Saun Dann

"I'm Saun Dann&mdash;a local trader, a friend of the Rebellion, and a member of the Alliance."

- Saun Dann

Saun Dann was a friendly trader on Kashyyyk during the rule of the Galactic Empire. He maintained a trading shop on the planet, nearby or in the city of Rwookrrorro. In 0 ABY, he helped Chewbacca's family evade the Imperial blockade of the planet on the day Chewbacca returned to visit them for Life Day sometime after the Battle of Yavin.

Daily life
In his daily life, Saun Dann was the shop-keeper of a trading post on Kashyyyk. He was frequently involved with the Wookiees in business deals. On at least one such occasion, he had the opportunity to do business with a member of the Imperial forces.

Saun Dann was a member and supporter of the Rebel Alliance, and a friend to Chewbacca's family, of whom he often did business with.

Languages
Saun Dann appeared to speak fluent Basic, and was known to be able to understand&mdash;to an unknown degree&mdash;the Wookiee language of Shyriiwook.

Family


Based on his own words, it is possible that he had a nephew serving in the Imperial Military. However, Saun Dann had shown himself to be good at telling lies from time to time in order to get him or others out of trouble. So it is likely that his nephew, if he had one, wasn't even in the Imperial military. This is even more likely, given the fact that Saun Dann himself was a supporter of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and would likely have a Rebel influence on his nephew.

Behind the scenes
Saun Dann was apparently created by George Lucas, and made his first&mdash;and so far only&mdash;appearance in Steve Binder's 1978 made-for-TV film The Star Wars Holiday Special. The character was portrayed by actor Art Carney&mdash;who coincidentally died only days away (November 9, 2003) from the 25th anniversary of the The Star Wars Holiday Special's only airing.

The same basic character concept would later be used as a prototype for Lando Calrissian in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back; in an early draft, Calrissian existed as a gambler and general store owner on the Wookiee homeworld.

Appearances

 * The Star Wars Holiday Special