Bouncer Bouncers were the native sentient species of Ruusan . Globe - like creatures , they received their name from their method of locomotion : propelled by the wind , they bounced themselves off obstacles to reach great heights . Their bodies were covered in green fur , and numerous tentacles grew from their body , of which half ended in delta shaped appendages capable of digging and writing in the ground . The Bouncers ' homeworld was the location of a great battle between the forces of the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Darkness during the New Sith Wars . The Bouncers tried to ease the struggles of both sides , bringing support and comfort to the dying using their mild telepathic abilities . When the conflict ended with Lord Kaan unleashing the thought bomb , trapping the spirits of hundreds of Jedi and Sith inside , the Bouncers maintained a prophecy that " a Knight would come , a battle would be fought , and the prisoners go free . " The Bouncers helped fulfill the prophecy when they guided the Jedi Kyle Katarn to the planet ' s Valley of the Jedi over a thousand years later . A Bouncer was also responsible for the survival of Rain , who went on to become the Sith Lord Darth Zannah . Biology and appearance . The Bouncers were a species of sentient beings native to the planet Ruusan . They were shaped like medicine balls , and they appeared rather fragile . Their internal physiology was balloon - like , resulting in negligible weight . Their skin was leathery and warm and dry to the touch . They appeared only as green blobs when viewed under infra - red . Their skin was covered in green hair , which fluttered in the Ruusan breezes . Dominating the Bouncers ' faces were two enormous luminous eyes . These had large pupils which were especially good for gathering light due to the species ' nocturnal nature . Bouncers had no visible nose or mouth . From these globe shaped bodies , the Bouncers had numerous tentacles , half of which ended in delta shaped appendages . These functioned efficiently as small digging tools . The Bouncers were able to " walk " along the ground with these tentacles and could stand on them when gathered together . These tentacles were very dexterous and were used by the Bouncers to manipulate items , such as styluses . When bouncing , these tentacles often drifted behind , giving them a ghostly appearance . The Bouncers ' primary method of locomotion relied on the wind . Due to their balloon - like bodies and negligible weight , they were easily carried by the winds . They were able to control their momentum and direction via specialized skin flaps that functioned as wind vanes . By turning , raising , and lowering these flaps , the Bouncers were able to control their direction . They aimed themselves at oncoming obstacles such as stones or boulders , and in this manner " bounced ; " hence their name . Using that technique , they could achieve heights up to fifty or sixty meters . The larger Bouncers were even able to carry extra weight without it affecting their momentum . Through a combination of manipulation of their tentacles and friction against the sand , the Bouncers were able to brake . They then used their tentacles to anchor themselves to the ground against the winds . In that manner , tribes of Bouncers traveled across the plains and wastelands of Ruusan , tacking and wheeling as a group . Bouncers also enjoyed using their tentacles to climb large rock spurs , from which they flung themselves into the void , floating until gravity drew them to the ground . Their motion was considered by some to be dance - like , and for Morgan Katarn , epitomized freedom . While it is unclear whether the Bouncers were able to manipulate the Force , they were clearly able to feel it , and their presence did send out ripples through the Force . The Force also frequently gave them dreams and glimpses of the future . These were highly accurate , in both predicting the immediate future and more distant events . When passing on these oracles , however , they couched them in vague riddles and generalities . The dreams also incurred a cost ; weak Bouncers could be killed by dark dreams . Society and culture . The Bouncers ' society maintained largely unchanged over the thousands of years of their existence . In 4 ABY , they still had a pre - industrial society , only numbering between 18 , 000 to 20 , 000 individuals . These were organized into tribes of around fifty to sixty , with an older Bouncer as leader . The Bouncers lived in the mountainous areas of their planet , and did not roam the deserts as was common for the Ruusanian s . While Ruusan was once a temperate world with vast forests , after the explosion of Lord Kaan ' s thought bomb , the planet was largely arid wastelands . As such , the Bouncers made some adaptations to their behavioral patterns . Water became much scarcer as a consequence . To offset that , each morning , the Bouncers dug a series of shallow depressions into which they placed an inverted cone . These depressions were then covered with a thin , semitransparent tissue . These functioned as water stills , condensing moisture in the air and gathering it in the cone . In that manner , a supply of water awaited the Bouncers when they emerged at night . The Bouncers developed a number of herbal medicines and natural remedies for maladies they suffered . Language . The Bouncers communicated to each other through a series of whistling and warbling . They were also mildly telepathic , with the ability to sense the emotions of those around them , both Bouncer and alien alike . The telepathy enabled them to communicate directly with some individuals , projecting thoughts into their minds , such as developed in the relationship between Laa and Rain . They could not read specific thoughts , however , and required the other conversationalist to actually speak aloud . However , they most frequently communicated with aliens through writing . That took the form of Basic , which they scribbled into the sand of Ruusan . By 4 ABY , their syntax was considered strange , and full of archaic language , yet it was still understandable . Temperament . Because of the Bouncers ' dependence on wind for locomotion , they were patient beings , sometimes prone to a certain inherent fatalism in the way that they approached the world . An example of that was their defensive technique when attacked ; the tribe reacted by turning inwards , clustering together . When an Imperial patrol led by Forley attacked them , it would have resulted in their slaughter if not for the intervention of Jan Ors and a number of the colonists of Fort Nowhere . On other occasions , the Bouncers did what they could to defend themselves ; later in that same incident , a Bouncer grabbed Forley by the head and surrounded his head with its tentacles . In a panic , Leeno , one of Forley ' s stormtroopers , shot at the creature , killing both it and his commanding officer . However , the brave action by the Bouncer was just another form of their fatalism . The Bouncers also had a great respect for life , feeling obliged to heal and comfort others . That extended to physically saving lives , such as that of the child Rain . Despite premonitions and dreams that her life was bad , the Bouncer Laa insisted that " life is life , " and so saved Rain . History . Galactic Republic . The Bouncers evolved on the planet Ruusan as the sole sentient species . The planet was eventually discovered by the Galactic Republic and as part of a wave of expansion throughout the newborn Teraab sector , it was settled by the Mining Guild . Deposits of iron , copper , cesium , iridium , nickel , and uranium dotted the planet , but proved to be less significant as those of neighboring planets such as Drogheda , Istic II , Pesmenben IV , and Tyne ' s Horky . As such , it was only sparsely settled , and the Bouncers co - existed peacefully with the various miners , farmers , and trappers . The planet gained unexpected importance during the New Sith Wars when it took on symbolic importance . Victory for the Sith would represent their inevitable advance , while liberation by the Republic would represent the Jedi ' s ability to defeat their sworn foes . That resulted in seven great battles on Ruusan , and innumerable skirmishes . The Bouncers did not take sides in the fight , but rather offered their unique assistance to both sides . Gifted with mild telepathy , the Bouncers visited the aftermaths of the battles , and projected images of succor and comfort to the surviving wounded . They became a welcome and familiar sight to both sides , as they aided in healing . However , that changed when the Sith forces began to use powerful dark side rituals to defeat the Jedi forces . Led by Darth Bane , the Sith unleashed an unnatural firestorm that destroyed huge swaths of forest , killing many Jedi in its flames , and forcing the others into exposed ground . The effect on the Bouncers was devastating . The raging fires killed most , and those that survived were driven mad by the cataclysm . Their ability to comfort was horribly distorted . They began to project terror , panic , and terrible nightmares to the sick and wounded . The Jedi were forced to kill the tormented beings in order to maintain their own morale . Only one Bouncer was spared the madness : Laa . Earlier , the old Bouncer had saved the life of a small Human girl . The girl , Rain , was a recruit for the Army of Light , but never reached them when the starship she was on was damaged by Sith Buzzards . Rain fell many meters from the ship , before Laa caught her in mid - air . Rain proved to be very strong in the Force , and instinctively protected Laa from the Sith firestorm . Laa ' s decision had significant consequences for the future of the Sith . In numerous prophetic dreams , Laa foresaw Rain becoming a powerful dark Jedi . Laa carried Rain on her back for many days until they came across some Jedi forces . Seeing only the Bouncer , the Jedi Petja shot and killed Laa . Instinctively , Rain responded , using the Force to snap the necks of the two Jedi . Ultimately , it was Laa ' s death that triggered Rain ' s turn to the dark side . The grieving child was found by Darth Bane , who took her as his apprentice . She eventually became Darth Zannah , a Dark Lord of the Sith . The larger conflict between the Jedi and Sith was concluded when Lord Kaan utilized another Sith ritual , known as the thought bomb . It created a receptacle for the dark side , which when detonated , sucked the spirits of all the proximate Jedi and Sith within its bounds . It effectively destroyed the Sith forces and large numbers of the Jedi force also , bringing an end to the war on Ruusan . The total effect on the Bouncers of the conflict was devastating . So many were killed by the indiscriminate Sith fires , the Jedi forces , and the thought bomb , that the species was pushed to the edge of extinction . Those that did survive were also faced with a different world , for the thought bomb had desolated much of the planet , transforming it into wastelands . Two of the Bouncers who did survive found Rain ' s cousin Darovit in the aftermath of these battles , speaking directly to his mind and strengthening his will to live after his hand was amputated . They led him to food and medical supplies , so that he could dress his wound and stave off infection . Over the next ten years , the Bouncers developed a particular fascination with Darovit . They taught him their herbal lore , and when he settled down in a hut , two or three Bouncers always circled his hut during the day and ventured out with him whenever he traveled . One such Bouncer was Yuun , who was accompanying Darovit when he discovered the Republic had returned to Ruusan in order to construct a monument to their fallen . Darovit tried to sabotage the project but to no avail . He eventually fought his cousin in a deadly duel , when Rain returned to the planet as a Sith Lord . The Republic monument became known as the Valley of the Jedi . Huge statues were erected of the fallen Jedi , as well as numerous tombs . While the memorial was popular for a time , within a decade the bickering Republic began to forget it . However , the Bouncers also made a record of these events , in what they called the " Poem of Ages . " The poem included a number of prophecies , including one regarding the Valley of the Jedi . The prophecy foretold of a Jedi Knight who would come to the planet , fight a battle , and free the prisoners trapped within the thought bomb . They preserved the prophecy for nearly a thousand years in which time it was also recorded offworld . Galactic Empire . The Bouncers slowly recovered their numbers on Ruusan , long after the Republic had forgotten its location . Shifting nebulae within the Teraab sector erased the former hyperspace routes there , ensuring its isolation , and the planet soon became a subject of myth . Around 11 BBY , the smuggler Jerg rediscovered the planet by accident , when he took a random hyperspace jump while being pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer . He and his team recognized the value in the planet ' s obscurity , and established a small fort there , known as Fort Nowhere , to store their contraband . The Bouncers kept a low profile during that time , continuing their nomadic existence without any significant contact with the smugglers . Ruusan received another influx of foreigners , when Morgan Katarn led a group of three hundred and forty - seven refugees from Sulon to the planet . The inquisitive Katarn ventured out into the countryside to explore . The Bouncers sensed Katarn ' s approach and believed him to be the one to fulfill the ancient prophecy regarding the Valley of the Jedi . They could detect his Force - sensitivity and so regarded him as a Knight . Furthermore , Morgan had inadvertently fulfilled part of their prophecy by camping above the city of Olmondo , which was buried deep under the sand . The Bouncers gave Katarn instructions to the Valley in the hope he would fulfill the prophecy . However , while Katarn found the location , he realized he did not have the power to free the trapped spirits and left . Despite that failure , the Bouncers remembered their encounter with Morgan , referring to him as " the Knight who never was . " The Bouncers had little other contact with the refugees after the encounter , remaining elusive . Many of the colonists regarded them with fear and loathing , but some , such as Grif Grawley , regarded them as both beautiful and fascinating , despite only fleeting encounters . It was while Grawley was looking out for Bouncers that he detected an Imperial probe droid launched by the dark Jedi , Jerec . The Imperial leader was seeking the famed Valley of the Jedi and had finally discovered Ruusan . Grawley destroyed the probe droid and returned to Fort Nowhere to warn the settlers of the Imperial discovery . He then hid out in nearby caves , thus avoiding the subsequent Imperial razing of the fort . Morgan ' s son , Kyle Katarn , visited the planet shortly thereafter , in order to prevent Jerec taking control of the Valley . He met Grawley in the badlands , and the gruff man suggested consulting the Bouncers on the location of the Valley . While Grawley , Kyle and their group waited for the Bouncer tribe to approach , an Imperial patrol attacked the tribe as it crossed the desert . In the short time they had been on the planet , the Imperial forces had begun to amuse themselves by hunting the essentially defenseless native species . A number of the Bouncers had been killed and taken as trophies to hang on the troopers ' walls . The Bouncers response to the attack was to cluster together , which would have resulted in their deaths if the rebel group had not intervened and attacked the Imperial patrol . In the resulting confusion , the Bouncers took a more assertive action . One in particular wrapped its tentacles around the head of the stormtrooper Forley , blinding him . His companion panicked and shot the Bouncer , killing his commanding officer in the process . Other Bouncers dropped from the sky to knock the trooper to the ground , pinning him there until the rebels arrived . After the clash , the Bouncers met with Kyle Katarn . Aware of his mission , they were noncommittal in their response , holding that " if not now , then someday " a Knight would fulfill their prophecy . Nevertheless , one of them , called Floater , agreed to act as a guide to the Valley of the Jedi . Floater touched each one of his tribe members in farewell and then led Katarn and his companions into the desert . Guiding them by night , Floater navigated the rebels through a series of canyon s , until they were half a kilometer from the Valley . There , as dawn broke , an Imperial probe encountered Floater and the group . Grif Grawley lunged at the droid and activated its self - destruct , taking his own life in the process . Despite the setback , Floater was keen to continue and led Katarn and Ors through underground aqueduct systems right to the entrance of the Valley . There , Floater and Ors remained while Katarn continued alone into the Valley . When Imperials discovered the pair , Ors was captured , but Floater managed to escape through the aqueduct system . The Bouncer had done enough , however , as Katarn went on to free the spirits in the Valley and fulfill the Bouncer prophecy . Katarn soon left Ruusan , keeping its location a secret . The location was later discovered by the Chistori Desann in 12 ABY . A former Jedi now working for the Empire Reborn , Desann used residual power in the Valley to create a Force imbued army . He was partially successful before Jedi Master Luke Skywalker expelled him and his forces from the planet . The Bouncers were seemingly unaffected by the encounter . Behind the scenes . The Bouncers were first introduced in the Dark Forces novellas where both Morgan and Kyle Katarn visited the planet Ruusan . They were then featured in the comic " " , which depicted events the novellas had revealed in flashbacks set a thousand years earlier . Finally these same events were described in the novel " " which expanded the back - story of the villain Darth Bane . Between these three sources , there appear some inconsistencies in the Bouncers ' descriptions . In the novellas , the name Bouncer is given due to their method of locomotion . They are described as needing to bounce to gain height and being reliant on the wind for locomotion . However in the comics , they appear to be able to fly under their own power , and " Path of Destruction " describes them as “ hovering ” over the wounded . This led some fans to consider Bouncers to be telekinetic , but this is not the case . This article has followed the in - depth descriptions of the novellas , treating the comic depiction of floating as artistic license . The novellas describe the Bouncers as having retractable tentacles , over which they have motor control . In the comics , the Bouncers appear to have long hair which streams behind them , but they do exhibit the ability to control these . " Path of Destruction " describes these as " ribbonlike tails . " Another difference is that in the novellas , the Bouncers blink and open their eyes , whereas " Path of Destruction " describes their eyes as lidless . A final difference is that while the Bouncers are described as nocturnal in the novellas , they are frequently active during the day in the comics and novel . While none of these depictions are necessarily irreconcilable , they do exist in some tension with each other .