Star Wars: 10 Things Everyone Forgets About Tatooine
7. A Long Lost Sea
According to an ancient legend among the Jawas, long before the Imperial Era, the Dune Sea was once an actual ocean teeming with life. Ancient fossils and the eroded walls of the canyons prove that the oceans existed and there was lush vegetation as well. It is speculated that the twin suns grew to such maturity that they simply evaporated the oceans and killed off the vegetation. Another theory is an unknown cataclysm had a devastating effect.
As it is now, the Dune Sea is a vast area of land with a number of points of interest taking place within its sandy acreage. The Great Pit of Carkoon is one such place. The pit was formerly home to a Sarlacc, a massive, venomous, carnivorous planet creature that Jabba the Hutt used as a means of execution. Boba Fett blasted his way out of the belly of the plant, but it survived this. However, five years later, Fennec Shand dropped a seismic charge into Sarlacc’s maw, obliterating it.
The Mos Espa Grand Arena is also on the Dune Sea. It is located at the junction of the Northern Dune Sea and Xelric Draw. The Arena was the former home for the dangerous sport of podracing, and prior to that, slave auctions. The palace of the deceased notorious gangster Jabba the Hutt is also located just outside the area.