Gossam / Legends Gossams were a small saurian species native to the planet Castell in the Colonies region of the galaxy , with colonies on the Outer Rim worlds of Felucia and Saleucami . Averaging slightly over one meter in height , Gossams had wrinkled skin , with narrowing , shriveled heads on elongated necks . Physical appearance was considered important in Gossam society , and females often curved their hair up from the back of their heads . They were bipeds , balancing their frail bodies on small feet , and had long three - fingered hands . The average lifespan of a Gossam was about seventy - five years . Known for their shrewd and cunning nature , most Gossam on Castell served the Commerce Guild , which was headed by the Gossam Shu Mai during the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars . Due to their intelligent and scheming nature , Gossams could be found all over the galaxy , acting as either legitimate merchants or as law - breaking pirates and smugglers , while Force - using Gossam were extremely rare . Biology and appearance . Gossam stood roughly 1 . 25 meters high , had pebbly green or blue skin , elongated necks , wide yellow eyes and a tapered head that sloped back on an incline . Gossam balanced their thin bodies on two three - toed feet , and had long , graceful three fingered hands . Gossams developed at a reasonably standard rate . Considered younglings until around the age of ten , society regarded them as full adults by the age of fourteen . Gossam reaching around sixty standard years were considered old , while those living past the age of seventy - five were considered venerable . Society and culture . Like most reptiles , Gossam young were hatched from eggs . Gossam mothers watched over the eggs more for the status than for any practical purpose . Because the species was so appearance driven , Gossam families would build nests of elegant warm fabrics and cushions to show off their young before they were even hatched . They would also throw egg parties where the eager parents would receive gifts from their friends and relatives . The higher the status of the parents , the larger the gifts . The parties were thrown late in the eggs ' incubation period in the hope that the egg would hatch during the event . Gossams held their appearances as extremely important , and dressed in elaborate clothing in an attempt to impress other sentients . Females used oil - based creams to mold their hair into a wave that traditionally swept up from the back of their heads . Wealthy Gossam aristocrats and trade negotiators often wore elevated footwear to appear taller when dealing with other species , in addition to the exotic robes and finery favored by most Gossam . Most Gossam were selfish , scheming beings skilled at the art of business . Though most Gossam were intelligent and independently minded , many spent much of their lives working for the Commerce Guild , who offered them food , housing and a decent income for a ten year exclusive contract . Gossam goods were generally cheap to manufacture , and overpriced . Always looking for an angle they can play to come out on top , Gossam were considered untrustworthy by other beings . The Gossam had a military in the form of Gossam Commandos , a group of male Gossam soldiers who wore heavy armor and used heavy repeating blasters . They also used a heavy shoulder - mounted cannon that took two Gossams to operate — one to fire and one to reload . Commerce Guild President e Shu Mai personally authorized their use in the Outer Rim Sieges during the Clone Wars . Gossam spoke a language of the same name . It consisted of lispy vocalizations , croaks and trills . Written Gossam had a jagged alphabet that combined into short words and long sentences . Due to their industrial relationships with many offworld companies , most Gossam also spoke Galactic Basic . Gossam names were usually quite short — both first names and surnames usually only had three or four letters . Common Gossam names were Min Cho , Xiri Gan , Zim Li , Shan Sien , and Mei Tran . History . Circa 27 , 000 BBY , the Gossam experimented and developed the tumble hyperdrive which allowed them to colonize several distant worlds including Felucia . Due to the aggressive plants and animals on that world , colonization was limited and the planet was used as a resort for wealthy Gossam and their servants . For ten years before the Invasion of Naboo , the Gossam homeworld of Castell suffered a devastating economic depression due to the heavy taxation of trade routes . This resulted in a loss of profits and little demand for goods from Castell . Many Gossam resorted to fighting over food , jobs and passage offworld , until the Commerce Guild appointed Shu Mai as its president . Mai almost single - handedly helped Castell out of this depression due to her aggressive business practices , her support of the Gossam workforce , and her taciturn negotiation tactics . Mai had each able Gossam serve as an indentured servant of the Commerce Guild for a portion of their lives . In return , they were offered food , housing and a modest income . Most Gossam saw this as the dreary reality . Once Castell grew out of its economic depression , this tradition continued , with most young Gossams taking indentured contracts to gain business experience before venturing out into the corporate world alone . Many Gossam made large profits by investing their credits in offworld bank accounts , not trusting their own people . Still others built offworld estates on Saleucami and Felucia , thus starting Gossam colonies on those Outer Rim worlds . Just before the outbreak of the Clone Wars , Shu Mai secretly pledged her support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems , despite realizing that it would amount to treason . Her reasons were simple — she couldn ' t resist a potentially profitable venture . The Commerce Guild pledged massive amounts of DSD1 dwarf spider droids , as well as the Gossam Commandos . The Gossam as a species did not pledge their support to the CIS , but as they were considered the property of the Commerce Guild , they were expected to help the war effort whenever possible . Due to this , during the Clone Wars , Gossam were banished from Coruscant . Amita Fonti , a Gossam senator , attended a convening of the Separatist Parliament on the planet Raxus , where she supported a motion to open peace negotiations with the Republic . In the months after the Clone Wars , many Gossam on Coruscant joined Whiplash , a resistance movement working against the Galactic Empire . The Gossam were ultimately enslaved by the Galactic Empire , and very few were able to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic after its formation . Due to their former alliance with the CIS , the Gossam and their planet were a primary target of Palpatine ' s reign of terror against non - Human species . Not until after the Alliance ' s victory did they receive their freedom ; however , Castell still had not fully recovered as of the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War . After the Yuuzhan Vong War , several Gossam worked for the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances . It was unclear whether the Gossam joined the Confederation after the Corporate Sector Authority allied itself with the Confederation . However , this was unlikely because several were seen working for the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances with a supply company . Gossam in the galaxy . Many Gossam established offworld estates for recreational purposes , on planets like Felucia and Saleucami . Gossam were well known as some of the shrewdest business people in the known galaxy . Their products were nearly always inexpensive to manufacture in mass , and extremely overpriced . Gossam were excellent barterers , although their self - centered and greedy nature often led them to cheating and lying to amass as many credits as possible . A Gossam ' s word was rarely valued , both by Gossam and those with whom they were doing business . Some members of the species were legitimate merchants — although most were quite the opposite . Large numbers of Gossam were involved with piracy and smuggling operations . Due to their size and calm demeanor , Gossam were frequently underestimated — a perception they were happy to exploit . Most freighter captains paid little heed to reports of Gossam piracy - until blaster - - wielding Gossam raided their ships . However , Gossam rarely rose to positions of power , with Shu Mai being one of very few exceptions . This was largely due to the fact that their innate independence and lust for profits were seem to prohibit the long - term planning needed to achieve real influence . Force - sensitive Gossam were extremely rare , though at least one Gossam was initiated in the Jedi Order as part of the Hawkbat Clan studying at an academy on Bogden 3 at the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY . Those Gossam who were not pirates or merchants often worked as tech - specialists . One group of Gossam worked as bussers at the Corusca Gem casino on Coruscant during the New Order . Behind the scenes . The Gossam species were created for , and first appeared in " The Approaching Storm " , by Alan Dean Foster . In both " Attack of the Clones " and , Shu Mai and the other Gossam characters are entirely computer - generated . The history and culture of the species has since been expanded upon by numerous sources .