the cantina compendium

the Cantina Compendium by Sampoerna Quatrain

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Written and assembled 2011. All information contained herein is the copyright and property of its respective owners, and no rights are given or implied. This e-book is not for sale in any form, and is intended for informational purposes only, under the Fair Use doctrine of United States Copyright Law.4

Outrageous aliens drinking ale, getting into bar brawls and listening to swing musicnothing so imaginative and unique had ever been attempted in a film before.--Michael Kaminski, The Secret History of Star Wars

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INTRODUCTION It is one of the most instantly-memorable scenes in one of the most successful films in all of motion-picture history. Never before had anything like it been attempted on the same scale. But while it wowed many a movie-goer in 1977 (and beyond), and blew many a mind among the small children in that group, its creator seemed to be a little unsure of exactly what he had accomplished. Sure, there had been aliens and monsters in science fiction before, but this audacious attempt at showing the galaxys most wretched spot in a wretched hive of scum and villainy would contain more rubber masks than most Halloween aislesand more importantly, would introduce Luke and Ben to Han and Chewbacca. Of course, the Mos Eisley Cantina owed more to the saloons and barrooms of vintage Westerns than it did to any specific science fiction that had come before. It was this dusty, dangerous atmosphere, where friendly faces were few and far between, that Lucas successfully merged with science fiction and space fantasy. This masterstroke was one that would be branded into the genre permanently. Before Star Wars, a bar in space would probably have been shiny and sparse, after, it would forever be a copy of the one at Mos Eisley. Ironically, as haphazard and difficult as the production of the whole film was, Lucas seemed to show uncertainty when it came to the Cantina. Initially, he decided it needed to be even more crowded, and in an almost last-minute attempt, commissioned pick-up shots of even more new aliens, including the Cantina Band itself. It is for this reason, as well as the editing style used in the film, that it is virtually impossible to accurately map out the interior of the Cantina. Various attempts to do so will be examined in the following chapters. To add further weight to the theory of Lucas shyness when it came to this scene, it becomes evident that there was a period of time when it would not be referenced in any marketing done for the filmeven purposefully excludedand make no mistake, Star Wars re-invented and forever changed the way that motion pictures are marketed. From the perspective of a student of Joseph Campbell, which the young director obviously was, the Cantina represents the first underworld that Luke Skywalker as our hero must descend into. It is a strengthening experience for the inexperienced, where he must choose to shed his innocence and take a step toward growth that will advance him in his journey.6

Of course, this underworld is populated by scores of malevolent creatures, and one of the purposes of this work is to attempt to point out each one for consideration (and some are so background, they simply beg for obscurity). We will also look at various attempts to portray the Cantina in toy form, as well as further appearances of the Cantina and its denizens on television. After 1977, you couldnt sit down to watch science fiction films or television shows without experiencing some sort of Cantina rehash, be it Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, or even Star Trek when it returned to theaters shortly thereafter, and this trend has hardly abated over the years. Oddly enough, for a scene Lucas seemed nervous about, even he ended up remaking it numerous times: once (albeit uninvolved, but approved) for the Star Wars Holiday Special; a more determined remake as Jabbas courtroom in Return of the Jedi, and again, less inspired, for Attack of the Clones. A few notes about this book, which is more of a research project and amalgamation than a book. Firstly, since it is unofficial, I have reproduced and assimilated the work of others, but have always credited the appropriate parties where appropriate, rather than just reword the work they have already done. I have also attempted to add as many extra photos from my own research as possiblefor example, in Star Wars-scribe Pablo Hidalgos excellent article for the official website, which I supplemented with more photos, and, if they have been made, Hasbro action-figure examples. Secondly, I am a Star Wars purist, and if I playfully joke about Prequels or, more appropriately, the Expanded Universe, please dont be offended. I do realize that saying Yerka Mig is a lot easier than you know, the guy in the cool jacket that is sitting there when Han throws the Bartender a coin, but all that specificity just isnt my cup of tea, and to me, it takes some of the wonder out of the film. To each his own, though. Thirdly, all Im trying to do here is collect information, so that it can all be in one place. For some reason, this has never been done before in quite this way, and it should be. Also, Im hoping for the day that an entire, complete, fully-stocked, and movie-accurate Cantina diorama is available from Hasbrobut Im not holding my breath.

Sampoerna Quatrain samtheq@juno.com7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. There From Day One: Evolution of the Cantina9 2. The Impossible Dream: Mapping the Cantina...23 3. Cantina Roll-Call: Shedding Light On Some Alien Aliases (by Pablo Hidalgo)33 4. Roll-Call, Part Two: Other Cantina Patrons71 5. Annotated Cantina Scene (from Pablo Hidalgos Indexed Star Wars Trilogy) 94 6. Cantina in Comics (with Commentary)..117 7. Portable Scum and Villainy: A History of Cantina Playsets...141 8. Say Goodnight, Friend - The Star Wars Holiday Special.153 9. Other Cantina Appearances...172 10. Cantina Cover-Up? Investigating a Mos Eisley Mystery (by Pete Vilmur)..183 11. Cantina Dioramas....187 (Partial) List of Sources and Required Reading.....195

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There From Day One: Evolution of the Cantina

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Many people dont know that the Cantina scene was one of the earliest ideas that Lucas had for what at the time was his film without a story. In fact, it could be argued that two of his primary conceptsa Cantina scene and a space battle scenecould be looked at as the impetus that drove him to carry on with the project. It was a three-year journey of maddening, arduous effort; of writing and re-writing. It was one that could have derailed at any time. In the fourteen-page synopsis he wrote in May of 1973, Lucas describes the plot of his film as concerning General Luke Skywalker, whose goal is to escort a fugitive princess to safety, passing through a space port and stopping in at a cantina. However, in this embryonic version of the story, the cantinas sole purpose seems to be providing an action scene, as the General pulls out his lazer sword and kills a bully. (In fact, in his excellent e-book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski points out that this scene is pretty much lifted from Akira Kurosawas excellent Yojimbo, Lucas being a dedicated student of Kurosawa.) In The Star Wars, the rough draft screenplay of May, 1974, a similar scene is present. This time, General Skywalker is joined by Annikin Starkiller and rebel spy Clieg Whitsun in his mission to escort the Princess (now named Leia) and her two younger brothers to safety. They stop off at the space ports cantina, where General Skywalker brandishes his unique weapon to kill some attackers. Again, despite a much more convoluted plot, the cantina still showcases some lightsaber swordplay:from SCENE 79: The general's lazersword sparks to life. An arm lies on the floor. The rodent is cut in two, and the large, multiple-eyed creature lies doubled, cut from chin to groin. The general, with quiet dignity, replaces his sword in its sheath. The entire fight has lasted only a matter of seconds.

This time, though, the men are there to meet a contact, a pilot named Han Solo although in this early incarnation, he is a huge, green-skinned monster with no nose and large gills! Otherwise, the dialogue leading up to the bar fight is very similar to the filmed version, with the exception of the description of the aliens who accost Luke. Fast-forward to January, 1975, and a complete re-write of The Star Wars. This second draft, entitled Adventures of the Starkiller (episode one): The Star Wars was markedly different from what had come before, and even more rambling. This time, the Cantina is on the planet Utapau (sound familiar?), and Luke Starkiller goes there10

after the arrival of his brother Deaks two droids, who bring him a message. It seems the mysterious Kiber Crystal, an object which can magnify the power of the Force, must not be allowed to fall into evil hands. Luke lives on a farm with his Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, his two other brothers Biggs and Windy, and Owen and Berus daughter, Leia. Luke leaves with the droids and the aforementioned Crystal, and ends up in the Cantina, where he has a run-in with not two, but three drunken patrons. This, in turn, gets the attention of Han Solo, who offers him a ride to Organa Majorand it goes on from there. In this second draft, the Bartender forbids the droids to enter, like the movie, but there are several curious differences from the final version. First, Lucas has a blind prophet at the outside door of the Cantina, who tells Luke that The man you seek youll find inside; the one who needs you, youll find in time. And, if that odd, one-man Greek chorus wasnt enough, Han Solo (now a burly-bearded but ruggedly handsome boy dressed in a gaudy array of flamboyant apparelwhat kind of bar is this, anyway?) now also stands in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, since he wasnt yet invented, saying things like This little one isnt worth the effort. Additionally, after the fight, we are told that the Bartender actually drags the bodies outside! As the final story began to slowly gel, and before a third draft would be prepared, Lucas wrote a six-page synopsis in May of 1975. This time, Luke Starkiller, who ends up with the captured Princess Leias droids, stumbles upon a message inside the R2unit saying the Princess has been captured, and, luckily, a signal device to locate her. In traveling to the space port, he gives a derelict hermit a ride (who is a prototype ObiWan). They go to the local cantina, where Lucas writes: Bugs molest Luke, start fight. But this time, it is the old man who cuts them down. They meet Han and Chewbacca, and the elderly warrior stays with them to participate in their rescue mission, but for his own reasons: he wants to find the Kiber Crystal to defeat the Sith Knights. In August of 1975, the full third draft was completed, now called The Star Wars, From the Adventures of Luke Starkiller. The story is now much closer to the finished version, with the Cantina description staying the same, as well as the altercation at the bar, with Ben in his expected role at last. Strangely, one major difference is the absence of Han. After Ben has a conversation with Chewbacca that we are not privy to, he and Luke follow the Wookiee to the docking bay, where the young pirate, referred to as a cowboy, is waiting with the ship. What a remarkably different film we wouldve ended up with had this played outto not be introduced to Solo in the Cantina, which is, after all, his element, and helps us understand a lot about his character. Not to11

mention the absence of the Greedo scene, which not only shows us Hans prowess, but gives us a clear example of his motivations, and the circumstances that throw him into a Rebellion as big as the whole galaxy. Meanwhile, Lucas had hired Alan Dean Foster, eventual author of scores of sciencefiction novels, to ghost-write the novelization of the upcoming movie, as well as to pen the sequel, Splinter of the Minds Eye. Foster has the distinction of writing not only the first Star Wars novel, but the first spin-off as well (where the idea of a Force-increasing crystal was eventually used). The novel, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, was published in late 1976, beating the film by a good six months. With the script to work from, Foster fleshes out the details, even though Lucas was busy massaging and reworking his story even while filming. As you would expect, there are some differences. First off, Obi-Wan goes into the bar specifically looking for Corellians because they are so often pirates. The Bartender explains to Luke that he doesnt serve droids by adding, I only carry stuff for organics, notmechanicals. Obi-Wan speaks to Chewbacca in his own language quarreling and hooting softly like a native. Luke has three antagonists: The native who shoves Luke is a large squarish monstrosity of multiple eyes and indeterminate origin. The second is a cross between a capybara and a small baboon, and the third is the grubby human we now know as Dr. Evazan. It is this human that loses an arm to Kenobi. The rodent-like alien is cut cleanly in half down the middle, and the third, many-eyed alien is also bisected, but fires its blaster before its body separates, blowing a hole in the door. Only then does the body of the alien fall apart, like something from a Japanese tokusatsu program. Meanwhile, the mutilated human vanished wordlessly into the crowd, cradling the stump of his gun arm and calling himself fortunate. Foster also gives us vivid descriptions of the crowd, saying they were creatures with scales, creatures with fur, and some with skin that seemed to ripple and change consistency according to their feelings. He also has Luke think to himself that the darkness of the bar contrasts with the brightness of the entrance so that everyone inside could see each newcomer before he could see them, which really sets the mood of the scene.12

After the subsequent fourth draft brought forth the final version, and various battles were fought with Fox, the film was at last underway. As early as 1974, Lucas had hired Ralph McQuarrie, a brilliant artist and former technical illustrator for Boeing, to complete some artwork to help him visualize the story. His work so amazed Fox decision-makers, it helped convince them to green-light the project, although McQuarrie himself thought the resulting film would be too expensive to ever see the light of day. On the short list of names without whom we would have no Star Wars, McQuarries name should be just under that of Lucas. Besides designing Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, the droids, and several sets for the film, contributing heavily to the overall look of Lucas story, his amazing fingerprints are all over the rest of the first trilogy. His vibrant, painstakingly-drafted masterworks are true treasures, combining the lines and discipline of a master draftsman with the unbridled creativity of a true visionary. But for our concerns herein, let us dwell upon just one of those early paintings.

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This is McQuarries initial concept painting of the Cantina at Mos Eisley. This was the fifth painting that was finished, and according to The Making of Star Wars book, portrays Han Solo trying to out-draw an alien as described in the second draft. However, it should be pointed out that this doesnt line up with the second-draft description of Solo that was mentioned above. Could it perhaps be Luke Starkiller, reaching for his prototypical lightsaber, instead? According to McQuarries own recollections of the way that he and Lucas would work together, he would begin by listening to descriptions of what the director wanted, and then make some preliminary sketches. Lucas would offer suggestions, and McQuarrie would often correct his drawing, starting over, repeating the process until a rough draft could be put together. He would then add his own personal touches to the piece, resulting in the finished painting. By collecting photos from various sources, we can reconstruct the evolution of this process:

First, McQuarrie would begin to sketch, even while Lucas was busy describing his ideas to him. From these rough sketches, the two would choose a direction to pursue.

Next, McQuarrie would develop a sketch for Lucas to critique, much the way that preliminary pencils are the basis of a finished comic-book page. Note the absence of the main characters here, and the continuation of the architecture that is behind them.14

We dont know how many sketches were in this series, but here McQuarrie experiments and refines the characters that will be the main focus of the action.

This expressionistic rough-draft painting is dated March 6, 1975. McQuarrie at first imagined a more rough-hewn look for the Cantina, which Lucas helped streamline, suggesting some of the mechanical elements, like the floating seeker droids of the finished painting.

A detail of the finished work. Note the extremely realistic gun the alien holds, and the light reflecting off of the hairy creature. McQuarrie suggested a gallery-style room, with a skylight in the ceiling. Whether real or artificial, the bar section of the completed film retains this overhead lighting design.15

As the deadline to begin filming loomed ever closer, Lucas hired costume designer John Mollo, who would design many of the Cantinas patrons (McQuarrie and Ron Cobb had already contributed designs), and Stuart Freeborn, the make-up artist who would do much of the mask-making, along with his wife, son, and six assistants.

Twenty-three of John Mollos designs for Cantina patrons (some would be used in multiples, such as three Martians, or what would come to be known as Rodians.

As filming commenced in Tunisia, Lucas and company selected the town of Ajim on the isle of Djerba, which is just off the Western coast. The foreign architecture appealed to them, and they were able to supplement it with additional facades to give the appearance of the bustling Mos Eisley spaceport.

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ABOVE AND RIGHT: Some of John Mollos initial designs for Cantina aliens, including The Fly.

LEFT: Harrison Ford rehearses with Paul Blake (Greedo #1, without mask) in London

BELOW AND RIGHT: Ron Cobb submits some designs for the second Cantina alien shoot, including his famous portrait of what fans would come to know as Hammerhead.

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This was just the exterior, though. The real Cantina was constructed at Stage 6 at Elstree Studios in London. At least forty-two extras (but probably more; precise details are lost to the ages) were hired to populate the intricate set, and turn it into a busy hive of alien activity. The book Star Wars Chronicles gives a litany of characters who were on set that day:Scene 50 breakdown of Cantina Crowd: 1. 1 x Fly (Stephen Culcutt) 2. 1 x Rodent (Sadie Eddon) 3. 1 x Bartender (Ted Burnett) 4. 1x Grubby Human (Alfie Curtis) 5. 2 x Locals (Farmers) 6. 2 x Farmers 7. 3 x Corellian Pirates (Ron Tarr) 8. 3 x Starpilots 9. 3 x Bureaucrats (George Stock, Isaac Grand) 10. 2 x Local Girls (Jenny Cresswell, Mandy Morton) 11. 2 x Space Girls (Christine Hewitt, Angela Staines) 12. 1 x Weird Girl (Pam Rose) 13. 4 x Spacemen 14. 4 x Local Ugly Men (Fred Wood, Robert Davies, Jeff Moon, Anthony Lang, Salo Gardner) 15. 1 x Grasshopper (Barry Copping) 16. 3 x Martians (Diana Sadley Way) Plutonian scratched out & changed to Martians 17. 1 x Plutonian (Paul Blake, Janice Burckette, Linda Jones) Plutonian scratched out, changed to Martians 18. 1 x Praying Mantis (Jack Purvis) 19. 2 x Snaggletooth (Arthur Rowton, Alf Mangan) 20. 2 x Crocker (Robert Denham, Peter Sturgeon) 21. 2 x Walrus (Erica Simmons, Annette Jones) 22. 1 x Colonel (Tommy Isley, Joe Kaye) 23. 1 x Bat (Barry Gnome) NOTE 24. Orchestra this consist of 4 men 1 x No. 3; 1 x No. 7 + 2 others 25. Jawas not shown 26. Stormtroopers not shown Flash Gordon (Marcus Powell) Little Aunt Beru (Gilda Cohen)

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This entry is dated 4-3-76, and as you can see, is full of inconsistencies, as if changes were made on the fly. (And the Fly is first on the list.) And where is Walrus Man (different than Walrus), who many people know as Ponda Baba? Why are some actor names missing, when others have extra, such as five names for four Local Ugly Men? Which category does The Smoker fall into? Also, there was more than one Colonel type alien. And, why list Orchestra when there was no band present? Perhaps this was an idea that never panned out. Either way, Lucas was not completely satisfied with the scene as it was shot. (For an idea of what was filmed that day, you can see the black-and-white Lost Cut version, as it was originally included on the Behind The Magic CD-ROM in the late 90s.)

Much of the stolid, documentary-like feel of the original Cantina scene is due to the editing. Eventually, Lucas wife, Marcia, and Richard Chew would be brought in, and together the three of them would re-cut the entire film, giving it the vibrant pace that viewers are used to. As it is, the entire scene drags, but its understandableif the camera were to represent the viewers gaze, we would all stop and gawk, lingering on19

some of the bizarre creatures. On the CD-ROM, the scene plays above the finished version from the Special Edition, which runs below it as a reference point, and the final film actually has to pause several times, allowing the Lost Cut version to catch up.

Some of the handiwork of Stuart Freeborn and company.

In January and February of 1977, pick-up shots were commissioned, and another battle with Fox erupted over funding to shoot extra materialincluding the creation and filming of additional Cantina aliens. For this work, artist Rick Baker was hired, and he and his team (which included Phil Tippett) burned midnight oil to really, in his words, show what they could do. Part of the Cantina set also had to be recreated. On January 24th and 25th, the additional scenes were filmed at Dovingtons, a small studio in Hollywood. Among the new customers the Cantina would gain would be many of the most memorable, including Hammerhead, the Duros, the Skull-Head (Elis Helrot), and the Cantina band itself, played by Rick Baker, Jon Berg, and some of the girls from ILM.

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Filming at Dovingtons Rick Baker and crew pose with their creations.

Setting up Hammerhead and the Gotal (in different clothes, or another one?)

Lucas instructs Maria de Aragon (2nd Greedo) how to use a clothespin to work the broken mouth of her mask!

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Directing an alcove full of aliens.

Interesting--Why is Lucas showing Myo how to hold a blaster?

The result of this combination of footage was that aliens and actors, some present in London, and some in Hollywood (and in the case of Greedo, both!) would be seamlessly integrated. This resulted in the flurry of activity and the crowd scene that Lucas wanted, but makes it pretty much impossible to figure out the floor plan of the Cantina, much less to discern who belongs where and when. But before we examine the who question, lets take an in-depth look at the layout of the barroom. Like our heroes, we need to enter through the front door, and step around the Jawas

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The Impossible Dream: Mapping the Cantina

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When you watch Star Wars (see, I dont even call it A New Hope most of the time), its hard to get a sense of the exact layout of the Cantina. The only landmark the viewer really has is the bar itself, and you are left with trying to relate all the location of the action to this central fixture. Where exactly is the bandstand or stage? How many alcoves are off of the main barroom? Just like in the famous Tootsie Pops commercial, the world may never know. Not really, I was just being dramatic. I think we can reason this one out. Firstly, lets start with the earliest sketch, which John Barry made at Lucas suggestions. Lucas knew that he wanted a round bar, and we have already discussed the skylight idea. The only other request he had was for alcoves coming off of the main room. You can see the offset entryway, with steps descending into the main area. This was probably done to further match the interior set to the shape of the exterior building that was filmed in Africa. You can also see that the original bar was a complete rounded rectangle in the center of the roomthis was to change later. So, that leaves us with nine alcoves, right? Maybe not: look again, and you will see that the last one doesnt have a wall drawn around it. Whether this was purposeful, having something do with camera placement, or an oversight, is not known. Next, we move to a scale model, a mock-up of the set done in preparation for construction:24

This picture is invaluable, because it may be the best source we will ever have for exactly what the floor plan of the finished set was likeassuming no further major changes were made before the set was built. Assumptions aside, now we are up to eight alcoves, right? Well, not exactly. Notice the design of the bar has turned into a U shape, that is now built into a supporting wall. The back rooms, the ones to the immediate left and right of the bar, really arent alcoves at all. For some proof, lets zoom in on a photo you will be seeing in the next chapter, when we cover the Preying Mantis alien. At least on the right side of the bar, that little sub-room doesnt contain a table and chairs, just storage boxes. This does make sense as to why only a back wall would have to be built; its all you would see. With the large crowd that Lucas wanted, spilling over into the side rooms, you really wouldnt even see that in the finished film very well. So, following this line of reasoning, we are back to six alcoves. Unfortunately, even eight makes it difficult to place everyone, since so many groups of aliens are shown sitting together in the film. 25

Of course, not every table is in a private room of its own, but we still have to leave one alcove for the Band. One early Star Wars collectible that was produced was Star Wars Blueprints, printed by Ballentine in 1977. Unfortunately, the Mos Eisley/Interior Cantina blueprint doesnt offer any insight to the particular problem of the floor plan, but it does give some specifics to the central feature of the room, the bar and drink dispenser.

Even by blowing up the picture substantially, it is still difficult to read the written words, which are mostly technical terminology and specifics for set design. However, a few interesting factoids can still be gleaned. For example, the top right of the plans show a design for the bar that was not used, one with a gutter along the edge with a grill to catch spill from glasses. There is a large NG written over the top of this section, for No Go.

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Between the detail of the drink dispensing station and the silhouettes of customers, there appears to be an example of what the trim surrounding the skylight above the bar would be like. Pointing to the top are the words 1 6 V.F. from Sandcrawler. I know we are back to assuming, but I can only imagine this refers to materials somehow. Also written above this small section is the following: Open Section [illegible] Bar To Be Cooled: With Gauze, which probably refers to the way the light source would be diffused to give the desired effect. The majority of the rest of this page refers to the drink dispensing station, explaining which vessels are glass, which are metal, and pointing out that the height of the pipes must vary. One note reads, Steam to [illegible] From Sides, leading the reader to believe that perhaps the goal was more of a mad scientists set-up: the aerial view of this section (above the blueprints title) has a large cylinder that reads Liquid Nit Container. There are also four built-in computer keyboards that would be accessible to the Bartender. Near the bottom right-hand corner, there is a list of different colors and metallic finishes for the drink containers, and the words Props All Containers To Be Practical. The title on the sheet is Det No 2, and it makes one wonder if we will ever have a chance to see the other pages involved with the construction of this set.

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The drink dispenser station in the film. Note the use of multiple burner cans from a Rolls-Royce Derwent Jet engine, which would later be used for the head of the bounty hunter IG-88. Lucasfilm bought tons of scrap metal from a dealer in order to find unique metal parts like these.

So, due to all of the factors we have discussed: the way the scene was shot in stages, the methods used in editing, as well as the relatively low lighting of the barroom itself, it is very difficult to re-create the layout of the Cantina accurately, and especially so in order to have it fully populated. Its something of an anachronism one has to make concessions for, as we will also see in the chapter about Cantina playsets over the years. The problem can be summed up like this: in reality, not everyone was actually there at the same time. In the end, it becomes an eye of the beholder sort of thing, a personal preference, and no two Cantina dioramas are ever just alike, as we will also see.

On-set photograph of the entryway-foyer of the Cantina. Note the droid detectoras well as the fact that there is actually seating in the entranceand what is either something the film crew left behind, or a possible spittoon.28

Here are a few noteworthy attempts at providing a Cantina floorplan:

This schematic was first published in THE STAR WARS TEHCNICAL JOURNAL, in 1995. It isnt quite accurate, but a good try nonetheless.

On his excellent website, Jason Weatherly tried to take that design and make it more movie-accurate. He also tries to document each aliens position in the Cantina with additional diagrams.

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Even D-K Books, known for their high-quality Star Wars releases, had to get very creative to map out the Mos Eisley Cantina.

The Mos Eisley map sold for the Star Wars Miniatures role-playing game was more concerned with a convenient place to put lead miniatures than with accuracy!

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Cantina Panorama Head-on shot of bar (matched up with the black-andwhite photo we have already seen)

Left side of bar

Right side of bar

Entryway (unused angle, from Making of Star Wars documentary) When you look at these photos put together, it is much easier to see that there are six usable alcoves, and two unused back rooms (storage rooms) to either side of the bar.

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Now that we have looked at the development of the Cantina, its construction, its layout, and various attempts to figure out the floorplan over the years, we can now turn our attention at last to the real stars, the sundry citizens that make up its clientele

The crumbling exterior of the original building used for the Cantina in the film, photographed in Tunisia in 2005, which has seen no maintenance since the 1970s.

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Cantina Roll-Call: Shedding Light On Some Alien Aliases (by Pablo Hidalgo)

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Cantina Roll-Call: Shedding Light on Some Alien Aliasesby Pablo Hidalgo, October 27, 2008Star Wars fans love detail. The intricately crafted worlds of the films and expanded universe are what sell the fantastic as reality and keep viewers and readers coming back for more. Many fans aren't content to accept a background alien as just a background alien: they want to know who he, she, or it is, its planet of origin, and what exactly the alien was up to in that scene.

From the earliest days of writing Star Wars, George Lucas dovetailed his interests in science fiction, fantasy, and anthropology and wrote elaborately detailed backstories for his creations. In the Lucasfilm Archives are transcripts of brainstorming sessions wherein Lucas laid out the ecology of Kashyyyk, and the complete cultural roots of the Wookiees -- all this for a species that would ultimately be represented by a single character, Chewbacca, and a planet that would go unseen in the original trilogy. The Mos Eisley Cantina is a wealth of character and alien information, but much has been lost over the quartercentury of Star Wars. Misplaced production notes and half-remembered anecdotes make piecing together who was in the shadowy watering hole difficult. During the publishing resurgence of the early 1990s, many of the cantina aliens were given full histories, but these were invented from scratch; the34

authors essentially had a clean slate to work with, with little more than simplistic filming nicknames as a starting point. "Four Eyes," "Bat" and "Plutonian" are hardly compelling character names. In the summer of 2000, shortly after Lucas shot the Outlander Club sequence for Episode II, dozens of the nightclub extras were promptly assigned character names and species in anticipation of spin-off fiction or licensing possibilities. These details were established concurrent with production, rather than invented long after the fact. Lucas and Lucasfilm named such barely-glimpsed nightclub denizens as Lunae Minx, Oakie Dokes, Sel Maa and Nyrat Agira.

The 1970s were a far different time. Back then, naming and establishing the backstory of the cantina aliens was not anyone's priority. Furthermore, Lucas was never entirely pleased with the progress of the cantina scene, and had more pressing concerns. During the initial shooting of the sequence in England, Makeup Supervisor Stuart Freeborn was ill and could not complete enough aliens in time. Lucas later had to cajole 20th Century Fox for more money for reshoots, and photographed insert shots of boothdwelling aliens crafted by ILM and Rick Baker. Lucas was surprised that the cantina became an audience favorite, since it had always represented compromise and disappointment in his mind. But the skills of Freeborn, Baker, and other makeup artists, along with judicious editing, made the cantina appear much more than the sum of its parts. In 1978, when Kenner Products began making action figures, cantina aliens were high on the wish list. The toymakers began requesting names and details for the many nameless aliens.35

So, in 1978, internal memos at Lucasfilm established names for many of the aliens, though only Walrus Man, Hammerhead, Snaggletooth and Greedo ever got to action figure form. Also that year, "The Star Wars Holiday Special" aired for the first and only time, and it too featured a scene in the cantina, with more aliens supplied by Rick Baker. But even then, there wasn't much information about the bar's inhabitants. Fast-forward to 1989. Star Wars publishing is largely dormant, with West End Games being the sole publisher regularly expanding the universe through roleplaying games and guides. Galaxy Guide I: A New Hope added more information about the cantina aliens -- including names and backgrounds for many of them, though author Grant Boucher invented much of the material since there was nothing to go on. Also that year, author Troy Denning shed light on more history with Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races. In 1995, Bantam Books' Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina not only added more names, but added personality and histories to a number of cantina aliens. That same year, Decipher Inc. fleshed out more cantina aliens in their Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Poking through the photo archives at Lucasfilm revealed more secrets of these cantina denizens:

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Hem Dazon Stepping into the cantina, one the first characters you see is Hem Dazon, a glittery-eyed Arcona that was photographed as part of insert-footage. He was simply a bodiless puppet named "T-head" on set and designed and built by Laine Liska. According to Lucasfilm memoranda dated September 13, 1978, he was to have been given the proper name of "Thadd," though that name went unused. In the Holiday Special, the puppet head was mounted on an extra that walked through frame, giving a very brief view of the creature's humanoid anatomy. In 1989, West End Games established the Arcona species of salt-addicted limbed serpents. A boxed miniature set identified the Arcona in the cantina as Hem Dazon, though the Star Wars Screen Entertainment software package would attempt to name him Kal Nkai. Dazon is the name that stuck.

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Defel & Lak Sivrak In supplementing the existing cantina alien footage, pinch-hitter Rick Baker pulled a number of pre-existing masks off-the-shelf to fill in the booth-based reshoots. This included two different furry-faced wolfmen in the cantina. The first one seen in the original theatrical version of A New Hope is a snarly, shadowy creature with glowing red eyes. Baker's crew nicknamed this alien "Wolfman," but it is not the same alien as the more visible canine carouser seen later in the scene. That other wolfman was actually nicknamed "HyenaMan," and he didn't get a proper name until 1989, when he was established as Lak Sivrak, the Shistavanen Wolfman.

The first wolfman went unnamed until Decipher Inc. described him as a "Defel" in the card game. The Defel first appeared in a 1989 gamebook as a compelling species of shadowy mercenaries that have the natural ability to absorb visible light. That worked well with the Defel barely glimpsed in the movie, but how do you explain photos of that original wolfman in plain lighting with clearly visible details? To alleviate that discrepancy, Decipher would later go on to explain that the Defel in the Cantina, Arliel Schous, is aging and is losing his light-absorbing talents, though that leaves readers to presume that any time an artist uses the "Wolf Man" mask as reference for a background alien, it is meant to be an aging Defel. The off-the-shelf canine masks long bothered Lucas, and when it came time to do the Special Editions both aliens were replaced with more elaborate creations.38

Trinto Duaba This booth-lurking alien was nicknamed "Terminal Man," not only for his deathly appearance, but also odd electrical terminals grafted into his craggy skin. He was also known as "Veiny" and "Future Man." His name and backstory as Trinto, a vampiric Forcegobbling Stennes Shifter, came about in the mid-1990s through the Decipher Star Wars Customizable Card Game.

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Brainiac Another alien from Rick Baker's crew, this giant-headed specimen was known on set as "Brainee," "Cranium Head" and "Crater Head." He was never given a specific name until 1995, when he was dubbed Braniac, which according to lore is apparently just a nickname. His true name did not get assigned until 2008: Pons Limbic.

NOTE: above photo from Holiday Special 40

Bom Vimdin This Rick Baker-supplied alien has probably the oddest on-set nickname: Don Rickles. No, the famous Vegas insult-comic didn't have anything to do with Star Wars, but this particular alien hockey puck resembled the comedian enough to earn the sobriquet. He didn't get a "real" name until 1993, when West End Games identified him as Bom Vimdin, the Advozse.

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Myo It's easy to trace the etymology of most of the on-set alien nicknames, such as The One-Eyed Cyclops. His proper name was going to be Cyceyed, back in 1978, but that name was lost to time. In 1995, a roleplaying sourcebook, Alliance Intelligence Reports, featured a cyclopean Abyssin named Myo. When the Decipher card of this character came out, the cantina alien finally had a name. The spin-off material established Myo as a sort of hulking brute, but in truth, the person wearing the mask in the cantina was actually pretty scrawny compared to more recent artwork of the beefy Abyssins. Myo was a Laine Liska-designed slip-on mask with slight articulation of the eye.

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Muftak A fan favorite for his warbling drone and his endearing confused head-scratch, Muftak was nicknamed Spider-Man on the set. It wasn't for any similarity to the famous webslinging superhero, but rather because arachnids inspired the multiple eyes on the creature's fuzzy face. Clearly, there was no use establishing "Spider-Man" as this alien's proper handle. Besides, it had another nickname: Four Eyes. This alien was also in the Holiday Special, where it warbled the exact same dialogue to the cantina hostess played by Bea Arthur. According to a 1978 memo, this alien was going to be named Cullatran, but more than a decade later, the name Muftak and the species Talz was applied by the writers of the roleplaying game.

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Djas Puhr A recent Hasbro toy, the detailed and articulated action figure of Djas Puhr has sparked many a fan to ask, "just who is this guy?" He's hard to spot in the cantina, but he's definitely there, with his gleaming black skin and inexpressive face. This character was identified as "Coal Man" during production. A pale-faced version of the same alien species -- Sakiyan -- appears in "The Star Wars Holiday Special." The proper and difficult-to-pronounce name of Djas Puhr came from the Customizable Card Game.

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Feltipern Trevagg Concept artist Ron Cobb illustrated a number of alien designs during the development of the cantina sequence. In the margins of the illustrations were a number of biological notes, explaining the creature's native environment. A twin-horned scruffy-faced alien was described as being a "High Tundra" creature, and that became its default nickname on set. Make up artist Laine Liska crafted the High Tundra mask and hands. The alien was to have been given the proper name of Dratun. It wasn't until the Tales of the Mos Eisley Cantina anthology in the mid-90s that this alien was identified as corrupt tax collector Feltipern Trevagg. His alien species, the Gotal, was established in 1989's Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races.

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M'iiyoom Onith When we first saw Feltiperrn in the cantina, he was snuggling up to a beak-nosed alien who was giggling up a storm. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but this comely alien was given the unflattering on-set nickname of Yam Nose. The alien was to have the proper name of Yamnoss, but instead fell into obscurity. The alien mask was resurrected for Return of the Jedi, though that particular alien is barely visible on screen. In 1995's Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, we learn that Yam Nose is really M'iiyoom Onith, whose name translates to "Nightlily." She's a tender young H'nemthe with a deadly secret that Feltiperrn finds out during a stolen moment of intimacy.

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Leesub Sirln One of the on-set aliens shot in England, Leesub Sirln was only identified as "Weird Girl" in the production notes. She didn't get her proper name until the first set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, which established her as a Qiraash. A production photo of this character has her standing in front of the Millennium Falcon, suggesting the proximity of both the docking bay and cantina stages.

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Solomahal This alien has always had a military leaning. During shooting, it was known simply as "The Colonel," though another nickname was "the Hare Mouse." Seen both in the cantina and wandering the alleys of Mos Eisley, the Colonel had a very rotund build. Its original proper name was going to be Ownellco, but it went without a moniker until the Customizable Card Game established him as Solomahal. According to the lore printed on the card, Solomahal was a veteran of the Clone Wars. He most likely achieved the rank of Colonel.

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Saurins There are at least two thirsty reptilian bipeds at the bar in A New Hope. On set, they were simply known as "Crockers" or "Gila-Men," but one of them was to have been given the proper name of "Gilaass." It wasn't until 1995 that they were given proper species name of Saurins, and individual names of Sai'torr and Hrchek Kal Fas.

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Nabrun Leids Turned into an action figure by Hasbro, the four-armed Nabrun Leids was called the Plutonian on set. Though Leids is a male, the slight build and production photography revealed the extra playing him to be a female. The alien's long, cone-like head prompted its other nickname, Squid Head, which predated the Quarren nickname by several years. This nickname became the source of its intended proper name of Quidultii, which was forgotten for years. The name Nabrun Leids came from the Customizable Card Game.

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Takeel Most fans know Snaggletooth from the vintage action figure made by Kenner. The legendary "Blue Snaggletooth" came about when Kenner didn't have adequate reference photography to design the figure of the alien, so the sculptors guessed at its body shape and wardrobe. The result was a Snaggletooth that was too tall, too blue, and a prized collector's item. Kenner corrected the alien by giving him a red jumpsuit and a shorter build, but even that particular Snaggletooth can't be found in A New Hope. The Customizable Card Game gave the dopey-looking alien seen sitting next to Han and Chewie's booth the proper nameof Takeel. His species name, Snivvian, was developed around the same time by the roleplaying game. In the late 70s, the proper name "Tooggle" was set aside for this alien, though it went unused. The mask was re-used for "The Star Wars Holiday Special", for a character wearing a red-and-black jumpsuit not used in the original film. It is this character that the action figure Snaggletooth is meant to represent. The Holiday Special established his name as Zutmore, which later became Zutton.

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Greedo Greedo was the only cantina alien whose name was actually spoken in the film. There were several Greedo-type aliens in the cantina and Mos Eisley scenes, all dressed identically. Production notes nicknamed Greedo's alien species "Martians," since the bug-eyed green-skinned suction cup-fingered alien fit many a Martian clich. That name would never do for Star Wars, which is set in a distant galaxy with no Mars. A 1978 memo established Greedo as one of the Graffties, a species of bipeds whose name may be a corruption of American Graffiti, in reference to Lucasfilm's other big hit of the era. In 1989, that name had been forgotten, and Galaxy Guide 1 established Greedo as a Rodian. Since then, "Rodian" has been adopted not only by the expanded universe, but also the production team that often uses the correct alien name in indentifying the many Rodian extras seen in the prequels.

52 NOTE: Clearly, somebody at Hasbro has a Greedo fetish...

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Dannik Jerriko Sometimes a cigar-smoker is just a cigar-smoker, and sometimes a background extra is a gateway to gothic horror fiction. The perfect example of an alien that's more than meets the eye, this simple extra identified only as "smoker" has gone on to have an elaborate, high-concept, and macabre backstory. The extra playing the smoker wore simple make-up to modify his features. There appears to be no attempt at naming this alien back in the 70s. Perhaps his hookah-habit prevented him from being an action figure -a child's play thing dedicated to a smoker would probably have raised a few parental eyebrows. Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina reveals that the smoker is Dannik Jerriko, a centuries-old vampire with a dark and twisted past, who uses jagged proboscii concealed in cheek-pouches to drain the life from his unsuspecting victims.

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Dr. Evazan "You'll be dead!" There's one of these guys in every seedy bar, a loudmouth troublemaker with something to prove. Only identified as "grubby human" in the script, this ugly bully boasted having the death sentence on 12 systems. Some sources have mistakenly identified this thug as "Snaggletooth," (long time fans may remember the Jedi Master Quizbook saying this). In the radio drama, this human was named Roofoo, though in 1989, we learn that he is in truth Dr. Evazan, a sick and twisted doctor who earned the dozen death-marks by mutilating his patients. He has since been established to have numerous aliases, including the Doctor, Doctor Death, and Doctor Cornelius.

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Ponda Baba This is the ill-fated thug that tries to pick a fight with the meek Luke Skywalker. In the script, he is simply called "Creature," and Lucas describes him as a "large, multiple-eyed creature." The finished alien was realized as a slip-on mask and set of gloves, and had the nickname of Walrus Man. The disarming lightsaber attack was shot practically on stage, with a tear-away arm prop worn by the extra who played Walrus Man. The effect never really worked, and Lucas had to cut around it, obscuring the action editorially. The reveal of the severed arm was shot as an insert after the fact. However, on set in London, Walrus Man had big, awkward fin-like hands. The inserted arm had a hairy claw. For a time, Walrus Man's proper name was slated to be Russwall, but that name never saw print, and the action figure that Kenner produced bore the simplistic production nickname. Not that many fans seemed to mind -- besides, more than one young action figure collector renamed him "Bum Face" for his inward-curving tusks. In the 1981 radio dramatization of A New Hope, Walrus Man is given the name of Sawkee. His final name of Ponda Boba didn't come about until 1989, in Galaxy Guide 1, which also revealed him to be an Aqualish. Sawkee is just one of the many aliases this criminal uses.

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Swilla Corey According to production notes, there were several "local girls" on set, meaning female human Tatooine residents that would not require complicated alien masks. One of the extras, noted in continuity logs simply as "Jenny" was to be seen snuggling next to Han Solo. She was cut from the film, but can be seen in a video included in 1997's Behind the Magic CD-ROM from LucasArts. An image of this scene was also published in Star Wars Insider #41 in a fascinating article about an early cut of A New Hope. Another local girl is a stringy-hair blonde lurking behind Ben Kenobi after the old Jedi puts away his lightsaber. This character was established as Swilla Corey by the Customizable Card Game.

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Kabe The squeaky little rodent who requests a tall blue beverage was known simply as "Bat" on set. Other notes use the nickname "Demon." Though Kabe has since been revealed to be a relatively harmless pickpocket, the original script for A New Hope has the small rodent creature as a cohort to Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba as they accost Luke. If you watch the cantina scene closely, you can see that Evazan exchanges a few words with Kabe before the fight breaks out. Production notes identify the alien's early proper name as Tink. It would be renamed Kabe and established as a female partner in petty crime to Muftak in Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope.

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Labria Labria, the razor-toothed devil-faced Devaronian, has been revealed to have a checkered past. While Tatooine Manhunt, a roleplaying module published in 1988, and Galaxy Guide 1 suggest him to be a harmless drunk, Tales of the Mos Eisley Cantina showed Labria to be a fugitive war criminal named Kardue'sai'Malloc. Would fans consider this horned miscreant any less sinister if they knew his on-set nickname of "Louie?" He was also simply referred to as "the Devil." This Rick Baker-creation was added to the cantina during the additional photography that filled out the booths with exotic aliens.

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Modal Nodes Surprisingly, the most memorable aliens from the cantina didn't get immortalized as action figures until 1996. The swinging cantina band consisted of large-headed aliens built by Doug Beswick. They weren't present during principal photography, instead added during the reshoots that filled out the scene. Known simply as "Band Member," the aliens were going to be given the proper species name of Sicmoo, which appears to be a simple rearrangement of the word "music." In the Holiday Special, the band leader is referred to by name as Barbarine. The proper alien name of Bith and the bandleader's name, Figrin D'an, came from Galaxy Guide 1. The names of the bandmembers were fleshed out in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina.

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Tonnika Sisters The Tonnika twins weren't exactly twins. Their production nickname was "Space Girls," though their fashion sense of wearing their underwear on the outside led to a less-than flattering (and somewhat unprintable) nickname. They were played by two local extras that were not related, and did not look alike at all. But in 1989, when Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope filled in this pair's backstory, it established that the girls were identical. The artwork accompanying the article was cheated -- it was based on production photography of the cantina extras, but only one of the girls was illustrated. The artwork was reversed and duplicated, creating a mirror image. This presented a problem when it came to using photography of these extras. They clearly weren't identical, despite what their backstory claimed. Timothy Zahn resolved this discrepancy with his short story in the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina anthology. In "Hammertong," Zahn reveals that the non-identical girls in the cantina that day weren't the real Tonnika sisters. The real twins were doing time in some prison for one of their many capers. The women posing as them were actually undercover Mistryl shadow warriors.

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Duros Though Star Wars fans now know these social aliens as Duros, on set they were simply called GoggleEyes. Realized as inarticulate slip-on masks built by Phil Tippett, only one of the two Duros seen in the cantina was fitted with alien gloves, producing quite the size disparity in the aliens' hands. The Duros backstory was established by author Troy Denning in Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races, who detailed their long history of spacefaring that rivals that of the Corellians. During the production of Episode I, the Neimoidians were to be computer-generated, but when George Lucas decided to realize them instead as animatronic masks, he pointed at some classic trilogy photography of the original Goggle-Eyes and declared them Neimoidians. Of course, the Duros backstory had already been developed, so the resulting Neimoidians ended up with a history that intertwines with the Duros and the aliens that resulted had enough superficial differences to the original Duros to allow both backstories to be preserved.

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Kitik Keed'kak One of the most elaborate puppets on set is hardly seen in the finished movie. Identified only as "Praying Mantis," this giant green insect was operated by Jack Purvis, the same actor who played the chief Jawa, chief Ugnaught, and Teebo the Ewok in the classic trilogy. It was part of principal photography, and was on set in London. It was named Kitik Keed'kak in the Decipher Customizable Card Game.

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Reegesk This sniveling little rodent wore robes much like a Jawa, but the lack of true binocular vision on its pointed head clearly indicates it is not meant to be an un-hooded representative of that species. In addition to the rodent in the cantina, a rather tall member of this same species walks across frame as Luke is selling his landspeeder. Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races establishes this species as a Ranat, a ravenous race of vermin. The specific alien seen in the cantina is Reegesk, as revealed in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. During production, the alien was known simply as "Rodent" or "Rat Face." John Mollo's costume sketches suggest it was to wear a face-mask at some point. It's early proper name was Aceatta, but that name never saw print.

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Dice Ibegon This serpentine alien is seen next to Lak Sivrak, the Shistavanen Wolfman. Part of the booth-based reshoots, on set this puppet was referred to as "Snake Head." It was going to have a proper character name of Nake, but years later, it became a female Florn Lamproid named Dice Ibegon in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina.

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Elis Helrot Another booth-based reshoot alien, this walking skeleton with the anguished face was based on original illustrations by Ralph McQuarrie. It was nicknamed "Skull Head," and was to have the proper name of Kull. In 1989, its species name was established as the Givin in Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races, an alien race of mathematicians who could hermetically seal their external skeletons to survive exposure to vacuum. The particular Givin seen in A New Hope was named Elis Helrot, a slave-trader, according to the Customizable Card Game.

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Tzizvvt Though its head resembles that of a giant fly, this alien's production nickname was "Snail Head." According to original 1978 Lucasfilm documents, it was to have been given the proper name of Illna. This alien was part of principal photography in London, and is mostly edited out of the film, replaced with more elaborate booth aliens during the reshoots. It was largely forgotten until Decipher revealed it to be Tzizvvt the Brizzit.

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Momaw Nadon A fan favorite, this alien was known for years simply as "Hammerhead" thanks to the Kenner action figure. Its production nickname sounded cool enough to keep for the toy, and even the radio drama has Luke comment upon seeing a "Meerian Hammerhead" while in the cantina. The particular Hammerhead alien was named Ammerha by Lucasfilm in 1978, though that name went unused. In 1987, The Star Wars Sourcebook established the alien as an Ithorian, and then Momaw Nadon was revealed to be the Ithorian in the cantina in Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope. A peaceful Rebel sympathizer, Nadon has appeared several times in the expanded universe.

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Mosep Mosep can be seen lurking the backstreets of Mos Eisley as Luke goes to sell his speeder. This background alien has drawn the attention of many long-time fans because he served as a stand-in for Jabba the Hutt in the original Marvel Comics adaptation of A New Hope. Mosep was a walrus-faced humanoid in a faded red suit with a cut reminiscent of an Imperial officer's uniform. During shooting, the alien was known as "Walrus," "Ming" or "Mingo." He didn't get his proper name and Nimbanese heritage until 1995, when Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens -- Enemies and Allies was published. This book also established that the Nimbanese work as bureaucrats for the Hutt criminal empire. The ties to the Hutts were inspired by Marvel Comics using Mosep's design to depict Jabba in a scene cut from A New Hope. Though George Lucas had always intended Jabba to be a big loathsome creature, he simply didn't have the time or money to realize Jabba as a visual effect for the original film, so the confrontation between Han and Jabba was cut. It was originally filmed with an actor, Declan Mulholland, in a shaggy outfit, playing Jabba. Though it was cut from the film, it stayed in the comic, and artist Howard Chaykin used Mingo as his Jabba substitute. Back then, the character was known as Jabba the Hut (he didn't get a second 'T' until 1983). This character would appear once more to plague Han Solo in the Marvel series.

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Cantina Roll-Call, part 2: Other Cantina Patrons

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Of course, there are many other aliens and humans in and around the Mos Eisley Cantina, with some variation between the Lost Cut, and what was ultimately used in the final cut of the film (even between original filming and pick-up, or filler shots). Here are a few that were conspicuously absent from the previous article, and a few that are just extremely obscure no matter how you look at it. Only four of these have been made into action figures thus far, so we will start with those:

Wuher

Probably one of the faces in the Cantina with the most screen timeincluding spoken (albeit re-dubbed) lines of dialogueis the burly bartender, who apparently was christened Wuher in 1997, although to this day I am still unsure how to pronounce it. Come to think of it, Ive yet to hear people even say it. I think lots of people still say you know, the bartender, to avoid it! I mean, is it WOO-HER, WUH-HER, or does it run together, like WURR? Two things stand out in his entry on Wookieepedia. The first is rather unsavorythat he actually made a drink out of pheromones exuding from Greedos corpse (is that really necessary?). The second I thought was rather funny: that there were two bartenders in the Cantina, the other being Ackmena, in other words, Bea Arthur. Thank you for being a friend!72

The Bartender has been immortalized in Hasbro plastic twice thus far. The first time wasnt packaged with the 3-D cardboard Cantina playset (because that would make too much sense), but instead was one of the talking CommTech chip figures. The bright side to this was he came with the Droid Detector; the negative side was that the drinking vessel came permanently molded into his hand. The second time was with the mega-impossible-to-find K-Mart exclusive Cantina Cinema Scenes that almost nobody was able to score in 2004. Basically, this Scene 1 enabled Hasbro to use the bajillion figures they had already produced for the second wave of the unpopular Wal-Mart Cantina exclusives, which Wal-Mart apparently passed on (and this is a store that doesnt seem to pass on anything made in China, zing!):

I remember, back in the day, seeing somebody pay $200 for a Kkkid, I mean a Kttikt Kak, Kit Kat, oh screw it, a PREYING MANTIS, in an online auction. I bet that person was thrilled when Hasbro re-issued it a couple years later, and it was in every Wal-Mart on the planet, this time! The weird thing was, while this version of the Bartender didnt have the glass permanently affixed to his hand, he did have a weird over-deco of ashy-ness all over him, as if the Cantina was coal-powered and hed been shoveling it all night.

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Garindan

Okay, hes not technically IN the Cantinabut then again, hes just outside the door, and what Cantina diorama is complete without Garindan, aka Long Snoot? You have to like the design of this alien. What better screams Master Spy than a giant ant-eater wearing aviator goggles? A quick perusal of Wookieepedia tells us that his name means toast in one alien language (?), and an interesting factoid I was unaware of: his voice is a processed version of John Waynes (according to SW Insider #110). Huh?

Next time you watch the scene above, imagine the alien saying to the Sandtrooper, I reckon Ive found yer droids, Pilgrim

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Wioslea

Again, not technically in the Cantina, as this is the Landspeeder Dealeror is he? Sorry, I just read that this is a female, I should have known.I mean, she? The answer is yes, but more visible in the Lost Cut black-and-white version. You have to hand it to somebody for the sheer bravery involved in this alien design. Its like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalis love childs acid trip. Then again, it may be the stupidest alien design Ive ever seen. Wookieepedia says that early versions were packaged with a green lightsaber. Apparently Hasbro was extremely confused about this alien as well!

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BoShek

Bo, Bo, BoShek, banana fanna FoShek As you are aware, no doubt, there are several so-called spacers in the Cantina, some reportedly based on Golden-Age science fiction films like Destination Moon. One is wearing Bossks flight-suit, which I hope he asked permission to borrow. In my opinion, BoShek is an unsung hero of the first filmif R5-D4 is praised for reuniting the droids, then BoShek should get credit for introducing Ben Kenobi to Chewbacca, and the rest is history. Kudos to Hasbro for this excellent, Cantina-filling action figure. Its always struck me that the actor looks a bit like Dick Martin from Laugh-In, which makes me think his conversation with Kenobi goes something like this: BEN: You have no ship? [using Jedi mind trick] Say goodnight, Dick BOSHEK: Goodnight.Dick

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Danz Borin

His name sounding like a sly joke about somebodys dull roommate, this spaceman was way too cool to remove his helmet in the Cantina, which often makes it difficult to drink. Im surprised nobodys written the novel about him yet, detailing how he just couldnt breathe oxygen (or stand Hammerheads rancid funk, one of those).

Merc Sunlet

Not much can be said about another boring human in the Cantina, except that he looks like a typical barroom patron on earth, who smells like tins of kippered herring, and tries to bum gas money from you so he can get home and return his daughters Bananarama tapes before she wakes up.

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Garouf Lafoe

Sure, you have seen this guythis is the shmuck who runs to find the nearest Stormtrooper as soon as hes changed underwear when Ben Kenobi whips out his lightsaber. In truth, it was Lucasfilm Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond, so 5 points for a Lucasfilm cameo.however, minus 5 points for being dressed like a Mos Eisley Parking Garage Attendant, so we are back to zero

Jenny

In the black-and-white, Lost Cut version of the Cantina scene, which Lucas unbelievably gave us in the 90s on CD-ROM, you can see Han Solo mugging down with this girl, which ultimately wasnt used, because only the most wholesome, notshooting-first space pirate would be right for Lukes sister She apparently is pretty fickle, because after Han, she went straight to a smelly Rodian.78

Rycar Ryjerd

Who? If I said, the dwarf in the Cantina, then youd go Oh, yeah! Originally referred to as Flash Gordon Midget by the film crew, this little guy was short on stature, but big on comedy: his scene of encountering a pair of stilts in a Tatooine back-alley was considered too stupid for Star Wars, but juuuuust right for the Star Wars Holiday Special, and TV gold was achieved.

Bartender! Pour me a short one!

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Fu Man-Chu

One guy you wont find an entry for in Wookieepedia is who the film crew referred to as Fu Man-Chu. Heck, maybe somebodys renamed him by now, or maybe fans want to ignore him altogether. As has been proven, there are Asians in the Star Wars universearent the Neimoidians Asian? Or, maybe whoever owns the rights to Sax Rohmers novels would object to the name. I wonder if Charlie Chan is taken?

Debnoli

Really, whoever bothered to give this guy a name was wasting their timehe is in the film, but Id sooner believe he was a Lucasfilm accountant than a guy who hangs out in the roughest hive of scum and villainy this side of the galaxy.

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Boelo

No doubt you recognize Jabbas henchman, as the Special Edition made use of his footage at last, but believe it or not, hes also apparently in the Cantina, his pointed hat visible in the backgroundor maybe hes another bizarre alien, and its his head thats pointed? Anybody want to write a few novels where hes Ki-Adi-Mundis long-lost love-child? I didnt think so.

Davelynn Schmee

Another of Jabbas henchmen, who you can see over the bartenders shoulder (above). It could be, as theres no one else with so mighty a beard around!

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Little Aunt Beru

You may have heard, or read, that one of Lucas original passing fancies was to film Star Wars with an all-midget cast. This is actually true, but like many things, he got over it. However, that didnt mean he couldnt put one of each gender in the Cantina, right? Come to think of it, Lucas has a thing about the wee folk: Jawas, Ugnaughts, Ewoks, Howard the Duckjust consider that for a moment. Sort of like he has a thing about hacking off arms.

Het Nkik

Theres at least one Jawa in the Cantina (and several more taking a siesta outside), which is weird because no droids are allowed inside. But hey, Jawas get thirsty too, right? Even though they have no mouths. Hmmm.82

Tawss Khaa

It looks like I was just typing random letters, but apparently , that is this aliens name. Things get a little confusing here, because in Jason Weatherlys scholarly website reporting about Cantina aliens, he insists the bald Walrus (as the film crew called both of them) is Tawss Khaa, and the one with the top-side ponytail is Mosep:

While Pablo Hidalgos article (see previous chapter) makes it very clear that the bald one is Mosep, and so does the Decipher CCG card. The funny thing is, to my childhood mind, this is Jabba the Hut! Why? Because of the original, wonderful Star Wars Marvel comic, which I had in Treasury-Edition size. In fact, I read it over and over, until the thing was in tatters:

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Perhaps Marvel was simply working off of a script, or rough cut of the film (or both), but somebody made the conscious decision to use this alien for Jabba in the comic. It could be argued that, since the accompanying two aliens are completely random, that Marvel only received photos and text. Also, as the story goes, Lucas at first planned to use the filmed scene between Jabba (then with only one T) and Han by replacing/superimposing something over the corpulent Scottish actor who stood in for Jabba at the time. Its really dubious, when one considers 1970s cinematic technology, how in the world this would have even worked. Lucas has been known to speculate that perhaps it would have been a stop-motion animated model, but Im not sure that Ray Harryhausen himself could have pulled that off without disturbing the feel of the film. In the end, its a case where Lucas decision to cut the scene actually bolsters his claim of wanting Jabba to not be human. In fact, 84 the CGI-ification of the scene in the Special Edition was one actually welcomed by fans, despite the lackluster CGI that would be fine-tuned in what I call the Revised Special Edition of 2004.

The story doesnt quite end there, though. In Issue #28 of Marvels run, when the great team of Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino were still manning the helm, Han and Chewbacca once again ran into their old nemesis in a story called What Ever Happened To Jabba the Hut?

It was 1979, and movie-goers were eagerly awaiting The Empire Strikes Back. You have to give Marvel credit for exploring Han and Chewbaccas smuggler roots, but I cant help but speculate that Lucasfilm had to grant permission for whichever direction Marvel chose to explore, and, since I subscribe more to the theory that Lucas has been making most of this saga up as he goes, there were no current plans for the character of Jabba, so no problem! In the issue, Han and Chewbacca are holed up in a cave on the obscure planet of Orleon, trapped between Jabba the Hut, his goons, and, to make matters worse, swarms of Stone Mites, nasty space bugs that produce acid so they can eat through anything.

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Isnt that a great touch, where Jabbas thug shields him from the falling rain, with that wand device? I also like the speechless moment where they find their skeletonized comrade. Remember when comics were fun? Remember when Star Wars didnt take itself so seriously? Anyway, after outsmarting Jabba and his hired hands, Han and Chewbacca blast off, but the story doesnt end there. Jabbas ship, the Voidraker, appears, and Jabba is desperate for the revenge he didnt get yet.

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It turns out that one of his gunsels (and I am running out of terms for criminal employees, here) accidentally brought Stone Mites aboard, and Jabba has to escape, kindly asking Han and Chewbacca for a lift.

So what happens? Han cooks him in a fiery afterburner blast, right? Not exactly. A bit of a standoff occurs, and then, since theres only one panel left, this happens: Yeah, nothing happens. Apparently they just give him a lift somewhere, making him promise to cancel Hans debt? Its all a bit anti-climactic, but as far as the last line goes, the day when hell have the upper hand is the day when he finally turns into a giant slug and hangs Han in the corner like a dartboard.

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And now, the More Boring Humans! section of our tour Local Farmer (unnamed)

Somebodys slipping, as this rather boring guy has gone without a name and elaborate history. After all, hes just another humanor maybe not. Maybe hes an overly-tall, outcast Ugnaught? See, Ive started the backstory already! Any takers? Decipher? West End Games? Kevin Anderson? Hasbro? Anyone? Anyone?

Yerka Mig

This guy is pretty obvious when Han Solo throws a coin to the bartender. He also got a CCG card from Decipher, which also used this picture, which could have been an album cover if he was a singer in the 1970s. And whos to say he wasnt?

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MORE Humans So Boring No Ones Even Named Them Yet Bureaucrat #1 Bureaucrat #2

Local Ugly Man #1

Local Ugly Man #2

Unnamed Moisture Farmer

Unnamed Corellian Pirate

NOTE: Some say this is Ariq Joanson89

The Other Rodians

Theres no doubt that there are other, identically-dressed Rodians (Martians) lurking around the Cantina. Its very easy to see one walking the streets AFTER Greedo has been killed. Popular belief has determined there are three: the second (left photo) is named Neesh, and the third (better seen in the Lost Cut version of the scene) has been christened Thuku. How confusing must a planet be where everyone dresses exactly alike? I feel a novel coming on The Other Gotal

While Pablo Hidalgos article doesnt say there were two Gotal masks made, it also doesnt say there werent. Note the completely different costume here. Of course, this couldve been changed to a completely different outfit. Who knows?90

The Other Spacemen #2 #3

#4

We have seen Spaceman #1 (Danz Borin), but here are the remaining three unnamed, background ones. Number 2 is the one in Bossks yellow flight-suit. Number 3 is based on the outfit from the George Pal classic, Destination Moon. Finally, nobody can seem to find a very distinct photo of Number 4, which was supposed to be based on the spacesuits seen in the Lost In Space TV show, as an homage of sorts.

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Lirin Carn

We shouldnt forget this guy. Its important to point out that the Bith sitting at the table with Muftak, Djas Puhr, and Myo is not in the band. Maybe hes just their manager or something. This brings up a good question:

Footnote: How Many Biths? There is a lot of disagreement on this subject. The official website lists seven members; at first glance, there are five standing, and one sitting, making six. (At first, I thought they were counting the lone Bith sitting with Muftak.) After all, there are only six shown on the backdrop of the Kenner Creature Cantina, and five present in the Star Wars Holiday Special. Five are also shown in The Star Wars Visual Dictionary. Perhaps, if there wasnt a purposeful with-holding of Cantina photos during that first year of Star Wars marketing, (see Chapter 10) we would have a better idea of exactly what is going on. But, lets muddy the water a little bit. We dont see much of the band in the film, and the dark interior of the Cantina, especially combined with the brightness of the window behind them, makes them even more difficult to see. Apparently, we arent meant to92

count them. On Jason Weatherlys website, he points out a sixth standing member behind the other five. Mostly, you can only see shoulders, so I disagreed with the seven theory, until I re-discovered this:

This is the cover to a 1997 book by Golden Books, and it uses a different photo. In this picture, you can clearly see the band member in the back (second from left). Heres where it gets weird: is that another one between the two on the right? There certainly isnt an indentation on the Cantina arch, so it must be a head. And if so, then the Omni Box player should be sitting to the right, just out of the picture, right? Going back to the picture at the bottom of the previous page, I cropped and blew it up a little bit. By George (Lucas), there are seven of those guys!93

Annotated Cantina Scene (from Pablo Hidalgos Indexed Star Wars Trilogy)

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Cantina Roll-CallOften while looking at publications like the Star Wars Special Edition Sourcebook, Galaxy Guides, or the card game, casual fans of the trilogy wonder exactly where some of these background aliens were in the movies. This break-down of the cantina sequence points out who is where, shot-by-shot. If you blink, you'll miss these characters from the first shot. The light-absorbing Defel alien was originally called "Wolfman" by the production crew. The huge-headed Brainiac is a hyperintelligent Siniteen alien, nicknamed "Brainee." Trinto Duaba was once known as "Terminal Man." Next to him is the smuggler Bom Vimdim, an Advozsec from Riflor.

The ArconaThe Arcona are a species of limbed snakes fom the planet Cona, in the Teke Ro system. Arcona eyes are very poor at processing shapes, so the aliens have a heat-sensitive bulb between their eyes that helps bring their world into focus. Arcona experience addictive hallucenogenic spells if exposed to simple salt. Arcona salt addicts are easy to spot by their gilttering yellow eyes. Hem Dazon is a salt addict. He was a simple puppet on set, nicknamed "T-head."

Game of Chance?Myo is a hulking Abbysin, a species of cyclopean humanoids with impressive regenerative abilities. He was nicknamed "Cyclops" by the crew. Muftak is a Talz, a rare species of powerfullybuilt humanoids from the frigid world of Alzoc III. Muftak himself is a Mos Eisley street urchin. His production nickname was "Four Eyes." Lirin C'arn is a Bith male who occasionally sits in95

with the cantina band. Djas Puhr is a Sakiyan bounty hunter with excellent tracking skills and peripheral vision.

The LoversFeltiperrn Trevagg is a Gotal, a humanoid species with energy-sensitive cones atop their heads. He works for the Mos Eisley government as a tax collector. M'iiyoom Onith, whose name means 'Nightlily', is a H'nemthe. This species' female ritually kills the male after mating. The females use their razor-sharp tongue conealed in their beaks. Trevagg has no idea what he's getting into.

The First WolfmanThere were originally two wolfmen in the cantina, both of which were replaced in the Special Edition. The first was known as Wolfman by the crew. This alien was later revealed be a Defel, a species of light-absorbing humanoids. Defels all-but disappear in normal light, looking like walking shadows.

MelasMelas is a Sarkan male who works as a trader and merchant. This alien replaced the Defel in the Special Edition. Although it looks like there are two new aliens in the Special Edition, both aliens are the same puppet. In this inset, you'll note the back of Ketwol's head is the front of Melas' face.

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A Full HouseThe camera pans across several aliens and humanoids. Here, we see the gold-clad Leesub Sirln, a female Qiraash on the run from the Empire. Next to her is an obese walrus-like alien known only as "The Colonel," his production nickname. Lurking in the background are the Tonnika Sisters, twin con artist who are more than meet the eye. The reptilian Sai'torr Kal Fas is a combat-ready Saurin from Durkteel. The four-armed mask-wearing spacer is Nabrun Leids, a Morseerian. Next to him is the diminutive Bimm, Rycar Ryjerd. And gruff ol' Wuher tends bar.

Hutt EnforcersThe henchmen Jabba takes with him to visit Solo in the Special Edition can be seen in the cantina. One is a tall thin humanoid with a pointed skullcap, while the other is a burly human with a salt and pepper beard. They are both at the bar.

Where Everybody Knows Your NameThere are a number of as-yet unnamed spacers in the cantina. Spacer 1 wears a glossy black mask, and the yellow flight suit Bossk will be wearing in The Empire Strikes Back. Spacer 2 wears an elaborate white spacesuit with a bullet-shaped glassy helmet. The third spacer is Danz Borin, a Corellian from Nar Shaddaa. He wears a grey flight suit, and a helmet with a square-shaped yellowed visor. Yerka Mig is a human fugitive who escaped the Raltiir crackdown. His blue-and-black jacket can be seen on a number of different extras throughout the Mos Eisley scenes. Takeel is a burned out bounty hunter. He is a hunchbacked snaggletoothed alien.97

Widescreen PanAccording to Expanded Universe fiction, Greedo is sitting in this booth with Spurch "Warhog" Goa and Dyyz Nataz. However, since these characters were created years after the release of the movie, don't expect to see them. Leesub Sirln is a female Qiraash fugitive. She is running from Imperial High Inquisitor Tremayne who seeks her for her innate Force talents. Sirln's production name was "Weird Girl." She was played by Pam Rose.

Original VideoMosep is one of Jabba's army of accountants. The Nimbanel species have long been a "client" species of the Hutts, working as their bureaucrats, accountants and lawyers. Mosep's production name was Walrus. There were several of his kind in the cantina and the streets of Mos Eisley. Most "Walruses" were played by women.

Down the BarHrchek Kal Fas is a male Saurin from Durkteel. He is a droid dealer who often checks the black market for the best droid prices. Hrchek is guarded by his cousin Sai'torr. The Saurin production nickname was "Crocker." The strange and macabre Dannik Jerriko is an Anzati assassin. He is over a thousand years old. His cheek-folds hide dangerous proboscii that allow him to feed on the brains of his victims, consuming their life energy. Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan are fugitives being hunted by such bounty men as Jodo Kast. Evazan is a twisted physician who has maimed dozens with his sick efforts to perfect the flesh. He has the death sentence in over 12 systems. Baba is an Aqualish smuggler who serves as a source of transportation and protection for Evazan.98

In The ShadowsThe hunchback is one of several misshapen Snivvian aliens looking for work or spare change in the cantina. Swilla Corey is a petty thief and criminal. Solomahol, a Lutrillian, is a veteran of the Clone Wars. He retired from active duty, and became a scout in the Outer Rim.

KabeThis young female Chadra-Fan is best friend to Muftak the Talz. Kabe provides the pair of urchins with income as a pickpocket and thief. Kabe has a definite taste for jurijuice. Kabe's production nickname was "Bat." In this particular shot, you can see right through the eyeholes of the mask.

LabriaKnown throughout Mos Eisley as a drunkard and inept informant, Labria is actually wanted criminal from Devaron.Labria's production nickname was "Devil."

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Mad About MeLadies and gentlebeings, let's have a big hand for Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Leading the extraordinary Bith band is "Fiery" Figrin D'an, who is as skilled on the Kloo Horn as he is in sabacc.Next to him is Ickabel G'ont on the Fanfar. The band wouldn't be the same without Tech M'or on the Ommni Box.

And The Band Played OnOn the Bandfilll, it's Nalan Cheel, and on the Dorenian Beshnequil, it's Doikk N'ats. Let's not forget Tedn Dehai on the Fanfar as well. And these Bith boppers are swingin' wild with "Mad About Me..."

BoShekThe Corellian spacer with the sideburns is BoShek. He has just bested Han's record for the Kessel Run. BoShek is Force-sensitive, and his chance meeting with Obi-Wan is a turning point in his life. The actor who played BoShek also plays a stormtrooper in the Death Star sequences, as revealed in The Making of Star Wars.

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Droid DetectorAs Luke and his droids enter the cantina, a wallmounted droid detector warbles, alerting Wuher and the patrons to the unwanted company.

We Don't Serve Their KindFrom left to right, "Snaggletooth", or Takeel, a burned-out Snivvian mercenary; "Crocker", or Sai'torr Kal Fas, a Saurin bodyguard; "Plutonian," or Nabrun Leids, the Morseerian smuggler; Wuher, the bartender; "Flash Gorden Midget", or Rycar Ryjerd, the Bimm trader; another "Crocker", Hrchek Kal Fas; and the "Smoker" Dannik Jerriko.

Twins?Galaxy Guide 1 got it wrong. The Tonnika sisters are not twins. The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook explains that the girls in the cantina were impostors (elaborated in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina by Tim Zahn), since the two look nothing like each other. As an interesting note, Rick Baker and the make-up crew nicknamed the "Space Girls" (their production name) "Star Whores." The sisters were played by Angela Staines and Christine Hewitt.

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The Hare MouseSolomahol's production name was "Hare Mouse." His mask was also used for an obese humanoid nicknamed "The Colonel" in the cantina. This mask also was used for an alien in Cloud City, in The Empire Strikes Back.

Multiple AliensAccording to production notes, there were at least three "Martians," or Rodians on the cantina set. The Rodians were originally going to have four arms, a feature that was transferred to the "Plutonians" or Morseerians. There were three Plutonians on set as well. This one, Chall Bekan, is somewhat of a town leader in the Mos Eisley alien community.

Alien ChatterThe alien chatter in this scene is coming from Hrchek, one of the "crockers." The crocker mask, with repainted skin, refinished eyes and without the articulated jaw became the basis for the Trandoshan mask in The Empire Strikes Back.

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A Farmboy, A Jedi, and Two Droids Walk Into A Bar...This shot is reversed (backwards) from the previous. Hrchek and Rycar have switched position.

The DurosDuros are humanoids from the Duro system. They have a long history of star travel, and were one of the first cultures to first explore the galaxy. Their production names were "Goggle Eyes". Note the differences in the anatomy of these aliens. Baniss has large, bony hands while Ellors has small, human-sized hands.

The WolfmanThe second wolfman in the cantina is the more well-known. Nicknamed "Hyena Man" by the crew, he became Lak Sivrak in expanded fiction. Sivrak is a scout who formerly worked for the Empire, and now works for the Alliance. He will later die in the Battle of Endor. Dice Ibegon is a florn lamproid, a dangerous species of eel-like predators with the mysterious ability to alter the perception of time. This simple puppet was nicknamed "Snake Head."

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KetwolIn the special edition, Sivrak was replaced with Ketwol, the Patthicip. Ketwol may be an anagram of "low tek" or low tech, since he is a simple puppet in a movie now filled with CG creations. Ketwol was operated by Howie Weed, the puppetteer who would also perform the new wampa. Ketwol uses the same mask as Melas.

Ron Cobb AliensThis shot features two of Ron Cobb's better known alien designs. Lurking in the shadows is the Gotal, Feltipern Trevagg. Although no production nickname for this alien has been revealed, a 1989 West End Games miniature set identified him as "Kerru." Across from him sits the peaceful Ithorian, Momaw Nadon. As we all remember from the vintage toyline, Nadon's production nickname is "Hammerhead." Ithorians have unique vocal patterns since they have two mouths -- one on each side of their flowing neck. Barely visible in the background is Trinto Duaba, or "Terminal Man." He is from a rare species of Force-sensitive shapeshifters called the Stennes.

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What's That Doing Here?How exactly did Wuher manage to get IG-88's head in his bar?

The CrowdThe scuffle arouses attention from the peanut gallery. The Saurin masks used for Hrchek and Saitorr would be re-used in Return of the Jedi for one of Jabba's cronies. Note that Rycar being a Bimm matches West End Games' description of the species, and not Dark Horse's.

Push Comes To ShoveAccording to the script, the aliens that accost Luke are "a large, multiple eyed creature [that] gives Luke a rough shove" (Ponda Baba), "a short, grubby Human" (Dr. Evazan) and "an even smaller rodent-like beast." Does this last sound like Kabe to you? If you watch the bar shots, Evazan appears to talk to Kabe. When Kenobi cuts off Pondas arm, you can distinctly hear his deep roar/scream, Evazans grunt, and a third, whiny moan-squeal. According to the script, the creature (Baba) is "cut from chin to groin" and the rodent is "cut in two." In the background of this shot is Kitik Keed'kak (or "Praying Mantis"). This powerful female Yam'rii was performed by Jack Purvis, who played the Jawa Chief ("Dathcha"), the Ugnaught Chief ("Ugloste") and the Ewok hunter, Teebo.105

Duros AliasesGalaxy Guide 7 calls them Chachi and Ohwun De Maal. The Screen Saver package calls them Bringe and Probos. The card game calls them Ellorrs Madak and Baniss Keeg. Their production nickname was "Goggle Eyes".

On-Set EffectThe severing of Baba's arm was originally achieved in one shot (as opposed to a cut-away of the arm on the floor). If the shaky hand-held footage of this shot were to continue, you would see Baba's arm drop on the floor. Interestingly enough, it is his left arm that gets severed in this take. You can barely see it in freeze-frame. If you have the Behind the Magic CD-ROM, you can see this full shot.

In Arm's WayRather than do it in one take, the severing of Baba's hand was acheived as a cut-away insert. However, a production mix-up ended up with not only the wrong type of hand (fingered and hairy instead of smooth and finned) but also the wrong arm! (right instead of left).

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GreedoA Rodian, possibly Greedo, seems rather impressed with Obi-Wan's handiwork. There at least three Rodians in the cantina. One is named Thuku.

Apathetic and Backwards CrowdAfter Pondas arm is severed, there is a shot of the bar bystanders turning to look and turning away. This shot is the same as one several cuts ago, but it is reversed. This occurs when an editor or director purposely or accidentally flips the negative to change