Takodana Takodana was a planet located in the Mid Rim , though it fell in the southwestern region of the galaxy known as the Western Reaches . Description . Covered in lush forest s and small lakes , Takodana , located on a hyperspace route between Chalcedon and Noe ' ha ' on , was a popular departure point that offered easy access to trade routes that connected the Inner and Outer Rim . For those heading outwards toward the galactic periphery , the planet was seen as a last taste of civilization , while those heading Corewards saw it a last grasp of frontier living . Travelers found the planet ' s neutrality and distance from galactic politics appealing , and as a result Takodana became a haven for fugitives , smuggler s , and explorers . Takodana was known as the longtime home of Maz Kanata ' s castle that served as an open port to spies and dubious travelers alike . History . Thousands of years prior to the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance , a battle between the Jedi and Sith occurred on the planet . Maz Kanata ' s castle would eventually be built over the ancient battleground . A year after the execution of Order 66 , Ahsoka Tano considered Takodana as a place to lie low after leading an attempted insurgency on Raada during which she revealed herself as a Force - sensitive . Prior to being arrested on a ship in the Five Points system , Jyn Erso spent almost a year on Takodana after bouncing around the Mid Rim on planets such as Cerea and Coyerti . Thirty years after the Battle of Endor , Takodana was the meeting place of Han Solo , Rey , and Finn with Kanata and her associates . While at the castle , Rey uncovered Skywalker ' s lightsaber , which called out to her in the Force . Not long afterward , their presence was reported to the First Order by Bazine Netal and a battle ensued between the Order and the Resistance , who had earlier been alerted to the presence of BB - 8 by the undercover droid GA - 97 . Finn took up Luke Skywalker ' s old lightsaber and fought for a short time in the area surrounding Maz Kanata ' s castle . Behind the scenes . " The Force Awakens " . The planet Takodana was created for the 2015 movie . Director J . J . Abrams named the planet after , a neighborhood in , . Abrams stayed in a hostel in Takadanobaba the first time he visited Tokyo and named the planet as a nod to his favorite city . Landscape shots of the planet were filmed in the , in the northwest of , , in July 2014 . " The landscape of Takodana " is a digitally modified view from over Watendlath Fell ( 54°31 ′ 12 . 74 ″ N , 3°05 ′ 56 . 36 ″ W ) looking north across a digitally enlarged , which is shown as contiguous with ( which it was , briefly , in December 2015 after serious flooding ) . The large mountain on the skyline to the right is recognizably , the fourth - highest summit in England . " The " Millennium Falcon " arriving at Maz Kanata ' s castle " is a view southwest across the face of ( 54°35 ′ 14 . 06 ″ N , 3°07 ′ 12 . 50 ″ W ) , which overlooks the town of . Maz Kanata ' s castle is digitally added to the real Derwent Water , and the fells of and are clearly recognizable . The forest scenes for Takodana , where Rey first encounters Kylo Ren , were filmed at , , UK . Other media . The planet Takodana also appeared in the 2016 non - Canon " " episodes " The Test " and " The Kyber Saber Crystal Chase " . Both episodes made use of plot elements from " " including Maz Kanata and her castle . " The Test " also introduced Takodana ' s third moon , which was home to varactyl s . The existence of Takodana ' s third moon was at variance with the 2016 Canon reference book " " , which stated that the planet did not have a moon .