Kloperian The Kloperians were a sentient species native to the Inner Rim planet Kloper . They were a short , gray species , with fish - like eyes and mouths and extensible necks . Lines of tentacles , several of which were capped with hands , ran down both sides of their bodies . Their physique , combined with a natural affinity for mechanics , made the Kloperians some of the best engineers and technicians in the New Republic . In 17 ABY , a large group of Kloperians were involved in a plot by the Dark Jedi Kueller to cripple the New Republic . The Kloperians worked on Coruscant upgrading the Republic ' s fleet of starfighters , hiding Imperial detonators within the inner workings of the starships . However , their sabotage was discovered by R2 - D2 , the astromech droid of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker . While checking up on what was supposed to be routine maintenance on the Jedi ' s starfighter , the droid became suspicious of the Kloperians . He eventually discovered the detonators , and alerted General Wedge Antilles and Chief of State Leia Organa Solo to the danger the devices posed . Organa Solo had the Kloperian mechanics suspended from their duties until they could be thoroughly investigated . R2 - D2 later traveled to Telti where the detonators were produced , and remotely deactivated similar devices across the galaxy . Biology and appearance . The Kloperians were an intelligent species with short , squat bodies and squishy chests . Numerous tentacles lined their bodies , at least seven in total , giving the appearance of a series of filaments . Some , but not all , of these tentacles terminated in hands . A Kloperian was able to operate these hands independently : for instance , holding multiple blasters . Kloperian necks were of a variable length , able to extend when necessary . They had wrinkly faces with fish - like , bulging eyes ; and their mouths were also fish - like . Members of the species had gray skin pigmentation . Kloperian locomotion resembled slithering , and they waddled from side to side when they moved . They had the ability to easily outpace a protocol droid . Society and culture . Kloperians had a talent for working with machinery , which , combined with their particular physique , made them exceptional mechanics and engineers . Kloperians were able to speak Galactic Basic Standard . Their laughter produced a squishy sound , sickening to some non - Kloperian ears . Kloperians expressed indignation by wrapping their tentacles around their body . Some Kloperians had multiple wives . History . The Kloperians were native to the planet Kloper , within the eponymous star system , a part of the Inner Rim right on the border with the Core - ward Colonies Region . They were active in the galaxy by 17 ABY , at which time many worked for the New Republic , earning a reputation as some of the best mechanics and engineers in the Republic . Sabotaging the Republic . That year , the Republic implemented an upgrade of its entire starfighter corps , including eliminating the astromech sockets in its X - wing starfighters . A contingent of over 50 Kloperians worked on these upgrades , and they were the only species authorized to work on the new fighters . Unknown to Republic leadership , the upgrades included Imperial detonators as part of a plan by the unstable darksider Kueller to cripple the Republic . In order to ensure the secrecy of their sabotage , the Kloperians strictly prohibited astromech droids from their maintenance bays . When Jedi Master Luke Skywalker authorized routine maintenance on his X - wing , the Kloperians set about entirely disassembling the starfighter , as , on the orders of General Wedge Antilles , any routine maintenance was to include upgrading X - wings to clean fighter status . The Jedi ' s astromech unit , R2 - D2 went to investigate the modification . While R2 - D2 was jacked into a computer terminal he was discovered by a Kloperian mechanic , who pulled the droid and his companion , C - 3PO , into the hangar bay and locked them inside a closet . When the Kloperians finally checked their serial numbers , they released the droids , showing them Skywalker ' s dismantled starfighter . Suspicious of the Kloperians ' true motives , R2 - D2 took the precaution of removing the X - wing ' s memory chip s — R2 - D2 and the X - wing had been paired together for so long that they had developed their own special language . Hearing of the disassembling of his fighter , Skywalker visited the hangar himself , ordering Human mechanic Cole Fardreamer to reassemble the X - wing . At one point , Fardreamer tried to recruit a Kloperian to help , but R2 - D2 , who was helping with the reassembly , made a significant disturbance until Fardreamer abandoned the idea . Eventually , the pair discovered a detonator hidden deep within the newly - installed computer system , and later found similar devices in other upgraded and prototype X - wing starfighters . However , a Kloperian guard discovered Fardreamer inside one of the new X - wings and confronted him at blaster point . When Fardreamer showed the detonating device to the guard , the Kloperian accused the Human of sabotage , and shot at R2 - D2 when the droid tried to jack into a computer terminal . The Kloperian was too slow , however ; R2 - D2 had summoned General Antilles to the hangar . Learning of the detonator , Antilles dismissed the Kloperian guard for shooting the droid . Following this , Chief of State Leia Organa Solo ordered the Kloperians working in the ship docks relieved of their duties until they could be cleared of tampering . Sabotage foiled . Following this incident , R2 - D2 suspected that the starfighter sabotage of the X - wings was linked with the Bombing of the Senate Hall that had occurred days earlier . Despite it being restricted to unauthorized personnel , R2 - D2 investigated the bomb scene , discovering smaller , but similar , detonators there . The droid was interrupted by a Kloperian night guard , who ordered R2 - D2 and C - 3PO to vacate the premises , but not before R2 - D2 had obtained four Imperial detonators . Before they were able to report their discovery , however , Organa Solo resigned her position and left Coruscant to rescue Skywalker , who was being held by Kueller on Almania , leaving Mon Mothma in her role as Chief of State . The droids tried to report to Mothma — meeting the Kloperian guard from the starship hangar in her anteroom — however , blocked from meeting her by an officious secretary droid , R2 - D2 instead traveled to the moon Telti , which the droid believed was the origin of the detonators . There , the two droids managed to deactivate all the detonators spread across the galaxy before they could be detonated , thus foiling Kueller ' s plan and limiting the impact of the Kloperians ' sabotage . Behind the scenes . Kristine Kathryn Rusch created the Kloperians for her novel " The New Rebellion " , published by Bantam Spectra in 1996 . They were later mentioned in several reference books , such as the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " ( 1998 ) , the third edition of " A Guide to the Star Wars Universe " ( 2000 ) , and " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " ( 2008 ) . Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry later placed their homeworld in " The Essential Atlas " ( 2009 ) ; however , while it appeared on the map of the Inner Rim , the " Atlas " Appendix placed it in the Colonies Region . The June 11 2010 update to its corrected the errant Colonies placement . Throughout " The New Rebellion " , Rusch refers to Kloperian individuals using the pronoun , " it . " This ambiguity over the gender of individual Kloperians has been maintained in this article , despite one reference by Rusch to " wives . "