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- "The Kashyyyk clarion horn is a musical instrument used in Wookiee gatherings."
- ―An entry in an artist's journal restored and expanded at the Graf Archive
The Kashyyykk clarion, or Wookiee Clarion, was a type of musical wind instrument created by the Wookiee species of the planet Kashyyyk from the horn of a bantha, bronzium, wroshyr wood, and cerulean gemstones. The clarions were used to summon Wookiees to gatherings in times of peace, act as an alarm in times of war, and were also considered a piece of cultural art. By 232 BBY, the pirate Blackbolt had stolen a Kashyyyk clarion from the planet Tenoo and stored in his treasure hoard on the cruiser Terror of Tenoo. A clarion was also part of the treasure stored in Tanglevine Base on Tenoo.
During the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, a clarion was sounded to summon Wookiees to defend the city of Kachirho against the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 5 BBY, a Kashyyyk clarion thought to have been made by the Porr'trrr tribe was displayed in the human antique dealer Luthen Rael's gallery on the planet Coruscant.
Description[]
- "Crafted from the horn of a bantha, this musical instrument is most commonly sounded to summon Wookiees to war or other important gatherings."
- ―C-3PO, The Secrets of the Wookiees"
Kashyyyk clarions were designed for Wookiees.
The Kashyyyk clarion,[4] also known as the Wookiee Clarion,[5] was a type of musical instrument created from a bantha horn with an orange lacquer finish. It was jacketed[4] with patterns of hand-hammered bronzium plating[1] that was merged with natural wroshyr wood and natural cerulean gemstones,[5] the latter of which were set into the body.[1]
Immense lung capacity was required to sound a call from the clarion,[4] but with the lung strength[5] of an adult Wookiee[7] they could then be heard as far as twenty kilometers (twelve miles) away. The sound's pitch could be changed using a series of at least four raised keys on the instrument's body.[5] The clarions ranged in size from small[2] to large enough[7] that they were crafted to wrap around a Wookiee player and were comfortable to wear on the move due to how they cradled the wearer's torso.[5]
History[]
Treasured instrument of the Wookiees[]
- Blackbolt: "I knew it! You stowaways wanted me treasure."
- Nubs: [Cries out in fear]
- Durango: "It's not yours. This belonged to the people of Tenoo before it was stolen by—"
- Blackbolt: "Me! Captain Blackbolt"
- ―Blackbolt and Nash Durango discuss the clarion and other treasures[3]
A Kashyyyk clarion was part of the treasure horde that Captain Blackbolt stole from Tenoo.
Kashyyyk clarions were handmade in a laborious process by the Wookiee species[5] of the planet Kashyyyk. The instrument was considered a piece of cultural art but also had an important function, as its bellow[1] was most commonly used to summon Wookiees to war or other important meetings.[7] This war time role was vital, as the clarion acted as an alarm that united scattered Wookiee tribes against a common foe.[5] The clarion was also used to summon Wookiee clans together for friendly gatherings or festivities such as Life Day in times of prosperity and peace.[5] However, their cacophonous cry was not ideally suited to making any sort of enjoyable music.[7]
A small Kashyyyk clarion was part of a hoard of treasure that the pirate droid Captain Blackbolt stole from the planet Tenoo and was on board his cruiser, the Terror of Tenoo, when it powered down along with the pirate on an asteroid. A long time later,[3] in 232 BBY,[8] the ship was discovered by the crew of the pilot Nash Durango's shuttle, the Crimson Firehawk, who powered it back up and accidentally reactivated Blackbolt in the process. While trying to escape from him, they discovered the clarion and other treasures, but ultimately left them all on board the Terror of Tenoo when they sent it far away through hyperspace with Blackbolt still on board.[3]
The treasure of Tanglevine Base included a Kashyyyk clarion (left).
A larger Kashyyyk clarion was part of another treasure hoard kept in Tanglevine Base, a secret hideout on Tenoo used by the adventurer Kaliah Kublop and Jedi Master Staas Ragnabi. Long after the pair's lifetimes, the base's location had been lost, but it was re-discovered by the Jedi Kai Brightstar and Djovi Resmia[9] in 232 BBY,[8] with the clarion lent against one of the base's beds when they entered. However, the Jedi had been followed by Blackbolt and his crew, who intended to steal the treasure and so attacked the Jedi. Brightstar and Resmia defeated the pirates and prevented them from stealing the treasures.[9]
Gallery curio[]
- "Decorated with cerulean gems and bronzium plating, the clarion is clearly an item of great cultural significance (and has been known to fetch quite a price from high-end art collectors who wish to display them in their galleries)."
- ―C-3PO, The Secrets of the Wookiees"
In the year 19 BBY,[10] a clarion was sounded to summon Wookiees to defend the city of Kachirho on Kashyyyk from the Separatist Droid Army as part of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Wookiees young and old from all areas of the planet answered the call.[4]
A Kashyyyk clarion was displayed on Coruscant.
As items of great cultural significance, Kashyyyk clarions were known to fetch quite high prices from high-end art collectors wishing to display them in galleries[7] and in 5 BBY,[11] a Kashyyyk clarion of unknown origin[5] was displayed in[2] Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest,[12] a gallery run by the human antique dealer Luthen Rael on the planet Coruscant.[2]
The various swirling decorations on the clarion that Rael displayed were believed to be the insignia of the Porr'trrr tribe, with the artisan who handcrafted the clarion having taken great pains to adorn it with hammered decorations that acted as a clear indicator that the heirloom celebrating the tribe's identity had been used in sacred rituals over many years. A brass plate among the clarion's keys depicted a noble Wookiee looking in the direction of the player, with possible identities for the individual depicted including the instrument's owner and player or someone important to them, a tribal elder, or the clarion maker's own self-portrait used to mark their work.[5]
Writings on the clarion[]
- "When blown by an adult Wookiee, it is said that the clarion can be heard from twenty kilometers away. To this day, Chewbacca distinctly remebers the blare of this horn across Kachirho, rallying his kin against the approaching Separatist battle droids."
- ―C-3PO, The Secrets of the Wookiees"
Chewbacca still remembered hearing the Kashyyyk clarion call at Kachirho during the Battle of Kashyyyk over fifty-four years later.
At some point, an artist who was compiling a journal of sketches and stories drew a sketch of a Kashyyyk clarion. The sketch and a caption were included when the journal was restored, expanded, and displayed by the Graf Archive[6] at some point after 34 ABY.[13] At some point after 35 ABY,[14] the Wookiee Chewbacca still remembered hearing the Kashyyyk clarion that sounded at Kachirho during the Clone Wars, information which the protocol droid C-3PO included in an entry on the clarions in his book The Secrets of the Wookiees.[7]
Behind the scenes[]
The Kashyyyk clarion was created as a prop for the 2005 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,[15] although it is not visible in the film's final cut.[16] The instrument was first shown in the current Star Wars canon in the 2016 reference book Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia.[1] It then made its first appearance in "Aldhani," the fourth episode of the television series Andor's first season,[2] which aired on September 28, 2022.[17] Star Wars 100 Objects, Kristin Baver's 2023 reference book, provided the alternate name of Wookiee Clarion.[5] In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the instrument was first mentioned in the 2005 reference book Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, which was written by James Luceno.[15]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Terror of Tenoo"- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Lost Treasure of Tenoo"
- Andor — "Aldhani" (First appearance)
- Andor — "The Eye"
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- "Aldhani" Episode Guide | Andor on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
- Andor Actor Genevieve O'Reilly on the Legacy of Mon Mothma on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
- Star Wars 100 Objects (First identified as Wookiee Clarion)
- Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
Andor — "Aldhani"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Terror of Tenoo"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 Star Wars 100 Objects
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Alien Archive
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 4.11.23 SW Celeb Tues Wrap Up Press Blast by The Walt Disney Studios on Getty Images (April 11, 2023) (backup link) places Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which corresponds to 232 BBY according to Star Wars: Timelines.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Lost Treasure of Tenoo"
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the Battle of Kashyyyk to 19 BBY.
- ↑ "Aldhani" takes place in 5 BBY per the reasoning here
- ↑ Kleya Marki in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Alien Archive establishes that the restored in-universe journal discusses Poe Dameron's mutiny against Amilyn Holdo, which is depicted in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. The Star Wars Book places the events of The Last Jedi in the same year as the events of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY, meaning the document must have been published after that year.
- ↑ Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees states that the Battle of Exegol has already taken place prior to the writing of The Secrets of the Wookiees. Star Wars: Timelines dates the battle to 35 ABY.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Star Wars (@starwars) on Twitter: "This is what revolution looks like. Watch #Andor, a Star Wars Original Series, streaming only on @DisneyPlus September 21." (backup link)
