User:Muuuuuurgh/dewback

Dewbacks were large, four-legged reptiles native to the planet of Tatooine. They were commonly used by the planet's inhabitants as mounts and beasts of burden.

Characteristics
Adult dewbacks stood at 1.3 to 2 meters in height and could reach lengths of 2 to 3 meters. The scales of most dewbacks were green and commonly had a mottled or camouflage pattern to them. Dewbacks who had red, brown, gray and most rarely blue scales were also known to exist. The hides of all dewbacks contained special melanins that cut down on the glare from the twin suns of Tatoo I and Tatoo II and preserved vital fluids. This allowed them to endure the planet's extreme heat and to go for days without water.

Because of their large size, dewbacks could often scare off smaller creatures and would fight only if they were threatened. In the event that a dewback was confronted something larger, such as a krayt dragon, its usual instinct would be to run and hide instead of fighting since the result of such a confrontation usually ended disproportionately in the krayt dragon's favor. It was also rumored but not confirmed that whole swarms of skettos were capable of killing a single dewback by draining it of its precious bodily fluids.

Though they began life as solitary animals, wild dewbacks were known to roam the endless deserts in single-file packs of two to five. In the daylight hours the omnivorous reptiles found food by digging through sand dunes with their long, flat teeth and sharp talons for small animals such as scurriers and baby womp rats. Grasses, underground tubers, desert sages and particularly the roots of cacti also served as sources of food and moisture for dewbacks.

When temperatures dropped during Tatooine's evening and night, packs of dewbacks huddled together to remain warm and conserve energy. The dew that accumulated on their backs during this period was the origin of the species's name. In the morning, members of the pack licked the dew off of each other's back. This was a source of much-needed moisture and also strengthened the bonds between the members of the pack.

Reproduction
Once every year, at the time of their mating season, dewbacks converged on the Jundland Wastes and while doing so, appeared to cover the desert sands. This tradition was so firmly ingrained in the behavior of dewbacks that it was impossible to breed them scientifically or on different worlds, though transplanted dewbacks could be found on other dry planets like Breeka. Even domesticated dewbacks felt the call and their masters were obliged to allow them to go, since dewbacks in captivity might hurt themselves or others in the process of trying to escape.

When they had reached the Jundland Wastes, male dewbacks would attract the attention of females by rolling on their back and displaying their bellies, which would turn sky-blue when they desired to mate. Some time after mating, female dewbacks dug holes in the sands of the wastes and laid a large number of eggs. After their business was done, dewbacks would disperse into the deserts of Tatooine to return the next year. In the case of domesticated dewbacks, many willingly returned to their masters.

Dewback eggs were usually sand-colored and the size of a Human fist. The sands of the Jundland Wastes were the ideal temperature for the incubation of eggs year-round and because of this, krayt dragons also used the wastes as their mating ground as well. The threat to the eggs was somewhat diminished by the fact that the krayt dragon mating season ended well before that of the dewbacks, but the eggs still fell victims to giant woodoos and other scavengers. Half a year later, baby dewbacks hatched from their eggs and would make their way on their own out into Tatooine's deserts to fend for themselves.

Domestication
Domesticated dewbacks were often used by settlers as mounts or beasts of burden on the planet of Tatooine. While it was usually simple to domesticate a dewback, the task of training them was simpler if they were raised from the egg. A properly trained dewback exhibited loyalty and returned the affection shown toward it by its master.

Though they were a relatively primitive means of transportation, dewbacks were in some ways much more suited to the desert environment than mechanical means. They more easily endured the scorching heat and did not have engines and intakes that could be clogged by blowing sand. Dewbacks were capable of speeds as fast as 50 kilometers per hour for short periods of time, a speed at which a sandcrawler could be overtaken.

Settlers also preferred dewbacks over banthas because they were quicker and less timid. While a bantha would seek shelter in the face of an approaching sandstorm, a dewback would keep going regardless. This quality gained them a reputation as the most respected of all the creatures native to Tatooine. Moisture farmers, Podracing teams, security organizations and military organizations, such as Imperial sandtroopers and a desert specialist team from the 4th regiment of the Alliance Special Forces all found dewbacks to be a useful means of transportation. Using a dewbacks for transportation during the night or in cold climates was not advisable, however, since the cold-blooded reptiles became sluggish in lower temperatures.

Dewbacks could also be a source of food and clothing. Dewback ribs were a popular foodstuff in Mos Eisley and Imperial chefs were also informed that they were "ideal for feeding the troops!" Settlers and Sand People alike hunted dewbacks and the latter used leathery dewback hides to make tents, boots, belts and pouches. It was also possible for a repellant against sand ticks to be created from compounds that were found in a dewback's hide, but such a concoction was considered by many to be foul-smelling.

Subspecies
Dewbacks originally evolved from aquatic creatures that had lived in the oceans of ancient Tatooine and were said to be distant cousins of the thuvasaurs of Eiattu. They were grouped into four different subspecies:
 * The most common and recognizable subspecies was the lesser dewback. These dewbacks were knownd for their relatively gentle nature and were the most easily domesticable dewback subspecies.
 * Much like lesser dewbacks, most mountain dewbacks had a calm disposition and could be domesticated. Unlike the lesser dewbacks, they preferred to wander the more mountainous regions of Tatooine.
 * Grizzled dewbacks were the largest known dewback subspecies and could also be distinguished from their smaller cousins by their patchy hides. They were most commonly found in the Jundland Wastes and were considered to be dangerous by the Tatooine's inhabitants because they appeared to have an insatiable appetite.
 * Cannibal dewbacks fell between lesser dewbacks and grizzled dewbacks in terms of of size and gained their name from their willingness to eat newly hatched dewbacks. Their hides resembled those of the lesser dewback but the similarities were rather superficial.  Cannibal dewbacks were considered to be extremely aggressive and undomesticable.  Each year, many settlers on Tatooine were killed because they mistook a cannibal dewback for a lesser dewback.

Behind the scenes
Dewbacks appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope because George Lucas believed that the use of organic instead of mechanical transport would give the scene with the sandtrooper in the desert an "element of surprise." A mechanized puppet that had limited articulation was produced for the filming of A New Hope, but when it came time to shoot the scene in which it was to appear, it did not work properly. However, it did appear far off in the background of the scene and later appeared outside of the Mos Eisley Cantina.

After Lucas's decision to restore and add new effects to A New Hope, the scene of the sandtroopers searching for the droids was among those scenes that were chosen to be revisited. In particular, the scene was to be modified to contain sandtroopers riding mobile dewbacks. In 1995, additional footage for the scene was filmed near Yuma, Arizona. Later, artists from Industrial Light & Magic added computer-generated dewbacks and their riders to the footage. The new dewbacks would appear in the 1997 Special Edition of A New Hope. The dewback puppet standing outside the cantina was also replaced with a computer-generated one and was made to react to patrons who passed by it. Another computer-generated dewback with a sandtrooper dismounting from it was added to the small segment outside the cantina when C-3PO and R2-D2 notice a cantina patron talking to a pair of sandtroopers.