Does Earth exist in the Star Wars universe?

The “Star Wars” universe is full of memorable planets, whether it’s the desert of Tatooine, icy Hoth, volcanic Mustafar, the endless skies of Bespin (there’s an “Avatar: The Last Airbender” joke somewhere) or, of course, the city planet of Coruscant. With so many worlds to keep track of, the official map of the “Star Wars” galaxy can be quite overwhelming – and that’s before you even get to the planets that don’t appear on the map, like Kamino or that new galaxy we were introduced to in Season 1 of “Ahsoka.” The only thing we know for sure is that the “Star Wars” saga takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away from our little corner of the universe…

Earth isn’t a planet you’d imagine anywhere near places like Narkina 5 or Moraband, but according to Disney, it’s officially part of the “Star Wars” canon. Of course, like many things in the franchise, this information comes from a very unlikely source. No, not the movies, not the TV shows, the novels, the comics, not even that time a “Fortnite” event revealed a crucial plot point in the Skywalker saga. Rather, this revelation comes from the Disney Parks’ “Star Tours” attraction, which is designed like an in-universe spaceport, with signs listing departures and arrivals from many planets in the “Star Wars” galaxy. Apparently one of the locations is listed as the “Earth System”, which canonically houses a supply station for people traveling to Endor.

Certainly, the existence of Earth in the “Star Wars” franchise is also implied by the presence of the aliens visiting Earth from “ET the Extra-Terrestrial” in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” It is nevertheless a real and formal confirmation.

Earth, in particular, was part of the Expanded Universe/Legends lore. One particularly crazy issue of the “Star Wars Tales” comics even saw Han Solo and Chewbacca crash-land in the Pacific Northwest, with Han killed and his skeleton discovered over a century later by Indiana Jones. (Also, Chewbacca is confused with Bigfoot.)

In comparison, however, Earth plays a much larger role in other science fiction properties. In Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” novels, the planet has been largely forgotten in the 20,000 years since humanity reached the stars, but it is still part of the history of robotics (and may hold the key to the end of the “Foundation” TV show). Likewise, Earth is an important part of the “Star Trek” franchise and often appears in its films and television series.

Meanwhile, Earth has also been abandoned and long forgotten in the “Dune” franchise, and its fate has been contradicted many times. Depending on the book, it was destroyed by war or a giant asteroid. At one point, however, the planet is even depicted as a giant national park, with Paul Atreides studying Earth’s history after becoming emperor in “Dune: Messiah.” There he compares himself to Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler in terms of the number of people he killed.

So, is it better for science fiction franchises to actually include Earth in their worldbuilding and story? Or should they ignore it until it’s casually mentioned at a theme park? It’s hard to say, because the “Star Wars” property is a very different beast than, say, “Foundation” or “The Expanse.” Certainly, “Star Wars” creator Lucas was influenced by both “Dune” and “Foundation,” but his approach was more sci-fi fantasy, that is, a fairy tale set in a faraway land rather than a story about the future of humanity.