This stunning 'Star Wars' world is actually on Earth. And now, it's protected by the U.N.
The U.K.'s Lake District is a new UNESCO World Heritage site.
In 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," audiences watched as the Millennium Falcon blazed through the stunning, pale blue skies of planet Takodana.
Image from "Star Wars in the Lake District," via Chris Chapman/YouTube.
What if I told you that the vast majority of what you saw on-screen in that scene wasn't computer generated?
Takodana is actually a very real, very gorgeous, place — and it's a whole lot closer than a galaxy far, far away.
Photo by Nick Bodle, courtesy of UNESCO.
Here on Earth, we call it the Lake District.
It's a lush, mountainous national park in northwest England spanning over 900 square miles.
Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.
It's under new international protection too. It was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
When a region or landmark is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) for providing some form of global significance to humanity, that means it is legally protected under international treaty.
Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.
The U.N. designation protects in a number of ways — like providing emergency assistance to communities in the wake of a natural disaster or providing technical support so countries can safeguard their own sites from the natural elements (and humans) effectively.
The district was already a national park, but the UNESCO designation means more will be done to preserve and improve the area.
The World Heritage site designation will boost international tourism and the local economy in the region.
That's according to John Glen, the minister for arts, heritage, and tourism. "The Lake District is one of the U.K.'s most stunning and ancient landscapes," Glen said, noting the region's vibrant farming communities and archeological attractions.
Photo by Val Corbett, courtesy of UNESCO.
The UNESCO designation will also help increase conservation efforts in the area.
In claiming the area a World Heritage Site, the UNESCO committee suggested the impact of tourism in the region be more closely monitored, The Independent reported.
Photo by Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images.
The organization also requested improvements be made in keeping the area pristine and stopping human activity from encroaching on the natural habitat. UNESCO, for example, is encouraging the district to strengthen its "risk preparedness strategies" to keep the land protected in case of natural disaster (the Lake District is prone to flooding) and advised the district to work with farming communities to develop more Earth-friendly methods when it comes to agriculture.
As long as Hollywood keeps the region as it finds it, the Lake District will likely remain a favorite filming location for directors for years to come.
And you can totally understand why.
I mean, just look at it.
Photo by Val Corbett, courtesy of UNESCO.
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.
Photo by John Hodgon/Lake District National Park, photo courtesy of UNESCO.
Photo by Andrew Locking, courtesy of UNESCO.
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" isn't the only film that's taken advantage of the region's blissful scenery.
Other blockbusters have utilized the untouched views of the Lake region too, like 2012's "Snow White and the Huntsman," 2004's "If Only," and even one of the "Harry Potter" films (although the cast and crew didn't film on the location there, they used a shot of the district as a scenic backdrop).
None, it appears, has done so quite as impressively as "Star Wars" though.
Check out the video below — a team effort by filmmaker Chris Chapman and photographer Colin Bell — which highlights how "Star Wars" transformed the British landscapes into a scene from another world:
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."