In this life, everything is fleeting. It is filled with major uncertainties, confusion, heartaches, and much more. The only things that are certain in life are pain, emotional or otherwise, and death.
When dealing with the death of another person or loved one there are many ways to grieve and cope.
There are places such as mausoleums, cemeteries, crematoriums, and other places where families go to mourn the passing of the deceased.
Beyond that, there are multiple burial traditions, such as a Hawaiian burial at sea, a Viking funeral that entails fire, and going out to sea. It’s quite similar to the Hawaiian burial, for that matter.
Because Star Wars so closely mimics our world, they would also have burial and funeral rituals of their own.
Understandably, the varied planets across the galaxy have their own practices. Yet still, the one we’re interested in is the planet, Mustafar.
Dubbed the place where the Jedi go to die, Mustafar has piqued the interest of many.
Keep reading as we do a deep dive into this planet.
Table of Contents
About Mustafar
Mustafar was a small planet located within the Atravis Sector. This sector is placed within the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy.
Mustafar was once a flourishing garden world made by the Bright Star artifact.
That was until Lady Corvax took away the energy of the Bright Star in a last-ditch effort to bring her husband back to life.
Due to her hopelessly romantic effort, a duel broke out between gas giants Jestefad and Lefrani over the gorgeous Mustafar planet.
Their battle was so intense that they destroyed the very thing they were fighting for. The duel led to Mustafar’s core being heated exponentially.
Turning the once beautiful planet into a hot, volcanic, tumultuous, nightmare-inducing place. This caused the native inhabitants of the planet, the Mustafarians, to adapt to their changing environment.
The history and story of the planet Mustafar is an interesting one that stretches far beyond the confines of this article, but for all intents and purposes, we mainly want to look at the Jedi aspect of it.
It is well known within the Star Wars universe that Mustafar has gained a reputation as the place “Where Jedi go to die”.
However, this may not be as simple as it seems. In theory, this is completely correct. Yet, like an iceberg, what’s on the surface is not always the answer. There are depths that must be explored.
Let me explain.
Why Mustafar is, “Where Jedi Go To Die”?
Mustafar is the planet that gained its horrifying epithet in Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith by Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla.
Now, at face value, this may seem clean cut. It seems as though Mustafar is just a planet where the Jedi would go when their time came to pass on.
Be that as it may, it appears as though this term is an unmistakable response to the major shift Anakin Skywalker underwent.
Just a little refresher, Anakin Skywalker, started off his journey as an extremely talented Padawan.
Under the tutelage of his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, he then climbed up the ranks and became one of the best Jedi Knights of his time. As a matter of fact, he was even able to be the first Jedi Knight to sit in on the Jedi High Council.
Life, being the way it usually is, took hold of Anakin and after a series of unfortunate events, he ended up falling prey to the dark side of the Force.
Instead of simply dipping his toe in the pool that is the dark side, Anakin did a full-on summersault into the deep end. So much so that he became the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader.
Which Jedi Died on Mustafar?
The Jedi death spoken of on Mustafar is not a literal one. As a matter of fact, it is a metaphorical death that follows the transition of one specific Jedi.
As mentioned above, the shining star of the Jedi Knights, Anakin Skywalker tapped into his true, beautifully dark potential on Mustafar.
As a matter of course, he did not die. I mean, how could he? Could you imagine the Star Wars franchise without Anakin in it? It would not have been half the legendary show it is today.
Given that fact, Anakin’s death on planet Mustafar is purely parabolic. Mustafar was the place where Jedi Anakin Skywalker truly died and Darth Vader was born.
Apart from Anakin, there has been no other death, figurative or otherwise, amongst any other Jedi, on planet Mustafar.
Therefore, Anakin seems to be the sole reason for the rather dismal nicknaming of the already somewhat macabre planet.
Conclusion
The planet Mustafar has had a long history. Starting its life cycle off as a beautiful, thriving planet with the Bright Star artifact.
Only to have its precious relic stripped away by an individual only looking to resurrect the love of her life. Understandably so.
Even so, Mustafar was still highly sought after. So much so that not one, but two gas giants broke out in a fight over the planet.
As flattering as this may have been, this ultimately led to the planet’s demise. It’s death if you will.
The planet changed from being green, lush, light, airy, and all-around beautiful. It later became dark, red, hot, gloomy, and immensely reminiscent of all things dark.
This is exactly why the planet Mustafar gained the reputation of being the place where Jedi go to die. When this phrase came into play, a literal death was not the intention. In fact, a more symbolic death was the idea behind it.
The change of this planet was almost symbolic of the change that would later occur within Anakin Skywalker. The use of this symbolism is likened to foreshadowing.
The Jedi Knight version of Anakin walked onto Mustafar. When he did, the King of the Dark Side, Darth Vader, was born.
Darth Vader was the one who left Mustafar and from then on the old Anakin was officially dead.