Jakku Jakku was a remote desert planet located in the Jakku system , within the Western Reaches of the galaxy ' s Inner Rim . Though considered by many within the galaxy to be distant and relatively worthless , Jakku was the site of important events that would shape galactic history . In 5 ABY , Jakku was the site of the pivotal Battle of Jakku , which ended the Galactic Civil War in favor of the New Republic . A generation later , the planet was the home of the scavenger Rey , who became caught up in the events of the cold war after helping the former First Order stormtrooper Finn and the astromech droid BB - 8 escape offworld with a map leading to the missing Jedi Luke Skywalker . Description . An isolated planet located in the Jakku system within the Western Reaches of the galaxy ' s Inner Rim , Jakku was once a verdant world with forest s and water , but some past calamity turned it into a barren globe of scorched badlands and marching dunes . It hosted the Wheel Races in the north and mining operations dotted the planet . Buttes were located in the south in which lichen could be scraped off of to create the alcoholic beverage Knockback Nectar . One could become an Anchorite if certain vows were taken , while scavengers often used luggabeast s to carry supplies across the desert . Tuanul , Reestkii , and Cratertown were settlements on the planet , while the trading post Niima Outpost was considered the only major settlement on the planet , and was guarded by the humorless Constable Zuvio and his Niima Outpost Militia . Lacking a communications grid , spacers seeking to escape debts , create a new life or simply see the galaxy often wound up at Niima Outpost , owing to it having the only navigational beacon . Not all residents were scavengers however , with the isolated villagers of Tuanul worshiping the Church of the Force , an underground faith of Jedi worshipers hiding from first the Galactic Empire . Owing to the planet ' s distance from populated space , it served as a jumping - off point for warships heading into the Unknown Regions in the final years of the Galactic Civil War . Nearby worlds to Jakku included Ponemah Terminal and Ogem . History . The Contingency . Eons ago , the planet Jakku was once covered with green vegetation and oceans . At some unknown point , the planet was reduced to a barren desert wasteland . However , the planet ' s core still had the vital spark of life essence , something which disgusted Sheev Palpatine . About 1 , 000 standard year s before the Battle of Yavin , the Plaintive Hand plateau was the site of an event that was regarded as significant by Palpatine . He believed that the site would become significant again in the future . The human boy known as Galli grew up on Jakku . As an orphan , he was raised at an orphanage run by the Anchorite Kolob , who lived a life of austerity and strict obedience . Galli chafed under Kolob ' s care and longed to travel to a better world . In 30 BBY , Palpatine and his Adviser Yupe Tashu traveled to Jakku to supervise an archaeological dig on the Plaintive Hand plateau . During that trip , Palpatine encountered a twelve - year old Galli , who had stowed aboard his yacht " Imperialis " . He took the young boy as a protege and tasked him with guarding the excavation site from any intruders . Rax spent the next ten years guarding the Plaintive Hand plateau , which became the site for the Jakku Observatory . The Observatory was part of Palpatine ' s Contingency plan to destroy the Galactic Empire in the event that he died . Palpatine had no wish to leave his Empire to a successor and tasked Galli with executing the Contingency . The Jakku Observatory was home to computers which projected paths into the Unknown Regions , a collection of Sith relics , and a borehole which led to the planet ' s core . Palpatine instructed Galli to use the borehole to detonate the planet and the remnants of the Empire . Galli adopted the persona Gallius Rax and later became a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Navy . At some point during the Age of the Empire , the Galactic Empire established a secret research base and weapons facility on the planet . Later , the Hutt crime lady Niima established a presence on Jakku and lorded over several slaves . Galactic Civil War . Rax ' s return . In the months following the Battle of Endor , war refugee Corwin Ballast headed to Jakku , believing it to be a worthless rock floating in space and thus of little importance to the galaxy - wide conflict between the New Republic and Empire . If there was any place to escape the war , he hoped Jakku to be it . After learning about Fleet Admiral Rax ' s connection to Jakku , Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and the rebel Brentin Lore Wexley traveled to Jakku to hunt down and kill Rax . Shortly later , Rax proclaimed himself Counselor to the Empire and led the remnants of the Imperial Navy to Jakku . Counselor Rax established a base beyond the Goazon Badlands and the Sinking Fields . Claiming that the harsh , desert world would test the spirit and mettle of his Imperial forces , Rax implemented a harsh and violent training regimen on his stormtrooper s and officers . For several months , the Imperials gathered their forces while waiting for the New Republic to launch their attack . In addition , Rax struck up a deal with Niima to guard the pass leading to the Observatory and to kidnap local orphans from the Anchorites . The former Commandant Brendol Hux trained these orphans into Rax ' s personal guard of child soldiers . Rax also settled scores with his former guardian Kolob and killed him as a sacrifice to the dark side of the Force . While hunting for Sloane , the New Republic operative Norra Wexley , her son Temmin Wexley , Sinjir Rath Velus , Jas Emari , and the B1 battle droid Mister Bones discovered the Imperial remnant forces above Jakku . Temmin and Sinjir escaped on their starship " Moth " back to Chandrila to warn the New Republic . Norra and Jas took an escape pod to Jakku ' s surface to continue their hunt for Norra . Under the orders of Temmin , Mister Bones took another escape pod to Jakku to look after his mother Norra . Norra and Jas were captured by Imperial forces and separated . Norra eventually escaped Imperial custody with Mister Bones ' s help . She then reunited with Jas , who had escaped Niima ' s custody , and the trio continued their search for Sloane . Meanwhile , Sloane and Brentin learned about Rax ' s origins from Kolob and later convinced Niima to take them to the Plaintive Hand plateau , which Niima believed held a weapons facility . However , Rax learned about Sloane ' s presence and bombarded Niima ' s convoy with turbolaser s . Before Norra and Jas could catch up with Sloane , Rax ' s Imperial forces captured Sloane and Brentin and brought them to his headquarters . Battle of Jakku . After the New Republic ' s Galactic Senate voted to intervene on Jakku , the New Republic dispatched military forces to the planet . Several New Republic figures including Admiral Ackbar , Commodore Kyrsta Agate , Captain Wedge Antilles , Temmin Wexley , and Jom Barell would see action in the cataclysmic Battle of Jakku . The battle would take place one year and four days after the Battle of Endor . It became the last major stand of the Galactic Empire and last major battle of the Galactic Civil War . In secret , the Battle of Jakku served as a pretext for Rax to facilitate the final stage of the Contingency . During the Battle of Jakku , Imperial and New Republic forces fought on both space and land . The Imperial fleet formed a tight defensive formation around the Super Star Destroyer " Ravager " . The New Republic Defense Fleet was unable to penetrate this thick wall until the Star Destroyer " Punishment " broke formation and rammed the " Starhawk " - class battleship " Amity " . This explosion created a gap which allowed the " Amity " sister ship " Concord " to bombard the " Ravager " . Despite being crippled , the " Ravager " commander Agate used her ship ' s powerful tractor beam to drag the Super Star Destroyer down to the surface ; turning the tide of the battle in the New Republic ' s favor . Meanwhile , New Republic ground forces under Lieutenant General Brockway assaulted the main Imperial base and weapons facility . Many from both sides were killed or crushed by falling debris from the space battle . Mister Bones was destroyed during the battle after reuniting with Temmin . In an attempt to prevent New Republic forces from capturing her ship , Captain Ciena Ree crashed her Star Destroyer " Inflictor " onto the planet ' s surface . She was rescued by her lover New Republic pilot Thane Kyrell . Meanwhile , Norra joined forces with Sloane and Brentin to hunt down Rax . After launching the battle , Rax traveled with Yupe Tashu , Brendol , his son Armitage Hux , and the child soldiers to the Observatory to initiate the last stage of the Contingency . While the Huxes and the child soldiers boarded a replica of the " Imperialis " , Rax and Tashu entered the Observatory to initiate the planet ' s destruction . After performing a Sith ritual , Rax threw Tashu , who was wearing Sith relics , down the borehole to Jakku ' s core . Before he could leave , Rax was killed by Sloane with the aid of Norra and Brentin . Sloane managed to stop the planet ' s destruction by sealing the borehole . She then joined the Huxes and the child soldiers on their journey to the Unknown Regions where they rendezvoused with the Super Star Destroyer " Eclipse " . While the battle was taking place , the New Republic ' s Chancellor Mon Mothma and the Imperial Grand Vizier Mas Amedda signed the Galactic Concordance on Chandrila ; formalizing the Empire ' s surrender and ending the Galactic Civil War . However , Imperial forces on Jakku and elsewhere continued fighting the New Republic for several months . As the battle turned against them , the Imperials locked tractor beams onto the ships of the New Republic Starfleet , crashing them into the surface below in a desperate gamble . New Republic forces eventually captured the base after fierce fighting . Due to the Battle of Jakku , the planet ' s surface was covered with wrecked starships and weapons . Niima established a black marketing operation based on selling recovered weapons , computers , and engines . Rise of the First Order . Twenty - nine years after the Battle of Jakku , wreckage from the battle would still be strewn across the desert in the aptly named Starship Graveyard , with Niima the Hutt establishing Niima Outpost sometime earlier in an effort to scavenge leftover wreckage from the destructive battle . The up - and - coming First Order , successor state to the Galactic Empire , would deploy its freshly - minted " Resurgent " - class Star Destroyer " Finalizer " to Jakku in an effort to recover a BB unit . This unit , BB - 8 , possessed a fragment of a map to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker , who had gone into self - imposed exile following a failed attempt at resurrecting the Jedi Order . This attempt would see the defection of stormtrooper FN - 2187 and the escape of Resistance pilot Poe Dameron in a stolen TIE / sf space superiority fighter , along with the eventual use of the neglected starship the " Millennium Falcon " in an attempt to escape the planet with an unknowingly Force - sensitive girl named Rey . Behind the scenes . Jakku is the desert planet depicted in the exposition of . The planet served as a plot setting which introduced several of the film ' s protagonists including Poe Dameron , Finn , Rey , and BB - 8 . Jakku was also used to introduce the antagonistic Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma . The scenes on Jakku were shot in the deserts of Abu Dhabi .