Diathim

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"They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moons of Iego, I think."

―Anakin Skywalker, describing the "Angels" of Iego^[src]

The Diathim, also referred to as Angels, were a mysterious species of winged sentients who inhabited the moons of the planet Iego in the Outer Rim Territories. The Diathim were reputed for their beauty, and the way in which they appeared would vary depending on the beholder. They shared their habitat with the Maelibi, who lived below the ground. When the young Anakin Skywalker first met his future wife Padmé Amidala, he compared her natural beauty to that of the Diathim.

Biology and appearance

"They are good and kind, and so pretty they make even the most hardened space pirates cry like small children."

―Anakin Skywalker on the "Angels"^[src]

Because of the numerous conflicting reports made by spacers, the real appearance of the Diathim was shrouded in mystery. They were said by many to resemble female humanoids with six wings, though other accounts described them as more androgynous. Additionally, many witnesses saw them as exotic members of their own species, even if they weren't humanoid themselves. Diathim glowed white to such an extent that making out details on them was difficult, at least for beings with Human-like vision. They also emitted a yellow aura, did not eat, and were slender and far taller than most Humans. Some people believed them to be the most beautiful creatures in the universe. Diathim were also capable of surviving in space. Sometimes, they would venture out of their planet's orbit, causing spacers to crash into the planet of Iego.^[2]

Society and culture

"They were also supposed to be good and kind—two words you don’t hear much on Tatooine."

―Anakin Skywalker on the "Angels"^[src]

Despite their tendency to provoke starship accidents unwittingly,^[2] the Diathim were described as both gentle and benevolent by those spacers who propagated the legend of the angels.^[3]

History

"I looked closer and instantly knew that she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. In fact, I was certain that I was in the presence of an angel, even though I’d never met one before."

―Anakin Skywalker, on his first encounter with Padmé Amidala^[src]

The Angels were known in the wider galaxy as early as 25,793 BBY,^[4] more than seven centuries before the founding of the Galactic Republic.^[5] When a young Anakin Skywalker lived on the desert world of Tatooine, he first heard of the Diathim's proverbial beauty while listening to all the pilots and traders who stopped there. It was that rumor that led to Skywalker's first words to his future wife Padmé Amidala, questioning whether or not she was indeed one of those legendary beings. The boy believed Amidala's beauty unmatched, and seemed to think this led to some connections with the Diathim of Iego.^[6] When Amidala answered that she had never heard of angels before, Skywalker objected she just might be one of them without knowing it.^[6]

About ten years later, by the time of the Clone Wars, some Diathim had been driven from their home on Millius Prime, a moon of Iego. A laser grid system had been installed there by the Separatists to keep people from leaving. A grown Skywalker, now a Jedi Knight, travelled to Iego with his master Obi-Wan Kenobi while on a mission to uncover a root said to contain the antidote to the Blue Shadow Virus. The two encountered one of the Diathim refugees, and the Jedi eventually managed to deactivate the laser field, thus freeing the inhabitants of Iego.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Angels were first mentioned by Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 movie Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, the first installment of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars. Skywalker's line "Are you an angel?" (Listen (help·info))^[6] was later spoofed in the 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords as an easter egg. In a conversation that only appears after the player has completed the game at least once as a lightsider and once as a darksider, Atton Rand repeats Skywalker's line from The Phantom Menace upon seeing Meetra Surik in her undergarmentsfor the first time. Rand then promptly recants, stating that it was "the worst line [he's] ever used" and hoping that "some poor kid doesn't start using it."^[7]

In Abrahamic religions, angels are spiritual beings that act as messengers from God and as guardians of human beings. In art, they are often depicted as glowing humans dressed in flowing robes with bird-like wings.^[8]

The Angel in "Mystery of a Thousand Moons", the eighteenth episode of Season One of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, was voiced by actress Catherine Taber, who coincidentally voiced Padmé Amidala in the same series.^[9]