Eloms

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Elom

• Size:
  1.3 - 1.6 meters

• 

From the Expanded Universe

For centuries, the Eloms and the Elomin of the frigid desert world of Elom lived in complete ignorance of one another. The more technologically advanced Elomin built cities on the surface of the planet, while the subterranean Eloms lived deep underground.

The primitive, peaceful Eloms were content to stay in their caves. They evolved on the surface, but moved underground, following the natural water springs trapped in the planet's crust. They adapted to their troglodyte existence, developing hard claws for digging through the soil, prehensile toes for climbing, exceptional night vision for the darkened conditions, and water-retaining tissues for dry, desert survival. Elom vision is so sensitive to the dark that bright lights can painfully stun an Elom.

Intrepid Elomin explorers found evidence of Elom caves in the rugged A'driannamieq Mountains. The Elomins have very rigid perceptions of order and structure in their lives, and the notion of their planet being inhabited by cave-dwellers was an extremely difficult concept to grasp. These explorers failed to report their findings to the Elomin Council, and the two species continued to live with no interaction.

When the planet Elom became part of the Republic, the Elomins drafted lucrative trade agreements with the galactic government, exporting precious lommite ore from the planet's crust. When a mining cave-in revealed the underground Elom civilization, the Republic sent a task force to investigate the new discovery. After months of negotiations, the Republic determined that the Eloms were sentient and had a claim to a portion of the planet's mineral wealth. They were awarded a large tract of land and full sentient species recognition, and Elomin began a program of resource sharing with their newly discovered world-mates.

The Elomins were hesitant to enter a partnership with so alien a culture, and the Eloms, for the most part, were content to continue living their primitive underground existence. When the Empire came to power, the Elomins were turned into slaves and the Eloms' land rights were ignored.

The Eloms retreated deeper below the surface to avoid the Imperials. Young rebellious Eloms staged "mining accidents" to free Elomin slaves, but the community elders frowned upon such contentious actions.

Eloms are peaceful and community-minded when on their home planet. They organize themselves into small townships called cseria. The scattered cseria would meet annually to resolve problems and trade goods. Curiously, the few Eloms that have left the planet have shown sociopathic tendencies, perhaps the result of a physiological reaction to being away from their kind and their native caves.

Behind the Scenes

The Elom seen in Return of the Jedi was developed in sketches by Chris Walas. It was realized as a full-body costume worn by a background extra. During production, the alien was nicknamed the Mole, for its obvious underground inspiration. Mole spelled backwards became its proper alien name.