Nevoota (species)

The Nevoota were a sentient species of insectoids native to Nevoota, a planet located in the Balmorra system of the Colonies Regions. Some time prior to 3,996 BBY, the Nevoota engaged in an epic war with the Mandalorians, a religious warrior society. The Nevoota were eradicated in the hostilities, which proved epochal for the Mandalorians, as it led to the deification of war in their culture.

Behind the scenes
The Nevoota species was first canonized by Abel G. Peña in his article The History of the Mandalorians, published in Star Wars Insider 80 in 2005. The name Nevoota had previously been introduced to Star Wars canon by Daniel Wallace in creating the Nevoota system for The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons, published in 1998. Wallace placed Balmorra in this system, and subsequent sources have renamed it as the Balmorra system.

The "Nevoota Bee" joke
"It never ceases to bring a smile to my face&mdash;what started as a sarcastic comment from Tom, an April Fools' Day joke from me, and an in-joke from Mike has actually evolved into a long-lost chapter of Star Wars lore."

- Rich Handley

As Peña explained on the Jedi Council Forums, both of these mentions were a nod to the long-running "Nevoota Bee" joke. The origins of this joke were that Tom Veitch, author of several Star Wars comic series, was once asked, "What is that buzzing noise in the background of A New Hope?" to which he replied, "The Nevoota Bee"&mdash;in reality, the noise was likely caused by a bad copy of the film. Unconnected to this discussion, Rich Handley, author of several Star Wars articles, made an April Fools' joke on rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc, announcing a sequel to Veitch's Empire's End comic series involving Emperor Palpatine being reborn in an insane clone of Chewbacca, named Palbacca. The final step in the joke occurred when Mike Beidler, author of the Star Wars Literature Compendium fansite, combined Veitch's and Handley's quips and listed the "Scourge of the Nevoota Bee" trilogy as a publication on his website. The fictitious trilogy of novels and accompanying fifty-part comic series was purported to be written by Veitch and Beidler, with audiobook adaptations read by Handley. The joke has since continued to circulate among the Star Wars online fan community.