Did Tatooine ever fall under the control of the Empire?

In TPM, Qui Gonn remarks that Tatooine would be a good hiding place because it didnt fall under the jurisdication of the republic. It was controlled by the Hutts.

In ANH, we see a garrison of stormtroopers on Tatooine searching for the plans. With this said, i was wondering was tatooine always controlled by the Hutts or did tatooine come under the control of the Empire in ANH?

 

I think Tattoine was under the control of the Empire, because they had Imperial Training camps set up there. If Tattoine wasn't under control of the Empire then they must have done it secretly.

 

In the EU it is under Imperial Control. The city of Bestine is the planet's capital, by Imperial standards. (I hope SWG didn't just make this up, but I seem to remember reading something like that elsewhere, too). But the Imperial presence is not an odditiy because of the events of ANH.
Only since Tatooine is a worthless backwater planet, they don't bother that much and even let Jabba do what he does.

I'd guess they only cash in a few extra credits through the popular spaceports.

 

I always figured it was a place which the Empire ignored mostly, and sent the worst Stormies and fighter pilots. And the troopers that were searching for the droids came from the Star Destroyer.

 

As far as I know, it is under imperial control, but the Hutts pay off imperial officials and officers, so they can go about their business as usual.

 

The ANH novelizations and the deleted scenes make it clear that Tatooine is a planet of the Empire.
Though Biggs says that he "doubts the Empire would even fight to keep this rock."

 

The Empire controls the entire galaxy. If they ignore Tatooine it?s because they choose to. However, as we see in ANH, they can just show up at anytime and do what they need to do. I believe that the Empire does have a garrison on Tatooine.

 

Think about it people. If Tatooine was in control of the Empire, wouldn't they fine Ben or Luke?

 

No. Kenobi was reported dead by Open Circle Squad, and Anakin Skywalker was to be believed to be killed in the Jedi Temple Raid.
I believe after the Battle of Geonosis, some of the Seperatists would have fled nearby, with the Republic in pursuit. Might've been how the Republic/Empire took control of Tatooine. Though not really make it a world to be represnted by the Senate.

 

I don't think the Empire wanted to fine old Ben, they wanted to kill him. And no one alleged that a bunch of redneck moisture farmers controlled the Empire...

LOL.

Anyway, the Empire controlled Tatooine. As was stated earlier, Biggs says exactly that. Just because the planet was under Imperial control doesn't mean that the Empire would necessarily find either Ben or Luke. It wasn't even looking for Luke, since Vader assumed Padme died before giving birth.

As for Ben, he was masquerading as an old and harmless hermit, living far from major population centers. (and Imperial troops)
I don't imagine the Stormtroopers ventured outside the cities on the planet much, since they are letting the local farmers fend for themselves against the Sandpeople. Basically Tatooine was a rock the Empire cared very little about. The Imperial presence there was a small one at best...probably best compared to an isolated frontier outpost.

It isn't too unrealistic to think that Ben could have lived for decades there undetected.

 

Thats pretty much what I think too. It wasn't the planet newly conscripted stormies wanted to get stationed to, thats for sure. I think it was "technically" part of the Empire, but they really were insignificant.

 

I watched ESB and something stuck out

During the Bespin scene, vader mentions jabba the Hutt by name.

I'm curious to know how he knew Jabba?

I guess it could be said he knew him in TPM but was that Jabba that he knew or was it Gardulla the Hutt.. he mentions Gardulla the Hutt in TPM not Jabba..


Or was it because the Empire gained control tatooine in ANH and allowed jabba to run the place...


Interesting

 

The Empire had nominal control over Tatooine, but it wasn't important enough to warrant major notice.

 

During the Bespin scene, vader mentions jabba the Hutt by name.

I'm curious to know how he knew Jabba?

Simple: Boba Fett mentioned Jaba at some point. He probably told Vader ?I?ll find the Millennium Falcon but under one condition: I get to take Solo to Jaba for the bounty.? How else would Vader know?

Think about it people. If Tatooine was in control of the Empire, wouldn't they fine Ben or Luke?

The Empire didn?t find Obi-Wan or Luke because they were not looking for them. At this point Vader and the Emperor didn?t even know Luke existed. As far as Obi-Wan, they either assumed he was dead or simply too old to be a threat.

By the way, the Empire DID find Obi-Wan and Luke (even though they were not looking specifically for them), and they managed to slip through their fingers.

 

Jabba was a big sponsor and host of the Boonta Eve podrace, where he won his freedom while he was still Anakin. It's safe to say that anyone growing up on Tatooine would know of Jabba.

 

Yeah, I'm sure Anakin knew who Jabba was. He might even have overheard his introduction by the announcers before the race: "blabla into the pod arena: Jabba du Hutt"

 

Tatooine rests in the distant Outer Rim, beyond the reaches of Republic and Imperial law. Even the Trade Federation lacked a presence on the desert planet. - OS: Tatooine

It was always under the control of the Hutts.

 

In the deleted scenes with Biggs they talk a lot about the Empire not controlling Tatooine because it had no value as a system.

 

I remember reading somewhere in an EU book (pre-PT), but don't remember which, that Palpatine essentially agreed to maintain nominal control over Tatooine for the services rendered and cooperation by the Hutts, who retained a mafia-like control over the system, but allowing the Empire to come in when the Empire deemed fit or called for, as long as it didn't interfere with business. Please correct me if I'm wrong in this, as it was many years ago that I read EU books.

It is notable that in TPM, Wattoo does not accept republic credits, yet in ANH, the standard (Imperial?) currency is accepted, given that the units on Tatooine are the same as those that would be payable on Alderaan once they arrived. So, the Empire, or at least its currency, must have some validity on Tatooine.

On a lighter note, I can imagine Palpatine sending this text message to the Hutts once the Empire is declared:

Greetings, Exalted Ones (though not as exalted as me),

As you may have heard, I have now won the Clone Wars and have declared a Galactic Empire, "Galactic" meaning that I control your little rock in the Outer Rim, too. Not to worry, though. In return for your cooperation, I agree to allow you to maintain de facto control over the Tatooine system and its illicit business interests. This is in appreciation of your having nurtured my creation, my new apprentice, and his birth mother during the early years of his life. Although, Gardulla, I must say, I am quite disappointed in you for having lost him betting on those podraces. I trusted you, and this is how you pay me back, by gambling on those awful races? At the end of this message, I have included a holo-address for Gamblers' Anonymous on Tatooine. It's run by a recovering alcoholic calling himself Ben. He's rather remote, out in the Dune Sea, but I'm sure he'll do just fine. Ben comes highly recommended by a certain Kitster who says he's "wizard", although, by the looks of him, he'll turn into a crazy old man before long, given that desert heat, although his hood covers his face. Despite that, that Ben has something familiar about him, something I haven't felt since.... But I digress. Ben, curious name, isn't it? Ben. So archaic. People haven't gone by that name since the reformation of the Republic a thousand years ago.

Oh, and Jabba, thanks for killing those Jedi on Tatooine the clonetroopers missed once I executed Order 66. Those clonetroopers can be bumbling idiots. It must be a flaw in their genetic makeup. I guess I need to find some new hosts. Sometimes their shooting isn't worth a bucket of spit in a vaporator's intake valve. And what's with their bumping their heads on every single door arch? I think it's time to get some new clones, younger and more powerful. What do you think of this new name for the new breeds - Stormtroopers? Has a nice, powerful ring to it doesn't it?

Well, I must be going now, you know, with an Empire to run and all. Oh, Jabba, tell Bib that Mas Amedda says "hi!", one lackey to another (Between you and me, he's out the door. Too much power was concentrated in him, and he has that yucky blue skin and horns, which was sooooo 13 years ago! Baldy has blue skin too, and, frankly, she's outlived her usefulness, what sitting there all the time looking creepy. There's filing to be done! I found some new guys that will do better than them as dignitaries and aren't quite so fond of yelling "order!"). This is the New Order, not the old "Order!" They're in for quite a shock (if you get my drift).

Ta,ta!

Sids

P.S. If you happen to seek any human kids around your neck of the woods (sorry, dunes), who are winning pods races, killing helpless animals in canyons or whining excessively, please wipe them out or bring them before me. Such actions may be symptoms of things to come. My apprentice or I will take care of them if you don't.

Yours in scum and villainy,

Emperor Frank


Edit: Grammar

 

They were occupied by the Empire when they were searching for the droids,and they had some recruiting camps there too. Other than that,not really, the Empire was too focused on productive core worlds, Tatooine was too isolated and it was like a pit stop for smugglers,bounty hunters and other shady characters.

Its pretty much just a giant sand rock filled with wretched scum from all over the galaxy.

 

Why were the people of Tatooine celebrating in the end of ROTJ?

 

Probably because the slaves were freed.

 

Very funny writeup, PalpyAK.

The Hutts were pragmatic enough to accept Imperial credits at the very least.

Most Stormtroopers were conscripted rather than cloned, weren't they?

 

This is a spinoff of the original question, but doesn't anyone find it funny
that Obi Wan describes the "sand people" raid on the Mos Espa Jawas
as being too precise for sandpeople, that only imperial storm troopers
are so precise when the stormtroopers can't hit the broad side of a bantha
in the OT movies?

 

"yet in ANH, the standard (Imperial?) currency is accepted, given that the units on Tatooine are the same as those that would be payable on Alderaan once they arrived. So, the Empire, or at least its currency, must have some validity on Tatooine."

Watto only trades on Tatooine. Solo travels "from one side of this galaxy to the other", so currency from other worlds would be worthwhile to him.