Grummgar

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"You could shoot me, and I could fall off this speeder and crush you."
"You've seen how fast I can move. Surely, you're not that stupid."

―Grummgar and Nysorly^[5]

Grummgar was a Dowutin male who worked as a big game hunter and mercenary active around thirty years after the Battle of Endor. After being left to live on his own at a young age, like all Dowutins, Grummgar acquired considerable hunting skills and eventually contracted work to hunt down a predatory molsume, native to the jungles of the planet Ithor. Despite the illegality of hunting on Ithor, Grummgar tracked molsumes for a period of time before he encountered fellow game hunter Nysorly. After regarding each other as potential competition, both hunters walked away with their own molsume pelts.

Sometime later Grummgar visited the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana. Grummgar spent his time there with fellow mercenary Bazine Netal and was present when the forces of the First Order attacked and destroyed the castle.

Biography[]

Early career[]

"Grummgar, I don't pay you for caution."

―Exum Jermit^[6]

A large male Dowutin, Grummgar went off to live on his own at a young age, as all Dowutins did. He acquired skills in the fields of hunting and tracking, and eventually took up the career of a big game hunter.^[5] He joined the Great Hunt of Malastare as one of Second Vice Chair Exum Jermit's hired mercenaries, and offered advice while hunting down the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk. He advised caution, but Jermit chose to attack Bossk's party as they attempted to reach Bib Fortuna's ship. Grummgar kept lookout, but Bossk got the drop on several mercenaries, killing them. The Dowutin managed to shoot Bossk in the arm, and fought Bossk hand-to-hand. The Trandoshan clawed Grummgar's face and beat him with a rock, leaving him defeated. He hoped to battle him again one day as he departed.^[6]

Big game hunter[]

"You are a professional hunter? I've put out bait bigger than you."
"I wouldn't be surprised. Something as big and clumsy as you would likely have to resort to bait."

―Grummgar and Nysorly^[5]

Grummgar and Bazine Netal inside Maz Kanata's castle

Grummgar frequented the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana, gathering hunting tips from explorers of Wild Space and the Unknown Regions. He often traveled to unexplored worlds he had heard of in his search for new predators to hunt.^[3] At some point Grummgar was hired to hunt down and bring back the pelt of a molsume—a predatory creature native to the jungles of the planet Ithor. Despite the fact that it was illegal to hunt on Ithor in such a manner, Grummgar accepted the contract and hunted molsumes for a period of time, using a speeder for transport and a 242 hunting rifle as his weapon of choice. Eventually, Grummgar discovered the seemingly defenseless human Nysorly. Realizing that she would make the perfect bait for a molsume, Grummgar hid his presence from her and waited for a molsume to seek her out. One eventually did, and to Grummgar's surprise Nysorly pulled out a shortblaster and shot the molsume dead.^[5]

Impressed, Grummgar introduced himself and congratulated the girl on her kill. However, Nysorly interpreted Grummgar as a rival and threatened to shoot him. Grummgar tried to calm her nerves, which only resulted in the two voicing ideas of how they could outsmart and either directly or indirectly kill the other. As they bantered, a second molsume preyed on Nysorly from behind. Noticing this, Grummgar spat in Nysorly's direction. The human, believing that the spittle could be toxic, jumped out of the way and fired her shortblaster at Grummgar's speeder as he fired past her, killing the second molsume. Only after reloading to finish Grummgar off did Nysorly turn and notice that the Dowutin had actually saved her. She thanked Grummgar, who was no worse for wear after having his speeder shot out from under him. The two shared their new mutual respect for each other, and Nysorly explained how she had been forced to enter a dangerous lifestyle after being left to live alone at a young age, an origin story similar to Grummgar's own.^[5]

Summarily, the hunters were both content with the fact that they both had their own molsume pelts. Grummgar offered to carry the molsumes, and Nysorly in return promised Grummgar to help him skin his pelt, as his hands were too large to procure a clean final product. After turning down a partnership offer, Grummgar told Nysorly that he expected compensation for his damaged speeder.^[5]

The castle of Maz Kanata[]

Around thirty years after the Battle of Endor, he spent time in Maz Kanata's castle with the mercenary Bazine Netal, whom he assumed was attracted to him, being too self-centered to consider she might have another agenda. The pair sat together^[2] on a sturdy sofa^[7] near the castle's door, with Netal on Grummgar's massive lap^[2] as he drank a potent beverage,^[7] from where she had a view of everything going on in the castle.^[2] When the smuggler Han Solo arrived at the castle with the scavenger Rey, the former stormtrooper Finn, and the astromech droid BB-8, Netal recognized the droid as one the First Order was after. Whispering into Grummgar's ear, she slid off his lap and left to report the droid's whereabouts to the First Order. The patrons of the castle rushed outside soon after Netal left, as the destruction of the Hosnian system by the First Order's Starkiller Base superweapon was visible and audible from Takodana. The castle itself was then attacked and destroyed based on Netal's report.^[8]

Personality and traits[]

"Come back here and fight with honor!"
"Honor? I prefer to fight with a big rock."

―Grummgar and Bossk^[6]

Grummgar was obsessed with trophies, be they parts taken from exotic animals illegally poached, or women attracted to his brute magnetism. He had yellow skin and wore a yellow outfit over it with a brown jacket. He carried a hunting rifle with a remote trigger interface and a sniper barrel flash suppressor.^[2] His protruding stomach peeked through his gaping shirt.^[7]

Although unscrupulous, Grummgar preferred to hunt wild animals over sentient beings, happily hunting endangered, rare quarry, even on nature preserves and sacred ground.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Grummgar in LEGO form, alongside the Freemakers and Hondo Ohnaka

Grummgar was created for the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, but was first shown to the public in an exclusive Vanity Fair article released in May 2015,^[9] seven months before the film's release. His name was then revealed in the promotion of the short story "Bait," which was written by Alan Dean Foster and included Grummgar as the central character.^[10] The name and appearance were finally linked by Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, a reference book written by Pablo Hidalgo and released the same day as the film. He was performed by Patrick Comerford, Don Austen, Andy Heath, Katherine Smee, Lynn Robertson Bruce and Iestyn Evans.

Originally, Grummgar was going to have a bigger role in the film and was going to have a fight with a bar patron, with the patron asking for his money and Grummgar having a go at him. However, due to time constraints, all that was shot was a segment where the patron is trying to have an argument with Grummgar;^[11] this can be seen in the background of two shots where Finn is leaving Moz Kanata's castle.^[12] For the bit that was kept, Abrams instructed Miltos Yerolemou, who played the bar patron, to stand in front of the animatronic Grummgar: "You say something and he says something…in fact he's not going to say anything at all because we are going to dub it later." Because Grummgar was animatronic, with people inside him operating him, they did not rehearse the scene. The actor hadn't seen the creature move yet, so the first time they shot the scene, when the big alien picked up a glass of brandy, the actor forgot that the characters were supposed to be having an argument, and ruined the take by blurting out his amazement.^[11] However, in the film, Grummgar is merely seen holding the glass, and no line is dubbed in.^[12]