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The massiff was a species of dangerous hunters found on desert planets including Tatooine and Geonosis. Massiffs were domesticated for sentry and guard tasks, and were used by the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine.
Biology and appearance
Edit
A massiff was a squat quadruped with a row of spines along their humped backs.[2] Native to desert environments, massiffs were snarling hunters with powerful and dangerous bites. The creature's spines afforded it an extra level of defense, and its large eyes allowed it to see well at night. An average massiff stood at roughly one meter high, and the species was found on a variety of worlds, typically in desert habitats such as Tatooine, Geonosis,[1] and Florrum.[3]
HistoryEdit
Many massiffs were domesticated and trained for sentry and guard duty. Tusken Raiders, Weequay pirates, and even clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic utilized massiffs as guard beasts.[1] During the Clone Wars, ARF troopers trained massiffs as trackers.[5] At least one, named Grizzer, was used by the clone trooper accordingly nicknamed Hound. Grizzer was used to track Jedi Ahsoka Tano on Coruscant.[4]
Behind the scenesEdit
The massiff originated from a concept design of the orray.[6] In particular, the massiff adapted the aggressive and menacing appearance of early orray concepts.[7] The massiff was deemed too vicious-looking for a simple pack animal, so it became a dog-sized lizard that was to attack Obi-Wan Kenobi on Geonosis in a scene cut from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. After this scene was cut, the massiffs were transported to Tatooine to serve as guard dogs for Tusken Raiders, replacing a creature design originally called faybo.[6]
AppearancesEdit
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Lethal Trackdown"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Tipping Points"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Bound for Rescue"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "A Necessary Bond"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
- Choose Your Destiny: An Escape Mission
SourcesEdit
- "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much" Episode Guide - The Clone Wars on StarWars.com
- Ultimate Star Wars
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy From A To Z
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- Every Creature in the Star Wars Movies on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Tipping Points"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
- ↑ Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 massiff in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ orray in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
