Bespin
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| Distance from Core | 49,100 light years |
|---|---|
| Region | Outer Rim Territories |
| Sector | Yarith Sector |
| System | Bespin system |
| Orbital period | approx 14 years |
| Rotation period | 12 hours |
| Number of suns | 1 |
| Number of moons | 2 principal |
| Major species | Humans, Ugnaughts |
| Population | 6 million |
| Official language | Basic |
| Terrain | Gas giant |
| Surface water | None |
| Points of interest | Cloud City, Tibannopolis, Life Zone |
| Affiliation | Confederacy of Independent Systems, Galactic Empire |
Bespin is a fictional planet in The Empire Strikes Back over which the floating city Cloud City hovers suspended by an antigravity pod. Bespin is also a major source of tibanna gas, which is refined for production and transport in Cloud City and used in the production of starship blasters. It is home to several million individuals including humans and Ugnaughts.
The planet Bespin is a gas giant that is about 118,000 kilometers in diameter. Like most gas giants, it has a solid core made of metal followed by layers of metallic gases. Most of the layers of gas are poisonous, and the pressure and temperature are far above what a human could tolerate. But from approximately 150 to 180 kilometers down from space there is a habitable layer known as the Bespin Life Zone. This layer has an oxygen atmosphere with the temperature and pressure that makes it ideal for human life. It is in this layer that Cloud City is located. Like most gas giants, Bespin has a number of moons. Bespin has a 12 hour day, and completes an orbit around its sun about every 14 years.
The Millennium Falcon, by Han Solo's admission, barely made it there from the Anoat system without hyperdrive.
Lando Calrissian, the previous owner of the Millennium Falcon, administered Cloud City and provided well-paying jobs for the Ugnaughts until the Galactic Empire took over.
During the Galactic Civil War, the infamous Imperial agent Darth Vader briefly captured Cloud City (as seen in The Empire Strikes Back) in what became known as the Siege of Bespin.
The Jedi Knight Streen, an old gas prospector, was discovered on Bespin by Luke Skywalker and recruited to be part of the first class of the Jedi Academy. He had lived in the abandoned Tibannopolis complex as a hermit for years, trying to stay away from the larger galaxy.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, softcover, 1997. George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
- Star Wars: Jedi Search, (Book 1 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0553297988
- The Essential guide to Planets and Moons (Star Wars), 1st edition, by Daniel Wallace, Scott Kolins. 1998. ISBN 0-345-42068-3
| Planets and moons of Star Wars | |
|---|---|
| Major planets | |
| Alderaan | Almas | Anoth | Bespin | Byss | Caamas | Chandrila | Corellia | Coruscant | Dagobah | Dantooine | Dellalt | Dxun | Geonosis | Hoth | Ithor | Kamino | Kashyyyk Korriban | Malachor V | Manaan | Mon Calamari | Mustafar | Myrkr | Naboo | Onderon | Ossus | Taris | Tatooine | Telos |
|
| Planet list | |
| A-B | C-D | E-G | H-J | K-L | M-N | O-Q | R-S | T-V | W-Z | Destroyed planets | |
| Moons | |
| Dxun | Endor | Nar Shaddaa | Yavin IV List of Star Wars moons |
|
| Other | |
| List of Star Wars sectors | List of Star Wars systems | Star Wars galaxy |
