Nadon, Momaw

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Ithor

• Species:
  Ithorian

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.95 meters

• Vehicle:
  Tafanda Bay

• Affiliation:
  Rebel Alliance

• 

From the Movies

Not everyone found imbibing in the infamous Mos Eisley Cantina spelled trouble. This gentle Ithorian was a surprisingly peaceful being sitting in a darkened booth that fateful day that Luke Skywalker wandered in.

From the Expanded Universe

Like most Ithorians, Momaw Nadon is a gentle scholar who spent much of his life devoted to the Mother Jungle. Ithorians revere nature, particularly that of their homeworld. To them, the steaming jungles and the lifeforms that dwelled within were sacred. As Ithorian technology developed, the aliens employed repulsorlifts to physically lift their cities into the skies, so as not to taint the blessed surface.

These floating cities, called herd ships, eventually took to space, spreading the wisdom and serenity of the Mother Jungle to different worlds. Momaw Nadon was the leader of a fairly well known herd ship, the Tafanda Bay.

The Empire had long left Ithor alone, but smuggling activity around Ithorian space brought the Star Destroyer Conquest into orbit over the verdant planet. The opportunistic Captain Alima demanding that the gentle Ithorians reveal their agricultural secrets. His attempt to infiltrate the herd ships with spies failed, so he threatened the Mother Jungle herself.

Rather than have a sacred grove of intelligent bafforr trees destroyed, Nadon chose to divulge the Ithorian secrets. The Ithor Council excommunicated Nadon from the Mother Jungle. He wound up on Tatooine.

He trusted the Mother Jungle to be wise in her mysterious methods. While in exile, he worked on experiments to nurture plant growth on the arid world. Nadon lived in a large house in Mos Eisley, filled with an exotic garden of different plants. A secret safehouse stashed beneath a vesuvague hanging tree was available to Rebel agents who knew of it. Though he was commited to pacifism, he did foster Alliance agents whenever possible.

Around the time of the Battle of Yavin, the recently demoted Lieutenant Alima was stationed on Tatooine. Amazingly, Nadon was so driven by veneance that he purchased a blaster rifle and attempted to kill Alima. He failed, only to be humiliated by the Imperial.

The next day, the Millennium Falcon escaped from the Imperial blockade on Tatooine, spiriting Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker away. Lieutenant Alima and his Imperials had failed to stop them. Momaw told Alima's superior that the lieutenant was to blame. The enraged captain shot his underling three times, killing him.

Ithorian traditions run deep. For every one plant that is cut, two more seeds are planted. Nadon continued this observance, gathering genetic material from Alima's corpse. He grew twin clones and raised them as his children.

After the defeat of the Empire at Endor, Momaw Nadon was accepted back into Ithorian society. He was reunited with his wife and children, and introduced the Alima clones into the family.

Behind the Scenes

During production of A New Hope, Momaw Nadon was known simply as "Hammerhead." A puppet crafted by John Berg, this alien was designed by Ron Cobb for a series of pick-up shots filmed long after principal photography. Cobb's notes describe a gentle aquatic creature that feeds on plankton. Cobb's design featured an implanted "voice box" in the creature's chest. Also, the Hammerhead was said to have a "religion based on tying and untying knots in cord."