The One Star Wars Planet The Jedi Were Forbidden To Visit

The Jedi in the Star Wars universe are able to traverse the galaxy with ease, but Star Wars Rebels revealed an exception: the forbidden Sith planet of Malachor. Thanks to the wonders of hyperspace travel, the Jedi spend time on desert planets, forest planets, and ice planets all across the galaxy. Not all of these planets are hospitable to the Jedi, of course, especially during times when the Empire or the First Order reign supreme. Still, the Jedi largely move freely throughout the universe, save for the one planet they are forbidden to visit.

This is a self-imposed declaration, as we find out in Star Wars Rebels. Toward the end of season 2 there is an arc involving the planet of Malachor. It’s Ezra who is told by Yoda to find Malachor, though at first he doesn’t even know that Malachor is a place, not a person. Ezra, along with Ahsoka, Kanan, and Chopper, finally reaches Malachor in the two-part season finale, and when they arrive it has been centuries since a Jedi has stepped foot on the planet’s soil.

We soon find out the reason for this: Malachor is something of a holy land for the Sith. The heroes stumble upon a Sith temple while they are there, and also find find the site of an ancient battle between Jedi and Sith, which has become known as the Scourge of Malachor. It was after this that Jedi were forbidden to ever return to the planet. During the events of “Twilight of the Apprentice” the crew of the Ghost stumble upon Darth Maul, though they don’t know who he is. Maul tries to corrupt Ezra to the dark side, and succeeds in blinding Kanan. Ahsoka also has to go head-to-head with Darth Vader and finally acknowledge that he was once Anakin Skywalker, her old Jedi Master. In fact, Ahsoka is unable to join her compatriots in fleeing the crumbling Sith temple; when the episode ends she is left behind, her fate unknown to Ezra and Kanan.

It’s easy to see why the Jedi would refrain from visiting Malachor, and why it would become a forbidden planet. The place is clearly a Sith stronghold, which would make it a dangerous place to go. Additionally, the results of the Scourge of Malachor would certainly cast a pall on Malachor for Jedi masters. Jedi are often connected to their spiritual ancestors, and much pain and suffering occurred on the Sith stronghold of a planet.

Of course, from a storytelling standpoint the reason for declaring Malachor off-limits is to create a sense of intrigue and danger in Star Wars Rebels., as well as giving the show an opportunity to explore uncharted territory. This is the only planet in the entire universe that we are aware of where Jedi are forbidden to go. Why would that be, and what kind of peril faces them there? Though it has been centuries since the Jedi last stepped foot on Malachor, when those on the light side of the Force return things immediately start to wrong. Kanan is blinded, Ezra almost gets turned by Maul, and Ahsoka has to fight her old mentor, who is now a force of pure evil. It’s a bleak planet for Jedi.

The universe of Star Wars is full of a variety of different planets with different stories. Malachor is special due to the fact that it is the one place Jedi aren’t allowed to tread. Even now, with the Sith temple destroyed in Star Wars Rebels, the Jedi probably aren’t keen to turn it into a new resort planet. Ever since the Scourge of Malachor, this has been a place Jedi have faced pain and peril. That’s why it’s a forbidden zone, even if it’s just for spiritual reasons.