From Wookies and Ewoks to Sarlaccs and Rancors, Star Wars is renowned for having a massive array of memorable characters and species. The strange and exotic creatures that make up the population of the Galaxy are a part of what makes the entire series so endearing.
While we’ve come to know and love many of the species alien life forms that exist in the Star Wars universe, there are plenty that are seen but never explained or explored, even though they should be. Here are seven that we think definitely need some more love and screen time.
The Kel Dor
Throughout the six Star Wars films, we see just one member of the Kel Dor race. And don’t be fooled by his menacing appearance; Master Plo Koon is a worthy and faithful Jedi Knight that meets his unfortunate end, like many others, during Order 66, the mass extermination of the Jedi.
Before his death, Plo Koon, like most Jedi, fought in the Battle of Geonosis. Koon had a knack for participating in dangerous assignments, and sports a classic blue lightsaber.
The Kel Dor are a tall species, with four-fingered hands and mostly tall statures. They are native to the planet Dorin, and breathe helium rather than oxygen. Because of this biological trait, they must use rebreathers (like oxygen masks, except for, well, helium) to survive in otherwise toxic environments. Many of the species on this list only appear briefly in Star Wars, and it’s a shame that Plo Koon and his Kel Dor brethren aren’t seen more.
The Nautolan
Like Plo Koon, Jedi Master Kit Fisto stands alone in representing his race, the Nautolan, in the Star Wars films and during the Battle of Geonosis. Fisto is later killed when he, Mace Windu, and other Jedi attempt to arrest and apprehend Chancellor Palpatine.
The Nautolan are an amphibious species, hailing from a planet known as Glee Anselm, but very little is known about them. However, Fisto was known, on occasion, to use a lightsaber constructed for use underwater, and that’s too cool to leave out of the films.
The Kaleesh
Who has four arms, is ninety percent cyborg, and desperately needs more screen time? General Grievous and his Kaleesh race, of course.
Although Grievous is made up mostly of cybertronics and metal, the Kaleesh are a reptilian species that call the planet Kalee home. They have scaly skin, long, flat faces, and large, bat-like ears. However, they almost always cover their faces with masks made of bone or metal, and treat war as an inevitable, and even crucial, facet of life.
Humanoid reptiles are almost always cool. Humanoid reptiles with warring instincts and occasional cyborg body parts? Now that’s worth exploring in a little more detail.
The Hutts
He’s one of the most repulsive creatures to ever take center stage in a blockbuster film, and he’s the Al Capone of the Star Wars universe. He’s Jabba the Hutt!
Massive, nasty, and to be avoided at all costs, the Hutts are a race of giant, slug-like beings from the planet Nal Hutta. Running into a Hutt is never a good thing. They are the criminal kingpins of the Galaxy, and they are legendary. We all know Jabba, of course, but what about the rest of his race?
Remember when Anakin was telling Qui-Gon about the upcoming podrace in Episode I? He said that it takes place on “Boonta Eve,” which is a Tatooinese holiday named after a renowned Hutt known as Boonta Hestilic Shad’ruu, and the annual podrace is the crowning event of the day. Like Boonta, there are plenty of Hutts out there who haven’t made their mark on the Galaxy yet. Here’s hoping we get to see more.
The Bith
Aside from the obviously misshapen heads and abstract facial features, the Bith seem like pretty normal guys. Famous for their timeless musical set in the Mos Eisley Cantina, the Bith are known to be an intelligent race who excel in areas of science, technology, engineering, business, and, of course, music.
Clak’dor VII is the planet of origin for the Bith, and it is likely that the alien race will be making an appearance in The Force Awakens. Last week, director J.J. Abrams told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that the movie features a scene that is “our version of the Cantina Scene.” If anyone has the rights to be on that cantina stage, it’s the Bith.
The Zabrak
The Zabrak are a race than are described as “near-human,” in almost every way, with one major distinction: Adult Zabrak have multiple spikes or thorns sticking out of their heads. They come from a planet known as Iridonia, which is dotted by deep canyons and seas of acid.
The Star Wars films treat us to just one Zabrak in one film: The viciously awesome Darth Maul. While Episode I may not be the best in the series, nobody can deny that Maul is a criminally underused villain. Exploring the race outside of the Sith Apprentice would be interesting, and the return of the Zabrak to the Star Wars films would surely be welcome.
Gungans
One of the most original and fascinating additions to the lifeforms of the Star Wars universe are the amphibious Gungan, featured predominantly, again, in Episode I.
Right? Who wouldn’t want to see more Gungans?
The Unknown Species
Next to nothing is known about the species of which Yoda, perhaps the wisest and most powerful Jedi of all time, is a member. We know nothing about his home planet, only that there are males and females within his race.
Yoda is such a widely loved and iconic character, and it is a shame that his life and his kin are shrouded in mystery. I don’t think we need to know absolutely everything about him and where he comes from, because that uncertainty is part of Yoda’s mystique. But a new member of his species showing up in a future Star Wars film should be a shock, and an exciting one at that.
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