Star Wars: 10 Best Locations In The Empire Strikes Back, Ranked

Most of the Star Wars fandom regards The Empire Strikes Back as one of, if not the best, Star Wars film, with so much to love from a narrative and character standpoint. A standout aspect, though, is its iconic locations seen throughout the movie. Dagobah, Hoth, and Bespin have become three of the most beloved planets in the saga, but the more specific locations have the most magic.

From areas on the aforementioned planets to ships to locations traveled through to get from one world to another, The Empire Strikes Back has some fantastic places full of imagination which are the setting of some memorable sequences.

10 The Exogorth

The Exogorth, whose name in the canon is Sy-O but also known simply as the space slug, resides in the Hoth asteroid belt and temporarily homes the Millennium Falcon and its crew as they escape the Empire.

The sequence in the innards of Sy-O is one of the creepiest in the entire trilogy as the Falcon gets surrounded by not only a damp and dreary atmosphere but by Mynocks attacking the ship. Sy-O does not act as a setting for long, and there is nothing flashy and out of this world about its design, but it is the setting for a fun small portion of the film.

9 The Wampa Cave

The Wampa cave on Hoth is the setting for a significant moment in the on-screen life of Luke Skywalker as he uses the Force to pull his lightsaber towards him from afar. It is epic.

The Wampa is, of course, the thing about the cave that catches the audience’s eye. It is a brilliantly terrifying Star Wars creature and its cave is a fitting home for it, with bones laid out across it alongside the threatening ice and snow piercing through the ground and ceiling.

8 The Executor

The Executor was an Executor-class Star Dreadnought and Darth Vader’s flagship throughout The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. The ship is where audiences get most Vader scenes.

The ship is an outstanding design and one of the best Star Destroyer-type ships in the saga. From the bridge to Vader’s chambers, every part of it helps make it one of the most memorable ships of the trilogy, as well as one of The Empire Strikes Back‘s best locations.

7 The Hoth Asteroid Belt

The Hoth asteroid belt, also known simply as the asteroid field, is where one of The Empire Strikes Back’s most iconic sequences occur, as Han decides to enter it to escape the Empire, despite the 3,720 to 1 odds.

The practical effects of the Millennium Falcon and TIE Fighters racing through the belt desperately evading the asteroids are excellent, but what really makes the location what it is for audiences is the score by John Williams. “The Asteroid Field” is one of the original trilogy’s most exhilarating pieces and helps this become one of Star Wars’ most memorable settings.

6 Yoda’s Hut

Everything to do with Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back is perfect, one of the trilogy’s best planets. The swampy planet proves to be the perfect place for Yoda to go into exile and train Luke, even if it lacks a certain aesthetic appeal.

That lack of flash and color only adds to the unique design of the planet and to Yoda’s small, humble home, which, like Yoda, has a warm and welcoming aura despite its small stature. Since it is made of mud, the hut is held together with the help of Yoda and the Force, a fascinating aspect of the small abode. The location is not the highlight of Dagobah, but it is an excellent aspect of it.

5 Cave Of Evil

The Cave of Evil does not appear for long in The Empire Strikes Back, but it is a wonderfully fascinating, eerie place. It is where Luke is told to enter, claimed by Yoda only to contain what Luke takes with him.

Of course, what Luke finds is Darth Vader, but it was Luke behind the mask – perhaps an excellent piece of Star Wars foreshadowing for later in the film. The Cave resides in a gnarltree and is a dark side vergence in the Force and even Yoda once went there and got overwhelmed by what he saw. For characters and audiences alike, there is a sense of dread permeating from the cave, adding immensely to the location’s atmosphere.

4 The Millennium Falcon

Just as it was in A New Hope, the Millennium Falcon acts as one of the main settings for The Empire Strikes Back, with audiences spending a good chunk of time there as the heroes fly from Hoth, away from the Empire, all the way to Bespin.

There is nothing new about the Falcon in this film from the last; it simply remains as perhaps Star Wars’ best ship. It also benefits from having some of the movie’s most iconic scenes and quotes, from Han and Leia’s kiss to Han’s idea to fly through the Hoth Asteroid Belt.

3 Echo Base

One of the ways in which The Empire Strikes Back subverts audience expectation is by having the large-scale assault battle at the start of the movie, rather than the end, with that taking place on Hoth as the Empire attacks Echo Base.

The station is rough, full of snow, ice, and freezing rebels. But between the base, the shield generator, and Echo Station 3-T-8, which is the post just outside the base in which rebel soldiers face the AT-AT’s, it is one of the trilogy’s best locations. Echo Base also has its fair share of brilliant scenes, with Han and Leia’s chemistry being a highlight, just as it is throughout the film.

2 Dragonsnake Bog & Surrounding Land

Dragonsnake Bog is the official name for the lagoon that Luke and Artoo crash into upon their arrival to Dagobah. Combined with the immediate surrounding murky, muddy area of the planet, it is the setting for many of the film’s most iconic scenes.

The area’s design, just as it is for Yoda’s hut and the Cave of Evil, is not flashy or full of color and typical aesthetic beauty, but it does not need it. It is a brilliantly crafted place with the trees, mud, and earth working with the scenes and helping give range to the planets in the film. There are no three planets as different as Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin. On top of its obviously deliberate and well-done design, fans get Yoda’s iconic speeches, Luke’s training, Yoda lifting the X-wing from the bog, and the original Star Wars trilogy duo’s first meeting in this location, which only makes it better.

1 Administrator’s Palace & Carbon Freeze Chambers

It is up to subjective fan opinion whether Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin is the best planet. But in terms of specific locations, it is hard to argue against Cloud City, particularly the Administrator’s Palace on Cloud City alongside the carbon freeze chambers.

At the time of the movie, the Administrator’s Palace is Lando’s home and where a lot of the Cloud City scenes take place. Unlike the other two planets in the film, it is gorgeous to gaze upon. As for the carbon freeze chamber, it cannot go without getting mentioned. The colors throughout the sequences there are outstanding. Some of the best cinematography in Star Wars comes from the scenes here. There is also a bit of a creepy atmosphere, thanks to Vader. The fact that it acts as a stunning backdrop to Luke and Vader’s epic battle does, of course, help in making it one of The Empire Strikes Back’s best locations.