Gibbela

"In the name of the Emperor, I claim this planet as Imperial territory. Surrender and no harm will come to you."

- Imperial officer

Gibbela was a remote planet inhabited by a polymorphic sentient species. An agricultural world, it was selected for colonization by the Galactic Empire and a small detachment was sent to the planet. However, after making first contact, one of the natives morphed into a vicious predator and killed the taskforce.

Description
Gibbela was a planet, isolated from the galaxy and distant from even minor trade routes. A number of farming crops grew on the planet, cultivated by its indigenous species. These crops included yellow stalks that were grown in circular gardens, and red crops that grew on thin shoots, protected by tripod supports. These were guarded by scarecrows.

History
During the rule of the Galactic Empire, Gibbela was scouted as a possible site for colonization, with preliminary reconnaissance suggesting the local inhabitants would provide minimal resistance to Imperial forces. Consequently, a small Imperial taskforce was dispatched to Gibbela to claim the world for the Empire. Landing a Sentinel-class landing craft in the middle of the natives' crops, an Imperial officer confronted one of the inhabitants, ordering him to surrender. Angered by the Imperials, the local polymorphed into a larger form, and eliminated the officer and his stormtrooper support. The Imperial equipment was subsequently converted to farming equipment.

Inhabitants
Gibbela was inhabited by a species of humanoid polymorphs. Covered in purple fur, these smalls beings transformed into vicious predators double their original size when angered. In this form, the Gibbelans had five sharp claws that were formidable weapons in close combat, capable of severing limbs. This ability meant most spacers avoided contact with the planet's inhabitants. The inhabitants of Gibbela lived in large cloth dwellings. Around these structures, they cultivated a variety of farming crops.

Behind the scenes
Gibbela first appeared in The Value of Proper Intelligence to Any Successful Military Campaign is Not to Be Underestimated, a two-page comic written by Ken Lizzl and published in Star Wars Tales 19. Plausible stories in Star Wars Tales 1–20 were initially considered S-canon until referenced in a non-Tales source, at which point the subject matter was elevated to C-canon. Gibbela and the events of the comic later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, thus raising the events to C-canon.