Unkar Plutt

Seemingly abandoned by her parents on Jakku, Rey grew up a scavenger amid the wreckage of war. Her life changed when she agreed to help a droid on an urgent mission for the Resistance. Rey discovered she was powerful in the Force, and sought out the vanished Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to train her. That ended in disappointment, as did her attempt to bring Kylo Ren back to the light. But the resilient Rey continued her training and learned the truth about her parentage and her mysterious connection with Kylo. She then faced her greatest test: a confrontation with fear and evil that would determine the galaxy’s fate.

The junkboss Unkar Plutt enforces his control of Jakku’s salvage economy by paying dim-witted henchmen to watch for scavengers conducting unauthorized barter or otherwise challenging the Blobfish’s authority. Unkar’s thugs keep their faces hidden to conceal their identities, but Niima Outpost is a small place whose residents know the bullies by their voices, carriage and body language. The scavengers find the attempts at secrecy amusing -- unless they’re on the receiving end of one of Unkar’s punishments.

A harsh desert world, Jakku is a lawless place that’s home to thieves, outlaws and refugees. During the final years of the Galactic Civil War, Jakku was the site of a secret Imperial research base and served as a jumping-off point for warships heading into the Unknown Regions. The Empire made a last stand above the frontier planet, leading to a pitched battle between rebel and Imperial fleets. Jakku’s sandy wastes are littered with old wrecks, picked over by desperate scavengers searching for parts that can be salvaged and sold.

An extensively modified Corellian light freighter, the Millennium Falcon is a legend in smuggler circles and is coveted by many for being the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. Despite her humble origins and shabby exterior, the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs has played a role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. The Falcon looks like a worn-out junker, but beneath her hull she’s full of surprises. A succession of owners, including Lando Calrissian and Han Solo, have made special modifications that boosted the freighter’s speed, shielding and firepower to impressive – and downright illegal – levels. The price of such tinkering? The Falcon can be unpredictable, with her hyperdrive particularly balky. Despite her flaws, she’s beloved by her owners – Han Solo and Chewbacca spent years searching the galaxy for the ship they once called home, rejoicing when they finally reclaimed her.

Jakku’s most significant settlement, Niima Outpost is little more than a bazaar, some hard-packed dirt that passes for a spaceport, and the compound of junk boss Unkar Plutt. The little settlement – named for its late founder, Niima the Hutt – is dominated by Unkar and his thugs, who control the market for salvage found by scavengers in the nearby Graveyard of Ships.

The ancient edifice known as Maz’s castle sits on the shore of a lake on Takodana, a site rumored to have been a battleground for the Jedi and Sith. The castle is simultaneously aged and state of the art, with sensor grids and advanced communications gear sprouting from worn stone battlements. Inside Maz’s castle, pirates, smugglers, spies and all manner of scoundrels mix and mingle, searching for loans, information, equipment, repairs -- or kicking back to enjoy music, food and drink or games of chance. All must obey their host’s prohibitions against politics or war. The First Order raided Takodana shortly before the Battle of Starkiller Base, leaving the castle in ruins and its proprietress indignant.