The Road to Episode Infinity: The Most Obscure Aliens of the Original Trilogy

There are Star Wars aliens everyone knows:

Ewoks, Wookiees, Rodians, Twi’leks.

There are Star Wars aliens that appear as Lego Mini-figures and are crammed into the background of comics.

There are aliens that people recognize even if they don’t know their real names:

Hammerhead. Walrus Man. Snaggletooth.

These are not those Aliens.

These are the Aliens no one remembers.

These are the Aliens that appear for less than a second tucked into the background.

These are the most obscure Aliens of the Original Trilogy.

Long Forgotten. Known by only a few:

The fans who keep searching. The fans that must know more.

Yam'rii

The Yam’rii were a tall green stick-like species from the planet Huk located in Wild Space. The species had a violent history which included a war with the Kaleesh. Some Yam’rii had large forelimbs that could be used to slice or club their enemies. Other Yam’rii had two long fingers instead. The Yam’rii were carnivores sometimes even feasting on other members of their own species.

The Yam’rii was known only as “Praying Mantis” on set of “A New Hope”. It was an intricate costume controlled by strings from the inside. Actor Jack Pervis (who also played Jawas, Ugnaughts, and Ewoks in the franchise) operated the puppet. Despite being a complex build the character is hard to spot in the final version of the film.

Kitik Keed'kak is the Yam’rii who appeared in “A New Hope”. An action figure of the character was released in 2006. The Yam’rii species is notebly shut-out from the new Expanded Universe. The two named Yam’rii characters are no longer canon and no Yam’rii have appeared in Star Wars content since long before the Disney acquisition.

Qiraash

The Qirassh species were near humans with pink skin and bulbous craniums. Both males and females were bald except for a patch of hair on the back of the neck. Much is not known of the Qiraash including their planet of origin.

Leesub Sirln is the Qiraash who appeared in “A New Hope”. On the set of that film she was identified only as “Weird Girl”. Leesub Sirln is portrayed by English actress Pam Rose. An action figure was released in 2009.

No Qiraash have appeared in the new Expanded Universe. Even in the old expanded universe the species is largely ignored.

Ranat

Ranats were a rodent-like species (who apparently referred to themselves as Con Queecon in their own language). Hundreds of years before the Empire Ranats were driven to extinction by Human colonists who invaded their homeworld of Rydar II. Very few Ranats escaped, but the species did recover on the world of Aralia in part due to the fact that their species has a very low gestation period. The species lived in complex subterranean tunnels. They would lure prey into these tunnel systems. When the prey was lost or cornered the Ranat would attack and feast. Ranats thought about little else than food. They were capable of eating almost anything. They would also hunt in packs, preying on creatures such as the pig-like Roba.

Reegesk was the Ranat who appeared in “A New Hope”. On set he was known as “Rodent" and "Rat Face." A second Ranat character called Nevar Yalnal appears on the streets of Mos Eisley in the film. An actress named Saddie Eddon played Reegesk in the film as well as portraying the Imperial spy Garindan. Reegesk has never been released as an action figure.

Ranats were fairly common in the Old Expanded Universe and have appeared in a few books and comics in the New Expanded Universe (especially those connected to the TV show “Rebels”).

Quor’sav

Quor’sav were an avian species that walked on two long stilted legs. Their long necks brought them to a height of 3.5 meters (11 ½ feet). When the Imperials arrived at their home planet of Uaua, they brought with them disease and pollution that threatened the survival of the Quor’sav. The Quor’sav were a nervous species and very protective of their eggs which took over a year to hatch.

The legs of the Quor’sav can only be seen briefly in A New Hope. They are visible while Obi-Wan and Luke are selling Luke’s landspeeder. For many years what appeared above these legs remained a mystery, but in 1997 a Roleplaying manual featured a full body shot of a Quor’sav showing the species to have bird-like qualities. Under the new canon this bird-like appearance is not official and nothing is known about the species other than the fact that they have long legs.

The Quor’sav who appears in “A New Hope” is named Kal'Falnl C'ndros. No action figure of a Quor’sav has ever been released.

Stennes Shifter

Stennes Shifters were a gaunt looking race from planet Stennaros. The species was known to have several unique abilities including being able to disappear into crowds and pass unseen using a type of telepathy. They could also vampirically feed on the Force emitted by others.

Trinto Duaba was the Stennes Shitfer who appeared in “A New Hope”. On set he was called Terminal Man, Veiny and Future Man. Trinto Duaba would reappear in “The Force Awakens” in Maz Kanata’s castle. A Trinto Duaba action figure was released in 2009. Apart from “A New Hope” & “The Force Awakens”, Stennes Shifers have almost zero appearences in the old or new Expanded Universe.

Stennes Shifters were an offshoot of the Stennes species. A Stennes by the name of Braconnor Bakiska appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Sakiyan

Sakyians were identified by their bulbous heads and pointed ears. Their skin presented itself in a variety of shades, but jet black was quite common. They evolved on the planet Saki where they lived in tribes and hunted many species including Gwayo birds and Rass. Their heightened senses and quick reflexes made them adept at hunting. They also benefited from infrared vision and an almost super strength. Sakyians detested eating vegetation and called non-predatory species “grass eaters”. Off-planet many Sakiyans were employed as bounty hunters and assassins.

Djas Puhr was the Sakiyan bounty hunter who appeared in “A New Hope”. He was referred to as “Coal Man” on set. Djas Puhr’s mold was reused to create a pale-skinned Sakiyan named “Throp” who appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special. Djas Puhr was released as an action figure in 2002.

Sakiyans have actually appeared in quite a bit of new Expanded Universe content including in several episodes of “The Clone Wars” and “Resistance".

Bimm

Once a race of peaceful humanoids immigrated to planet Bimmini. There they met the locals, long-eared furry creatures called Bimm and decided to stay. Millenia later the species both called themselves Bimm and together they shared a culture. Both the humanoid Bimm and the long-eared natives were short in stature. They enjoyed the arts and spoke in a musical language. The humanoid Bimm were even known to marry their long-eared counterparts, although they could not procreate and adoption was required for raising younglings together.

The Bimm that appeared in “A New Hope” was named Rycar Ryjerd and played by Marcus Powell. On set of the film he was known as “Flash Gordon Midget”. A deleted scene shows Rycar Ryjerd encountering a towering alien (possibly a Quor’sav) in the streets of Mos Eisley. This shot is retained in the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Another Bimm named Rayc Ryjerd appears in “Return of the Jedi”. Rayc is the son of Rycar and is played by an unknown actor in the film.

Throughout the 1990s there was confusion about the Bimm species. Timothy Zahn invented the species for his novel “Heir to the Empire”. The species were depicted as short humans in the sourcebook companion to the novel and in 1995 the collectable card game labeled the “Flash Gordon Midget” from the original film a Bimm. However, a 1995 comic adaption of “Heir to the Empire” showed Bimms as being floppy eared aliens. Finally a 1998 sourcebook explained that both of these species are from planet Bimmisaari and are both called Bimm despite having different biology.

Neither Rycar Ryjerd nor Rayc Ryjerd have ever been released as an action figure.

Skrilling

The Mid-Rim homeworld of the Skrilling was once a world free of technology where its inhabitants were nomadic herders. Then the M'shinni showed up and colonized the planet for farming. The planet was designated Agriworld-2079 and whatever its name was before then was lost to history. After the arrival of the M’shinni most of the Skrilling population were employed as low level workers or servants.

Skrilling were a stocky species with green skin and a face full of breathing tubes. They had sharp teeth which enabled them to scavange decaying carceasses of dead creatures. Though Skrillings could not see well, they had a keen sense of smell.

Pote Snikin is the Skrilling who appears in “Return of the Jedi”. During the production of Return of the Jedi there seemed to be confusion as to whether the character was named Pote Snitkin or Snit Plotkin. A Pote Snitkin action figure was released as a StarWars.com exclusive in 1999.

Skrilling are rare in the Expanded Universe, but not unheard of.

Riorian

Riorians were a snake-like species native to planet Rior.

A Riorian named Loje Nella was featured in the film “Return of the Jedi”. She was referred to "Toadstool Terror'' during production. In the old Expanded Universe there was much confusion over Riorian’s species. Leeland Chee of Lucasfilm seemed to flip back and forth on the subject, sometimes confirming that she was a Riorian and sometimes claiming she was an intelligence Cliffborer worm. The new Expanded Universe claims that Loje Nella is indeed a Riorian.

On set, Loje Nella was operated by puppeteer Mike Quinn. No action figure has ever been released of Loje. Officially we only know what the top half of Riorians look like, though original concept art does feature a pair of spindly legs protruding from the snake-like body.

Riorians are incredibly rare in the Expanded Universe with no occurrences in the Disney era.

Yuvernian

Yuvernians were a species with two heads (similar to the Troig and the Danzikan). Yuvernians were yellow with brown spots. They were very large beings that lived in clans. Yuvernians hatched from eggs which took an entire planetary revolution to hatch. Clans would watch over the eggs together and when younglings were born they had no knowledge of their biological parents, but were cared for by the clan as a whole.

Cane Adiss was the Yuvernian who appeared in “Return of the Jedi”. Cane Adiss was a very large puppet whose neck and heads were comparable to a giraffe in size. The puppet can barely be glimpsed in the final cut of the film. It is not known what Yuvernians look like below the neck, but some have surmised that the species are quadrupeds.

Yuvernians are incredibly rare in the Expanded Universe and no action figure has ever been released.

Star Wars Aliens

The Aliens of the Cantina

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-aliens-of-cantina_1.html

The Aliens of “The Empire Strikes Back"

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-aliens-of-empire-strikes-back-what.html

The Aliens of Jabba’s Palace

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/07/aliens-of-jabbas-palace.html

The Aliens of Max Rebo’s Band

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-aliens-of-max-rebos-band.html

The Aliens of the Battle of Endor

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-aliens-of-battle-of-endor.html