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There was this super cool monster in the last Star Wars movie you watched, but what was it called, again? Don’t worry; there’s a helpful guide composed by me that’s going to answer all your questions about Star Wars creatures. George Lucas created not just a world but worlds full of one-of-a-kind creatures like the galaxy has never seen before. Gear up, stormtrooper, because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
Why Star Wars Has Amazing Creatures
Star Wars is a massively expansive universe with new creatures appearing in each installment of the franchise. There are galaxies full of unique organisms, each with its own distinctive characteristics, clothing, culture, and backstory.
The Mind of George Lucas
George Lucas is a creative legend-within science fiction, within movie making, and within fiction in general. Lucas created tons of unique planets, each with its own unique creatures that logically fit into the planet’s ecosystem and social system. Even just one Star Wars movie has many original creations.
Actual Creature Creations, Not So Much CGI
While Jar Jar Binks was the first fully CGI major character to be featured in a movie, you might be surprised to know how many of the creatures in Star Wars were made using animatronics, puppets, and people in costumes. One of the newer creatures, a happabore, took five people in 1 costume to make the giant pig-like species come to life!
A Guide to All the Best Star Wars Creatures
I’m going to break down all the best creatures in the Star Wars universe by movie and show.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Eopie
Planet: Tatooine
How It’s Done: Created by editing a painting in Adobe Photoshop
How It Looks: Like a white camel with a long snout, few hairs covering its body, and clawed feet instead of hooves
What Role Do They Play?
Eopies are ridden as a form of transportation on the planet Tatooine. Though they can be stubborn and hard to handle, they are popular for their ability to carry large amounts of weight at once.
Bantha
Planet: Tatooine
How It’s Done: CGI, but earlier banthas were elephants in costume
How It Looks: Like a cross between a wooly mammoth and a ram. They’re large with thick, dark hair like a mammoth, but banthas have enormous horns like a ram.
What Role Do They Play?
Though they look terrifying with their huge mouths, banthas are herbivores. Banthas are responsible for the famous blue milk that’s a favorite throughout the galaxy. Tusken raiders have a particularly strong bond with banthas and regularly ride them into battle.
Kaadu
Planet: Naboo
How It’s Done: Painting edited in Adobe Photoshop
How It Looks: Like an aquatic camel with a single hump. Kaadus look as if a camel’s DNA and a duck’s DNA have been mashed together. They have a duckbill and smooth, reptilian skin. They don’t have any arms, but they have two massive legs.
What Role Do They Play?
Gungan soldiers from Jar Jar Binks’ home planet ride kaadus as their steeds into battle. When Gungan soldiers team up with our heroes and Padme’s forces, their kaadus help them save Naboo.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Reek
Planet: Ylesia, Codian Moon, and Saleucami
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a rhinoceros dinosaur with bumpy red scales covering its head and the top of its back. Reeks walk on four legs and have large, clawed feet. Their faces have three sharp horns.
What Role Do They Play?
Anakin is almost executed with the use of an angry Reek, but unfortunately for the galaxy, that plan goes awry. Reeks are another example of creatures used as mounts. They can either be herbivores or aggressive meat-eaters, depending on their environmental conditions.
Acklay
Planet: Vendaxa
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a mix between a crab and a green lizard. Acklays are big carnivorous creatures that scuttle on six legs. They naturally live in the water.
What Role Do They Play?
Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan are almost killed by an acklay in a gladiator-like arena match just before the Clone Wars kick-off. Acklays are used as fighters in arenas and killer monsters throughout the galaxy.
Nexu
Planet: Cholganna
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a rat-cat-spider. This predatory feline is the stuff of nightmares with its four beady black eyes set in its enormous head like a spider. It has a cat-like body, a huge mouth, and a rat tail that splits into two parts.
What Role Do They Play?
This is another creature that Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan must face in the arena. Nexus are frequently hunted down by poachers to become gladiator animals.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
Brain Worm
Planet: Geonosia
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a yellow worm with a sharp face
What Role Do They Play?
As their name implies, brain worms can infiltrate your brain. They control you by controlling your nervous system. In season 2 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Karina the Great uses brain worms to control her army.
Kowakian Money-Lizard
Planet: Kowak
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a monkey with a boa of bird feathers around its neck and scaly reptilian skin.
What Role Do They Play?
Kowakian monkey-lizards are typically shipped around the galaxy as a popular pet. Jabba the Hutt had one as a pet, too. Jabba’s monkey-lizard got its kicks out of tormenting R2-D2 and C-3P0.
Fyrnock
Planet: Anaxes, and later asteroid hives
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a large, sleek black bat that walks on four legs. Fyrnocks have glowing yellow eyes.
What Role Do They Play?
Fyrnocks are used for attacking and diversion tactics throughout The Clone Wars series. Fyrnocks are aggressive and carnivorous.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Varactyl
Planet: Utapau
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a green wingless dragon with gecko legs and feet. Varactyls have bright feathers around their head and neck.
What Role Do They Play?
Obi-Wan Kenobi buys a varactyl named Boga on the planet Utapau. Varactyls have been trained on this planet to be used as mounts.
Battle Droids
Planet: All over the galaxy
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Battle droids are entirely mechanical, stand upright, and have a long snout like a dog.
What Role Do They Play?
A massive amount of battle droids are controlled by Count Dooku in this movie. They’re armed and deadly.
Gungan
Planet: Naboo
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Gungans are bipedal amphibious sentient life forms. They have eyes that protrude from their head like a snail and giant fins on the back of their head that look like massive ears.
What Role Do They Play?
Jar Jar Binks is a Gungan who ends up accompanying the heroes throughout the trilogy. He even stands in as senator from Padme. Gungans aid Padme’s forces and Jedi warriors against Count Dooku and Darth Sidious.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Summa-Verminoth
Planet: Kessel
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a giant spider octopus in space. The summa-verminoth has a terrifying amount of beady black eyes and huge tentacles. It’s got wicked sharp teeth, too.
What Role Do They Play?
A summa-verminoth attacks Han Solo’s ship with him and his ragtag crew inside. Solo has to maneuver the ship through all its slimy tentacles. Gross.
Corellian Hound
Planet: Corellia
How It’s Done: Real dogs in costume played these terrifying hounds, and then CGI was done over top of them for a seamless look.
How It Looks: Like something, your worst nightmare came up with. No, but seriously, they’ve got a smashed-in face, huge black eyes, an enormous mouth with sharp teeth, and a bulky body.
What Role Do They Play?
Sentient life on the planet Corellia has these fearsome hounds as guard dogs and hunting dogs. You can see various characters holding a leash with a Corellian hound when Han Solo is on this planet.
Grindalid
Planet: Persis IX, but these live on Corellia
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a giant, slimy, upright worm with extensive armor and lots of legs.
What Role Do They Play?
A gang of grindalids called The White Worm Gang watched as their leader, Lady Proxima, tried to punish Han Solo for failing her. After Solo injures Lady Proxima, he and Qi’ra must escape from The White Worm Gang’s lair.
Star Wars: Rebels
Loth-Cat
Planet: Lothal
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a calico cat with tiny eyes, a wide frogmouth, and bird talons for feet. Their tails are very fluffy, and their teeth are very sharp.
What Role Do They Play?
Loth-cats are fiery little creatures that are found all over the grasslands of Lothal. Loth-cats are commonly kept as pets, but they do have a temper.
Dokma
Planet: Atollon
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like white and tawny snails with four legs instead of a snail body inside their shell. Their eyes stick out of their head, which is hidden by their shell.
What Role Do They Play?
Dokmas are small, harmless creatures that are native to Atollon. Their role is simply to be part of the planet’s ecosystem since they are eaten by krykna, which are spider-esque creatures. They like to drink milk.
Purrgil
Planet: Deep Space
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a giant whale with tentacles for a tail fin. Its colors change as it depletes its supply of Clouzon-36 by jumping through hyperspace.
What Role Do They Play?
Purrgils are a threat to crews traveling through Deep Space. Purrgils travel in pods, and they unintentionally kill people by crashing into their ships.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Gigoran
Planet: Gigor
How It’s Done: Gigoran named Moroff, played by Ian Whyte in a costume
How It Looks: Like a massive hairy bipedal beast with armor and weaponry. They can be white, cream, beige, brown, black, etc.
What Role Do They Play?
A Gigoran named Moroff was a mercenary who sold his services to the Partisans. Gigorans are sentient, brawny life forms that traverse the galaxy.
Mairan
Planet: Maires
How It’s Done: A giant silicone sculpture
How It Looks: Like a large, upright, reddish-toned octopus monster. It has long tentacles that it uses to wrap around its victims, reading their minds and driving them insane.
What Role Do They Play?
On Jedha, a mairan named Bor Gullet is being kept by Saw Gerrera. Gerrara uses Bor Gullet to dive into Bodhi Rook’s mind and make sure Rook isn’t lying to him, but this drives Rook to temporary insanity.
Talpini
Planet: Tal Pi
How It’s Done: The famous Talpini, Weeteef Cyubee, is played by the actor Warwick Davis.
How It Looks: Like a small, bald alien man with very small eyes and sunken features
What Role Do They Play?
Weeteef Cyubee was in alliance with Saw Gerrera, leader of the Partisans. He was a sniper.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Wookie
Planet: Kashyyyk
How It’s Done: People in costumes play wookies! Peter Mayhew plays the famous Wookie, Chewbacca, in this movie.
How It Looks: Like bigfoot, with thick brown fur and a bipedal stance.
What Role Do They Play?
Chewbacca is Han Solo’s travel companion throughout the series. Chewbacca becomes an integral part of the heroes’ team.
Jawa
Planet: Tatooine
How It’s Done: 12 children acted as the jawas in this movie
How It Looks: Like a short creature made of darkness with glowing yellow eyes in a brown hooded robe.
What Role Do They Play?
Jawas are scavengers on Tattooine who search the planet for valuable scraps. Jawas capture R2-D2 and C-3P0 at the beginning of A New Hope. They sell these droids to Owen Lars, Beru Lars, and Luke Skywalker.
Dianoga
Planet: Vodran
How It’s Done: A puppet
How It Looks: Like a reddish-purple tentacle monster with one giant eyeball that’s got a vertically slitted pupil
What Role Do They Play?
A dianoga named Omi almost kills Luke Skywalker after he comes on board the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia with Han Solo and the gang. The dianoga had been living in the Death Star’s trash compactor and learned to completely surrender herself to the Force.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Tauntaun
Planet: Hoth
How It’s Done: Puppets and stop-motion animation
How It Looks: Like a small, furry arctic T-rex. These cold-weather lizards stand like a T-rex and have their small arms, but they also have white fur and downward spiraling ram-like horns.
What Role Do They Play?
Tauntauns are mounts used on the planet, Hoth. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo both ride tauntauns while Rebel forces are stationed on Hoth.
Wampa
Planet: Hoth
How It’s Done: An actor in a costume
How It Looks: Like an abominable snowman. Wampas are tall, bipedal creatures with thick white fur, black claws, black eyes, and black horns.
What Role Do They Play?
Luke Skywalker is hunted by a wampa in The Empire Strikes Back. The wampa takes Luke to its cave and freezes Luke’s feet to the ceiling, thinking our hero would make a tasty snack.
Yoda’s Species
Planet: Unknown
How It’s Done: A puppet
How It Looks: Members of Yoda’s species can be either green or brown. They are short, humanoid, have wrinkly skin, and large ears that stick out.
What Role Do They Play?
Yoda trains Luke Skywalker to be a Jedi Master. With Yoda’s teachings, Luke’s full potential is realized.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Rancor
Planet: Dathomir
How It’s Done: A puppet and Mark Hamill’s arm
How It Looks: Like a bipedal reptile with very cramped features on its massive face. It has huge, clawed hands and feet.
What Role Do They Play?
Jabba the Hutt keeps a rancor named Pateesa as a pet. Luke Skywalker has to slay it while he’s at Jabba’s palace.
Sarlacc
Planet: Felucia, I’vorcia Prime, Tatooine, and Vodran
How It’s Done: Puppet
How It Looks: Like a giant, tentacled monster with a green reptilian beak. The tentacles look like worms.
What Role Do They Play?
Jabba the Hutt has a Sarlacc in his Pit of Carkoon. The crime lord sentences Luke, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3P0 to death by Sarlacc.
Hutt
Planet: Nal Hutta
How It’s Done: Puppet
How It Looks: Like a half-upright giant slug. There are many different colors Hutts can be, but they all have a slug tail, two arms, two sunken eyes, and a large mouth.
What Role Do They Play?
Jabba the Hutt is by far the most famous Hutt in the series. Jabba the Hut is the crime lord of the galaxy throughout Anakin’s three episodes and Luke’s three episodes. Coincidentally, father and son both have to contend with him.
The Mandalorian
Blurrgs
Planet: Ryloth
How It’s Done: Actors would ride a mechanical-bull-like machine so animators could edit the video while drawing inspiration from elephants and rhinos.
How It Looks: Blurrgs look like a smashed rhino with a piranha face and mouth. They have tiny arms, sturdy legs, and a long tail.
What Role Do They Play?
In The Mandalorian, Din Djarin needs to learn to ride a blurrg to complete his mission from The Client. Blurrgs are stubborn, strong, fast, and also quite dumb. On Ryloth, blurrgs are used as mounts.
Knobby White Ice Spider
Planet: Maldo Kreis
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a giant white spider whose bulbous body grows vertically into the air. Their mouths are at the very bottom of their body with eight white eyes circling around them.
What Role Do They Play?
Despite how terrifying knobby white ice spiders are, The Child loves to eat their eggs. Din Djarin must face down many of them when the eggs Baby Yoda’s eating start to hatch in mass.
Krayt Dragon
Planet: Tatooine
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a huge boulder with an enormous mouth and sharp teeth. This reptilian creature has 16 limbs and spews molten green ichor.
What Role Do They Play?
Din Djarin must partner with Cobb Vanth to defeat a krayt dragon on the sandy planet of Tatooine. Krayt dragons are vicious, carnivorous creatures.
Star Wars: Resistance
Jakoosk
Planet: Celsor 3
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like an enormous manta ray with six legs on its belly and a long tail made of triangles. They’re built for arctic climates.
What Role Do They Play?
The Ace Squadron runs into trouble when they accidentally awaken a ferocious jakoosk. Jarek Yeagar is taken by the jakoosk, but the other members of the squadron manage to save him by forcing a giant pillar of ice to fall on top of the arctic predator.
Rokkna
Planet: Castilon
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a mix between a giant squid and a megalodon. Rokknas are green and blue with a giant shark-like body, huge tentacles, and a massive beak that splits into three parts like a leech’s jaws.
What Role Do They Play?
Neeku takes a baby rokkna he finds on Castilon, but he must return it when the baby rokkna’s mother comes looking for her baby. The mother rokkna viciously attacks the Colossus platform until her child is returned.
Sharvo Fish
Planet: Castilon
How It’s Done: Animation
How It Looks: Like a huge, black hammerhead shark. Sharvo fish are bioluminescent, with white lights lining their bodies and blue lights across their heads.
What Role Do They Play?
Sharvo fish live in the water surrounding the Colossus platform. Several stormtroopers are eaten by nearby sharvo fish after the Colossus platform was sunk.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Rathtar
Planet: Twon Ketee, but dwarf rathtars live on Trillia.
How It’s Done: CGI
How It Looks: Like a giant red tentacle monster with a huge, circular mouth of sharp teeth. You can see they have many rows of teeth.
What Role Do They Play?
In The Force Awakens, there is a vicious rathtar attack aboard the Millennium Falcon while Han Solo, Rey, Finn, and Chewbacca are on the ship. Han Solo was transporting rathtars, but Rey accidentally lets them out of their containment.
Happabore
Planet: Jakku
How It’s Done: 5 people inside of 1 very big puppet
How It Looks: Like a massive scrunched-up pig with a huge snout and tusks poking out of the sides of its mouth. They have thick skin that can withstand the desert climate of Jakku.
What Role Do They Play?
Jakkus are peaceful creatures used as mounts on Jakku. Jakku is Rey’s home planet, and it is here that Finn meets our protagonist. You can see a happabore beside Finn at a watering hole.
Maz’s Species
Planet: Takodana
How It’s Done: Lupita Nyong’o plays Maz, and then CGI was edited over top of her.
How It Looks: Like a short humanoid creature with an enormous forehead and little eyes in big eye sockets. They have very small noses and mouths.
What Role Do They Play?
Maz gives Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to Rey, sensing the strong Force within her. Maz is a part of the Resistance and loyal to Leia’s cause. When Rey doesn’t take Luke’s lightsaber, Maz gives the lightsaber to Finn for safekeeping.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Porg
Planet: Ahch-To
How It’s Done: CGI done over island birds
How It Looks: Like beakless birds with cute downturned mouths and large eyes. They have gray wings, a white belly, and bird feet.
What Role Do They Play?
Porgs don’t do much in the way of the plot of Star Wars, but boy, have they sold a lot of merchandise. Does that count as a role? Porgs are harmless creatures that inhabit Ahch-To, where Rey trains with Luke.
Lanai, a.k.a. The Caretakers
Planet: Ahch-To
How It’s Done: CGI done over actors inside a costumes
How It Looks: Like a gray bipedal fish-bird creature with human clothes on. They have black eyes and wrinkly, reptilian skin.
What Role Do They Play?
The lanai are The Caretakers of Ahch-To and keep the island’s structures in top shape. While they also do some caretaking for Luke and Rey while she’s on the island, they seem less than pleased about Ahch-To’s Jedi visitors.
Vulptex
Planet: Crait
How It’s Done: Animatronics and puppetry
How It Looks: Like an arctic fox that’s made from salt crystals, with piercing blue eyes.
What Role Do They Play?
Resistance forces follow vulptexes through the complicated mineral cave systems on Crait.
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
Aki-Aki
Planet: Pasaana
How It’s Done: Puppet
How It Looks: Like humanoid creatures with large, bulbous eyes that stick out of the sides of their heads. They have long tentacles around their mouths or a stubby snout. Their thick skin is either gray or beige.
What Role Do They Play?
The aki-akis are holding a festival on their desert planet during this movie. A very young aki-aki gives Rey a symbolic necklace.
Orbak
Planet: Kef Bir
How It’s Done: Horses in costume with special effects added later
How It Looks: Like especially hairy horses with large, tall faces and warthog-Esque tusks. Orboks can have either black or white fur.
What Role Do They Play?
Orboks are used as mounts by the defective stormtroopers in Company 77. The leader of Company 77, Jannah, along with Finn, ride orboks in a battle against Darth Sidious’ troops.
Ewok
Planet: Endor
How It’s Done: Actors in costumes
How It Looks: Like a short teddy bear that wears some clothes. They have two big fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand.
What Role Do They Play?
Ewoks are seen all throughout the Star Wars movies. They’re a fan favorite, though they play a minimal role in this movie. In episode 6, Rebel forces help the Ewoks at the Battle of Endor and save their species from further ruin on account of the Empire.
FAQ
We’ve gone through so many amazing Star Wars creatures, so now I’m going to answer your most frequently asked questions about them. If you have any other questions I don’t get to in this last segment, feel free to leave me a comment below with your question, and I’ll get back to you!
Question: What is the Deadliest Creature in Star Wars?
Answer: Rathtars are the deadliest creatures in the galaxy. Rathtars are big, carnivorous, aggressive, and fearsome hunters. Darth Maul thought so, too. Rey had to find this out the hard way aboard the Millennium Falcon.
Question: What are the Creatures in the First Star Wars Movie?
Answer: There are tons of creatures in A New Hope! There are jawas, wookies, banthas, dewbacks, a dianoga that almost kills Luke in a trash compactor, and so much more! With over 21,000 characters in the Star Wars universe, you can expect to see tons of creatures in the first movie alone.
Question: What is PORG?
Answer: Porgs are an adorable avian species featured in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Porgs live on Ahch-To with Luke Skywalker in his self-inflicted exile. They were inspired by the puffins inhabiting the island where filming for Luke and Rey’s scenes took place.
Keep Exploring the Galaxy
That’s a wrap! While you would need a much, much larger guide to cover every creature in the Star Wars universe, we’ve covered tons of the most beloved and most unique ones. Do you have a favorite Star Wars creature or questions about your favorite creatures you’d like answered? Leave me a comment below, and we’ll all talk about it! For more great Star Wars content, head to our website!