This was published 7 years ago
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story locations - Where the final battle was filmed
By Craig Platt
WARNING: This story contains spoilers for the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
It might be the scene of one of the most downbeat moments in Star Wars history, but the real-life site for the climactic battle in the blockbuster Rogue One is nothing short of a paradise.
Even as the palm-lined islands in the movie are subject to mass destruction from rebel fighters, Imperial walkers, X-wing and Tie fighters, the setting still looks pretty attractive. At least until it (and our heroes) are completely obliterated by the Death Star.
Six Senses Laamu, Maldives: One of the world's most romantic escapes.
That's because the real-life location of the planet of Scarif, home of the evil Empire's base containing the Death Star plans, is the Indian Ocean paradise of the Maldives. Specifically, it's the Laamu Atoll, a series of 82 islands rimmed by coral reefs, though only 15 are inhabited.
The country's southernmost group of are among its most remote, making it a perfect place to get away from it all and an especially popular spot with honeymooners. In fact, Traveller named the Six Senses Laamu resort as one of our top 10 romantic escapes in the world.
The islands are home to luxurious resorts featuring the over-water bungalows the Maldives are famous for.
What Laamu Atoll looks like in Rogue One ... before the destruction begins.
But it's not all high-end resorts. The Maldives government has launched a development project to create guesthouse hotels in Laamu, allowing guests on tighter budgets to also get a taste of the islands as well as a taste of the local culture. The project aims to have 2100 guesthouse beds available by the end of 2017.
See also: 20 reasons to visit the Maldives
Like The Force Awakens, Rogue One uses a mixture of computer-generated and real-life settings for its action. Other locations featured in the film include Iceland (the planet of Lah'mu, home to Mads Mikkelson's Galen Erso at the beginning of the film) and Jordan (the desert moon of Jedha where the heroes meet Forrest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera).
See also: The spectacular island where The Force Awakens final scene was filmed
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