Whaladon

"&hellip;they turn those beautiful, intelligent creatures into food for Imperial officers!"

- Admiral Ackbar

Whaladons were large sentient mammals that were native to the oceans of Mon Calamari. With a civilization totally separate to that of their neighbors, the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, the Whaladons communicated using sing-songs, and lived relatively peaceful lives. The poaching of Whaladons was forbidden by Mon Calamari law, but when the Galactic Empire occupied the planet, they did away with the old policies, and began hunting the mammals.

Following the Battle of Endor, Captain Dunwell set up the Whaladon Processing Center, and due to hunting by him and his Aqualish crew, the Whaladons soon found themselves endangered as a species. The rare white hump-back breed of Whaladon was almost totally wiped out, save for Leviathor, leader of the Whaladons. He attempted to rally the aid of the New Republic, and thanks to their efforts, Dunwell was stopped, and his poaching operation disbanded.

Biology and appearance
Whaladons were large, whale-like creatures, and could grow up to the size of a small starship at about 30 meters in length. They had a large, 10-meter-long horizontal tail fin, which propelled them through Mon Calamari's depths, and dual pectoral fins for maneuvering. Some Whaladon breeds had three large humps on their backs, and whiter skin than their more common cousins. The underbelly of the Whaladon was scored with ridges that ran parallel to the length of the creature. They also had large mouths, which ran across their snouts, from one pectoral fin to the other. Their eyes, located on either side of the snout, close to the pectoral fins, granted them low-light vision for navigating deep trenches and the ocean depths.

Society and culture
The Whaladons enjoyed sing-songs, and would teach songs that they had accumulated to their younglings. Their songs were recognizable by other sentients, and were a means of identification to them. The songs were also used as a form of communication, and Mon Calamari, such as Ackbar, could understand them. The music came in a variety of forms: folk songs, classic songs, ballets, and operas. These would all be performed by the Whaladons on special occasions.

They had separated their culture from that of their neighbors, the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, and were willing to attack their submarines and boats, should the aliens cross their territory. Apart from those transgressions, Whaladons were relatively peaceful, and were regarded as wonders of the deep. They would swim in the deep trenches of the Seascape Mountains, and had to surface for air at least three times a day. For food, the Whaladons ate plankton, which grew on the sea floor. They also ate schools of minnows for sustenance.

Volcanic cataclysm
Years before the Galactic Civil War, the Whaladons had to face the impending threat of a volcanic eruption that would spell doom for their race. The great white humpbacked Whaladon, Leviathor, helped coordinate the Whaladons, and through his efforts they were able to survive the cataclysm. For this, Leviathor was chosen to be the leader of the Whaladons.

The Whaladon Processing Center
Prior to the Imperial presence on Mon Calamari, it was highly illegal to hunt and kill Whaladons. When the Empire occupied the planet, however, they did away with the Calamari laws. They set up a Whaladon processing plant in the city of Aquarius, converting the city's industry for their own uses. The Imperials were processing Whaladon meat and oil, which prompted the Whaladons to attack; whether or not the large mammals succeeded in flooding Aquarius is unknown. In 5 ABY, Captain Dunwell set up a Whaladon poaching system on Mon Calamari. His actions caused the Whaladon species to become endangered, but Dunwell expressed no concerns over the matter. He had allies in the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, and received ample business from them, since Whaladon meat was considered a delicacy. The Moffs constantly purchased Whaladon meat to be served at their frequent meetings, but it was reserved only for them; slaves and stormtroopers were forbidden to eat the meat.

Dunwell had the Whaladon Processing Center created, as well as a gargantuan submarine, that would allow him to accelerate his Whaladon hunting endeavors. The Center and the submarine featured large whirlpool generators that would draw Whaladons in from nearby waters, and deposit them into internal chambers. The Whaladons were then skinned by Dunwell's Aqualish employees, and chopped into large segments for shipping. The slabs of Whaladon were then taken to the Whaladon Meat Quality Control Division. When they had finished harvesting the meat and blubber from the Whaladons, Dunwell's men would consistently deposit all the bones at one location, effectively creating a Whaladon graveyard.

As a result of Dunwell's poaching, the Whaladons found themselves endangered. Young Whaladons were left motherless and uncared for, and the adult ones found themselves hiding in caves, escaping the wrath of the poachers. More damaging still, without the Whaladons to eat it, plankton was able to grow unfettered, and through photosynthesis, it began to use up Mon Calamari's carbon dioxide, potentially damaging the planet's ecosystem.

Aid from the New Republic
"Wise One of the Calamarian Seas, you have my solemn promise that I will do everything I can to save you and your valiant species."

- Ackbar

Leviathor realized that something had to be done to save his species, and thus he attempted to contact the city of Aquarius. There, he came across Ackbar and Luke Skywalker, who were on Mon Calamari for New Republic business. Ackbar was one of the few Mon Calamari who could understand the Whaladons' sing-song, which told of their plight, and the poaching operations of Dunwell. Ackbar, disgusted, resolved to help the harried mammals.

Meanwhile, Trioculus, a man who sought to wrest the Imperial throne from Ysanne Isard, toured Dunwell's facility, inspecting the processing of Whaladon meat. He intended to retrieve the Glove of Darth Vader from Mon Calamari's depths, and use it against his enemies in the New Republic. Dunwell had apparently located the Glove, and set out with Trioculus to find it, in his new Whaladon hunting submarine. Skywalker and Ackbar began tracking Dunwell's sub, hoping to stop his operation. At the same time, Leviathor had been able to round up a group of Whaladons, in the hopes of finding them asylum somewhere safe. Dunwell's men on the submarine, however, spotted Leviathor's pack, and used the ship's whirlpool generators to capture them.

Skywalker and Ackbar, horrified, pursued the submarine into the Seascape Mountains, a place thought by Ackbar to have no Whaladon activity. The Glove of Darth Vader was in fact located there, however, this was not known to Skywalker or Ackbar. In the Mountains, they boarded the submarine, and confronted Dunwell. Using his droid, R2-D2, Skywalker freed all of the captive Whaladons from their chambers, and set the ship to self-destruct. The Whaladons swam free, and Dunwell perished when his ship exploded.

To celebrate, Leviathor and the Whaladons held a sing-song concert at Aquarius, and invited the New Republic staff that had fought for their freedom. They performed water ballet, classical and folk sing-songs, and an opera composed by Leviathor detailing his rise to the position of Whaladon leader. But the celebrations were bittersweet, as Leviathor was now the last of the great white breed of Whaladon.

Whaladons in the galaxy
"That's one Whaladon of a ship you've hooked, Kyle."

- Rogue Leader



One of the Whaladons still alive during Dunwell's poaching raids was Leviathor, known to Ackbar as "Wise One of the Calamarian Seas." Following a volcanic cataclysm, he was elected leader of the Whaladons. He was incensed by Dunwell's actions, and mourned the loss of family and friends. He was constantly hunted by Dunwell's Aqualish men, and even encountered the captain's gargantuan submarine. He was, however, able to elude capture and death. Realizing that something had to be done to save his species, he sought help at the Domed City of Aquarius. He found it in the form of Luke Skywalker and Ackbar, and with his new allies, he was able to end Dunwell's oppressive poaching.

Due to their immense size, Whaladons were often used as a yard stick against which something was measured. Large ships were sometimes labeled "Whaladons" due to this. Holographic Whaladons were used for amusement at theme parks, where they were presented as rides for children to enjoy. Seven months after the Battle of Yavin, a hologram of a Whaladon was used as part of an attraction at Hologram Fun World, under the supervision of Baron Administrator Danna Fajji. Children were allowed to "ride" the Whaladon at "Sweetsand Lagoon." The ride went awry, however, when Zak and Tash Arranda were "swallowed" by the Whaladon, but they were able to escape without injury.

Behind the scenes
Whaladons were created by Paul and Hollace Davids, for the children's book, The Glove of Darth Vader. They are integral to the plot, and are based on real-world whales. In Glove, the Whaladon hunting industry resembles that of the real world as well, with the book projecting an environmental message about conservation.

"Whaladon" would later be used as a colloquial term for something that is large in-universe, as seen in Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

Appearances

 * Republic Commando: True Colors
 * The Paradise Snare
 * Rebel Dawn
 * Galaxy of Fear: The Nightmare Machine
 * The Glove of Darth Vader
 * The Lost City of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
 * Force Heretic III: Reunion