Bith

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Clak'Dor VII

• Size:
  1.7 meters

• 

From the Movies

The Bith species of humanoid are characterized by their large craniums, huge round, lidless eyes, and tiny mouths under their fleshy face folds. They are found throughout the galaxy, from the backwater dives of the Outer Rim Territories, to the Jedi order on Coruscant during the time of the Galactic Republic.

From the Expanded Universe

Bith are highly advanced craniopods from the planet Clak'dor VII, in the Colu system, Mayagil sector. The Bith are so evolved that their ancestral predecessors are impossible to determine. The Bith have become totally dependent on technology, having long since lost all their animalistic traits and instincts. Bith have atrophied senses of aggression, concentrating their energies into art, music and technology.

The reproductive organs of the Bith have atrophied and are useless. Bith reproduction is handled through technology. Prospective parents donate DNA samples to a Computer Mating Service (CMS), which then uses a complex computer program to produce a CP, or child pattern, displaying what possible children would look like from different mates. The Bith decide which child pattern appeals to them the most, and the CMS bonds the two DNA patterns to produce a child. A year later, CMS delivers a child to the new Bith parent.

The Bith have evolved past the need for routine sleep, unless sufficiently exhausted. The epidermal folds around their mouths collect molecules for olfactory analysis. Bith have a single lung, which draws in oxygen, strips each molecule of the necessary gases, and expels the waste gases through the skin. The Bith eye is very advanced, capable of focusing on microscopic detail. Their sense of hearing is so acute that they percieve the tonal qualities of sound in much the same way other species percieve color. As such, Bith musicians are noted for their virtuoso skills and complex musical arrangements.

Centuries ago, conflict erupted when two Bith cities, Nozho and Weogar, were competing for a patent on a stardrive. The end result of the conflict was biological warfare that wiped out 90 percent of Nozho's population, and transformed the garden world of Clak'dor VII into a monster-filled wasteland. The war crippled their technological centers, and the Bith had to turn to imported devices to help sustain their society. The Bith hermetically sealed their cities, and retreated from the growing wilds of their planet.

During the Separatist crisis, the Bith attempted to remain neutral to the conflicts splitting the galaxy. As more and more neighboring systems seceded, the Bith were eventually persuaded to support the Separatists in their cause.

Behind the Scenes

The Bith band musicians were first designed by Ralph McQuarrie, and finalized and built by Doug Beswick. The Bith costume consisted of a slip-on mask and gloves. The original masks were constrictive, and fogged up quickly. The masks were redesigned for the prequel trilogy, with eye-holes bored into the glassy ocular orbs providing greater visibility for the extras playing Bith. In Episode I, Bith extras made up a Podrace arena band. In Episode II, a number of freighter passengers, street extras and at least one Jedi were of the Bith species.