous establishment. 

Chalmun, originally a street fighter who hustled tourists on Ord Mantell, eventually saved enough credits to buy the cantina from the Vriichon brothers. 

Even though he aimed to keep some order, his bar became notorious for its bursts of violence, and Chalmun himself wasn’t above dealing with local gangsters to keep things running.

Chalmun had managed to save enough credits from his street dealings to buy the bar from the Vriichon Brothers. But rumor has it that when he found what was lurking in the bar’s basement, the brothers vanished—likely fearing Chalmun’s wrath. 

Though he ran the bar with a strict “no-fighting” rule, Chalmun knew how to profit from the seedy dealings around him, especially when it came to his bartenders renting out the underground caverns.

Unlike most Wookiees, Chalmun opted for clothes and even kept a collection of bowcasters in the cantina, foreshadowing the weapon that would later be associated with Chewbacca. 

It’s details like these that make Chalmun such a unique character in the Star Wars universe, blending his Wookiee instincts with the cunning of a true entrepreneur.

6. Asajj Ventress Joins Boba Fett’s Bounty Hunter Crew at Chalmun’s Cantina

After the devastating loss on Dathomir, Asajj Ventress found herself wandering the Outer Rim, far from any familiar faces. 

Eventually, she made her way to the rough sands of Tatooine, seeking some anonymity within the seedy Mos Eisley. 

Ventress’s journey took her to Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina, where, hoping to drown her sorrows, she encountered an overly persistent bounty hunter named Oked. 

When Oked refused to back down, Ventress calmly ended the exchange by impaling him with her lightsaber—just another casual display of force in a bar where violence wasn’t exactly rare.

But Oked’s death wasn’t without consequence. 

The commotion drew the attention of two other bounty hunters: Bossk, a Trandoshan, and Latts Razzi, who both approached her, explaining that Oked had been a member of their syndicate and that they now needed a replacement for an upcoming mission. 

Realizing her situation—and that these bounty hunters had connections to Jabba the Hutt, who still held a grudge against her—Ventress agreed to join them.

5. Boba Fett’s Hunt for Han Solo Begins at Chalmun’s Cantina

The notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett frequented Chalmun’s Cantina, blending in as just another dangerous regular—until the day his mission to hunt down Han Solo and his young companion began. 

In Star Wars #5 by Marvel Comics by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday, we see Fett make his entrance with an unmistakable sense of menace, putting everyone in the cantina on edge. 

He had already left a trail of bodies behind him—Rodians, Jawas, and even a moisture-farming family—on his quest for information.

Fett’s investigation brought him to Mos Eisley, specifically Chalmun’s Cantina, where he announced that he wouldn’t leave until someone gave him the name of the boy traveling with Solo. 

When one alien tried to mock him, calling him the “only boy here,” Fett didn’t waste words—he quickly took down the six-armed creature with brutal efficiency.

The barman, Wuher, tried to help, sharing what little he knew: the boy had once arrived with Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

But just then, a young man tried to slip out of the cantina. Fett caught up to him, interrogating him until he finally revealed the name Luke Skywalker. With his goal achieved, Fett released the young man—only to coldly shoot him moments later.

4. The Mos Eisley Cantina Still Drew Bounty Hunters After the Guild Left

After the fall of the Empire, the newly established New Republic took swift measures to cut ties with bounty hunters, aiming to project a more lawful image. 

This shift left many bounty hunters out of work, including Din Djarin, the Mandalorian. In the fifth episode of The Mandalorian, titled “The Gunslinger,” we see Djarin visiting Chalmun’s Cantina, hoping to pick up a job despite the guild’s absence.

When Djarin asks the droid bartender, EV-9D9, about potential work, he’s told that the guild no longer operates in Chalmun’s due to its struggles in the new Republic-controlled galaxy. But Djarin’s determination proves fruitful even without official contracts. 

A young bounty hunter named Toro Calican approaches Djarin, hoping to capture the elusive assassin Fennec Shand to earn his way into the guild. 

Though Calican’s motives were personal, the Cantina still served its role as a hub for outlaws and hunters.

3. Greedo’s Journey from Extra to Speaking Role

Originally, Greedo was intended to be just another background character in the bustling Mos Eisley Cantina. 

Stuart Freeborn, the makeup artist behind many memorable Star Wars aliens, crafted Greedo’s mask without any mechanisms to animate his ears or mouth, assuming he’d remain silent in the background. 

However, plans changed, and Greedo’s role grew into a speaking part with a critical encounter with Han Solo.

To accommodate this shift, Freeborn’s team received Greedo’s head back to add mechanisms that could animate his facial features, giving him a more expressive look for his conversation with Han. 

Interestingly, the iconic standoff between Greedo and Han wasn’t filmed alongside the main cantina scenes but at a different time and place.

2. Han Solo’s Deleted Flirtation Scene in Mos Eisley

Hidden in the archives of Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray, there’s a deleted scene that reveals a softer side of Han Solo in Mos Eisley. 

In this cut footage from A New Hope, we see Han talking to a woman named Jenny, played by Jenny Cresswell. 

This isn’t just a quick background moment—Jenny and Han share a brief but clear connection, hinting that Han may have had a romantic interest, or at least someone he enjoyed flirting with, just before he meets Luke and Obi-Wan.

Jenny’s scene ultimately didn’t make it to the final cut, but she’s still visible in the cantina, where she’s seen speaking to a Rodian.

1. The Mos Eisley Cantina’s Past as an Illegal Spice Den

Before the Mos Eisley Cantina became the lively spaceport bar we know, it had a much darker purpose. 

During the era between the Clone Wars and the fall of the Republic, the cantina was owned by the Vriichon Brothers—two Ranat siblings who ran it as an illegal spice den. 

This wasn’t just a local secret; the cantina was known for its heavy influence from the spice trade, a nod to the addictive spice mines of Kessel. 

Spice in Star Wars has always hinted at danger and addiction, much like opium dens in Earth’s history, and it was said that those addicted to Sansanna Spice would go to any lengths for their next fix.

When the Vriichon Brothers eventually sold the bar, they seemingly disappeared. 

Rumors circulated that the basement held many secrets, including the bodies of unfortunate souls who met untimely ends.