Opee sea killer/Legends

"Big gooberfish! Huge-o teeth!"

- Jar Jar Binks

The opee sea killer, sometimes referred to as simply an opee, was a large meat-eating crustaceous sea creature of approximately twenty meters in length; a hybrid of crustacean and fish, that inhabited the watery planet core of Naboo. It was the third largest predator on Naboo, only smaller than the colo claw fish and the even larger Sando aqua monster.

Characteristics
The opee was a predator often found clung to rocky outcroppings or hidden in caverns or under ledges awaiting its prey. When forced to move, the opee was perfectly adapted to swim&mdash;in its own unusual way&mdash;sucking water into its mouth and jet propelling it from pores beneath armored plates at the rear of its body. This unique technique, coupled with three pairs of powerful legs and a pair of pectoral guidance fins, allowed the opee to accelerate quickly underwater. Once in range of prey, the opee would extend its massive adhesive tongue, successfully reeling in its prey to a vicious, gaping maw of multi-rowed teeth. The opee also used the long, antennae-like stalks protruding from above its head as lures to draw prey towards its double rows of fangs. Their thick chitinous hide could deflect small arms laser fire, along with glancing shots from heavy fire.

Opees were known to be mouth breeders, with the male opee carrying fertilized eggs inside its mouth for three months&mdash;forcing the male to fast until the young were born. From birth, opees could sustain themselves instinctively (and gruesomely). It was not unknown for unhatched opee eggs to be swallowed by colo claw fish, creatures later killed in a grisly manner when the new-born young chewed their way out of the colo's stomach. This could also occur if the colo swallowed young opees alive.

History


During the time of the Invasion of Naboo, an opee sea killer stealthily pursued and then attempted to devour the tribubble bongo used by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Jar Jar Binks (who referred to it as a "big gooberfish") to reach the city of Theed. Although the opee successfully caught and damaged the submersible, the creature was attacked, torn apart and eaten by an even larger underwater predator&mdash;the massive sando aqua monster, considered to be the opee's deep-sea rival.

During the events of the early Galactic Civil War roughly 30 years later, an opee sea killer attacked a Bongo vehicle that was travelling around the ocean floor, although it was devoured by a sando aqua monster before it could have a chance to eat it, which a Star Tours-owned StarSpeeder 1000 witnessed.

By unknown means, opees were introduced to Aquilaris, and could be seen swimming by the tunnels in which podraces took place.

One Opee sea killer was housed inside the Royal Icqui Aquaria, a large, public aquarium that was situated on the planet Coruscant, and the sea killer was the largest living creature in the facility.

Behind the scenes
Early designs of the opee sea killer showed a creature that was little more than a tooth-filled jaw grafted onto a combination fish and crab body. Later sketches refined the look, though a possible design direction incorporating mammalian characteristics &mdash; a long body and a fin-like tail &mdash; were explored and abandoned. The opee stayed the fish/crab hybrid and the mammal traits were worked into the sando aqua monster designs.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * The Monster
 * Episode I Adventures 11: Pirates from Beyond the Sea
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novel
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace junior novel
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game
 * Episode I: Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Star Wars: Battle for Naboo
 * Deep Spoilers
 * The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct
 * Star Wars: Republic: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili