Sneevel/Legends

"Get ready to crash! Get ready to burrrrn!"

- Boles Roor

Sneevels were a furry, humanoid species from the Mid Rim planet Sneeve. They were characterized by their oversized, portly heads, monochromatic eyes, and distinctive smell, which they used for communication. Most Sneevels were extraordinary nimble.

The Sneevels were famed for their daredevil tendencies, which led them into thrill-seeking occupations. When the species was discovered by Duros spacers, they were scouting their planet and system using dangerous native technology. With the hyperspace technology offered by the Duros, the Sneevels joined the Old Republic. They took advantage of their new opportunities to pursue their interests on other planets &mdash; although they showed little interest in galactic politics, they gravitated toward new chances to take new risks in activities such as podracing.

Sneevels actively took part in galactic politics during the Separatist Crisis that preceded the Clone Wars. During this time, the planet supported the Galactic Republic, the Military Creation Act and the Refugee Relief Movement. The Galactic Empire later tried to confine the Sneevels to their homeworld. The restrictions, however, merely served to drive several members of the species to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

The Sneevel Boles Roor found fame as a glimmik singer and podracer in the latter days of the Old Republic. Another Sneevel of note during this time was Jollin Resbin, who served as senator for the Kastolar sector during the Separatist Crisis. Later, Sneevels were seen in Mygeeto during the Galactic Civil War.

Biology and appearance
Sneevels were a sentient species who ranged from 1.6 to 2 meters in height. Their bodies were humanoid, with four long limbs that ended in five digits with nails. They had long tails. Members of the species were covered in fur that varied from blond to black and tended to become white with age. One famous representative of the species, the podracer Boles Roor, wore little clothing, went about barefoot, and bound his tail with a cord.

Sneevels had large heads distinguished by portly muzzles, hairy brows, and manes of bristly hair. The bottom canines protruded from their wide mouths even when closed. The other teeth were smaller, and their tongues were pink. Some Sneevels, such as Boles Roor, braided the hair hanging from their jaw and decorated it with jewelry. At least in some cases, a Sneevel's eyes had irises and scleras that were different shades of the same color; the pupils were darker or black. Their relatively small bodies were nimbler than a typical Human's. This, combined with their naturally high reflexes, gave them exceptionally good reaction time, the ability to deftly dodge in combat, and outstanding aim with ranged weapons. The average Sneevel's lifespan was 76 standard years.

Sneevels exuded a strong odor that varied with their mood. This provided clues about their emotional state to any who could smell them and knew how to interpret the scent. The species communicated information odoriferously, and their native language, Snee, partially relied on such "mood musks." Other species commonly considered the Sneevels' scent overpowering and malodorous, and some aliens might even collapse if they lingered too long in the presence of a member of the species.

Society and culture
"Muh first number is about courage! It's not dedicated to all the spineless rejects who just watch the Boonta!"

- Boles Roor

Sneevels felt a need to live adventurously, seeking fast thrills and emotional highs. Consequently, many died from risky pursuits. Members of the species were inclined toward dangerous careers, such as hyperspace-route exploration, extreme sports, and hazardous scientific research on quantum fields. For some Sneevels, devotion to a noble cause compelled this thrill-seeking, but for many more, a selfish desire for personal excitement was the main driving force. Although they had little interest in galactic politics or the galaxy beyond their homeworld, many still commonly learned Galactic Basic Standard as a second language. Their native tongue was known as Snee.

As a rule, Sneevels were not known to be amiable or social, and their surliness made them closer in temperament to Gand or Dashades than most other species. Still, some Sneevels gained success at social vocations despite this antisocial penchant, celebrity Boles Roor being the prime example.

History
Sneevels established a technological society in isolation on Sneeve, their homeworld located in the Kastolar sector of the Mid Rim. Their pioneering proclivities led Sneevel explorers from their homeworld's highest summit to its deepest trench. They developed a tricky means of sublight space travel that relied on shoddy submersible vehicles attached to rocket boosters and used it to explore their home system.

In 13,975 BBY, Duros explorers discovered Sneeve and provided the native Sneevels with hyperdrives, which led to the Sneevels joining the galactic community soon afterwards. Later, Duros and Human traders provided the species with more efficient space travel technology. Although the Sneevels found these safer vehicles to be more boring than their own, they adapted to settle their system and expand to other parts of the galaxy.



Sneevels enjoyed pursuing new experiences throughout the galaxy, and they became leading figures in daredevil occupations, including dangerous sports such as horizon skimming and podracing, high-speed races that could easily kill an unprepared pilot. They also excelled in creative fields and achieved success in the fields of visual arts, holovid production, and music. Politics was too prosaic for their interests, and few showed any real flair for it. Nevertheless, Sneeve had representation in the Senate in the days of the Galactic Republic.

In 24 BBY, charismatic secessionist Count Dooku began the Confederacy of Independent Systems and thousands of planetary systems with important military resources rallied to his side. With the Separatists being perceived as a threat in the Republic, several proponents suggested the creation of a Military Creation Act to provide an army to the Republic, a matter that was to be decided in a Senatorial vote. During this time, Sneeve was an active supporter of the Military Creation Act and campaigned to attract other potential allies under Senator Jollin Resbin. The world also joined the Refugee Relief Movement, a non-profit organization to aid people displaced by the conflict. As the secession of world after world brought the number of displaced beings to a breaking point, Sneeve and nine other planets formed the Refugee Resettlement Coalition and relaxed their local immigration restrictions to take in more refugees.

The Clone Wars began in 22 BBY as a direct consequence of the Separatist Crisis and, when they ended in 19 BBY, the Republic was replaced by the Galactic Empire. This new government instituted several new measures detrimental to aliens. Among them, the Empire tried to restrict the Sneevels to their homeworld. This had the opposite effect, however, as running the metaphorical blockade acted as an agitating intoxicant to the daredevil beings. The Empire appointed a local governor and approved laws to tighten interstellar travel from Sneeve, moves the Sneevels regarded as intolerable oppression. Many joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic, not necessarily because they had any interest in overthrowing the Empire, but because they felt imprisoned on their own planet or wanted the excitement the Rebellion offered. Rebel Sneevels embraced their daredevil nature in service to the Alliance even at the cost of their own lives, and more than a few came to be remembered as martyrs for the cause. Many others died gratuitously in avoidable circumstances.

Sneevels in the galaxy


"I've seen better parts at a junk market!"

- Boles Roor

Sneevel explorers commonly felt restricted on their planet and jumped to hyperspace looking for adventure. Members of the species became prominent scouts, artists, scientists, and athletes. One example was Boles Roor, who was successful both as a renowned glimmik singer and podracing ace. Roor won the prestigious Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine on two occasions and was never defeated by the local favorite, Sebulba.

Although Sneevels and politics rarely mixed, one in particular, Jollin Resbin, had been elected senator of the Kastolar sector by 22 BBY. Sneevels also worked with the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, both to fight what they considered oppression on their planet and for the simple expedient of risking their lives in hazardous derring-do.

In 0 ABY, shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Han Solo and Chewbacca encountered two Sneevels (apparently ones unassociated with the Alliance) in a bar on the planet Mygeeto, far from the world where the Empire had wanted to restrict them. When the Sneevel duo's mockery of Luke Skywalker's podracing skills erupted into a full-scale barroom brawl, the aliens rushed Solo and his companion, but were dodged and then quickly defeated.

Behind the scenes
"Just call him Shaggy."

- Caption to Sneevel concept art



The podracer Boles Roor, created for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, was the first Sneevel to appear in a Star Wars source. Terryl Whitlatch sketched the character, and the production team built a puppet of the character, but it did not make the final cut; Fodesinbeed Annodue, the podracer announcer, calls out Roor's name during the film's podracing sequence, but Roor himself never appears on screen. Roor is again mentioned in the Phantom Menace novelization and was first depicted in the comic adaptation. His appearance there is based on the puppet, although the artist has added a horn above his nose. The Databank at StarWars.com first identified Roor's species, using again the picture of the puppet, and the roleplaying supplement Alien Anthology (October 2001), by Steve Miller and Owen Stephens, first provided the species' background.

Sources disagree regarding the galactic region in which Sneeve was located. Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Episode I (October 2000) and Alien Anthology both place Sneeve in the Expansion Region, but the website HoloNet News (2002) and Star Wars Insider 65 (February 2003) locate it in the Mid Rim. Given that the HoloNet News releases and the Insider article are the most recent sources, this article assumes Sneeve is indeed in the Mid Rim.

In the Star Wars Roleplaying Game from Wizards of the Coast, players may take on the role of Sneevel characters. Alien Anthology presents game statistics for the species, which indicate that Sneevels are incredibly agile but suffer several other penalties in compensation. In fact, Sneevels receive a +6 natural bonus to their Dexterity attribute, the highest bonus to this attribute of any species in the game.

A Sneevel character is also available in the video-game Star Wars: Episode I Racer, in this case professional podracer Boles Roor. In this game, his podracer cannot cool properly, probably due to the Sneevel neglecting the maintenance tasks and being a bad mechanic as described in other sources. While Roor's pod is featured in the sequel of the game, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, the Sneevel himself does not appear in it.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Podracing Tales
 * Star Wars: Racer Revenge
 * Rebel Force: Target
 * Rebel Force: Target
 * Rebel Force: Target