7 Things That Don't Make Sense About Hoth
Hoth - the ice planet first introduced at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back is probably one of the most well known and recognized fictional planets from the Star Wars franchise. Despite this being its only inclusion in the film series to date, it would go on to be included in numerous games and other media related to the franchise. This is mostly down to the Battle of Hoth being a prominent event within the saga which saw Luke and other Rebel fighters take to their ships to battle AT-AT walkers, which in turn has been a part of many games, from the LEGO Star Wars series to Battlefront II.
Whilst fans have loved traversing the icy planet and watching the film, there are still some confusing aspects to the planet, so today we are going to look at seven things that don't make sense about Hoth.
7. Is It A Planet Or A System?
There has been a lot of confusion for fans as to whether Hoth is a planet or a system of planets. This is due to it to being referred to as both during the events of Empire by different characters. The official verdict is that it is both, with it being confirmed that the planet Hoth is actually the sixth planet in the remote Hoth system. How's that for confusing fans? One would think that the people in the galaxy would try to distinguish the planet and the system to avoid such confusion.
6. Was It A Good Place For A Base?
We know that the Rebels used the planet as a base following the events of A New Hope. However, as much as it was a remote place to hide, it wasn't exactly the best choice logically. It's highlighted a couple of times throughout Empire that the low temperatures are extremely dangerous, with the Rebels having to use thick blast doors at night to avoid serious damage, and no one being allowed to leave after dark. Surely there must have been better remote planets to choose from that wouldn't have been so dangerous. Not only did they have the cold to contend with, but they also had rogue wampas, huge creatures that would manage to get into the base, causing them to have to close off certain parts.
5. What Did The Rebels Do For Supplies?
By the time of Empire, we know the Rebels are on the run from the Empire, and we meet them having already established Echo Base on Hoth. But how did they manage to keep everyone fully supplied and ready for battle at any point? According to official Star Wars guides, the planet is completely devoid of life, save for wampas and tauntauns, so there would be nothing for the Rebels to forage. This means that all supplies would need to have been brought with them. Considering that they were on the run and had apparently been there a month already and had so many people to feed, it would have taken a lot of supplies. Especially since they only evacuated having been found by the Empire. Was there a team dedicated to going shopping off world?
4. How Do Tauntauns And Wampas Survive?
Following on from the above, we've confirmed that the planet was devoid of life, which one would assume would also include plant life. So how do the only confirmed creatures to live on the planet, actually survive themselves? Wampas will no doubt eat the tauntauns, but what do the tauntauns eat?
Also, it's shown that even the tauntauns can't survive during the night on the planet due to the extreme cold temperatures, so where do they go? Granted, some will no doubt be in Echo Base as a mode of transportation, but what about the rest of the poor creatures?
3. Not Scientifically Accurate
I am fully aware that it is just a film series. However, the point still stands that the planet is scientifically inaccurate. It's stated and shown that the planet sits next to an asteroid belt, which (according to scientists) would likely result in it being bombarded by asteroids constantly. This means that it would be extremely unlikely for any lifeforms to evolve at all and would also cause difficulty in the planet actually staying still, as the constant impacts would cause it to shift through space.
2. How Did Vader Know The Rebels Were There?
Another point widely debated by fans is how Vader actually knew this was where the Rebel base was. The Empire had various probe droids scouring the galaxy, but following one spotting that looked like a generator, he instantly decided this was the right place. But why was he so sure? There's never been an actually confirmed answer for this. Most chalk it up to him using the Force to sense them or Luke. However, it's left very ambiguous in the film, and it seems more like pot luck than anything else.
1. The Rebels' Escape Doesn't Make Sense
Following the invasion of the Empire on the planet, the Rebels are tasked with ensuring that everyone escapes in one piece. Despite there being an entire armada of AT-AT walkers, snowtroopers, and Vader himself, there is only one Star Destroyer immediately standing in their way during the evacuation, which is conveniently taken down by a big gun on the planet that is able to fire into space. With this weapon able to neutralize a Star Destroyer, why was it never used before or again? It certainly would have helped in future battles.
So there you have it, seven things that don't make sense about Hoth, arguably one of the most well known planets/systems in the galaxy far, far away... How many have you thought about? Do you know any more?
Until next time!