Line #20 PlanetOfHats/StarWars


1	The ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise has a known fondness for PlanetOfHats, especially in ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]''. The general rule seems to be that the first alien character that appears in a movie is assumed to be a typical member of their race, so whatever they appear to be doing in the movie, is what ''any'' given member of that species is likely to be doing.
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4	* Not quite as obvious, but quite present: all Twi'lek women are exotic dancers, all Hutts are corpulent gangsters, all Bothans are spies, all Ithorians are pacifists, etc. (see also SingleBiomePlanet). Of course, almost any species, Hatted or not, may show up as a Jedi (even a Hutt or two), and there are numerous other exceptions. In recent years, some writers grew tired of these stigmas and began [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] and subverting them — for example, showing a couple of Ithorian criminals in one of the ''Comicbook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' comics and claiming that Ithorians "stay all peaceful and polite" by "throwing guys like these out."
5	* In many cases, the hats in ''Franchise/StarWars'' are placed by the fans or ExpandedUniverse writers: as the movies were one of the only "canonical" sources of information, and cultural details could be rather scarce, authors had a tendency of taking a single example or detail from the movies [[PlanetOfCopyhats and expanding it to be true for an entire species or planet.]] Luke got his dogfighting skills racing through desert canyons? All Tatooinians are great pilots. Leia says Alderaan has "no weapons"? The entire planet is pacifist. Many Bothans died to get the Death Star plans? All Bothans are spies. (It isn't even specified that "Bothans" are a species.) Han quips to "never tell him the odds"? ''All Corellians hate statistical analysis.'' And so on.
6	* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s the sharing of hats (Mercenary/Bounty Hunters) between three races at one point, with one of each race pointing out the differences between them.
7	** Also in ''KOTOR'', one Twi'lek on Taris is an entrepreneur in the upper city who comments that her business doesn't do as well as it should because people there expect her to wear the dancer hat. Of course, Tarisian society is also portrayed as deeply racist.
8	** ''KOTOR'' does, however, play the Wookiee life-debt hat absolutely dead straight with Zaalbar, and Hanharr ''has'' one but is filtering it through his AxeCrazy ChaoticEvil psychosis into an obsessive desire to kill the object of said life debt.
9	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' has even given us a Hutt ''Chancellor of the Republic'' (Blotus), who is noted to have been a fair, honest, popular leader. Another Hutt appears as a highly respected doctor and biologist. Both still had Jabba's body shape.
10	** In ''[[Literature/TheCallistaTrilogy Planet of Twilight]]'', there's even a Hutt Jedi called Beldorian the Splendid (darksider, but still greatly atypical for a Hutt).
11	** Legends heavily implies that the Hutt's true hat is ''ambition'' and thirst for power. In the distant past they used to be an expansionist empire and the greatest threat the (relatively) young Galactic Republic was facing, until inner rivalries erupted in a decades-long civil war known as the Hutt Cataclysms that laid waste to multiple star systems (hence why they refer to it as the Hutt Cataclysm''s'') including ''their home system'' (their homeworld of Varl orbited binary suns. During the Cataclysms, the Hutt somehow blew up one and reduced the other to a white dwarf, wiping out all life in the system in the process), and after relocating to Nal Hutta the survivors came up with the Kadijic system that turned most of them to gangsters to channel their expansionist ways in a less distructive manner.
12	*** There are still a few remnants of the old ways: occasionally an important Hutt will try and return the Hutt Clans to an expansionist empire, the Shell Hutts are a clan that still clings to the warrior ways to the point of [[TwentyFourHourArmor wearing armor the entire time]] (hence their name), and [[Literature/NewJediOrder when the Yuuzhan Vong occupied Nal Hutta]] they discovered the hard way that the ancient but powerful war robots decorating the streets, taken as prizes from an ancient war, ''were fully functional and hostile'', as [[CrazyPrepared the Hutt had carefully maintained them for over 25,000 years and reprogrammed them to turn on any invader just in case someone actually managed to invade their new homeworld]].
13	* One of the novels, ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Starfighters of Adumar]]'', takes place on a (human-occupied) planet whose Hat seems to be reverence for starfighter pilots combined with blood sport and melodrama. In time we get to see that these traits are more a specific ''country's'' Hat, and intelligent people from said country can be made to doubt their convictions with relative ease.
14	* Interestingly, some of the human planets get Hats too. Especially Corellians (the planet of NeverTellMeTheOdds), Alderaanians (philosophical pacifists), and Mandalorians (planet of Boba Fett). Corellia actually has multiple hats. For one, they are the planet of the AcePilot and the [[BadassArmy Badass Space Navy]] — Han Solo, Soontir Fel, and Wedge Antilles are all renowned for this. More negatively, however, they are the CommanderContrarian. It doesn't matter what they're rebelling against, they simply rebel and bristle under galactic authority. They've told the Jedi to stuff it (they have [[StartMyOwn Green Jedi]], tied to the Corellian system and fully expected to have families and attachments). And in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', the planetary ''government'' told the Republic to stuff it, but the ''people'' of Corellia turned around and told their government ''and'' the Empire to stuff themselves — the Empire gets chased off the planet, suffering the loss of a ''full tenth'' of their army.
15	* The Twi'lek example above was eventually explained. In ''Legends'', the Twi'lek homeworld of Ry'loth is a DeathWorld that is {{tidally locked\|Planet}} to the local star. Half the planet burns, the other half freezes. Civilization can only exist in the narrow twilight band between the two extremes, and those are constantly wracked by heat storms and inter-clan warfare. Life is so awful that many Twi'lek will sell themselves into slavery just to get passage off the planet, and a chance of ''maybe'' having a better life. That, or sign on as smugglers, merchants, criminals, or any other profession that gets them off-world. But again, we see plenty of Twi'leks that subvert this trope, like one who is a mother in ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]'' or Bib Fortuna, second in command of Jabba's empire (Twi'leks disown criminals like him).
16	** As a main character in a major Star Wars work, Hera Syndulla of ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' has become one of the most prominent Twi'leks in the franchise and is pretty much the opposite of the exotic dancer/harem girl Hat, both in personality and concerning that pilot's jumpsuit she wears. The scam to sell her as a slave to a Jabba-esque crime boss in one episode was likely referencing the stereotype, given that it ''worked'' despite her not even changing out of her flight suit.
17	* Mandalorians (Boba Fett's people) ended up with two interesting Hats. They are ''very'' much the ProudWarriorRace who [[ChallengeSeeker seek out the biggest, nastiest]], [[WorthyOpponent worthiest challenge]] they can get to test themselves against it. Oddly enough, the fact they fight against the Republic and Jedi is a ''compliment'' - Mandos are out to fight the best, and the Republic/Jedi ''are'' the best. The other hat? A ''fanatical'' emphasis on [[FamilyValuesVillain marriage, family, and raising the next generation of warriors]]. Even the name they call themselves (''Mando'ade'') translates to "children of Mandalore" (the title/regnal name of their leader).
18	** Another interesting thing about them is that they are not a single species or even a "race," they are a ''culture.'' Adoption is common, with the result that, physically speaking, they are a surprisingly varied bunch. Culturally though, yeah, they're a planet of hats.
19	** Mandalorians also are the one culture to end up with a ''literal'' hat. And a suit of armor to go with it.
20	** The cartoons ''The Clone Wars'' and ''Rebels'' deliver a contrasting depiction of Mandalore itself. The planet is heavily industrialized and polluted, its warrior traditions are fading, and its leaders concentrate on Byzantine scheming within a bloated aristocracy. They even take their helmets off all the time! The difference between this depiction and others in the franchise is easily explained: Mandalore itself was overrun by the Empire, and the Mandos seen in Imperial and post-Imperial times come from colony worlds that were much more strict about upholding the culture's religious-warrior traditions.
21	*** This [[IKnewIt fan explanation ascended to canon]] in ''Recap/TheMandalorianS2E3Chapter11TheHeiress''. Native Mandalorian Bo Katan meets adopted Mandalorian Din Djarin and explains that his strict, religious observance of "The Way" is unique to his sect, not a hat worn by the whole culture.
22	* Tatooinians are all excellent pilots, starting with Luke Skywalker and going from there. ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Rogue Squadron]]'' actually has a [[CreatorsPet sixteen-year-old Tatooinian]] as Rogue Five. {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d by the fact that when he wants to ask Corran a question about [[InterspeciesRomance inter-species relationships]], Corran thinks he doesn't know what sex is. {{Justified\|Trope}} by the fact that Tatooine is a world with a lot of trackless desert and few settlements extremely far apart, so folks grow up using hovercraft and aircraft to get from place to place (though how that translates to flying spacecraft, [[OldSchoolDogfight well...]]).
23	* The humans and Gungans of Naboo are pacifists [[MartialPacifist though that doesn't mean they won't fight]].
24	* All four onscreen members of Yoda's species is a Jedi of advanced years. Even the ''baby'' is fifty years old. Their species is left unnamed for mystery purposes.
25	* A worldbuilding article about the [[http://web.archive.org/web/20041205223030/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=starwars/article/sw20040722yavin1 Yavin system]] has a framing device; it's about the memoirs of a famous Rodian explorer and it comes with this rather wry intro, lampshading the rather strict gender-based divisions of labor said to apply to many species in the EU.
26	-->In the days before the New Republic, common galactic wisdom held that all Rodian males feel the call of the hunt, while all Rodian females feel the call of performing for money, child-rearing, and [[StayInTheKitchen food preparation]].\
27	Common galactic wisdom about Rodians has largely been written by [[MostWritersAreMale Rodian males]]. It is largely incorrect.
28	* The authors of ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'' seem to have taken it as their assignment to buck those trends at every opportunity. Bothans are stereotyped as conniving spies and politicians, but Asyr Sei'lar is an accomplished fighter pilot with a warrior's sense of honor. Mon Calamari and Quarren are supposed to be at each other's throats, but Nrin and Ibtisam are close friends and eventually fall in love (they mention their relationship inverting the species' animosity in the story itself). Twi'leks supply several top-notch fighter pilots to contradict their species' image as merchants and cowards, which Twi'lek warriors deeply dislike. Corellians are supposed to be flashy rogues and daredevils; meet Corran Horn, straight-laced ex-cop who spent his career in the force chasing smugglers like Han. Alderaanians are supposed to be pacifists: Tycho Celchu, Rogue Squadron's second in command and eventually leader, is from there. The gold medal goes to Voort saBinring, genetically enhanced Gamorrean; while the rest of his species typically only shows up as dimwitted thugs, Voort is an elite fighter pilot and commando who, when he retires, goes on to teach mathematics at a university. Also occasionally lampshaded by the pilots themselves: in ''Wraith Squadron'', three of the pilots slip onto an Imperial-controlled world by pretending to be from Agamar, a world whose residents are stereotyped as [[ObfuscatingStupidity dumb hicks]]. Further played with in that the three pilots learned how to imitate the stereotype by asking their highly-trained, intelligent, and erudite ship's captain, who was native to Agamar.
29	* All Muuns are members of the [=InterGalactic=] Banking Clan, a shady bank which financed both sides of the Clone Wars along with numerous crime syndicates. The Sith Lord Darth Plagueis is easily the most famous Muun and he was also a high-ranking Banking Clan member. Although since the bank appears to be their only form of government they don't really have a choice.
30	* The Zeltrons are hedonistic partygoers that enjoy sexual stimulation and produce some of the most raciest pieces of art and literature in the galaxy. Lampshaded by a talent agent named Ruudi Buundaz in ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'' who was particularly taken by their allure:
31	--> When you've been in this business as long as I have, you learn a few things: Nothing's more dangerous than arguing with a Wookiee, nothing's more foolish than gambling with a Jedi, and nothing's more alluring than a Twi'lek dancer. But I'm here to tell you that the last one is wrong. If you like your humanoids flexible, svelte, enthusiastic, and in multiple shades of red, then the most beautiful people in the galaxy are on Zeltros. Who needs Twi'leks?
32	* During the Star Wars crossover episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Luke concludes they must have landed on a comedy variety show planet.
33	* ''Literature/TheHanSoloTrilogy'':
34	** The Hutts are basically an entire species of gangsters, with every Hutt clan also running a criminal syndicate. We never see or hear of a single one who isn't like this. "Kajidic" is the word for their guiding philosophy, loosely translated as "Somebody's got to have it, why not us?" and also used for both their clans or syndicates. Their entire ''culture'' [[ExaggeratedTrope literally revolves around engaging in organized crime]].
35	** Wookies and male Togorians all follow a strict code of honor, plus being fearsome warriors (the female Togorians have a separate culture of being more the intellectual types, which they also strictly abide by).
36	* ''[[Literature/XWingSeries X-Wing: Wraith Squadron]]'' mentions Agamar, a primarily agricultural planet whose inhabitants are derided as space hicks by the rest of the galaxy. The truth is of course more complicated, but the captain of the Wraiths' carrier, an Agamar native himself, helps drill some of the Wraiths in the stereotype so they can go undercover as a trio of Agamarian tourists looking for "brides." The customs official they deal with is so bewildered by their [[HawaiianShirtedTourist eye-searing outfits]] and [[ComicallySmallBribe attempt at bribery]] ("A whole credit.") that he waves them through without further incident and doesn't notice he was just dealing with Wedge Antilles, one of the most famous fighter pilots in the galaxy.

Context PlanetOfHats / StarWars