Bilar Bilars were one of the few examples of a true group mind in the galaxy . Evolved from small , vegetarian primates on the tectonically active but highly fertile planet Mima II , each member of the species was a hairless , pink creature with large , dark eyes , a short muzzle , and two rounded ears . An individual Bilar was unintelligent , but the species had the ability to pool the knowledge and consciousnesses of groups of Bilars who shared a special bond with one another , creating conglomerations known as a " claqas " . Thus , a pair of Bilars collectively was as intelligent as a trained domestic animal , but a group of four achieved true sentience . The group mind developed shortly after the birth of those Bilars born nearby and within a few minutes of each other . The group mind depended on single Bilars sharing thoughts through pheromones , physical and visual contact , and telepathy . Larger claqas grew progressively smarter , with seven - member groups achieving genius - level intellects . Claqas with more than ten members were rare , and claqas generally referred to themselves as a single individual and went by a single name . Separation of any of the constituent Bilars resulted in a temporary loss of intelligence , and the death of a Bilar sent his or her claqa into a deep depression , sometimes leading to catatonia or the death of the whole . The plant life of Mima II was so lush that it provided the Bilars with a comfortable and carefree existence . Claqas of five or more members preferred to live in urban environments situated in stable fields on the planet , and the species had access to mass production and other advanced technology . However , the goods they had to offer were of little interest to outsiders . Coupled with the fact that many non - Bilars found interacting with a group mind unnerving , Bilars had limited contact with the rest of the galaxy . When they did manage to venture offworld , their generally carefree existences on Mima II left them unused to deprivation . Nevertheless , a few Bilar claqas did venture into the greater galaxy to work at occupations that made use of their ability to work together seamlessly . Biology and appearance . Reactions to the Bilars ' appearance ranged from one extreme to another : to some non - Bilars , the species was the epitome of adorability , resembling children ' s stuffed toys . To others , however , they were the pinnacle of revulsion . Bilars were hairless , pink - skinned primates with a bilateral physiology of two fore limbs , two hindlimbs , a head , and a torso . On solid footing , their primary means of locomotion was to stand on their stubby back legs and walk bipedally , but they sometimes leaned the torso forward slightly , bringing their longer forelimbs to the ground to scamper on all four appendages , each of which ended in five stubby digits . The species ' fastest means of movement , however , was to brachiate , swinging through the trees and vine s of their jungle habitat . Upright , the average Bilar stood one meter tall . Unlike many other species of mammals , Bilars were completely hairless , leaving their wrinkly pink skin exposed to the elements and revealing the nipples and navel . However , due to the natural protection afforded by their homeworld ' s lush foliage , this adaptation sped up heat transfer and helped control body temperature . The Bilar head was roughly spherical and featured two large , dark , amygdaloid eyes under dainty brows . These visual organs slanted slightly upward toward the temples , gave the Bilars excellent low - light vision , and allowed them to see partially into the infrared spectrum . Two round ears stood erect at the top of the head ; by rotating these organs , a Bilar could home in on faint sounds , detecting even sounds falling within the infra - and ultrasonic ranges . The short Bilar snout ended in a moist , black nose , which facilitated respiration , and a wide maw with its corners turned up in a perpetual smile . Bilars were herbivorous . A single Bilar was non - sentient , roughly as intelligent as a common rodent . However , each member of the species had a unique ability to bond with certain other Bilars , pooling their intellects into a communal intelligence known as a " claqa " . The biological mechanisms involved in this process were ill - understood by scientists , but they seemed to include a mixture of pheromones , physical touch , and telepathy . Thus , a claqa of two Bilars had the same intellectual ability as a domesticated canine or equine , a claqa of three that of a lower primate , and a claqa of four true sentience . Greater numbers in the claqa boosted the group ' s intelligence even higher : seven - member claqas were geniuses by most species ' standards , and ten - member claqas were recorded . Society and culture . The Bilars inhabited the jungles of Mima II , a planet teeming with plant and animal life . Although each claqa operated as a single consciousness with a single identity , the plural nature of the Bilar group mind ensured that each claqa manifested a unique temperament . In fact , the same claqa might change its mood erratically or capriciously , confusing any non - Bilars interacting with it . Nevertheless , a few behaviors appeared among even individual Bilars . The species tended to be libertine creatures , concerned only with enjoying themselves . Bilars were non - violent and bashful by nature , prone to flee at the first sign of danger . For smaller claqas , the Bilars might climb a tree , fall to the ground , or plunge into a river to avoid a predator such as the riam , a flying snake able to eat a Bilar in a single gulp . Larger and more intelligent claqas , alternatively , defended themselves by laying traps for such carnivores , perhaps laying out a large net with a single Bilar in it as bait . Their innate curiosity made Bilars fearless creatures in other contexts , eager to seek out new experiences . Of course , the nature of the claqa group mind made Bilars into intensely social creatures ; Bilars almost always traveled in groups , and their philosophy told of a common overmind , a concept that made the thought of war untenable in Bilar sentiment , at least between claqas . Bilar reproductive processes were synchronized so that several pregnant females gave birth within a short time . Expectant mothers were kept within close proximity to one another to ensure that their offspring were born in close quarters with other newborns . After they were born , Bilars immediately began forming an intense bond with other infants born within a few days of them in the same locality . Eventually , the Bilar infants achieved a state of communal consciousness , bringing about a new claqa . These groups functioned at full intelligence as long as each member of the group was within eyeshot of at least one other ; should the constituent Bilars lose sight of one another , the claqa ' s overall intelligence fell until the group could be reunited . The bond was so strong that outsiders could rarely tell the constituent members of a claqa apart from one another ; doing so was largely an academic exercise anyway , as each Bilar had no identity outside his or her group mind . If one member of a claqa died , the other Bilars entered a state of intense melancholy and even catatonia . In extreme cases , the surviving Bilars would even die . Sheltered by the trees of Mima II , Bilars lived a life of abundance , gathering food from the forests ' lower levels , or swinging about on vines and branches . The plenitude of food on the world meant that Bilars had little concept of deprivation — all of their needs were met with very little effort on their part . Outsiders who visited Mima II often complained that Bilars on the world were unmotivated and boring . Only when away from their home environment did Bilar claqas develop more remarkable goals and drives . Offworld Bilars also had to contend with a greater struggle to meet their daily needs ; if denied something they wanted , the beings often whined and complained like the young of many species . By the time of the Galactic Civil War , the Bilars had access to advanced technology but had not discovered the secrets of nuclear power . Their native technology was oriented toward mass production of goods . Claqas of five or more members tended to congregate in Bilar cities , located in a central region of Mima II that was spared the worst of the planet ' s erratic plate tectonics . The copious food available in the forests obviated any need for agriculture , and even in the urban environment , Bilars had ready access to food by simply visiting a city park and climbing a tree to eat its fruit . However , this abundance also meant that the Bilars desired little from the outside galaxy — and the outside galaxy desired little from them . Still , the lack of traders visiting Mima II had just as much to do with the intimidation factor of negotiating with a group intelligence as it did with the world ' s relatively unpromising trade prospects . History . The Bilars evolved on Mima II from unintelligent primates . The presence of predators on the world encouraged the species to evolve into intensely social creatures , drawing safety from living in groups . Eventually , this gregariousness became so ingrained in the species that those Bilars who were born within a few days of one another formed an even more profound bond than that among the species as a whole . Within a few generations , this bonding from birth had become an indelible part of the Bilar genetic code ; the species ' reproductive cycles encouraged the birth of young in waves to maximize the chances of each newborn bonding with as many fellow Bilars as possible . At some point , this group formation moved to another level entirely , with children born within minutes of one another forming not just intense social bonds , but communal intelligence and consciousness as well ; the claqa had evolved . With the development of group - based sentience , the Bilars learned to manipulate tools and to defend themselves from predators . They moved to the top of their world ' s food chain , becoming the dominant species of Mima II ' s jungles . The species ' technology continued to progress , reaching mass production by the time of the Galactic Civil War and emphasizing the creation of urban centers . At some point between 3000 and 1000 BBY , the Bilars made first contact with the outside galaxy , and Mima II became part of the D ' Aelgoth sector , in the Western Reaches of the Mid Rim . While the Clone Wars raged , Mima II fell within territory controlled by the Galactic Republic . During the regime of Emperor Palpatine , Imperial sentientologist Obo Rin included an entry on the Bilars in his " Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy " , a work in which he described those sentient species he considered to be the most important in the galaxy and of the most interest to the Empire . In 137 ABY , Mima II fell within territory controlled by Darth Krayt as part of his Galactic Empire . Bilars in the galaxy . Few Bilar claqas ventured into the greater galaxy from Mima II . This was partially due to lack of opportunity to leave : the species lacked indigenous spacefaring technology , and traffic to their world was minimal . However , it was also a result of the relative poverty of the Bilars by galactic standards ; although the average claqa had all its needs met with little expenditure of energy , Bilars had little of value with which to barter travel off Mima II . Nevertheless , a few Bilar claqas managed to find transport off their homeworld and enter the galactic community . These claqas were often highly intelligent , frequently finding work in jobs that took advantage of their group mind . Some Bilars worked as acrobat troupes , theater companies , and musical groups , while others ventured into the galactic underworld , working as assassins , hucksters , crime lords , and slicers . One ten - unit claqa , which collectively went by the name Unni Yerudi , became an interplanetary con artist . Yerudi owned several clubs on Bespin ' s Cloud City and eventually became the richest being in the Anoat sector . Still , few Bilar claqas remained abroad for long . Bilars faced intense discrimination from members of other species , whose fear and mistrust of the Bilar group mind ranged from prejudice to execration . For instance , in Elrood sector slang , Bilars were known as " ticktils " , from the acronym " TCTL " : " Too Cute Too Live . " In 16 ABY , a publication was for sale in Talos spaceport on the planet Atzerri that promised to teach its readers the secrets of forming group minds like those of the Bilar claqas , for instance , and one Bilar was killed in a fit of rage by the Kerestian bounty hunter Milacass after the Kerestian lost a hand of sabacc with a gambler from the Oseon system . Most claqas came to miss the idyllic life they had left behind on Mima II . Chubar was a fictional Bilar in an animated children ' s holoprogram . The character was a solitary Bilar kept as a pet by a young girl ; the Bilar ' s voice was supplied by the actor " Face " Loran . Imperial scientists later gave the character ' s name to Project Chubar , a program of chemical treatments and educational programs that aimed to raise the overall intelligence of Bilars , Ewoks , Gamorreans , and other non - Human species and to bring their mental processes more in - line with those of Humans . In 7 ABY , Bilars were among the beings undergoing intelligence enhancement as part of Project Minefield , a successor program to Project Chubar authorized by the Imperial warlord Zsinj aboard his Super Star Destroyer , the " Iron Fist " . The Bilars were later freed by Lara Notsil and helped her escape the ship . Behind the scenes . Author Troy Denning created the Bilars for the sourcebook , which was published in 1989 as part of the " " line of works from West End Games . The book provides game statistics to allow gamemasters to create Bilar claqas for players to encounter ; these rules show Bilars to have lower aptitudes for piloting , physical , and technological tasks , yet higher prospects for intellectual and sensory skills depending on the number of Bilars making up the group . Chuck Truett expanded Denning ' s entry on the Bilars slightly for the book ' s , published in 1994 . These revised rules make Bilars physically weaker than Humans and other species but bases a claqa ' s intellectual , piloting , perceptive , and technical aptitude on the number of Bilars in the group . Rules also describe the ill effects of a death in the claqa , and give the species bonuses to intimidating others , hearing , and seeing . Unlike the first edition , Truett ' s revision explicitly recommends that players not be allowed to portray Bilar characters . Bilars have since appeared in a few other sources from both West End Games and other publishers . For example , the species features in the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " , published in 1998 , wherein they are described as " a bit like one - meter - tall teddy bears without fur . " In " Star Wars " fiction , only " " , a novel written by Aaron Allston and first published in 1999 , features Bilar characters .