The Road to Episode Infinity: September 2018

Sometimes coming up with new Star Wars alien species is as easy as flipping heads. Consider the case of the Quarren and the Mongo Beefhead…

Quarren

Quarren are an obviously aquatic species who share the ocean world of Mon Cala with the Mon Calamari. Quarren could dive up to 300 meters under the oceans of Mon Cala. They also were able to spit ink from their mouths as a measure of self defense.

The Quarren species first appeared among the denizens the Jabba’s Palace in the film “Return of the Jedi”. Though the Quarren action figure was simply called “Squid Head”, a 1990 Galaxy Guide would give the name Tessek to Quarren at Jabba’s Palace.

Mongo Beefhead

In 1986, Kenner Toys sought to launch a new line of Star Wars action figures under the line “The Epic Continues”. To save on production costs, many of the figures were old molds repurposed into new figures. One example of this was the Mongo Beefhead Tribesman. The figure was created by placing a “Squid Head” head upside down on top of a torso with the arms of a “Hammerhead” and the chest pack from 4LOM. The project was ultimately not approved by Lucasfilm, but some concepts such as the Sandspeeder are still being used in merchandise.

In “The Epic Continues” Mongo Beefhead Tribesmen lived on Tatooine and aided Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in comating the evil genetics master, Atha Prime. There is also the threat of Grand Moff Tarkin who is revealed to have escaped the Death Star explosion, despite having poo-pooed the idea of evacuation (in a moment of triumph). The Mongo Beefhead race was later mentioned in an obscure novella called “SkyeWalkers”, which was commissioned by StarWars.com and released in March of 2015.

Yet this isn’t the only example of a time that Lucasfilm chose to flip heads to create a new alien. There is also the example of the Pacithhip and the Sarkan from the Special Edition of "A New Hope"...

Pacithhip

Pacithhips were first introduced into the Star Wars universe in the 20th anniversary versions of “A New Hope” and “Return of the Jedi”. The species was created to replace the Shistavanen Wolf-Man character in the Cantina scene because the Wolf-Man’s cheap “Halloween Mask” design bothered George Lucas. Pacithhips would go on to make an appearance in each of the prequel films.

Pacithhips are an outer-rim species that sport a trunk and a pair of tusks. These tusks actually play an important role in the Pacithhip society because each individual is grows one of these three varieties when they mature into teenagers. Based on the tusk variety, Pacithhips are placed into a caste system and each individual is labeled as a scholar, a warrior, or a farmer. It is said that the three castes are held in equal regard and there is no discrimination among the three jobs of the society.

Pacithhips are fairly unknown among many Star Wars fans. Despite having been featured in five Star Wars films, they don’t have a big presence in Expanded Universe media. However, they are in some ways fascinating.

Though Pacihhips were originally designed with long legs for the Special Edition of “A New Hope”, later concept art for “The Phantom Menace” showed the aliens with very short legs. Though the films always showed the “long-leg” design, the “short-leg” design made its way into a few sourcebooks. There was confusion over the discrepancy for a while, until Lucasfilm explained that Pacihhips actually use robotic legs to get around. The full explanation in “canon” terms would go something like this:

“Pacihhips are bipedal, but their legs are quite short and their ability to run is non-existent. To fit in with a galaxy dominated by humans and other species with long legs, many Pachihhips actually utilize robotic stilts”

Lucasfilm was so committed to this explanation that the Hasbro action figure of the Pacihhip knows as Ketwol actually features such mechanized stilts.

Sarkan

The Sarkan race was created by the Special Edition puppeteers by turning the Pacihhip mask on its side and placing a turban over the trunk and tusks. I’m not sure if the puppet was originally designed for this purpose, but either way, it’s quite effective. Melas (the Sarkan featured in the Cantina) was edited into the film as a replacement for the Defel (who resembles a Halloween wolf-man creature).

Sarkans are an obscure species in the galaxy. They spend most of their time in underground caves where they mine for jewels. Sarkans are known to have very complex customs in their society which would constantly change. Anyone seeking diplomacy with the Sarkans would find it hard to observe these (often ridiculous) customs.

Some Extras

During the past 4 months I have examined almost 50 alien species from the original Star Wars trilogy. Though the list is long, I tried to make it concise, examining only the ones I thought were really important. Yet I left out hundreds of species in the process, so this is my chance to bring back some of the favorites that I initially skipped over. Here now are a few Extras!

Nimbanel

Nimbanels were warm blooded reptiles from the planet Nimban. During their evolution from grazing animal to sentiency, Nimbanels developed exceptional puzzle solving skills. This was due to the fact that much of the fruit on their planet was locked inside of complex plants which were not easy to open. Shortly after gaining the ability of faster-than-light speed Nimbanels joined the Republic and became close allies with the Hutts.

Two Nimbanel appeared in the Cantina scene in “A New Hope” and one appeared again in Jabba’s Palace in “Return of the Jedi”. On the set of the films the Nimbanel were called various names including "Walrus", "Ming", or "Mingo" (possibly in reference to Ming the Merciless?)

Odd fact- Jabba the Hutt was actually portrayed as being a member of the Nimbanel species during the early run of Marvel’s “Star Wars” comic, long before “Return of the Jedi” established the Hutts as being slug-like. Early Star Wars fans would have been confused during the theatrical release of “Return of the Jedi” and wondered why Jabba was suddenly a giant green worm.

The Nimbanel known as Mosep Binneed received an action figure in 2015 under the Black Series line.

Abyssin

The cycloptic species known as Abyssin were a tribal race from the desert planet of Byss. Abyssin were seen as a violent race and communicated in a language that consisted of grunts. Like Gamoreans, many Abyssin were hired a thugs. The Abyssin also had the unique ability to quickly regenerate lost limbs. In fact every cell in the Abyssin body was replaced every 80 hours. Abyssin could live to the age of 200-300 but they would eventually lose their regenerative ability and walk out alone to the desert to die.

A 1978 magazine identified the cyclops creature from the film “Star Wars” as a "Cyceyed" but the name didn’t stick. A 1989 sourcebook was the first to identify the species as “Abyssin” and the 1995 Customizable Card Game identified the Abyssin that appeared in the Cantina scene as “Myo”. In the 1985 TV-movie “Ewoks: The Battle For Endor” a metal ornament of a one-eyed creature appears on a wall, and many have interpreted this to be an image of an Abyssin. In 2005 Myo received an action figure under the “Original Trilogy” line.

Givin

Though Givin looked like skeletons to most humanoids, they actually wore their bones on the inside. Their tough white skin and sunken black eye sockets, did give off a skeletal appearance. The Givin’s hard outer layer was formed during evolution to combat the gravitational chaos on their home planet Yag’Dhul which was in a constant solar dance with its many moons. Givin bodies were so robust that they could actually survive the vacuum of space for up to a standard day.

The Givin were well renowned mathematical geniuses. They developed these skills to survive in their irregular world where ocean tidal patterns and atmosphere pressure were not easily predicted. It was considered polite in the Givin culture to pose a complex math equation as a greeting and also polite to give the answer to the equation in response.

During the filming of “A New Hope” the Givin was known as “Skull Head”. The name Givin was given in a 1989 sourcebook and the Star Wars Collectible Card Game identified the Givin as “Elis Helrot”. Though he was sitting by a Gotal and H'nemthe during filming, Elis Helrot is not fully visible in the final cut of the film. He is, however, visible in this bizarre Drunk Driving PSA from 1979: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxpz3Lp-PCk

Despite not being in the film, the Givin species has been very prevalent in Expanded Universe media, especially in the comics. In 2007 Elis Helrot received an action figure under the “30th Anniversary” line.

Advozse

The Advoze evolved on the planet Riflor, where geological activity could change the landscape at any moment. Frequent were eruptions and earthquakes which would destroy the dwellings in which they resided. Tribal Advoze lived close to hot springs and fed off the vegetation that grew there. Culturally, the species were pememists and many would take jobs as Bureaucrats in the Galactic Republic.

During production of “A New Hope” the Advozse costume was nicknamed “Don Rickles” for his apparent likeness to the late comedian. By the mid-nineties the species had been identified as “Advozse” and eventually the cantina character would receive the name “Bom Vimdin”. In 2011 Bom Vimdin was immortalized in plastic as part of the Kenner “Vintage Collection” line.

Kubaz

The Kubaz were a mammalian species from the outer rim that consumed insects exclusively. One might assume the often masked Kubaz have trouble breathing on foreign worlds, but the real story is that they are just trying to protect their eyes. Since their homeworld orbits a blue-star, the Kubaz have trouble seeing red or yellow wavelengths. Systems with bright yellow light could damage Kubaz eyes, and therefore eye protection was required.

Garindan is the Kubaz bounty hunter that appears in “A New Hope” who informs the Empire of the two missing droids. Bizarrely, Garindan is voiced by John Wayne. Wayne was not hired to be a part of “Star Wars” but sound designer Ben Burt did steal a bit of stock audio from Wayne and ran it through a synthesizer to create a sort of buzzing mosquito-like voice.

Garindan received his first action figure in 1997.

H'nemthe

The H’nemthe species were a reptilian race known for their odd mating rituals. Among the H’nemthe there were 20 males born for every 1 female. Males spent much time courting females, despite the fact that the females would kill the males upon mating.

Typically males spend the majority of their lives trying to obtain “True Love”. If true love is ever found, mating will occur. Females will then prove their love by disemboweling the males with their blade-like tongues. Sometimes female vigrins were even raised on a vegetarian diet to ensure that their first meat ever consumed would be the flesh of their lover.

During the filming of “A New Hope” the H’nemthe cantina character was nicknamed “Yam Nose”. It wasn’t until 1995 that the alien received a species name and a character name “Myiiooom Onith”. In 2007 Myiioom Onith received an action figure under the “30th Anniversary” line.

Amani

These long-armed long-necked green worms are a bizarre looking race of aliens. Armani cannot move very fast on their short legs, but they were able to roll into a ball (Destroyer Droid style). The Amani were great warriors and the Galactic Empire had a tough time invading the planet including a disastrous defeat during the Battle of Maridun.

Amanman is the Amani that appears in Jabba’s Palace in “Return of the Jedi”. He is visible in at least three shots of the film. Amanaman was immortalized in plastic in 1985 under the “Power of the Force” line. He received a second action figure in 2001, under the “Power of the Jedi” line where he was packaged with Salacious Crumb.

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

Flipping Heads