The Star Wars Universe is incredibly rich in its lore. While Disney attempted to demote the Extended Universe to ‘Legends,’ most invested fans still hold the pre-2012 tales, activities, and characters in high regard. Across the incredibly diverse galaxy, there are several games and sports enjoyed by the masses – although, mostly by smugglers and ruffians – which allow fans to get a more in-depth look at the cultures at play away from the space battles.
In some way, many of them derive from games enjoyed in our world, with a twist put on them to suit the Star Wars Universe. While we can’t enjoy the true forms of these sources of entertainment from a galaxy far, far away, there are other ways to experience them and the source material.
A day at the races
One of the most memorable moments of the prequel trilogy was the booming pod race at Mos Espa on Tatooine. The tiny pods propelled by massive engines made for quite the spectacle, especially as, in the race shown, so many racers crashed from a mix of underhand racing, environment obstacles, and even Tusken Raiders.
The races were much-watch entertainment, drawing in beings from across the planet to see the high-speed action unfold, as well as celebrities like the Hutt crime syndicate. Some of those in attendance had invested in racers, others were there just for the sport, and several of the fans packing the stands would be placing bets on the race.
In our world, Pod Racing will never become a reality, both due to the technology required and the necessary health and safety regulations that would come into play. While we do have the fast-paced Formula One and Formula E racing, the best way to enjoy the battles of a pod race is in the Star Wars Episode I: Pod Racer game. A classic of the N64 era in the late 90s, the game has been excellently upgraded for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
The not-so-gentlemanly games of cards
Card games are famously played across the galaxy, often at very high stakes. Enjoyed by smugglers and natural gamblers, cards were a way for the most oversized egos to earn status, flex their sleight of hand skills, and win their opponents’ most prized possessions.
The most famous of these is Sabacc: a 76-card deck game in which the aim is to get as close to a 23-value hand without exceeding that value. Sabacc is the game that saw Han Solo win the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. There was also the ancient game of Pazaak, which was played in the era of the Old Republic. It, too, was a game of reaching a value without exceeding it, in this case being 20, and was described as being easy to learn by very hard to master.
While the games themselves played a bit more like poker due to their player-versus-player nature, as they were card games that are easy to learn but hard to master, with the aim of hitting a set number, Sabacc and Pazaak clearly derive from blackjack. Blackjack is still widely available today, being found at the online casinos with the highest-rated welcome bonuses like Sloty, still being among the most popular mobile games. Or, if you have an Xbox One, you can play Knights of the Old Republic II, which has a Pazaak mini-game, through the backward compatibility program.
Chess, but far more interesting
Onboard the Millennium Falcon and throughout homes, Dejarik was one of the most popular games in the galaxy, rising to prominence well before the Clone Wars. The black and white circular game table featured three rings with alternating black and white segments, on which players would battle holographic monsters.
In chess, the pieces have different movements, and any piece can defeat another, but in Dejarik, each monster has its own attack, health, range, and movement rating. As such, chess doesn’t really relate to the Star Wars game. However, the game can still be enjoyed, provided that you have a Lenovo Mirage AR headset, with the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app featuring the full tactical game of ‘Holochess.’
Whether it be the pod racing, Sabacc, Pazaak, or Dejarik, there’s a way to experience the thrills of these Star Wars games right here.