The Skiffs' original planet is Sterilis; a planet far in the depths of space. Named as such because, despite being within a mostly-habitable range, it's VERY dry compared to Earth. Most of the landmass is dry deserts and canyons. There are pockets of plantlife near the coastline and ice caps, though.
Those rings are very icy! They make rocket launches difficult, but they make the night skies very pretty, as seen in the second image.
On a more meta-level, Sterilis is kind of a microcosm of southern california nostalgia. Beautiful deserts, sand-and-surf, a bustling car culture (seen as the skiffs themselves) and the like. Just with a more sci-fi spin!
