Saurin/Legends

"We applaud the spirit of openness that this coalition embodies. As other worlds turn their back on the problem, these planets have instead embraced the people of the Republic with open arms."

- Kaysil Verwood, on Durkteel's membership in the Refugee Relief Movement

The Saurin were a reptilian species from the planet Durkteel. Related to the Trandoshans of Trandosha, the Saurin shared knobby, scaly skin; broad, flat noses; wide, gaping mouths; and sharp, jagged teeth with their cousins. In contrast, however, the Saurin had five-fingered hands instead of the Trandoshans' four digits.

Durkteel was a member of the Galactic Republic and a supporter of both the Refugee Relief Movement and the Refugee Resettlement Coalition during the Separatist Crisis. Saurin spacers made their way to many worlds, and members of the species found work as thugs, combat trainers, bodyguards, and droid merchants.

Biology and appearance
The Saurin were a subspecies of the Trandoshans and, as such, were sentient humanoid reptiles. They had much in common with both their cousins and with other reptilian species, such as the Barabels. Saurin had scaly skin that came of shades of brown, green, purple, and yellow. Their five-fingered, human-like hands were the primary feature to set them apart from mainline Trandoshans. Members of their subspecies tended to wear clothing typical of other spacefaring cultures.

The typical Saurin had an elongated skull characterized by a spiky crest running down the center and two bony protrusions toward the back. Smaller knobby patterns covered other portions of the head. Thick, bony ridges surrounded their dark, bulbous eyes. The snout sported a flat, stubby nose with two cavernous nostrils above a broad, gaping mouth brimming with sharp teeth.

Society and culture
Saurin were not known for their senses of humor. Nevertheless, the most stoic members of the species could be amused by a joke from a gifted humorist like the Bimm smuggler Rycar Ryjerd.

History
The Saurin split off from mainline Trandoshans at some point in their evolutionary history. Physiological differences developed in the Saurin subspecies, included differently colored eyes and more digits on each hand. The two groups claimed different homeworlds: The Trandoshans avered that they came from Trandosha, while the Saurin maintained that they were from Durkteel. At some point, Durkteel joined the Galactic Republic, and Saurin were known in the galaxy at large by 32 BBY.

With the eruption of the Separatist Crisis in 22 BBY, Durkteel sided with the Republic. The planet became a member of the Refugee Relief Movement, a group whose goal was to aid those fleeing conflict zones. Later that year, Durkteel joined nine other worlds to form the Refugee Resettlement Coalition; members agreed to relax immigration laws and take in more refugees. Durkteel's population was 3.2 billion at this time.

Saurin in the galaxy
Saurin had spread beyond their homeworld as early as 32 BBY. That year, a Saurin thug was working for the criminal Green Hair as part of the Raptors gang on the planet Coruscant. When the group confronted the Padawan Darsha Assant and the information broker Lorn Pavan, Assant used the Force to relieve the Saurin of his blaster, and Pavan stunned the gang member. Another member of the species patronized the Seko Cantina on Ryloth in 31 BBY. Years later, a Saurin was among those plagued by dianogas in Coruscant's Desrini District in 22 BBY. In 1 ABY, a Saurin was gambling at a casino in Cloud City on the planet Bespin where Lando Calrissian beat Barpotomous Drebble in a game of Sabacc.

Two Saurin were at the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine in 0 BBY when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi came to charter passage off the world. One of the Saurin was Hrchek Kal Fas, a droid trader always on the lookout for cheap droids for sale, even if they were only available on the "invisible market." Although he had come to the desert planet to investigate a possible business relationship with Tatooine's Jawas, he heard news of a reward for two stolen droids, supposedly "close companions" of an Imperial officer. He saw through this cover story, but when he witnessed C-3PO and R2-D2 wander into the cantina, he suspected they might be the droids in question. He tailed them out into the streets of Mos Eisley, but they were nowhere to be seen. The droid trader hired the tall Ranat Nevar Yalnal to do unskilled labor for him. Hrchek Kal Fas also retained the services of his cousin, Sai'torr Kal Fas. She was a savvy warrior and combat instructor who took on students she deemed to have the right potential.

Also in 0 BBY, a Saurin was present in the streets of Mos Eisley as the spy Garindan shadowed Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on their way to Docking Bay 94. Later that year, a Saurin was captured on holofilm in the streets of Mos Eisley and broadcast as part of the Imperial program "Life on Tatooine."

Combat trainer Gauron Nas Tal also plied his trade on Tatooine. He worked for Jabba the Hutt as a combat instructor for the gangster's Gamorrean guards. The Saurin came to hate both his employment and his employer, and by 4 ABY, he was plotting to kill the Hutt. When the Jedi Luke Skywalker and one of Nas Tal's Gamorrean trainees fell into Jabba's rancor pit, the Saurin joined the other members of the Hutt's entourage in watching the battle below. The Gamorrean stood little chance against the rancor, although the Human managed to kill the beast. Gauron Nas Tal later accompanied Jabba on his sail barge the Khetanna. He died when the vessel exploded during the Skirmish at Carkoon.

Behind the scenes
The Saurin were one of the many alien species designed for the cantina sequence of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, released in 1977. They were known as Crocs, Crockers, and Gila-Men during production and principal photography in England. One of the two characters was supposed to be given the proper name Gilaass. The Marvel Comics adaptation of the film shows a Saurin informing Imperial stormtroopers of the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Mos Eisley Cantina, a task performed by the Human Garouf Lafoe in the original film.

The production team of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, a film released in 1980, altered one of the Saurin masks from A New Hope for use for the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk. Modifications for the Bossk design included repainting the mask, changing the eyes, and creating new, less Humanlike arms and legs. An unmodified Saurin mask was used for a member of Jabba the Hutt's entourage in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983.

In 1995, Decipher dubbed the species the Saurin as part of its Premiere Limited and A New Hope Limited sets of cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The company also named the Saurin characters seen in the films and gave them simple backstories. The cards have game effects related to the characters' personalities and skills. For example, the Sai'torr Kal Fas card can be used to "train" and improve the combat skills of another character, while the Gauron Nas Tal (here spelled "Garon Nas Tal") card increases the power of any Saurin characters that have already been improved by Sai'torr Kal Fas. The article "50 Factoids about the Original Star Wars Trilogy" mistakenly says that a Saurin character was added to the cantina scene of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope: Special Editon; the character in question is actually a Sarkan, a different reptilian species.

The species has since played little role in Star Wars fiction, and their society, culture, and history remain largely unexplored. Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy is one exception and reveals that Saurin are a Trandoshan subspecies. Other Saurin have largely been background characters. For example, the A New Hope Saurin appear in the background of the A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale webstrip, Star Wars Manga: A New Hope, "The Emperor's Court," and the Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition comic book.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Republic: Twilight
 * A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale (webstrip)
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 2: Six Against the Galaxy
 * Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition
 * Star Wars Manga: A New Hope
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special
 * Lady Luck
 * Secrets of the Sisar Run
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * "The Emperor's Court"
 * Secrets of the Sisar Run
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * "The Emperor's Court"

Notes and references
Saurin Заврины