Gamorrean/Legends

Gamorreans were porcine humanoids from the lush jungle Outer Rim planet of Gamorr. They also colonized the planet Pzob in the K749 system. Gamorreans were typically green-skinned with a large powerful physique and were known to be fierce warriors prized for their great strength and brutality in combat. They were organised into clans headed by a Council of Matrons. In Gamorrean society female sows perform all the productive work while the male boars concentrated on training for and fighting wars. They spoke Gamorrese (also called Gamorrean). One of their favorite weapons was a vibro-ax called arg'garok.

Appearance and physiology
Gamorrean males averaged about 1.8 meters in height and could weigh more than 100 kilograms. They had thick snouts, close set eyes, tusks and two small horns on their heads.



Although a typical Gamorrean was squat, green and heavily built not all shared these characteristics. Most Gamorreans had a dark greenish coloration over a large portion of their bodies; however skin coloration did vary, particularly among females, with light skinned and two-toned pigmentation not uncommon. Black, brown, pinkish yellow, and even a rare white pigmentation were possible. Boars tended to have less skin variation and had a greater tendency towards dark green skin perhaps because of their higher exposure to the radiation of the Gamorr Star. Eye coloration varied evenly between gold-yellow, blue, black and brown. The Gamorreans generally put no importance on skin or eye coloration although there were some superstitions linked to certain markings.

Not all Gamorreans were heavy and squat. Although this was the most common and generally the desirable appearance in Gamorrean society some individuals were comparatively lean and tall. Greel, co-owner of the The Broken Tust on Reuss VIII, was quite undersized compared to his brother Gorge who represented a more conventional Gamorrean appearance.



They were largely viewed as mindless, intellectually inferior brutes by the wider galactic community. This perception may be partly due to their physiology, which made it nearly impossible for them to speak Galactic Basic. Their vocal apparatus made it impossible for them to speaking clearly in any language other than their native dialect.

Gamorreans were typically covered by a number of parasitic bloodsuckers native to Gamorr called Morrts. They showed great affection for the creatures and considered them adorable pets. The number of morrts that a Gamorrean hosted was related to their status within a clan. A clan Warlord or matron could have up to 20 of these parasites feeding on them.

The Gamorrean diet mainly consisted of fungus that grew plentifully on their homeworld. A species of mobile mushrooms called Snoruuk was one of the most widely eaten varieties.

Gamorrean childhood ended after about 6 years from which point they were considered young adults. When they reached the age of 13 they were considered mature adults and the boars would go to war. Biologically they were capable of living beyond the age of 45 but the violent nature of their existence meant that very few boars reached that age.

Clan Society
Gamorreans were organised into clans ruled by a male warlord and his wife, a head sow who was the most powerful of the clan matrons. While the warlord and his boars were solely concerned with preparing and participating in battle with rival clans the matrons of the clan performed all the productive work including farming, hunting, manufacturing weapons and running businesses.



Females within a clan were all related to each other and could trace their lineage back to a common matriarch. Boars, however, were exchanged between clans at an early age and some would change their elegancies during their adult lives. Clans ranged in size from a few dozen to over a hundred but typically a clan constituted about 20 sows, fifty boars and the young. The young were mostly born in the spring (“slushtime”) and the litters typically ranged between three and nine. The male to female ratio was about ten-to-one with females only being born about every second litter. Despite this a high fatality rate among boars, due to their violent lives, resulted in a predominance of older females.

Clans owned and controlled areas of land and were always interested in acquiring more. Land was gained by either colonizing unclaimed areas or more commonly taking land from rival clans. Since the amount of available arable land on Gamorr is scarce several clans often lay claim to the same piece of land and they spend their time fighting over possession. A female typically had up to a dozen husbands during their lifetime since a boars lifespan was limited by his violent lifestyle.

Sows did all the useful work within Gamorrean society and they owned and leased all property. They were capable of being as rough as the males and they actively encouraged boars to engage in bloody act of violence to demonstrate their virility. Daughters inherit their mothers land evenly and therefore over generations these holdings diminished in size. A matron consolidating land was a critical reason for the ongoing wars between clans. Clan matrons were a select group of sows with the greatest of land who constituted the clan council of matrons. They usually had a number of clan Tusker boars in admiration of their beauty and status. A matron could often be distinguished from a lesser clan sow by the presence of a small number of bodyguards and the relatively large amount of morrts that they hosted. The council of matrons was led by a head sow who were the richest and most powerful of the clan matrons.

Sows were responsible for all trading with non-Gamorreans. They were typically interested in obtaining weapons and food supplies with long lives. They would pay for such goods with gold or other precious metals if they had any or by boar mercenary contract.

There were four classes of male boars within Gamorrean society, Warlords, Clan boars, Tuskers and Veterans. Warlords were the most socially and physically powerful boars in a clan and held their position by way of their marriage to a clan matron. The greatest of the warlords was selected by the head sow for his combat prowess and past successes. He was absolute ruler in all matter of war and general of the clan armies. The lesser warlord served as clan captains. A typical warload could host up to twenty morrts and they were known to bestow on to another warrior for acts of heroism. Warlords almost always came from the ranks of the household boars (otherwise known as Tuskers).

Clan boars were males married to clan sows (not matrons) and they made up the core of the clan-guard and the clan army. They were important individuals because the income provided by their wives enabled them to afford good weapons and armor. Their relatively high status (below warlords) was indicated by the 10 or so morrts that lived on their bodies. They could generally not attain the position of warlord unless their wife died and they married a matron or she inherited a matronage, both rare event in Gamorrean society.



Tuskers or household boars were unmarried males who were pledged to a clan. They formed the bulk of the clan armies and generally lived off the plunder of military campaigns. While a tusker was customarily poor they could hope to gain the attention of a sow or perhaps even a clan matron and therefore enter the ranks of the Clan boars or Warlords. They typically hosted about half a dozen morrts but a successful tusker could amass a much larger trove. They would often give a clan matron their morrts as tribute. Tuskers were not totally loyal and would occasionally change their allegiance to another clan particularly if the clan matron was looking to increase the size of her clan.

The fourth basic variety of boars in Gamorrean society was the Veteran. They were retired from campaign due to old age or more commonly from a maiming or injury. A veteran could often be identified by the lack of a body part and the presence of about twelve or so morrts. They were typically very tough, experience boars who were well respected within their clan. They were responsible for the training of the young boars before they first marched off to war and were trusted advisors to clan Warlords. They were also often commanded the clan-guard.



Gamorrean clans constructed fortresses that varied in size dramatically. They all tended to followed the basic design. The simplest fortresses consisted of a stockade surrounded by a small village of huts and long houses. The clan-guard controlled the boundary of the fortress and kept unwanted visitors away. They domesticated dangerous predators called Watch-beasts to help protect these strongholds. Access to the settlement was through a gate and at the center of the village was typically the clan-house. This was a well constructed, heavily fortified building where the matrons and warlords resided. A small fortress would be inhabited by about 10 sows and 20 boars.

An average fortress consisted of a village with a stockade that could be surrounded by a moat or other boundard defence. An internal sub-fortress was usually built around the village on a built-up or naturally occurring mount. The sub-fortress was a well-built construction that was sometimes built of stone and it was well guarded. In it function the sub-fortress was a large version of the clan-house. An average Gamorrean village of this size would typically be inhabited by between 30 and 50 sow and as many as 100 boars. Immediately inside the main gate of the village was located a common area. This was a place where markets were held and it represented a safe area for other clan members. It was a serious crime to violate the strict no fighting rules in this area.

Some of the most powerful and prestigious Gamorrean clans have larger fortresses that are effectively townships. The town is surrounded by an outer wall fortifications and a broad moat. It is often also divided internally by walls to reduced the impact of an enemy that advanced passed the main gate. There are several clan-houses in the internal structure and a sub-fortress that acted as a final refuge against an advancing army. Only about a dozen townships of this size existed on Gamorr and was populated by as many as 100 sows and 300 boars.

Several of these larger fortresses have constructed a foreigners' quarter within their boundaries where other clans could deal with each other in safety. Like the common area of smaller settlements there was a strict prohibition of combat in this area. Non-Gamorreans were often found trading in these areas. Most towns maintained a large landing field outside of their boundaries.



Some of the larger clan-towns formed sub-clans that still considered themselves part of the parent clan although local rivalries between sub-clans did develop. It was debated among Xenosociologists whether the development of these large clan-towns marked a societal change within the Gamorrean clan structure or whether these clan-towns would eventally collapse under population and social pressure.


 * Klagg clan (Pzob)
 * Gakfedd clan (Pzob)
 * Norgk clan (Gamorr)
 * Glonnk clan (Gamorr)
 * Bolgoink clan (Gamorr)
 * Groogrun clan (Gamorr)
 * Jugsmuk clan (Gamorr)
 * Bk'trugh clan

Some clans formed small professional mercenary bands that move around selling their combat services to the higher bidder. Although it was not uncommon for traditional clans to occasionally fight for another clan for pay, these mercenary clans did it professionally. They were, however, not totally driven by greed and the warlords of these clans still adhered to the tradition of fighting a blood-battle to complete a deal. Since these clans would go anywhere to carry out a contract they constituted a substantial proportion of Gamorrean mercenaries in the galaxy.

Beliefs
Gamorreans were Animistic and believed that everything such as natural features, animals, sites of past battles and people had an enduring spirit that could affect the physical worlds. The superstitious beliefs of the Gamorreans, however, decreased over the last hundred years or so before the battle of Yavin. Although they believed that everything had a lingering spirit they were generally only concerned with powerful spirits that could pose a threat. Famous long-dead heros, giant trees, large fungi, the spirits of murdered individuals and ancient fortresses are an example of things that Gamorreans believed could help or hinder the living. The association with how these spirits affected the physical world was based on the nature of the source in Gamorreans lives. For example tree and mountain spirit were generally considered good because the source, with which they reside, provides wood and stone for building. This, however, did not mean that they believed that they were totally benign since trees would drop branches on individual and mountains would shed landslides onto unsuspecting Gamorreans.



The spirits of the sea and forest were considered incomprehensible. Sometimes they would let a traveller past and other times they would hinder their progress. Forests were viewed as mischievous, they would change the path and on occasion swallow an entire fellowship whole. Gamorreans didn't like the oceans as they saw them as incredibly unpredictable. If treated correctly they thought that the spirits would send favorable wind and if angered would unleash a ferocious storm. Even if the spirits sent favorable wind and current they believed that the spirit, on occasion, decided to sweep the traveller far out to sea or draw the vessel into a watery grave.

They believed that ancient fortresses had powerful and good spirits that could fortify the strength of defenders during an attack. Famous warriors who fell during an attack on a fortress were also invoked to increase the defenders strength. Such spirits were thought to protect a certain clan and they also included a powerful warlord who fell in combat, who was invoked to ensure victory in battle, and most importantly the spirit of the clan founder. The clan founder was a matron and it was believed that she sent dreams to the incumbent clan matron to advice in time of strife.

An ancient clan fortress and giant fungi were thought to house fertitity spirits. In the case of the fortress spirit it was believed to increase the fertility of sows during slushtime and croptime. They believed that Giant carnivorous fungi such as the Algark Stalks contained fertility spirits because they would dispense their spores (offspring) when approached. As such the Gamorreans respected these spirits from afar.

The spirit of a murdered individual was greatly feared by most Gamorreans. They were thought to be angry at being killed by underhand means and intent on seeking revenge against the murderer. These spirits were believed to walk the land of the living during the night seeking retribution and killing all that they came across. According the Gamorrean beliefs they were exceptionally strong and dangerous but did not possess supernatural abilities such as invulnerability or the ability to fly and could therefore be physically fought by a warrior. Since the surest way to prevent the spirit from entering the physical plain was to kill the murderer justice was often swift on Gamorr and Pzob.

The fallen in great battles were thought to reside at the site of their demise and were believed to return during stormy winter weather to re-fight the battles. Since battles typically took place near settlements and fortresses storm damage to these dwelling were often contributed to the spirits.

Combat and Honor
Gamorrean combat was almost entirely hand-to-hand with or without a melee weapons and typically relied on physical power. Clans in regular contact with offworlders did not consider vibroblades as magical objects as they did for a long time and their increase in cutting power was considered a sign that they were a superior weapon. Vibro-axs were popular weapons among the Gamorreans and two examples were the Arg'garok and the Clan Groogrun vibro-ax. The latter was built on Gamorr by members of the Groogrun clan such as the master weapon maker Snogrutt. Another commonly used weapon was the Thogk, a traditional Gamorrean club that literally translated as "log with a spike in it". They were crafted with pride by pounding a metal spike through a long chunk of gorgt wood. Gamorreans also frequently wore armor called M'uhk'gfa. Traditionally each suit of battle plate was constructed from fragments of metals collected as trophies on a battlefield and bound by leather straps. A segmented collar protected the neck while plates surrounded the torso and shoulders. Thinner plates were often attached to the arms that allowed a weapon to be freely swung. A helmet was also worn that took into account the Gamorreans horns. Since their introduction to the Republic and later the Empire the traditional skill of constructing M'uhk'gfa battle plates has diminished and many Gamorreans started to acquire pre-fabricated armor.



The Gamorreans had little interest in ranged weapons such as blasters. When Old Republic scouts introduced them to weapons they rejected them completely. The only way for a Gamorrean male to demonstrate his “boarness” is through close combat. The use of a ranged weapon against another honorable Gamorrean opponent was considered dishonorable. It was, however, acceptable to use blasters and other ranged weapons against other species and dishonoured Gamorreans. Gamorrean honor was governed by a set of simple rules and mainly concerns the code of conduct for combat and warfair. Boars were born and breed to fight and if they refused to or could not they were killed by older boars (assuming that their mother allowed them to survive childhood). It was honourable for a boar to face an opponent in combat to first blood, to defeat or to death. Fair tourney fights were usually only to first blood since their purpose was to attract attention and show off not to risk life. Tourneys were also the site of pre-arranged death matches between enemies that were often concerned with a suitor challenging a husband for the right to marry a sow.

The use of “magic” in combat with an honorable opponent was considered dishonorable. In addition to the use of blasters, it also included any other advanced technology, the Force, natural abilities considered magical and anything else that could not be comprehend. It was also dishonorable to kill an opponent stealthily. In Gamorrean society it was acceptable to challenge an opponent, fight and kill him for no reason at all but it was an unforgivable wrong to sneak up and kill while they were not looking.

Intellectual thought was moderately discouraged in Gamorrean society and although some have used intelligence and strategic planning to win battles it was generally frowned upon. Sows were generally more intelligent than boars but it was still not socially acceptable for a sow to be overtly intelligent.

Sows do not commonly fight in pitched battles although they did fight in single combat against raiders and occasionally in duals to settle vendettas. Sows gained honor in Gamorrean society by being gweek a term that translated as being matronly protective, having many children and tuskers, owning land and property and managing it well.

Language
Gamorreans spoke their native language of Gamorrese or Gamorrean. To an individual unfamiliar with the language it sounded like a string of grunts, squeals and oinks. It was however a complex form of communication well-suited to the lifestyle of the Gamorreans. Although Gamorrese did not have a sophisticated written language it did have a very basic runic alphabet which was used for record keeping, accounting, recording epic stories and geneology. Gamorrean geneology was an extremely complex subject and was studied by a small class of scholar-lawyer sows who were known to memorize genological listings, heroic deeds and property transactions. The runic alphabet was only typically used by educated sows although a fair number of boars could read them slowly. There were known to be several variations of the runic alphabet. Since Gamorreans encountered in the galaxy were mostly males it was generally considered that the Gamorreans had no written language.

Gamorrean names were simple and were generally a guttural word that the individual made up describing what they would do if somebody made them angry. Most other species did not understand the nuances of their names and therefore did not comprehend the meaning intended. Despite this the Gamorreans continued the practice perhaps not being aware that it was generally their size and demeanour that frightens smaller opponents and not the sound of their name.

Gamorreans in the Galaxy
As a result of their physical characteristics and low intelligence, Gamorreans away from their home planet were usually employed as mercenary fighters, guards, or heavy laborers. For example, the crime boss Jabba the Hutt was fond of hiring them because they were so inexpensive. One notable exception to this was the Wraith Squadron pilot Voort saBinring, who was biochemically altered by the Binring Biomedical to bring his attention span and intelligence more in line with humans. On a less honorable note, is the mutant Dark Jedi Gorc, one of Jerec's band of seven Dark Jedi who were looking for the lost Valley of the Jedi. Though prized as mercenaries, their strong clan allegiance and hatred for rival clans made it unwise to hire Gamorrean enforcers without first inquiring about their clan backgrounds.



During the Mandalorian War, Gamorreans were known to be involved with The Exchange and to take innocent beings prisoner, keeping them as slaves, taking particular interest in Wookiees. In those times, Gamorreans were considered cruel and merciless monsters, and their bad reputation survived into the times of the Galactic Empire. At least one, however, was intelligent and civilized enough to be the sergeant-at-arms for the New Republic Senate.

Gamorrean sows were not as commonly sighted off of Gamorr or Pzob. Notable exceptions were female traders such as Ugmush, Captain of the Zicreex, who travelled from Gamorr to nearby worlds trading goods. A Gamorrean sow also performed at the world famous Purghom Musical Performance Hall on Clak'dor VII.

Most Gamorreans had a hatred of droids and other mechanical devices and they would often needlessly destroy a droid if given the opportunity.

Behind the Scenes
In early sketches of Jabba’s palace guards Ralph McQuarrie envisioned large aggressive humanoids with the facial features of a gorilla. The design was later developed by Joe Johnston into creatures that resembled wild boars with snouts and tusks. In the original sketches these porcine creatures were wearing no clothing over their torso, however, due to the limitations of technology in the early 1980s this was impractical and the creatures were dressed with the familiar leather and cloth uniform of Jabba’s guards. Metal epaulets were added to the costume to conceal the shoulder seams. The design was refined by Dave Carson who termed them "Pig Guard" which they were refered to during the production of Return of the Jedi.

Appearances

 * Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Darth Maul
 * Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
 * Star Wars Republic: Twilight
 * Star Wars Republic: Infinity's End
 * Star Wars Republic: Darkness
 * Jedi Trial
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Evasive Action: Recruitment




 * Star Wars: Droids
 * "The Pirates of Tarnoonga"
 * "The Pirates and the Prince"
 * Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
 * Star Wars Empire 19: Target: Vader
 * Star Wars Rebellion 0: Crossroads
 * Fortune, Fate, and the Natural History of the Sarlacc
 * Star Wars: Dark Forces
 * Lucky Stars
 * Star Wars: Demolition
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Tales from Jabba's Palace
 * And Then There Were Some: The Gamorrean Guard's Tale
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Three Against the Galaxy
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron (Mention Only)
 * X-wing: Wraith Squadron
 * X-wing: Iron Fist
 * X-wing: Solo Command
 * Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
 * Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood
 * I, Jedi
 * Children of the Jedi
 * Planet of Twilight
 * ''Darksaber
 * The Black Fleet Crisis
 * Young Jedi Knights series
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
 * Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand