Geelan The Geelan , or Geel , were a species of sentient , bipedal canine s with pot bellies , lanky arms , and stubby legs . Thick fur covered most of their bodies except for parts of the face and hands . Each Geelan had two large , yellow eyes , a dark , wet nose , and a muzzle of sharp teeth . The species hailed from Needan , a planet in the depths of Wild Space , where they lived in cities and divided themselves into tribal nests under the ultimate rule of the " Geeloniran " , or " Master Geel . " Members of the species were nosy and greedy by nature , traits that made them incurable hoarders of nicknacks and baubles . The typical Geelan made every effort to engage in a bout of haggling each day — and to a Geelan , haggling was a sport with no rules . Although such aggressive behavior did not endear them to many non - Geelan , it did make Geelan gifted entrepreneurs and businesspersons . Although Needan was once a lush world , a passing comet struck the planet and wrenched it from its orbit . The resulting cool - down forced the Geelan to move into domed cities to survive . After they were first contacted by outsiders from the galactic community , many Geelan fled the world to operate businesses and act as traders in the galaxy . One of the more visible Geelan business ventures was the space station Zirtran ' s Anchor , which was jointly owned and controlled by several nests . The Galactic Empire sent a representative to the station to demand the Geelan pay proper taxes and collect the proper tariffs , which annoyed the canines . At some point , Zirtran ' s Anchor disappeared mysteriously in an event that came to be known as " the Vanishing . " Spacer rumors circulated about the cause of the disappearance , but the station eventually reappeared in another part of the galaxy , devoid of all life . The Geelan reclaimed their wayward property and reopened for business . Nevertheless , the specter of the station ' s previous fate hung over the place . Biology and appearance . The Geelan , also known as the Geel , were sentient canine mammals marked by their protuberant bellies and dark , wiry fur . Geelan had short , squat bodies that matched a broadly humanoid physiology . However , their arms were markedly longer than their stubby legs . Members of the species ranged in height from 0 . 75 to 1 . 5 meters , although aged members of the species sometimes appeared shorter due to a stooped posture . Their five - fingered hands sported sharp claws . Thick hair covered the body except for most of the face and fingers . The Geelan were divided into two sexes , male and female . The Geelan visage was wrinkled and hairless except for a hairy beard along the chin . Two resplendent , yellow eyes peered forward from atop a snout full of sharp teeth that protruded even when the mouth was closed . In some specimens , the muzzle was short and snubbed , but in most members of the species , it was long and prominent . A dark , wet nose lay at the end of the snout . Pointed ears stood erect on the sides of the head , large in some Geelan but small in others . Few taller beings found the Geelan ' s appearance intimidating . Society and culture . On their homeworld , Needan , the Geelan originally lived in cities in the tropical forests of the planet . However , after the world cooled to arctic temperatures , they inhabited domed habitats that protected them from the elements . Many Geelan inhabited Zirtran ' s Anchor , a space station the species bought after their world ' s frigid period had begun . In their artificial environment , various Geelan groups set up their dwellings in the central section of the station , known as the Hub . The species was divided into autonomous , tribe - like groups called nests . Each nest member received a role to play for the benefit of the group , positions such as nest leader , negotiator , secretary , treasurer , and even assassin and spy . The nest leader answered to an individual who , in the Geelan ' s native language , was known as the " Geeloniran " — a term that translated as " Great Geel " or " Master Geel . " The " Geeloniran " was the ruler of all Geelan in the galaxy and presided over all enterprises and contracts that affected the Geelan as a whole . During the Galactic Civil War , an Imperial presence aboard Zirtran ' s Anchor maintained some control over the Geelan ' s affairs . The Geelan personality was driven by two overwhelming goals : to obtain an ever - increasing store of possessions , and to do so by getting the best of others in negotiations . They had a reputation for being intrusive , annoying , covetous , and greedy for personal profit . These traits led non - Geelan to write the species off as nosy , meddlesome , and egotistical , and caused most non - Geelan to avoid the species whenever possible . However , the Geelan ' s aptitude for bargaining and their penchant for hoarding valuables meant that some beings had no choice but to deal with the diminutive canines . The Geelan were born hagglers with a well - earned reputation as experts at negotiation . Deals with Geelan followed different norms than those familiar to members of most other species . Geelan bargaining had no rules : in an anything - goes style , the Geelan used any means at their disposal to get the better of their rival , including blackmail , bribery , intimidation , and even physical violence . Despite being able to fight with their sharp claws , the Geelan were comparatively weak in comparison to many other beings . Geelan thus preferred to negotiate with several of their compatriots present . They used their wealth to hire larger , tougher beings to protect them , such as assassins , bounty hunters , and mercenaries . Most members of the species carried sidearms as well for additional protection . On the space station Zirtran ' s Anchor , owned and operated by the Geelan , particularly violent business deals were broken up by the security firm Defensus Solar before they got too serious . Geelan preferred complicated deals ; the more difficult a deal was to comprehend , the better . Overall , most non - Geelan found the species ' negotiating style taxing . However , their love for the deal was a soft spot that others could use against them . Geelan considered any day without some new acquisition to be a day wasted . Their gift for haggling translated into business acumen as well . The Geelan took a laissez - faire attitude toward free enterprise , allowing traders to do business on Zirtran ' s Anchor with a minimum of bureaucratic hassle — even known outlaws were welcome to deal with the species or the other inhabitants of the space station . The canines were thus resourceful entrepreneurs , driven both to make a profit as well as for the sheer sense of accomplishment involved with success in the private sector . Nevertheless , their anything - goes attitude toward negotiations made Zirtran ' s Anchor a rough - and - tumble place to do business . Geelan preferred to conduct their business as a nest . Each nest owed a cut of its profits to the Master Geel , but the cut was only a nominal tariff . They meddled in deals between visitors to Zirtran ' s Anchor who might wish to exclude the Geelan ; any bargaining session might be interrupted by a handler , who represented a particular Geelan nest and tried to insert his or her nest ' s interests into the deals of outsiders . The goal of such haggling was , of course , acquisition of new items for the Geelan nest . Although they preferred valuable commodities such as credits , gems , and spice — or shiny , eye - catching objects — Geelan were incurable hoarders who valued virtually anything , provided they had it in their own possession . The only way to part a Geelan from something he or she owned was to trade something else for it or to threaten the Geelan ' s life . Many of these possessions wound up in a communal treasure horde owned collectively by a particular nest . Such treasure troves were secreted away from prying eyes , but rumors told of collections large enough to fill a shuttle bay , with items that ranged from artwork to creosol to spice , in addition to more unusual fare . Stories told of even average treasure hordes holding enough wealth to buy an entire fleet of starships . Geelan nests made good use of their stores , as their wealth allowed them great leeway when bargaining with outsiders , especially when dealing with customers who sought some hard - to - find item found in the nest ' s horde . They also brokered information . Geelan wore clothing typical of other galactically integrated species , including vests and trousers . At least some Geelan had a slovenly appearance and wore dirty , ragged clothing . Some Geelan also pierced their ears and wore rings on their fingers , and most members of the species carried pouches with them in which to hold new acquisitions . History . For much of its history , the world of Needan was a verdant planet , with two thirds of its surface covered in oceans and the remainder with jungled continents . A vast array of life evolved on the world , with high levels of biodiversity on both land and at sea . In the forests evolved a species of canine pack animals who eventually developed sentience — the Geelan . Pack instincts compelled the Geelan to found cities , and the species developed the concept of tribal nests . At some point , the groups recognized the authority of a single ruler , the " Geeloniran " . Geelan scientists developed new technologies , and the species entered its information age . A passing comet changed the Geelan ' s history when its orbit brought it crashing down into their world . The impact jolted Needan into a wider orbit , and the environment cooled significantly , eventually reaching frigid depths . The majority of the world ' s species failed to adapt to the new conditions and suffered mass extinction . The Geelan responded by constructing domed habitats that sheltered them from the arctic wastes outside . The Geelan endured for some time , but they realized that their energy stores would one day run out and leave them once again slaves to the elements . Scientists sent distress signals into the void of space in the hopes that some outside civilization would be led to Needan to offer help . The gambit worked : visitors from the stars did arrive , aliens known as Arcona , who had detected the Geelan ' s transmissions from their medical ship . The visitors introduced advanced technology that secured the Geelan ' s survival ; their aid allowed the Geelan ' s domed dwellings to operate into the future . However , this new technology also allowed the Geelan to leave Needan , and with the knowledge that conditions on their world were growing progressively worse , large numbers of Geelan did so . The traumatic events on Needan changed the Geelan psyche : they gained an overwhelming urge to collect possessions , an urge that bordered on avarice . The Geelan became fairly common sights throughout the galaxy and worked in a variety of careers ranging from infochants to investors to entrepreneurs : the proprietors of cantinas , casinos , spaceports , and other businesses , eager to gain new things for their hordes . As the canines spread throughout the galaxy , they preferred to work only for other Geelan ; thus if a business employed a Geelan , it was often an indicator that the enterprise had some Geelan ownership as well . Meanwhile , their cousins remained on Needan , which came to be considered part of Wild Space , far from the edge of the Outer Rim Territories on the southern edge of the galactic disc . Zirtran ' s Anchor . During the reign of Emperor Palpatine over the galaxy , one of the new wave of Geelan investments was the joint purchase by several nests of a prototype space barge called " KV - 29233 - 44B " . The ship had become a financial failure for its previous owners , the brothers Teebo and Urbo Zirtran , when its hyperdrive failed and left it a derelict in the Besberra system , located in the Cegul sector of the Outer Rim Territories . The Geelan converted the barge into a space station and drew customers with the prospect of a place to do business free of the interference and speciesism of the Galactic Empire . This stance was in keeping with the species ' neutral ideology during the Galactic Civil War , during which they sold information to both the Galactic Empire and its opponent , the Alliance to Restore the Republic . The pitch worked : merchants came to the station , and many decided to stay permanently . By docking their ships with the barge and with one another , the mass of spacecraft grew into a conglomeration of such vessels connected by accessways and pressure tunnels . The Geelan christened the station Zirtran ' s Anchor , after the brothers from whom they had purchased it . The Geelan ' s inability to throw anything away meant that when portions of the assemblage became unstable or incapable of sustaining life , the Geelan simply sealed them off rather than remove them from the station . Zirtran ' s Anchor proved an economic boon to the Geelan . Their no - holds - barred system of business held sway there , and they received a cut of all business deals done on the station . Zirtran ' s Anchor soon became the species ' number one source of revenue . Despite the Geelan ' s desire to remain clear of the Empire , the galactic government put pressure on the species to honor Imperial trade laws , to collect Imperial tariffs on goods transferred through the station , and to more strenuously control the commerce undertaken there . The Empire eventually stationed Admiral Vence Tabok aboard Zirtran ' s Anchor to monitor the Geelan ' s acquiescence to these injunctions . Tabok was accompanied by stormtroopers and starfighters , and upon his arrival , he declared martial law and rounded up suspected criminals and Rebel Alliance sympathizers . The Geelan were dismayed by Tabok ' s actions . Rumor claimed that an aged Geelan resident of the station known as Whisk the Elder — according to some versions of the tale , the " Geeloniran " himself — warned the admiral that if the Empire continued in this manner , Zirtran ' s Anchor would befall a catastrophe , one that would affect all on board . However , Tabok dismissed him with disdain . Only days later , Whisk ' s reported prophecy came true : visitors to the Besberra system found no trace of Zirtran ' s Anchor or its inhabitants . Rumors spread throughout the galaxy that the station had fallen victim to an attack — either from Rebels , pirates , or the Empire . Other tales ascribed the station ' s disappearance to the bad luck of the Zirtran brothers finally catching up to the Geelan , an entity that dwelled in Wild Space taking revenge for an artifact stolen by the Geelan , or the hyperdrive of the barge at the heart of Zirtran ' s Anchor finally becoming operational again and taking the station with it . Another story held that Emperor Palpatine ordered an active investigation into the station ' s whereabouts . The event took on the air of a folk tale , referred to mysteriously as " the Vanishing . " Zirtran ' s Anchor had not simply disappeared , however ; it had moved . The station soon reappeared near the Phosphura Belt Nebula in the Atravis sector of the Outer Rim . Investigators found no lifeforms on board , not even microbes , and the remaining droids had no memory of what had befallen the station . Geelan entrepreneurs soon re - established their presence on Zirtran ' s Anchor , apparently unconcerned with the fate of their fellows . The post - Vanishing " Geeloniran " maintained his headquarters on Needan and seldom visited the station ; when he did , he was accompanied by various functionaries and a bodyguard named Tiny . The smuggler Platt Okeefe was under the impression that the " Geeloniran " never left Needan . The Geelan put out a search for further investment in the station and hoped to reconstruct it as the hub of free trade it had once been . Slowly , traders returned , although the notion that the station was somehow cursed or dangerous proved a hard one for the Geelan to counter . The Empire , too , re - established a presence on Zirtran ' s Anchor , although only as a small customs office . The Geelan maintained their neutrality in the Galactic Civil War , and at one point a nest even made an arms deal with an Imperial governor , although the Rebel Alliance sent agents to Zirtran ' s Anchor to stop the deal . A university historian was transported to the station by a group of spacers to interview the Geelan about the Vanishing as the intrigue between the Empire and Rebellion played out . The Geelan proved reluctant to discuss the station ' s previous fate , although the historian and the spacers did discover the arms deal . Behind the scenes . The Geelan were created by author Anthony Russo for the article " Zirtran ' s Anchor , " published in " Star Wars Adventure Journal " 5 in February 1995 . The article , created for " " by West End Games , is a tie - in to the book " Platt ' s Starport Guide " , published that same year ; it details the space station of the same name , which is owned and operated by members of the Geelan species . " Zirtan ' s Anchor " offers contradictory information regarding the " Geeloniran " : according to Platt Okeefe , who offers in - universe commentary on the text , the post - Vanishing Master Geel never leaves his homeworld . Nevertheless , the text later states that he does leave on occasion . According to " Zirtran ' s Anchor , " the average member of the species is highly dexterous and competent at firing a blaster , picking pockets , bargaining , running a business , and fighting in hand - to - hand combat . However , the statistics offered are not in a format usable for players to portray Geelan characters . Author Brian Smithson elaborated on Russo ' s description of the Geelan for his article , " Alien Encounters , " which appeared in " Star Wars Adventure Journal " 13 in May 1997 . Smithson ' s expansion includes game statistics to allow players of " Star Wars : The Roleplaying Game " to portray Geelan characters ; the canines are more agile and perceptive than Humans , but they are weaker and less intelligent . The " Adventure Journal " article presents different statistics for a typical Geelan and makes them more dexterous and perceptive than the game ' s average , but removes the various skills given them in Russo ' s article . Pablo Hidalgo illustrated the Geelan for the " Alien Encounters " article , the first time they were pictured in any source . Smithson ' s write - up of the species and their statistics were reprinted in slightly altered form in the book " Alien Encounters " , published in 1998 . The book features an illustration of the species that differs significantly from Hidalgo ' s version and from the text itself . The description above assumes that this is a legitimate variant of the species ' phenotype and not simply a mistake .