Graxol Kelvyyn

Graxol Kelvyyn^[2] was an Anx who viewed the Boonta Eve Classic podracing event from the private box of the Toydarian junk dealer Watto in Mos Espa Grand Arena on the planet Tatooine^[1] in 32 BBY.^[3] Kelvyyn had creamy white skin and wore blue and orange robes with a silver necklace and a high red collar.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"And Jerome was in another character when the Pod Race audience set was filmed, so I got the chance to play Graxol Kelvyyn for that scene. That was nearly five hours in an oven, so it's great fun for a day but I'm not sure how the performers/actors put up with it for weeks at a time!"

―John Coppinger^[4]

Graxol Kelvyyn first appeared in the 1999 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.^[1] Both Kelvyyn and Horox Ryyder, another Anx that appeared in The Phantom Menace, were based on a single sketch produced by concept artist Doug Chiang. The sketch was used by sculptor John Coppinger to produce a 3D maquette, and as Coppinger like the image so much he made few alterations when converting it, only adding some details and changing proportions.^[4]

As actor Jerome Blake was busy playing a different character on the day that Kelvyyn's scene was filmed, Coppinger also got to wear the Anx rig, which consisted of the performer standing on twenty-four inch stilts with the head standing thirty-six inches above that of the performer. As this made the character around eleven feet tall in total, director George Lucas realized that including an Anx in frame with other smaller characters like Yoda would require the camera to be too far back. As such, Kelvyyn was filmed sitting down for his scene.^[4]

Kelvyyn was first identified in the current Star Wars canon on a card in the 2016 Topps Star Wars: Rogue One Mission Briefing set released by The Topps Company, Inc. in 2016.^[2] The name originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where it was first used on an action figure set released by Hasbro Inc. in 1999.^[5]