10 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Hoth
Hoth is one of the most recognizable locations in all of Star Wars. Known for its snowy surface and cold temperatures, Hoth was the location of the famed Battle of Hoth between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance near the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, still arguably the best Star Wars movie ever. But there are plenty of other bits of information that many people may not know about the ice planet. So here are 10 interesting facts you didn't know about Hoth.
10. Hoth Is The Name Of The Planet And Its System
Hoth is the sixth planet in a star system that goes by the same name and is located in the Outer Rim Territories. In addition to the five planets in between Hoth and its sun lies a nearby asteroid belt that occasionally has some of its debris fall on the icy planet's surface. There are actually several theories about this asteroid belt's origin.
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9. Hoth Is Cold For A Reason
The planet is known for its frigid temperatures, which can get as low as -60°C at night. Hoth was in the middle of an ice age when the Rebel Alliance relocated their base. A third of the planet's surface is covered with frozen oceans.
8. Hoth Is Not Devoid Of Primitive Lifeforms
Despite the Empire's best estimations, lifeforms can survive on Hoth. For example, the icy planet is home to 15 species of gray snow lizards known as Tauntauns, the animals Luke and Han used to traverse the surface while scouting the planet.
7. Hoth Has Terrifying Creatures, Too!
Hoth also has crystalline geysers and caves, which serve as a perfect home for a large species of predators knowns as Wampas. Luke was attacked by a Wampa, a storyline with conflicting reports about whether it was added due to Mark Hamill's real-life car accident.
6. Fleeing To Hoth Was Not Easy
The Rebel Alliance needed two years to set up its base on Hoth after being discovered on Yavin 4 at the end of A New Hope. Making life habitable on an icy planet is challenging enough, but Rebellion engineers needed months just to carve a suitable location for their base out of the ice-covered caverns. As a result, the Rebel Alliance needed to stay aboard the fleet flying above the planet for quite some time before they could set up camp on the surface.
5. Adapting To The Cold Forced Modifications
Hoth's cold temperatures forced the Rebels to adapt their machinery. The Rebellion's air speeders stood no chance to operate in Hoth's unforgiving cold, so the Rebels had to modify the ships. The air speeders turned into the snow speeders that Luke and his Rogue Group used to take down the AT-ATs.
4. Hoth Was A Key Location After Return Of The Jedi
Everyone knows of the Hoth battle between the Empire and the Rebellion at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, but Hoth later served as the location of another big battle during the Iron Blockade. The Iron Blockade was part of the Galactic Civil War conflict that began in the wake of the Battle of Endor.
3. Hoth Almost Turned Into A Prison Planet
After the Battle of Endor, Hoth was considered a location for a Rebel prison for those who still remained loyal to the Empire. But those plans never came to fruition.
2. Hoth Has Been A Popular Video Game Location For Decades
The Battle of Hoth is one of the most iconic moments in the original trilogy, and it makes for a great video game backdrop. Hoth has appeared in games as early as 1982 on the Atari 2600 when players could fly a snow speeder back and forth to shoot at an AT-AT. Hoth has appeared in many other games, from Super Star Wars (SNES) to Battlefront II (PS4/Xbox 1).
1. Hoth Was Shot On Location
Hoth was shot in Finse, Norway, where real glaciers were used for Echo Base, and snowy plains made for incredible landscapes where the Battle of Hoth took place (though a miniature set was created for shots of the actual battle). Filming in Norway took place in subzero temperatures, making it easy for the actors to convey how cold it was.
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Source(s): Screenrant, Wookieepedia, Ranker, YouTube, wallpaperaccess