The Road to Episode Infinity: Aliens of Attack of the Clones

Besalisk

The Besalisks hail from planet Ojom, located in the “Deep Core” region of the galaxy. The brightly-lit expanse known as the “Deep Core” was hard to navigate, not well-mapped and largely unexplored- therefore the Besalisks did not have representation in the Galactic Senate.

Ojom was a cold, oceanic planet and Besalisks lived out their lives on floating glaciers. Because of their harsh upbringings, Besalisks were seen as hard-working, brave, and adventurous. Many were skilled warriors since they sturdily built and could wield weapons in up to four arms.

Besalisks were first designed for the film “Attack of the Clones” when George Lucas pondered to his concept team, "Well, what would happen if you put this guy's helmet and put it on this guy?" Dexter Jettster was the first Besalisk introduced to fans, but fans of “The Clone Wars” would probably place “Pong Krell”, the fallen Jedi, as fandom’s favorite Besalisk.

Togruta

The Togruta species hailed from the planet Shili where they were hunted by giant beasts such as the Akul. Shili was a planet of colorful grasslands, and the Torguta evolved features to blend in with their surroundings. Among these features were colorful skin tones, white facial pigments and stripes. Togruta features also included heads-tails similar to those of Twi’leks. Another adaptation that Torgruta sported were hollow-horns called Montrals which could echolocate, giving the species a heightened sense of their surroundings (similar to the functionality of Gotal horns).

Fans first caught a glimpse of a Torguta in August of 2000, when StarWars.com ran a series called “George Lucas Select”. Each week, the site would publish a new photo from the set of “Episode II” supposedly selected by George Lucas himself. A close-up of Shaak Ti’s face was the fifth entry in the series. Though Shaak Ti was the first Togruta introduced to fans, Ahsoka Tano has become the most popular Togruta character.

Clawdite

Long ago a spike in solar activity bathed the planet Zolan in radiation. Many species went extinct, but some were able to adapt to their new environment. Among these were the Clawdite, whose new adaptations included the ability to change their appearance. In their natural forms Clawdites resemble green humanoid reptiles but Clawdites could use their mimic ability to take the form of many sentient species including humans. Consequently, many Clawdites worked as spies or bounty hunters.

When Leeanna Walsman was hired to portray Zam Wesell in “Attack of the Clones” she was unaware that her character was actually an alien. This was because the concept of a shape-changing bounty hunter was not thought of until the movie had started filming. The Clawdite form of Zam was accomplished in post-production and is entirely CGI.

Nautolan

The planet Glee Anselm was largely covered in oceans and swamps. The native Nautolan race were amphibious. Infants were hatched from eggs and born in the waters. Nautolans were legless and armless until they were a few years old. Adults, however, were able to live their lives on land as well as under water.

Nautolans had thick hides that were resistant to some blaster blows, they also had large black unblinking eyes that could see in low light and in underwater conditions. The most notable feature of Nautolans were the fourteen tentacles that adorned their head. These tendrils contained olfactory organs which could sense the emotions of others and were especially effective under water.

Nautolans are notably named after Nautiloids, which were prehistoric marine cephalopods. An example of a living species of Nautiloids is the Nautilus. The Nautilus is also the fictional ship from Jules Verne's “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”.

Geonosian

The Geonosians were an insectoid species native to the rocky planet of Geonosis. The species lived in hives and their society was based on a caste system. In each hive, a queen laid eggs, while wingless worker drones carried out much of the construction and labor. The winged warrior class was trained for battle.

Though moving up through the caste system was rare, drones were able to accomplish this by being successful in an arena battle. One drone, named Poggle the Lesser was able to lead a successful revolution against his overlords with the aid of Count Dooku.

Geonosians would go on to aid the Empire in the construction of its Death Star superweapon. However, once the Death Star’s hyperdrive was operational the Imperials commited mass genocide against the Geonosians, effectively wiping out the species. Only one queen was known to survive the extermination.

George Lucas came up with the idea for Geonosians after a termite infestation of his home. The design of the Geonosian species was originally meant for the Nemoidians and B1 battle droids, although the Nemoidians final design resembles the duros species. The unique sounds made by the Geonosians were accomplished by mixing sounds of mating penguins and flying foxes.

Kaminoan

Kaminoans were native to the ocean planet of Kamino. Though they evolved from ocean creatures, they could not live in water. After the end of an ice age a Great Flood wiped out much of Kaminoan culture. They were said to have survived the flood because of their knowledge of genetics and cloning.

Kaminoans were a tall and lanky species that could see in the ultra-violet spectrum. Though the walls of Kamino facilities appeared white and bland to most beings, they were actually painted in ultra-violet shades.

The Kaminoan design is said to be inspired by the aliens from the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.

Ongree

The Ongree were an amphibious species hailing from the watery world of Skustell. Many beings of the galaxy considered the heads of the Ongree to be “upside down” since the eyes of the species were lower than their mouths. This eye placement, however, serve the species in an interesting way. Since their eyes possessed the ability to view an object from multiple angles at once, the species often saw situations from many different perspectives. As a consequence many Ongree served as negotiators, politicians, and diplomats.

When fans first saw blurry leaked images from “Attack of the Clones” in the months before the film was released, they thought that the Ongree Jedi resembled “Howard the Duck”, (a character from one of Lucas’ earlier films).

Vurk

The reptilian Vurk species were native to the tropical planet of Sembla where they lived a nomadic lifestyle. The Vurk were cold-blooded and did not always find comfort away from the balmy environment of their homeworld. The Vurk were a peaceful species and frequently on the move, living in many communities throughout their lifetimes. Though many in the galaxy saw the Vurk as a primitive race, the Vurk were actually very introspective and constantly reevaluated their personal belief system.

The Vurk were designed after the “duck-billed” dinosaur Parasaurolophus. The Vurk Jedi Master, Coleman Trebor, was inserted into stock Jedi Council scenes from the Phantom Menace in place of Yareal Poof.

Tusken Raider

Tusken Raiders are a group of desert dwellers native to planet Tatooine. They lived in nomadic clans who believed that the sparse water in the desert has been promised to them alone. Moisture farmers, who stole the water from the ground, were a direct threat to Tusken culture and it was for this reason that clans would attack farmers.

Sand People often carried Gaderffii sticks (or Gaffi sticks) as their primary weapons. The pointed ends of these weapons were sometimes covered in sandbat venom, which could paralyze victims.

It isn’t clear whether Tusken Raiders are their own separate species or whether they are what they are often purported to be- Sand People, (people living amongst the sands). The Expanded Universe does list some humans who lived among the Tuskens including Shared Hett, his wife, and his son A’Shared Hett.

Though the term “Tusken Raiders” was not used in the first “Star Wars” film, it was included in some late drafts of the film script. Fans would have heard the term at least as far back as a 1984 source book and by the release of the prequels even casual fans would have heard the term. Some sources say that the Sand People gained the moniker “Tusken Raiders” when they raided “Fort Tusken” 98 years before the Battle of Yavin.

Interesting Fact: Sound designer Ben Burtt used donkey brays to create the strange war cries of the Tusken Raiders.

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