Solarpunk and Star Wars

 I finally had a chance to start watching Andor this weekend. (This is the prequel to the Star Wars movie Rogue One, featuring the character Cassian Andor.) As I write this, I've only seen two episodes so far. While watching flashbacks to Cassian's childhood on Kenari, I was struck by how frequently the Star Wars universe likes to show preindustrial societies, especially showing them as innocent compared to the evil industrial Empire. Endor's moon with the Ewoks might be the most famous example, but there have been low-tech worlds shown in The Mandolorian. (I'm sure there are many more examples to cite, but I'd have to do a deep dive into Star Wars lore to find them all.) It's harder to think of worlds shown in the process of developing their own technology. What about worlds in balance with nature and technology? The two that come to mind for me are Alderaan and Naboo. The leaders of those worlds are there to serve their people, not the other way around. Alderaan was a planet known for beauty, and what we see of it shows they valued their environment as well. Naboo is also a world that protects its oceans, especially since it has an sapient indigenous species that lives in them. I would also say that the moisture farms on Tattooine could be considered solarpunk technology, but the inequality and crime keep it from being a solarpunk society.

I realize that Star Wars is known for its conflict, but the galaxy's big enough to contain all types of worlds, and I'd like to see more solarpunk featured in this fandom. Perhaps it's a matter of digging deeper into some of the books and comics. One would think Force-wielders in tune with their surroundings would want to protect the environment, though obviously those on the Dark Side seem indifferent or even hostile to solarpunk concepts.

Do you think Star Wars and solarpunk go together? Can you think of other worlds in the Star Wars universe that could be considered solarpunk? If so, feel free to share them in the comments.