Cantina / Legends A cantina , also known as a saloon or bar , was a place where spacers , smugglers , and other denizens of the nearby area came to drink and play board and card games , such as pazaak or sabacc . Cantinas can sometimes be found with fighting rings . Cantinas were located on almost every major planet and were often a center of criminal activity such as smuggling and spice trading . They were typically located on smuggler - affiliated planets , such as Atzerri , Abregado - rae , Tatooine , Nar Shaddaa or Nal Hutta . Atmosphere . Many cantinas provided live entertainment in the form of musicians and dancers . Gambling was also popular in these locales . The main attractions , however , were the beverages served by mixocologists or automixer s , and the opportunity to meet friends or business associates ( illicit or otherwise ) . Cantinas were generally poorly lit and crowded . They were dangerous centers of criminal activity , and it was not uncommon for patrons to be maimed or killed within the walls , without so much as a flinch from the staff or the other patrons . Though most cantinas were open to everyone , many would not allow droids inside . Still other cantinas , such as the Jekk ' Jekk Tarr on Nar Shaddaa , were designed only for aliens ; the air consisted of fumes that were similar to the ones on their homeworlds , and therefore poisonous to Humans . Staff . All cantinas employed at least one bartender . Chalmun ' s Spaceport Cantina had two bartenders : Wuher , who worked the day shift , and Ackmena , who worked at night . A serving staff of was often employed as well , and the bartender sometimes had an assistant or barmaid . In addition to the serving staff , most cantinas hired bouncers to handle the many drunk and disorderly patrons . Some cantinas used MixRMastR robo - bartender droids as bartenders and other types of service droids to wait tables and handle the bar counter . The Kedorzhan Bar on Taris was run entirely by droids . Many cantinas incorporated some type of entertainment , be it dancers or musicians . In some cantinas , female Twi ' lek slaves danced on stages , while others used holograms . Bith musicians playing music , jizz for instance , were also popular entertainment . Some establishments employed both dancers and a band . Layout . While exact layouts varied , cantinas typically included most of the same elements . Tables and chairs were generally scattered around the room , sometimes in the form of booths that were set into the walls for added privacy . Another element common to all cantinas was the bar . Often the bar was shaped like a long U , allowing the greatest number of patrons to be seated around it . In the center of the U - shape was the beverage dispenser , where the bartender made the drinks . At the back of the bar there was usually a door leading to an office or other employee area . Depending on the entertainment offered , there could be a stage or bandstand against one wall for the performers . Often there would be a room off the main bar area with extra tables for playing pazaak or sabacc . Some cantinas also ran swoop races , in which case there would be a registration area and monitors for watching the races . Additional areas in a cantina might include a VIP lounge — a room off the main bar area that was cordoned off for a particular group . The Upper City Cantina on the planet Taris had an area for watching and participating in dueling matches , and Zax the Hutt had established a bounty office in Javyar ' s Cantina . The famous Jekk ' Jekk Tarr , which exclusively served aliens who breathed fumes that were toxic to Humans , had four distinct chambers plus a VIP lounge . Each chamber was filled with a different type of gas , and was separated from the others by a small decontamination chamber . Despite the presence of a bartender , the Jekk ' Jekk Tarr was primarily " self - serve , " with chemical dispensers located in convenient places around the room , primarily near the clusters of tables in the corners of the respective chambers . Behind the scenes . Many cantinas visited in the " Knights of the Old Republic " games seem to have been based on the layout of Chalmun ' s Spaceport Cantina , as seen in . This suggests that the layout was common across the galaxy , at least circa 4000 BBY . " " means " bar " in Spanish , and throughout the " Star Wars " saga the term is generally preferred to " bar , " " tavern , " " club , " or other more common names .