Mon Calamari/Legends

"Make no mistake, the Mon Calamari saved the galaxy."

- Mon Mothma

The Mon Calamari (also known as Calamari, Calamarians, Mon Cal or Mon Calamarians) were one of the sentient species indigenous to the world of Dac.

Biology and appearance


Mon Calamari were fish-like amphibious humanoids with domed heads, webbed hands, and large eyes. Male Mon Calamari had protrusions on their chin called "barbels" which grew more numerous with age. Most Mon Calamari had salmon-colored skin, often mottled with light and dark patterns, though examples of other skin colors were known. They could also descend to depths of up to 30 meters below sea level without breathing, though they found it uncomfortable and often used organic gills. Mon Calamari could stay underwater for a long period of time, although a frightened Mon Calamari, particularly a juvenile, could drown underwater. They also did not need to decompress when resurfacing.

Their hands, apart from being webbed, also featured five claw-tipped fingers; one opposable thumb with two more shorter claw-like protrusions, two long middle fingers, and two extremely short outer fingers. As an additional feature, Mon Calamari hands also presented three suction-cup like holes on their palms.

Mon Calamari could swivel their eyes independently from one another, focusing on two areas at once. Mon Calamari saw in different wavelengths than Humans, making it difficult for one species to view visuals designed for the other and vice versa. Their eyes were often used to express emotion; staring with the left eye was a way of showing surprise, while staring with the right eye was either a challenge to fight or an expression of love, depending on the circumstances.

"I tell you, it was like blasting Mon Cals in a fishbowl."

- Deal-slang expression

Due to their fish-like appearance, the Mon Calamari were referred to by the somewhat derogatory Deal-slang expression "Mon Cals in a fishbowl", which referred to the act of making several big and easy deals from naïve or less-than-intelligent clients.

Society and culture
The Mon Calamari had developed a very civilized culture. Art, music, literature, and science showed a creativity surpassed by few in the galaxy. Mon Calamari literature depicted stars as islands in a galactic sea. This showed a passionate longing to explore space and discover other civilizations.

The mathematically-minded Givin could not stand the Mon Calamari spaceships, as they were too organic and not geometric enough.

Squid Lake, a performance of Mon Calamari dance, played at the Galaxies Opera House on Coruscant in 19 BBY. The audience for the premiere included such influential figures as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker.

Mon Calamari tended to dislike and mistrust smugglers, with the famous Admiral Ackbar being no exception. This facet of Mon Calamari culture led to some tension in the early days of the New Republic.

Conflict with the Galactic Empire would forever change Mon Calamari culture. Once seen as one of the most peaceful species in the galaxy, warfare has come to define the Mon Calamari people. Once their allegiance to the Rebel Alliance had been solidified, the Mon Calamari began a massive military buildup. The shipyards over their home planet of Mon Calamari, began converting their ships for war. These ships, once viewed as some of the most beautiful and luxurious passenger liners in the galaxy, quickly became instruments of death and destruction. Though new to warfare, the Mon Calamari quickly adapted and soon found themselves at home with the concept. Nearly overnight, thousands of Mon Calamari began to fill the ranks of the Alliance.

As soldiers, the Mon Calamari were known to fight with a resolve that rivaled the Wookiees. As pilots the Mon Calamari would control their ships like an artist would control a paintbrush. Their most notable role in the Rebellion were the officer and tactical positions that the Rebels desperately needed to fill. The Mon Calamari were renowned for their leadership and tactical brilliance both in space and ground combat.

After the defeat of the Empire and the establishment of the New Republic, the Mon Calamari found themselves unwilling to return to their post-imperial pacifism and military disarmament. Instead the Mon Calamari felt the galaxy was yet to be safe and continued to devote ships, personnel, and resources to the Republic.

Even 40 years after the Battle of Yavin the Mon Calamari were still noted for their continued military excellence, with many Mon Calamari serving at the highest ranks of the Galactic Alliance military.

By the time of the defeat of the Galactic Alliance 140 years ABY and the rise of the Galactic Empire under Sith rule, the shipyards over Mon Calamari consisted of a massive and heavily armed, construction station that ringed the entire planet.

History
The Mon Calamari shared their planet with the Quarren, the Whaladons, the Moappa, and the Knowledge Bank. Unlike the other species, their civilization was centered in the shallow parts of the ocean and on Dac's few islands. This gave them a technological head start over the planet's other people, especially the Quarren of the ocean depths.

Circa 4,500 BBY, the Mon Calamari were attacked by the Quarren. The Mon Calamari, though less aggressive by nature, had much better technology, and won the war. In order to prevent future wars, the Mon Calamari took hundreds of young Quarren prisoners, taught them the ways of Mon Calamari civilization, then set them free. After the re-educated Quarrens gained control over Quarren civilization, peace between the two peoples continued for centuries (though it was sometimes a tense relationship).

The Mon Calamari had always been explorers, even from their earliest records, and wanted to explore the stars. They were delighted to find out they weren't alone when the planet was discovered circa 4,000 BBY, but their delight turned to dismay when the corrupt forces that gripped the Galactic Republic devastated their homeworld. Later, Dac joined the Galactic Senate. One Mon Calamari even served as Supreme Chancellor in 3,653 BBY, during the Sacking of Coruscant.

In 532 BBY, many Mon Calamari and Quarren were taken as laborers to Lamaredd. During the last decades of the Galactic Republic, the government of Dac, and its representation in the Galactic Senate, was shared between the Mon Calamari and the Quarren.

Just before the Clone Wars, the corrupt Quarren Senator Tikkes allowed Thalassian Slavers to operate in Calamari Sector, and defected to the Confederacy of Independent Systems as leader of the Quarren Isolation League after being forced out of office. A civil war on Dac ensued, with the Republic loyalist Mon Calamari Knights joining Republic forces against the Quarren Isolation League and Separatist Mon Calamari led by Merai. After the Republic victory at the Battle of Dac, new accords between the Quarren and Mon Calamari were signed, with pro-Republic Senators Tundra Dowmeia (a Quarren) and Meena Tills (a Mon Calamari) jointly representing Dac in the Senate.

With the dawn of the Galactic Empire, the Mon Calamari initially welcomed the Imperial forces when they entered their system. However, the Imperials saw the people of Dac&mdash;the Mon Calamari in particular&mdash;as natural slaves whose industries and resources could be used to power the Imperial war machine. The Imperial leadership may also have been suspicious because both of Dac's senators signed the Petition of 2000. Aided by the sabotage of the planetary shields by Quarren saboteurs such as Seggor Tels, the Empire swiftly conquered Mon Calamari.

The Mon Calamari led a passive resistance movement, but they were unsuccessful. Emperor Palpatine ordered three Mon Calamari cities to be destroyed in reprisal. Regardless, the Imperial attack did not succeed in breaking the Mon Calamari spirit. Eventually, the Mon Calamari, joined by the Quarren, rose up against their oppressors, driving them off their planet.

Later, an Imperial sentientologist named Obo Rin, working under the direction of Darth Vader, wrote the Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy. In an attempt to discredit the Mon Calamari, this work included falsified claims that the first contact between the Mon Calamari and galactic civilization occurred during the reign of the Galactic Empire. This was accepted as truth by many citizens of the Empire, further angering the Mon Calamari.

The Mon Calamari eventually joined the Rebel Alliance, proving an invaluable asset in the Galactic Civil War. This was primarily due to the Mon Calamari being masters of starship construction and supplying the Alliance with badly needed Mon Calamari Star Cruisers, the capital ships that could take on the Galactic Empire's ships of the line. Prior to joining the Alliance, the Mon Calamari had only built passenger liners because of their peaceful ethos. During the Battle of Endor, Mon Calamari vessels were used by the Alliance and played a major role in the battle. The Mon Cals would continue to serve its successor governments: the New Republic and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.



During the reborn Emperor Palpatine's insurrection in 10 ABY, the Mon Calamari were targeted by the Imperial Remnant in retaliation for supporting the Rebel Alliance. Many Mon Calamari floating cities were destroyed by the massive World Devastators. However, the Empire's efforts were repulsed during the First Battle of Dac. Dac came under assault again by the forces of Admiral Daala in the Second Battle of Mon Calamari, but her forces were also repelled. During the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Dac was used as the temporary capital of the newly formed Galactic Federation of Free Alliances after the loss of Coruscant.

By the end of the Sith-Imperial War, the Mon Calamari were reduced from their equal status under the One Sith. Since then, the Mon Calamari assisted Alliance Admiral Gar Stazi, by supplying recruits, parts, supplies, and bacta. When Stazi stole the Imperious-class Star Destroyer Imperious, Darth Krayt took his frustration out on all of Dac's population. He ordered the inmediate extermination of ten percent of the Mon Calamari population and internment of the rest in work camps to provide an example of the consequences of betraying the Sith to the rest of the galaxy. The first act in the genocide ordered by the Emperor was the massacre of the Mon Calamari Council. However, in order to oppose the extermination of their people, the Mon Calamari Rangers were formed.

Notable Mon Calamari

 * Admiral Ackbar - Supreme Commander of the Alliance Fleet and Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force
 * Cilghal - niece of Ackbar, Senator for Dac and Jedi Master in the New Jedi Order
 * Jesmin Ackbar - niece of Ackbar, founding member of, and communications expert for, Wraith Squadron
 * Bant Eerin - Rise of the Empire era Jedi Knight
 * Gumbrak Hoxz - Rise of the Empire era Padawan
 * Gial Gahan - Member of the Galactic Alliance Triumvirate
 * Ibtisam - Pilot of Rogue Squadron
 * Monia Gahan - Pilot of Rogue Squadron and member of the Galactic Alliance Remnant
 * Meena Tills - Joint representative of Dac in the Galactic Senate
 * Timi Rotramel - Last representative of Dac in the Imperial Senate, early member of the Rebel Alliance.
 * Thaneespi - Deck officer/tactical analyst on Home One at the Battle of Endor
 * Merai - Separatist Naval Commander during the Clone Wars
 * Pashna Starkiller - Seasoned officer in the Rebel Alliance and New Republic
 * Arikakon Baraka - Admiral and Supercruiser Commander
 * Terpfen - Unwilling Imperial spy
 * Cha Niathal - Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force
 * Sissalik - second and final Captain of Nanda's Luck
 * Genkal - Captain of the Naritus
 * Halabar - Respected professor on Calamari
 * Nahdar Vebb - Padawan assigned to Kit Fisto
 * Unidentified Mon Calamari chancellor - The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic during the Great War in 3,653 BBY.

Behind the scenes
Before the release of the prequel trilogy, when West End Games was responsible for generating most of the backstory for the various alien species in the Star Wars galaxy, the Mon Calamari and the Quarren were said to have had their first contact with offworlders when the Galactic Empire discovered their world. This generated continuity problems when Quarren appeared as background aliens in The Phantom Menace, and when the Mon Calamari Padawan Bant Eerin appeared in the Jedi Apprentice series. The idea that the Mon Calamari's conflict with the Empire was their first experience with offworlders was retconned away when they appeared as loyal members of the Galactic Republic in Star Wars: Clone Wars. Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds explained these previous references as Imperial propaganda.

When Return of the Jedi was in pre-production, George Lucas took one look at a nameless alien design laid out by the production creature designers. He decided at that moment that it was going to be Admiral Ackbar. Creature designer Phil Tippet named the species after his lunch of calamari salad one day as a joke. Eight creature masks were constructed for Mon Calamari background characters, though only Ackbar's was fully detailed and articulated.

Mon Calamari are sometimes portrayed with very fin-like legs and feet, yet they are usually shown wearing pants and boots that would fit more Human-like legs and feet. Apparently the cartilaginous tissue of their feet is flexible enough to conform to footwear made for humans.

'Calamari' means 'squid' in many European languages.

Non-canon appearances

 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * A Death Star Is Born
 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * The Princess Leia Diaries
 * Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga