The desert+planets+in+the+Star+Wars universe are just some of the interesting worlds depicted.
In a way, the earth is like a composite of several worlds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z33-qOXOWS4
From spring 2014
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-vii-shoot-694924
http://www.ew.com/topic/star-wars-battlefront ,
http://www.starwars7news.com
http://movies.ndtv.com/hollywood/star-wars-desert-storm-brewing-in-abu-dhabi-639229
New movie, new desert location.
"One of the most successful movies of all time, Star Wars wouldn't be complete without footage from Death Valley. While George Lucas selected Tunisia as the location for most of the desert and dwelling scenes on Luke Skywalker's dusty planet of Tatooine, he shot many others at Death Valley."
http://wilderness.org/18-biggest-national-park-and-forest-cameos-movies
http://desertshapes.blogspot.ca/2015/03/chris-taylor-star-wars-and-popular.html
