Dug

For other uses, see Dug.

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba…"

―Anakin Skywalker, about Jar Jar Binks^[9]

The Dugs were a sentient^[1] species from the planet Malastare.^[10] They were easily identified by their long snouts and the fact that they walked using their arms. On Malastare, the Dugs were ruled by the Dug Council, which during the Clone Wars was headed by Nakha Urus, who held the title of Doge. Some Dugs were known to travel off-world in order to seek lives off of Malastare. The pilot Sebulba became a well known and feared Podracer pilot, while a Dug named Preigo headed a popular circus. Dugs could also be found on the worlds of Coruscant and Tatooine.

Biology and appearance

Dugs were a sentient^[1] that possessed four^[9] hand-like feet,^[11] Dugs went about on one pair of feet, while the other feet, which also acted like a second pair of hands, hung in the air, giving Dugs an inverted appearance. Dugs had elongated snouts,^[9] which sometimes grew fleshy tendrils that gave off the appearance of having facial hair.^[12] Their skin spanned an array of colors and shades, including beige,^[3] blue,^[4] brown,^[2] gray,^[5] pale,^[6] purple,^[7] and tan.^[4]

Their native habitat was desert or wastelands. Loose skin on the necks of Dugs inflated to make mating calls.^[4] Infant Dugs were known as pups. The human Alys Ongwa believed the pups were much cuter than their adult counterparts. The Dug Varb Tenart had multiple littermates and had around forty-eight pups.^[11]

Society and culture

Dugs were known to be very determined people.^[11]

History

PreigoDetail-SWE — Preigo was a Dug circus ringmaster

Dugs hailed from the planet of Malastare,^[10] where early tribes were harassed by a monster known as the Zillo Beast. As the Dugs expanded across their world and began drilling operations to look for fuel, they drove the creatures close to extinction, while recording every weakness that the animals had. Eventually, it was believed that the creatures were extinct, save for one which had gone into hiding. As such, generation after generation of Dug prepared the next generation for what would be an eventual encounter with the remaining Zillo Beast.^[2]

After Gran colonists arrived on Malastare, the Dugs put up a unrelenting defense in the name of their homeworld. Facing the technological superior Gran in what would be an increasingly brutal war, the Dugs' resourceful fight would prove to be in vain once the Galactic Republic stepped in: thanks to the influence the Gran possessed, the Galactic Senate voted in favor of the Gran via the Gran Protectorate Act, which allowed the Gran to take hold of Malastare's eastern continent. With the Dugs forced into moving by the Gran, the Republic moved the Dugs to the western continent, but the Dugs continued to face the threat of Gran incursion. Their failure to win the war and the injustice they lived with turned many Dugs into xenophobes and haters of the Republic.^[13]

During the Clone Wars in the late reign of the Galactic Republic, the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems arrived on Malastare in order to tap their fuel reserves. The Republic intervened and were supported by the Dugs^[2] despite the past injustice.^[13] Doge Nakha Urus feared that, should the Confederacy conquer Malastare, his people would be enslaved. During the ensuing conflict, the final Zillo Beast revealed itself. Although the Dugs attempted to kill it, the Republic forces managed to knock it out and take it back to Coruscant. The Dugs eventually signed a treaty with the Republic.^[2] Into the Imperial Era, the Dugs continued to face Gran incursions into their territory.^[13]

Dugs in the galaxy

Dug Modder SM — A Dug weapons specialist

During the reign of the Galactic Republic, Dugs could be found off of their homeworld and taking part in the activities of the outside galaxy. One of the best-known Dugs was Sebulba, a menacing podracer pilot who was known to employ cheap tactics and illegal weapons to win races. Sebulba was the routine crowd favorite of the Boonta Eve Classic race, located on the planet Tatooine.^[9] Dugs could also be found on Coruscant shortly before the start of the Clone Wars.^[14] Preigo was a Dug circus ringmaster who would perform shows for a modest fee, in hopes of entertaining those who needed some fun during the darkness of the Clone Wars. Preigo was known to entertain the pirate gang of Hondo Ohnaka, although, ever since a performance where one of Preigo's artists was killed by one of Ohnaka's pirates, the Dug has been hesitant when entertaining for Ohnaka afterward.^[12]

Behind the scenes

"George had the idea of a creature that walks on his hands and uses his feet as arms. Sebulba looks a bit like an arachnid, although his face is something like an arrogant camel. We definitely wanted him to look creepy."

―Terryl Whitlatch, on designing Sebulba^[15]

Dugs first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The species was created as part of the development process as George Lucas had the idea of a creature that would use its hands as feet and its legs as arms.^[15]