Festival of the Ancestors

The native Aki-Aki of Pasaana revere the duality of life, both tenacious and fragile, welcoming offworlders with open arms during their biennial festival season, when food and water are plentiful. But between these colorful and joyous celebrations, the Aki-Aki live an austere life, gathering food and water for the next grand event.

The desert planet of Pasaana is full of life and culture. Towering buttes of granite and sandstone disrupt long stretches of sun-bleached dunes and shrubland, creating shadowed valleys where water collects and life thrives, including the native Aki-Aki.

A young Aki-Aki girl, Nambi Ghima greets Rey at the Festival of Ancestors on Pasaana, offering a husk necklace as a gesture of welcome and inviting Rey to share her family history. Such hospitality is a trademark of even the youngest Aki-Aki.

Seemingly abandoned by her parents on Jakku, Rey grew up a scavenger amid the wreckage of war. Her life changed when she agreed to help a droid on an urgent mission for the Resistance. Rey discovered she was powerful in the Force, and sought out the vanished Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to train her. That ended in disappointment, as did her attempt to bring Kylo Ren back to the light. But the resilient Rey continued her training and learned the truth about her parentage and her mysterious connection with Kylo. She then faced her greatest test: a confrontation with fear and evil that would determine the galaxy’s fate.

Lando Calrissian may have come late to the fight against the Empire, but his role in destroying the second Death Star cemented his reputation as a hero. In his youth, Lando was a sportsman seeking a fortune at the sabacc tables. After he lost his beloved ship to Han Solo, Lando spent years living the high life and pursuing get-rich-quick schemes, with uneven results. He went semi-respectable as the baron administrator of Cloud City, only to be drawn into the fight against the Empire. After a personal tragedy, Lando sought solace in isolation on Pasaana, unaware that the galaxy would need him again.

The New Republic’s rise reduced the once-mighty Empire to a rump state hemmed in by strict disarmament treaties and punishing reparations. But in the galaxy’s Unknown Regions, former Imperial officers, nobles and technologists plotted a return to power, building fleets and armies in secret. This movement became the First Order, ruled by Supreme Leader Snoke, and is now ready to reclaim the Imperial legacy.