Elom / Legends Eloms were short , stocky , bipedal sentients , with a thick pelt of oily , dark fur , native to the frigid and mineral - rich desert planet of Elom , located in the Borderland Regions . The primitive species had extremely tough skin , several layers of fat , and their hands and feet were coated by thick calluses . As a result of living in dark caves , where the only light was created by phosphorescent crystals , Eloms had exceptional eyesight , though they could not tolerate bright light . Rarely leaving their underground habitats , Eloms were pacifistic and peaceful herbivores , despite their savage and fearsome appearance . Although they were highly ambitious and intelligent , Eloms were often manipulated into becoming involved with illegal activities , due to their underestimation of the capacity for wrongdoing exhibited by other species . With an average lifespan similar to Humans , Eloms remained undiscovered for thousands of years by Galactic Republic scouts , although the species they shared the planet with , the tall humanoid Elomin , had made contact with the scouts long before they had even discovered the Eloms . Biology and appearance . Eloms were short , stocky mammalian bipeds with tough skin under a thick , oily pelt of dark and stringy fur . They had several layers of fat , which had evolved to capture moisture — this meant they were especially equipped for life in the harsh , desert environment of their homeworld . Eloms ' hands and feet each had hard , hooked claws , perfect for digging , and prehensile toes on each foot , which could be used as grip tools . The species ' hands and feet were also covered with thick calluses which were a direct result from the rigorous lives they lived . Because of their subterranean existence , in which phosphorescent crystals were the only source of light , Eloms had exceptional night vision . However , their small , beady , dark eyes , which were located on the far sides of their faces , were easily overpowered by bright light , sometimes to the extent that it incapacitated them . The sturdy beings also had two rock hard , sharp tusks protruding from their mouths , with thick , pouchy jowls in which they were able to store food . Averaging at a height of roughly one and a half meters when fully grown , Eloms evolved in a dry environment , and their biological systems were adapted for desert survival . Eloms had the ability to move quickly , even when laden down with a heavy load . Some Eloms were also known to have had long , white tails which almost reached their feet . Eloms physical appearance developed at a rate similar to a Human ' s : considered younglings until the age of eleven standard years , they were regarded as full adults by the age of seventeen . Once they had reached fifty to sixty years of age they were considered middle - aged , while Eloms who reached sixty - five years old were considered old . Eloms living past ninety - five were considered venerable . Society and culture . Eloms were an extremely peaceful and unsophisticated species who lived deep beneath the surface of their homeworld . Strict herbivores , the Eloms were content to live in their underground homes , raising their young and harvesting hard - shell rockmelon s and crystalweeds . The Eloms never held a grudge against the Elomin , despite the mistreatment they suffered at the hands of their horned counterparts . Throughout their history , Eloms developed a strong sense of community along with a great need for belonging . Although they were highly intelligent and ambitious , Eloms often underestimated the capacity for wrongdoing exhibited by other species and therefore were often able to be manipulated by others to do their bidding . Eloms were generally easygoing , kind , forgiving and eager to learn . Eloms organized themselves into small towns , called " cseria " . Every year , each cseria would meet to resolve problems and trade goods . During the reign of the Empire , the cseria tried to prevent their communities from being dragged into war . Although they found it difficult , it was possible for an Elom to learn how to read and write Basic . They could also read and write their own language , which was also known as Elom . Common Elom names included Broig , Gossof , Oront , Qurgg , Skona , Trugbuz and Ukskul . History . Eloms evolved on the frigid , mineral - rich desert world of Elom along with the Elomin , which were a tall , humanoid race with horns similar to those of the Zabrak . The two species lived for centuries in ignorance of each other — the technological Elomin lived on the surface while the primitive society of the Eloms developed deep beneath the planet ' s surface . The Eloms were believed to have died out when the world turned to permanent drought . The Eloms , however , did not always live in their city - like caverns — they originally lived on the surface , but when the water levels dropped dangerously low over the course of several millennia , the Eloms gradually developed into a subterranean species . Their hard claws were able to unearth succulent roots and natural springs , giving the primitive Elom society a source of water , and a chance to survive the potentially fatal climate shift . The Eloms settled in huge caves , illuminated by exotic phosphorescent crystals . These crystals made the transition of living underground far easier for the Elom , but their vision deteriorated over several generations , until it reached the point that bright light almost blinded Eloms , and they only ever ventured towards the surface during darkness . When Old Republic scouts first discovered the planet , the Elomin made contact with them , trading their rich mineral deposits for large amounts of water — both the Elomin and Eloms were suffering from a terrible drought , and although the water helped save the Elomin , many Eloms died during the drought as they were unknown to the outsiders . Elomin explorers found evidence of Elom caves in the rugged A ' driannamieq Mountains . The Elomins had very rigid perceptions of order and structure in their lives , and the notion of their planet being inhabited by another species was extremely difficult for them to come to terms with . The Elomin explorers did not report their findings to the Elomin Council , and the two species continued to live with no interaction . Several centuries after the Republic first landed on their native planet , Eloms were discovered by the Elomin after a mining accident . The Elomin had been mining lommite , an important element in the manufacture of transparisteel , when a shaft collapsed into a tunnel inhabited by Eloms . The Eloms gained the Elomin ' s trust after they rescued the group of injured miners . The Elom were uninterested in what the Elomin had to offer , preferring their pacifist lifestyle to technology and exploration . The Elomin originally thought the Eloms were a trainable species , using them as cheap slave labor in the mines ; however , once Republic xenosociologists studied them , they were discovered to be sentient . After months of negotiating with the Republic and despite the objections of the Elomin , the Eloms were awarded territorial rights to a large tract of desert and full sentient species status , to which they were quietly pleased . The Elomin ' s resentment of Eloms soon passed — the peaceful , unsophisticated Eloms had accepted their neighbors with open arms , despite their previous poor treatment . As well as that , the Elom were uninterested in getting involved in the Elomin ' s offworld business dealings — they were content to live as they had done for many centuries . For the most part , the two species lived as they had done before discovering each other — the Eloms lived in their subterranean caverns while the Elomin lived in industrial settlements above ground , both keeping their distance . When the Empire rose to power , the Eloms , as well as the Elomin , were turned into slaves , and the land rights and treaties given to them by the Republic were revoked . The quiet cave dwellers once again found their world ripped apart . Those that had evaded the Empire retreated to deeper , darker caves , and the young Eloms would often stage " mining accidents , " rescuing Elomin slaves and leading them to their caves . The older Eloms often frowned upon this recklessness . The Imperials often hunted Eloms for sport ; one of those who did so was Kurlen Flennic , later a Moff in the Imperial Remnant . Because of the actions of the Empire , many Eloms were sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance , who sent commandos to Elom to help them liberate entire slave camps , leading them to their massive cavernous cities hidden at the center of deep labyrinths . Following the creation of the New Republic , Eloms and Elomin became more integrated — the Elomin were extremely grateful to their neighbors for rescuing so many of them during the Emperor ' s reign . Many Elom youths left to seek their fortune above ground or among the stars , though they often became criminals . During the New Republic ' s regime , the Shi ' ido anthropologist Mammon Hoole included an entry on the Eloms in his publication " The Essential Guide to Alien Species " . Elom in the galaxy . Elom rarely left their homeworld , or even their cave communities , of their own accord . Ignorant in the ways of the outside world , those that did leave often ended up working as criminals . Elom thugs , bounty hunters and pirates were not uncommon throughout the Galaxy , though Eloms never rose to positions of power in the underworld . These criminal Eloms sometimes displayed hyper - accelerated and sociopathic tendencies , possibly as a result of physiological changes brought on by being so far from fellow Eloms and their peaceful cave habitats . Another theory put forward by cultural anthropologists was that , because of Eloms ' strong sense of community and need for belonging , these criminal Eloms had simply fallen in with the wrong crowd ; they were only following the lead of other , more manipulative beings , and would not have committed crimes if they had not been ordered to . Most of the criminal Eloms did not leave of their own accord — those that did often became scouts or fringers . Some Eloms also became tour guides on planets similar to their own . After the dissolution of the Empire , many young Elom departed their homeworld due to their ambitious , intelligent nature , yet they often became lonely . Many Eloms served the Rebellion and New Republic military , though they sought to work directly with other members of their species . Eloms serving the Rebel Alliance proved to be experts in adapting stolen Imperial equipment for use by the Rebellion soldiers . The earliest known sighting of an offworld Elom was in 4000 BBY , where an Elom pirate was known to serve on the crew of the " Marauder Starjacker " , a pirate ship captained by Finhead Stonebone . They were known to raid Ithullan ore - haulers in Stenness Node , and around 4 , 000 BBY they enraged Great Bogga the Hutt , the ruler of the Stenness system , who was paid to protect these ships . Bogga told Finhead and his crew to kill Thon , a powerful Jedi Master who lived on nearby Ambria , or he would execute the alien pirate and his men . Thon , however , proved too strong for the pirates , and he and his apprentice Nomi Sunrider drove them back to where they came from . Whether or not the Elom survived is unknown . Prominent Eloms included Kav Dryfus , Tanus Spijek and Vigrriev . Tanus Spijek was a member of Jabba Desilijic Tiure ' s court on the Outer Rim desert world of Tatooine , acting as an informant for the Hutt crime lord , aiding him in his bets on the status of the Galactic Civil War . He had previously been a spy for the Rebellion , hired by the Alliance to carry messages between Alderaan and the Rebel base on Yavin 4 . When Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star in 0 BBY , Spijek found work in Jabba ' s Palace . Kav Dryfus was a male Elom soldier , who fought against the Empire during the Galactic Civil War . He was one of the Eloms discovered by the Elomin during the mining cave in — he helped rescue the trapped Elomin , including Ryannar N ' on Dikasterar . He ultimately died in an Imperial prison , alongside Dikasterar , who Dryfus had befriended . Vigrriev was a thug and enforcer for Jabba Desilijic Tiure . He was stationed on Tatooine , but often traveled across the galaxy to fulfill the wishes of the Hutt or one of his favored lieutenants , such as Bib Fortuna , Revidjasa or Lleag ' Mak . Behind the scenes . During production of " " , the Elom costume was nicknamed " mole . " Mole spelled backward became the species ' name . The character was developed in sketches by Chris Walas , and was played by a background extra , wearing a full body suit and a mask . Eloms first appeared in " Return of the Jedi " as a background character in Jabba the Hutt ' s desert palace . All subsequent appearances were also as background characters .