The Road to Episode Infinity

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Aliens of "Solo"

Mimbanese

The Mimbanese lived on the mud-world of Mimban. They had naturally red skin and large black eyes, but their camouflage outfits allowed them to hide in the muck of their swampy homeworld. The Mimban species aligned themselves with the Republic during the Clone Wars and fought alongside of the 224th Swamptrooper division. However, years later this same division would invade Mimban, including corporal Han Solo.

The planet Mimban first appeared in the Legends novel “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” which released in 1978. In that novel, however, the native species was called the Coway and they lived in deep caves.

One Mimbanese named Waydurk was a member of Enfys Nest’s Cloud-Riders.

Pyke

The Pyke species had large heads, small faces, and were highly associated with the spice trade. Though the Pyke homeworld was Oba Diah, many members of the species spent time on Kessel where spice was mined. The Pykes were, however, allergic to the Kessel atmosphere and had to wear special armor and breathing tubes while on planet.

The Pyke species were developed by George Lucas for the TV series “The Clone Wars”. The species first appeared in Season 5 which aired in 2013. Five years later the species would appear in the live action film “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Ardennian

Sporting six limbs, the Ardennian species were adept at many professions, including military combat. According to Ardennian pilot Rio Durrant, Mynock Roasts were a popular dish on Ardennia.

Though Rio Durrant is voice by Jon Favreau, circus performer Katy Kartwheel performed practical effects for the character while shooting “Solo: A Star Wars Story”.

Grindalid

The Grinalid homeworld had such a dense atmosphere that very little light reached the surface. Therefore, the species had sensitive eyes and skin. The worm-like species has many arms and the females appeared to be much larger than the males. Though Grindalids did not like to leave the water, some were able to walk upright on land.

A group of Grindalids led by Lady Proxima established a criminal gang known as the White Worms on the planet Corellia. Proxima’s role in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” was inspired by Fagin from “Oliver Twist” who also recruited children to run a criminal underworld.

Danzikan

The Danzikan hailed from the swamp-world of Danzik and were recognized by the fact they had two heads. On each head were four eyes, two antenna and mouth tendrils. Each head also controlled an arm with two digits. Because both heads had unique personalities, the Danzikan were successful in business and sport. Lark and Jonk were Danzik that often played cards with Lando Calrissian on the planet Vandor.

Ivan Manzella, who designed creatures for “Solo” wanted the aliens to be inspired by 1950’s space monsters. Since “Solo” was to be taking place a decade prior to the original trilogy, he imagined what filmmakers in 1965 would be influenced by.

Octeroid

Octeroids evolved on the aquatic world of Octero IV. They were recognized by their green skin and large yellow eyes. Though menacing looking, Octeroids were actually a peaceful species. They lived simple lives without much technology and most did not stray far from their homeworld. Octeroids who did venture off planet used breathing devices.

The Octeroid, Glaucus, spent time on Vandor where he earned the nicknames “Big Guy” and “Big Eye”, but because he did not speak Basic well he could not tell the difference between his two nicknames.

Octeroids, such as Glaucus, had a disadvantage in card games since other players were able to see the reflection of the cards in their large glassy eyes and Octeroids also had trouble concealing cards in their small hands.

Crocin

The Crocin species evolved on the planet Croce where they lived in caverns. These reptilians had short yellow bodies, but large mouths with protruding teeth. When leaving the caves of their homeworlds Crocin would often wear goggles to protect their sensitive eyes.

Karjj was the Crocin that played Sabacc against Lando Calrissian and Han Solo on planet Vandor. Karjj was obsessed with the game, but did not win often and his temper would always get the better of him when he lost.

Nephran

The Nephran were a crustacean species from the watery planet of Nepotis. They species had black eyes, large claw hands, and clawed feet. The species was rare in the galaxy and little was known about them or their homeworld.

Therm Scissorpunch was the self-named Nephran who was commonly found playing Sabacc on Vandor. Therm called himself Scissorpunch because he had implanted a shank in his claw to stab his opponents.

Elnacon

Elnacon were a large intimidating race, who were actually by-and-large a kind peaceful race who were family-oriented. Elnacon had noseless faces and large four-fingered hands. The Elnacon homeworld was gravity heavy and rich in ammonia gas and off-planet Elnacon wore breathing helmets.

Dava Cassamam was a female member of the species that mined gas on gas giants and was adept at playing Sabacc. According to creature designer Jake Lunt Davies, Dava Cassamam does not have any identifying female traits. He notes that most aliens are assumed to be male unless they are “curvy, sexy, or have a feminine costume,”. But Davies wanted Dava Cassamam to be female to show that all female aliens did not have to fit with that trope.

Azumel

The Azumel looked a little like the Gran species, but had six eyes instead of only three. Their eyes came in many pigments including blue, green, or orange.

A blue-eyed Azumel named Argus Panox played Sabacc against Lando Calrissian and Han Solo on planet Vandor in the film “Solo”. Makkeer was a green-eyed Azumel who discovered the location of treasure hidden by the pirate queen Rane Mahal in the “Droid Hunters” Star Wars Adventures comic. An orange-eyed Azumel was present on a bar in Telerath in the comic “Age of the Republic: Jango Fett”.

*UPDATE: July 2020*

3 More Aliens

A few more alien species from "Solo" have received names since this article was first published. Some of the "Solo" species have also recently appeared in "The Mandalorian" Season 1.

Melbu

The Melbu species had large orange eyes. They were also easily identified by their respirator horns. Both the mouth and horns of the Melbu required gas-exchange masks when they journeyed to foreign planets.

The Melbu species was designed by Jake Lunt Davis, who took inspiration from a sketch made by his daughter. The skin of the Melbu was based on the texture of squashes and pickles, whereas the eyes were based on amber.

Auromae Iselo was the Melbu who first appeared in "Solo" as part of the Enfys Nest Cloudrider gang. Later in his life, Iselo was part of the Bounty Hunters guild on planet Nevarro. Iselo was killed by a Mandalorian bounty hunter named Din Djarin, nine years after the Battle of Yavin.

Dyplotid

Dyplotids were recognized by their four eyes and facial hair. The species could see extreme spectrums of light including ultraviolet and infrared.

Two Dyplotids appeared in "Solo". One was Tarubo Bunzo, a trader aboard Dryden Vos' ship "First Light". The other was Faddera Rabar, a member of the Enfys Nest Cloudrider gang. A Dyplotid who resembles Faddera Rabar appears in "The Mandalorian" on planet Nevarro, but it is uncertain if this is Faddera Rabar.

Wickwar

The Wickwar species were short and hailed from the planet of Wick 111. Their faces featured tentacles and, possibly, four eyes.

Wezellman was the Wickwar seen on planet Numidian Prime near the end of the film "Solo". It can be inferred that Wezellman the Wickwar is, in fact, played by Warwick Davis. Davis has played dozens of Star Wars characters, most of them starting with the letter W. Another Wickwar (or perhaps the same one) can be spotted on planet Nevarro in "The Mandalorian".

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

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/09/flipping-heads.html

The Aliens of the Phantom Menace
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/10/aliens-of-phantom-menace.html

The Aliens of Attack of the Clones

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/12/aliens-of-attack-of-clones.html

The Aliens of Revenge of the Sith

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/12/aliens-of-revenge-of-sith.html

Expanded Universe Aliens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/12/10-species-from-old-expanded-universe.html

Aliens of Podracing

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/01/boonta-eve-classic-20th-anniversary.html

Aliens of Ralph McQuarrie

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/01/one-1970s-ralph-mcquarrie-painting.html

Aliens of The Force Awakens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/02/aliens-of-force-awakens.html

Aliens of Rogue One

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/02/aliens-of-rogue-one.html

Aliens of The Last Jedi

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/03/aliens-of-last-jedi.html

Aliens of Solo

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/03/aliens-of-solo.html

Aliens of Endor

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/08/aliens-of-endor.html

The Most Obscure Aliens of the Original Trilogy

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-most-obscure-aliens-of-original.html

Aliens of the Mandalorian

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/12/aliens-of-mandalorian.html

Bonus Aliens

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/04/bonus-aliens.html

The Five Subspecies of Nikto

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-five-subspecies-of-nikto.html

151 Aliens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/05/151-aliens-how-many-do-you-know.html

Aliens of Star Trek

https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/04/aliens-of-star-trek.html

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Handmaidens of "Queen's Shadow"

“Queen’s Shadow”, the recently released novel from E.K. Johnston, is as much about Padmé’s handmaidens than they are about Padmé herself. The novel gives us new insights into background characters that most people never gave a second thought.

Sabé

“I will not be signing any treaty, Viceroy, because you've lost!”

Sabé (born Tsabin) was Amidala’s primary decoy during the Invasion of Naboo. She was also the second most important character in the novel “Queen’s Shadow” and one could even make the argument that the title of the book refers specifically to Sabé.

After the end of Amidala’s reign, Padmé sent Sabé to Tatooine to free slaves, specifically Shmi Skywalker. Sabé, however, finds no trace of Shmi and determines that Watto has already sold her to some farmer. After Padmé’s death, Sabé changed her identity in order to investigate the mysterious events that claimed the life of her Queen.

Sabé was played by a young Keira Knightly in The Phantom Menace. I was said the Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman were so similar under costume and make-up that even Portman's mother couldn’t tell the two apart.

Eirtaé

“You could have more of an impact if you were in the Senate. You could help more planets.”

Eirtaé was Amidala’s blonde handmaiden who travelled with the Queen to Tatooine and Coruscant during the Invasion of Naboo. Eirtaé loved both art and science.

After Amidala’s reign, Eirtaé travelled to Otoh Gunga to improve the aquaculture.

Eirtaé was portrayed by actress Friday “Liz” Wilson in the “Phantom Menace”.

Rabé

"Anakin Skywalker, to see Padmé, Your Highness."

Rabé was Amidala’s wardrobe mistress and hair stylist. Apart from than Sabé she is the only handmaiden to have lines of dialogue in “The Phantom Menace”. Rabé was also talented at reading lips and body language.

After Amidala’s reign Rabé went on to study music at an academy in Theed.

Rabé was portrayed by Brazilian actress Cristina da Silva

Saché

“I do not envy you that position, it sounds terrifically complicated.”

Saché was Amidala’s youngest handmaiden. She did not accompany the Queen on her mission to Tatooine or Coruscant. Instead Saché was trapped in occupied Naboo where she carried messages between resistance groups. She was eventually caught and subjected to interrogation. As a result of the interrogation, Saché would carry scars on her neck, body, and arms for the rest of her life as a reminder to Naboo citizens what she sacrificed to keep them safe. After Amidala’s reign was over Saché entered the Naboo government.

Saché was portrayed in “The Phantom Menace” by Sofia Coppola. Sofia considered George Lucas similar to an Uncle when she was growing up and asked him if she could be the film. Sofia Coppola has since went on to direct many films including “Lost in Translation” for which she was the first women to win an Oscar for “Best Director”. Although Saché is Amidala’s youngest handmaiden in canon, Coppola was the oldest actress who portrayed a handmaiden in “The Phantom Menace”.

Yané

“The Senate takes years to get anything done! You would get more done with a good ship and connections on Tatooine itself.”

Yané was another handmaiden that had to stay behind on Naboo while Amidala fled the planet. During the invasion and its aftermath, Yané volunteered to aid the orphans of Naboo. In fact, after Amidala’s reign as queen, Yané devoted her life to this cause.

Yané was portrayed by model Candice Orwell.

Dormé

“I worry about you. What if they realize I'm not you?”

Dormé was born Dorra and underwent Captain Panaka’s handmaiden training while young, but instead of graduating with the other candidates, she went on to take further courses. When Padmé became a senator, Dorra was recruited as a handmaiden and became Dormé. Dormé served as a wardrobe mistress in place of Rabé.

Dormé was portrayed in “Attack of the Clones” by Australian actress Rose Byrne who has since appeared in several films such as “Bridesmaids”, “Juliet, Naked”, and the X-Men franchise.

Cordé

"M'lady, I'm so sorry. I've failed you, Senator."

Cordé was born Cordyn on the planet of Naboo. Though, she was a candidate for Panaka’s handmaiden training, she did not make the final cut because she was not skilled in combat. Cordyn did, however, resemble Padmé quite a bit, and when Padmé became a senator, Cordyn was recruited. It didn’t take long for Cordé to learn Padme’s mannerisms and copy her movements. She served as an excellent decoy for many years, until a bounty hunter named Zam Wessel bombed Padmé’s shuttle. Cordé, who was dressed as Padmé at the time, sadly lost her life in the explosion.

Cordé was portrayed by Mexican actress Veronica Segura who has appeared in many Mexican films and television series since “Attack Of The Clones”

Versé

“I’m not entirely sure he’s thinking politically”

After agreeing to serve on the Senate, Mariek Panaka suggested that her niece, Versaat, might be right for a handmaiden. Versaat was a talented slicer and changed her name to Versé to honor Padme’s former role as queen. Versé lost her life when the bounty hunter Zam Wesell bombed Padme’s shuttle.

Versé was portrayed by Avril Wynne who has performed stunts in many films including the Matrix franchise and “Mad Max: Fury Road”.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Aliens of “The Last Jedi”

“The Last Jedi” is full of new alien species and creatures, many of which are found on the Casino world of Canto Bight. It is unfortunate, however, that we have very limited information about the Alien species found in this film. Only one new “Last Jedi” sentient species was featured in the recently published “Star Wars: Alien Archive”. The limited information that we do know about some of these species comes primarily from the novel “Canto Bight”.

Lanai

The mysterious avian-like species known as Lanai are native to the oceanic world of Ahch-To. The female Lanai were known as the Caretakers and they would spend their time watching over the original Jedi Temple on Temple Island. The females wore traditional white robes and headdresses.

The males were known as the Visitors and they would spend their time away at sea hunting and gathering food and supplies. Once a month the Visitors would return to Temple Island with the gathered resources and a festival would be held. Some believed that the Lanai shared a common ancestor with the diminutive Porg species.

In the film “The Last Jedi”, only the female Lanai ever appeared onscreen. However, the male Lanai appear in deleted scenes. Rian Johnson describes the Lanai language as "a blubbery sort of Scottish fish talk."

Suerton

The Suerton were a reptilian species with wide mouths and eyes that were almost always closed. Though the species appeared blind, their luck was not blind.

It was established in the novel “Canto Bight” that Suertons had the ability to subconsciously affect probability, which made them appear to be lucky. This fact was reiterated in the novel, “Pirate’s Price”

Dodibin Thodibin and Wodibin are the Suerton brothers who appear in “The Last Jedi”. Wodibin is portrayed by Warwick Davis who frequently portrays characters with W names including Wald, Weazel, Weteef, Wollivan, and Wicket W. Warwick.

Xi’Dec

The Xi’Dec were a varied insectoid species from the planet Stic. The planet Stic was an erratic place prone to frequent climate and geological changed. The Xi’Dec species evolved a very odd way to deal with those changes, in that their gender would evolve into one of around 180 physical forms.

Some Xi’Dec were natural warriors, while others were workers and still more messengers. Some Xi’Dec crawled on many limbs, while others resembled humanoids and walked upright. When Xi’Dec were ready to reproduced, egg sacs would form all over their bodies and continue to grow until a suitable mate was found.

Thought Xi’Dec were first mentioned in the 1989 book “Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races”. The opera singer Ubbla Mollbro was the Xi’Dec who appeared in “The Last Jedi”. Ubbla was on Canto Bight in search of a mate and she traveled with a floating creature that she kept as a pet.

Wermal

The Wermal were a short, pink species from the planet Werma Lesser. Similar to many species in the galaxy, a Wermal lifespan was well over a century. Wermals had three hearts and were hard workers.

Some Wermals, such as Kedpin Shoklop spent decades working in dead-end jobs such as Vaporator Sales. Kedpin Shoklop was portrayed by Warwick Davis in “The Last Jedi” but the footage ended up on the cutting room floor and Shoklop can only be spied in deleted scenes. The adventures of Kedpin Shoklop are detailed in the short story "Rules of the Game" in the anthology novel “Canto Bight”.

Cloddogran

The Cloddagran species had four arms, nose tendrils, and ill-tempers.

Bargwill Tomder was a Cloddogran who ruled over the Fartheir stables at the Canto Bight Racetrack. Tomber employed child slaves who he would keep in line with a whip.

Two other Cloddograns appeared in the book “Pirate’s Price”

*UPDATE: July 2020*

3 More Aliens

There are so many great Aliens featured in the Canto Bight seen in "The Last Jedi". Unfortunately so many of these species are as of yet unnamed. Fortunately, in the years since this article was published we have received information about a few more of these sentient species.

Troglof

Since "A New Hope" the Star Wars universe has always offered us a fair amount of diminutive beings (i.e. Jawas, Ugnaughts, Ewoks)- however "The Last Jedi" and "Rise of Skywalker" offer us some even smaller beings. The characters of Thamm, Dobbu Scay, and Babu Frik are too short to be portrayed by humans and therefore are realized by a combination of puppetry and CGI. In Dungeons and Dragons these aliens would be classified as "tiny".

Thamm was the 'Hazard Toss' table manager at the Canto Casino. Though his species was previously unknown, it was recently revealed that Thamm belongs to the Troglof species. Troglofs appear to have eyestalks, tentacle-like arms, and are one of the smallest species in the known galaxy. Thamm was voiced by actor Warwick Davis.

Keteerian

The pointy-eared, frog throated alien Terrib Igmusk was a hotel concierge in "The Last Jedi", but until recently we did not know the species that Terrib Igmusk belonged to. However in 2019, Starwars.com identified this species as "Keteerian".

Since their first appearance in "The Last Jedi", Keteerians have been slowly cropping up in Star Wars television. A Keteerian named Teroj Kee appeared in a Season 1 episode of "Resistance". Teroj Kee claimed to be a member of the Mining Guild but was actually a First Order agent. Another Keteerian appeared in "The Mandalorian" chapters 1 & 3.

Khamarian?

Dobbu Scay is a tiny CG character in "The Last Jedi". The alien is hard to miss. He is drunk, rude, and mistakes BB-8 for a slot machine. The character is famously voiced by Mark Hamill, but the audience has never been given an explanation for his species.

However a video on the Star Wars Kids Youtube Channel gives us a clue to Dobbu Scay's race. According to the video "Every Language in Star Wars Movies" Dobbu Scay speaks a language called Khamarese, which means his species could possibly have a smilar sounding name such as Khamar or Khamarian.

Khamarians (if that is their name) seem to be a tiny species with furry faces. The fur extends from the ears down the sides of their face in a mutton-chop-like style. Dobbu Scay's height is comparable to Thamm & Babu Frik, however Scay is an entirely CG character while Thamm & Babu Frik are puppets.