Nunb, Nien

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Sullust

• Species:
  Sullustan

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.6 meters

• Weapon:
  Blaster pistol

• Vehicle:
  Sublight Queen, Millennium Falcon

• Affiliation:
  Rebel Alliance

• 

From the Movies

Nien Nunb is a small, jowled, mouse-eyed native of Sullust, the world that served as the staging area for the Alliance Fleet prior to the Battle of Endor. Nunb was co-pilot to Lando Calrissian aboard the Millennium Falcon during that historic conflict. Many of his world-mates also served as Alliance starfighter pilots in the battle. Nunb spoke the liquid, chattering tongue of the Sullustans, a language Lando understood.

From the Expanded Universe

Prior to his service in the Rebellion, Nien Nunb was an old friend and business partner of Lando Calrissian. He was a capable trader and pilot, with his ship the Sublight Queen being renowned in smuggler circles. Nunb was a top cargo runner for the SoroSuub Corporation. When SoroSuub fully supported the Empire, and began virtually enslaving the Sullustans, Nunb used his position to publicly harass the corporation. He began stealing mineral consignments directly from SoroSuub, becoming a hero to many Sullustans. SoroSuub responded with force, with the Empire supporting the corporation with a Star Destroyer. Nunb lost his ship in that encounter, but he joined the Alliance soon thereafter.

Nunb would follow in Calrissian's footsteps after the war. He went "respectable," in smuggler parlance, and entered into a risky business venture on Kessel. With the Empire long chased out of the Kessel spice mines, Nunb took over the operation, replacing prison slave labor with droids and turning Kessel into a profitable and respectable operation.

Behind the Scenes

Nien Nunb was actually a puppet controlled from beneath the set by puppeteer Mike Quinn. In the film Return of the Jedi, he spoke Haya, a Kenyan dialect. Student Kipsang Rotich provided the voice of the Sullustan. According to one popular anecdote, one of Nunb's lines translates to "one thousand herds of elephants are standing on my foot."