[1] Located on the planet Tatooine, it first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars, described by the character Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness) as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy".

A notable scene set in a seedy Mos Eisley cantina crowded with numerous alien races made a particular impact on audiences.

Upon arrival, Luke and Obi-Wan enter Chalmun's Cantina, a dimly-lit tavern patronised by visiting starship pilots.

The cantina attracts a range of exotic alien species, although droids are not permitted to enter; the bartender orders them to leave, saying "We don't serve their kind in here".

In the novelization of the film, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas (ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster), Mos Eisley is described as a haphazard, run-down settlement built of concrete and sandstone, a large part of it built underground to escape the heat of Tatooine's twin suns.

The band is named as Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes and it is revealed that the players belong to a race called Bith.

In 1975, during the early stages of production on Star Wars, the appearance of the Mos Eisley cantina and its clientele was realized through the work of concept arts Ron Cobb, Rick Baker and Ralph McQuarrie and costume designer John Mollo.

In collaboration with Mollo, make-up artist Stuart Freeborn designed the masks and prosthetics to match each of the costumes, along with Doug Beswick, Rick Baker, Phil Tippett,[12] Nick Maley, and Christopher Tucker.

[17] In early 1977, under pressure to complete his movie (now more than $2 million over budget), Lucas negotiated limited additional funding from 20th Century Fox executives to support second unit filming.

[14][19][6] Lucas remained dissatisfied with the final cut of the cantina scene, and beginning with Lucasfilm's release of the Special Edition of Star Wars in 1997, made a number of changes to it.

This change was repeatedly further altered and has proved one of the most controversial among Star Wars fans, giving rise to the popular slogan "Han shot first" in protest of it.

This diegetic music was composed for the film by John Williams, and consisted of two pieces written for trumpet, three saxophones, clarinet, Fender Rhodes piano and percussion, along with steel drum and synthesizer.

George Lucas briefed Williams to imagine "several creatures in a future century finding some 1930s Benny Goodman swing band music ... and how they might attempt to interpret it".

"[22][23][24][25] In 1978 the toy manufacturer Kenner Products released a Cantina Adventure Set as part of its range of Star Wars action figures.

The playset consisted of a miniature plastic bar with a cardboard backdrop depicting various cantina creatures and an Imperial stormtrooper.

[34][35] In 2010, clothing company Adidas created a FIFA World Cup advertisement featuring electronic music duo Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, David Beckham, and others inserted into a reimagined version of the 1977 scene.