Shawda Ubb / Legends The Shawda Ubb , or Ubb , were a sentient species native to the planet Manpha in the Outer Rim Territories . They were small amphibians — each stood from 0 . 3 to one meter tall — with long arms and round , squat torsos . Their green and yellow skin was moist and elastic and covered in warts . Shawda Ubb were adapted to their moist , swampy homeworld , and felt physically weakened and emotionally withdrawn in dryer environments . They defended themselves by spitting a paralyzing venom , which was capable of immobilizing a Human - sized mammal for up to fifteen minutes . On Manpha , Shawda Ubb ate uncooked swamp plants and raw fish ; they avoided cooked and processed food . In their ancient history , the Shawda Ubb lived as marsh hunters . By the time of the Galactic Empire , however , most Shawda Ubb lived simple , low - technological lifestyles in small settlements , which were connected to one another via a network of transports and shuttles . Many of these towns and villages pumped crude petroleum from the swamps and sold it to oil companies located in Manpha ' s capital , Shanpan . There , the crude was processed into plastics for export from the planet ' s only spaceport . Other communities sold raw foods for export . Shawda Ubb were largely conservative creatures , and few left their home community . Leaving the planet was even rarer , although emigration was not unheard of . The Shawda Ubb musician Rapotwanalantonee Tivtotolon , better known as Rappertunie , joined the Max Rebo Band as a growdi player during the Galactic Civil War . Biology and appearance . Shawda Ubb , also known as Ubb , were diminutive , sentient amphibians with frog - like bodies . Members of the species had long , spindly limbs that ended in three splayed digits each ; the toes also sported yellow claws . A bony shoulder blade jutted from the top of each arm . The lanky appendages contrasted with the round , squat trunk typical of the species , with its prominent paunch , navel , breasts , and nipples . Generally , Shawda Ubb ranged in size from 0 . 3 to one meter in height . Members of the species were covered in warty , speckled skin that changed from a greenish - gray on the back , head , and limbs to a light yellow - green on the underbelly . Some members of the species sported striped patterns on the forearms . A crest ran along the back of the head and down the neck and back , thickening as it traveled downward . Another thin crest ran along each forearm . The small , fat Shawda Ubb head featured a blunt snout with a wide mouth and a thin lower lip . The two , side - mounted eyes were situated on the sides of the snout above heavy bags , and under heavy lids and thick brow ridges that acted to keep rain from running into the Shawda Ubb ' s eyes . Blue was one possible color for the irises of these visual organs . Shawda Ubb were perceptive beings with a keen aptitude for observation . As per their amphibious nature , the Shawda Ubb thrived best in moist environments . Their tough , elastic skin was naturally damp , but in dry environments , a Shawda Ubb had to keep his or her skin moist , lest it dry out and crack . In fact , extreme heat and dryness caused Shawda Ubb to tire quickly , making them lethargic and preventing them from operating at their full capacity . Arid conditions also forced a Shawda Ubb to drink prodigious amounts of water . Although they lacked an imposing physique and ran at a relatively slow gait — moving about half the speed of an average Human — members of the species possessed a natural , acidic venom that they were able to employ as a defensive measure ; a Shawda Ubb used the substance by spitting it on an attacker . The venom had the ability to paralyze a Human - sized mammal for fifteen standard minutes . Shawda Ubb had two sexes , male and female . Despite their navels , members of the species hatched from eggs . Females laid between one and three eggs each year . Typically only one of these was fertilized to hatch into a child . Society and culture . In their most ancient days , the Shawda Ubb lived as hunters , roaming the marshes of their homeworld , Manpha , and using their venom to paralyze prey and allow the pursuers to go in for the kill . As the species advanced technologically , they took to trading with one another and purchasing most of their food . The species ' diet consisted primarily of fish and marsh grasses ; they preferred to eat their food raw . Shawda Ubb were suspicious of strangers and were willing to defend themselves with their paralytic venom if the need arose . Accordingly , they preferred to live in settlements that were small enough to allow each inhabitant to recognize the other denizens . Such inclinations encouraged the founding and habitation of hundreds of thousands of small towns and villages interspersed throughout the marshes of their homeworld ' s lone landmass . These settlements were often situated far from their nearest neighbor , which left their inhabitants reliant on visitors from afar to relate news of broader regional interest . Although they generally eschewed travel , Shawda Ubb employed a wide array of shuttles and transports to taxi themselves from one population center to another . Manpha had one spaceport , located in the capital city , Shanpan . The city handled all interstellar trade and sported a bevy of bars and casinos to cater to off - worlders . Manpha possessed rich deposits of petroleum that constantly bubbled up into the waters of the planet ' s swamps . The Shawda Ubb economy was based on small - scale petroleum extraction and refining ; community oil cooperatives pumped fossil fuels from below the planetary surface and stored it in barrels to be sold to national oil companies headquartered in Shanpan . The factories , in turn , processed the oil to produce plastics for sale to off - world traders . Food processing was another important industry for the species ; the Shawda Ubb preference for raw food prejudiced them toward selling uncooked victuals . These enterprises provided a decent standard of living to most members of the species and afforded the Shawda Ubb access to galactic - standard technology . Nevertheless , the species had little aptitude for tasks that involved piloting or technical equipment , and they preferred simpler goods . Shawda Ubb were known for their indigenous musical instruments . For instance , the growdi — also known as the growdi water organ and the growdi harmonique — resembled a combination of flute and water organ . A hose ran from the flute - like section to the base , upon which the player sat . The perch exuded moisture , which helped vivify the musician sitting there and keep him or her cool . The instrument came in both electronic and acoustic variants . Members of the species had two - part names , although their appellations were difficult for non – Shawda Ubb to pronounce . For this reason , they often took nicknames to use with aliens . For example , the Shawda Ubb musician Rapotwanalantonee Tivtotolon was widely known as Rappertunie . History . The Shawda Ubb evolved on the humid , marshy world Manpha . Although they developed from avian stock , the species eventually became amphibious , adapted to the planet ' s wet ecosystem . After developing sentience , early Shawda Ubb lived as subsistence hunters . Their technology eventually progressed to the point that they established small settlements and took to trading with one another instead . The Manpha system became integrated into the greater galaxy at some point between 3000 and 1000 BBY . The world was eventually reached by the Corellian Trade Spine hyperlane and became part of the Seitia sector in the Outer Rim Territories . The Shawda Ubb ' s homeworld was located outside both Galactic Republic and Separatist space during the Clone Wars , but during the time of the Nagai invasion of the galaxy , the system was the site of a battle , which the Nagai invaders won . Circa 25 ABY , Manpha lay within a region of the galaxy with an average population of ten to one hundred million sentients per star system . In 137 ABY , the world fell within territory claimed by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt as his Galactic Empire . Shawda Ubb in the galaxy . As unabashed homebodies , the Shawda Ubb rarely left their home settlements , let alone Manpha . Their small stature made members of the species vulnerable in a galaxy geared more toward larger beings , and Shawda Ubb were easy prey for predators on other planets . Nevertheless , the species was not unknown in the wider galaxy ; in fact , Dex ' s Diner , an eatery on the planet Coruscant , offered a Shawda Clubb sandwich on its menu . Rapotwanalantonee Tivtotolon was one of the rare Shawda Ubb who suffered from an unbridled urge to travel . From his youth , he was a gifted musician who played several instruments , and he wandered from settlement to settlement , playing instruments and spreading news to earn his keep . The itinerate minstrel eventually set his sights on Shanpan , the planet ' s largest population center , and saved his money to afford transit to the spaceport city . He reached it after entering young adulthood . In Shanpan , Tivtotolon encountered off - worlders for the first time and adopted the stage name Rappertunie . He played with a string of bands before he was finally discovered by a visiting musical group known as the Max Rebo Band . They invited Rappertunie to join them , and in the belief that being a member of their group would let him see the galaxy , the Shawda Ubb agreed . Soon , Rappertunie found himself performing as a backup musician for Rebo ' s group in the court of Jabba the Hutt on the desert planet Tatooine . Rappertunie despised the gig ; the world was hot and dry , and it involved little travel . The diminutive musician gained his freedom when Jabba ' s sail barge exploded during a skirmish — when Rebo and his lead singer , Sy Snootles , returned to the palace , Rappertunie rejoined them and left Tatooine . Rappertunie and Snootles formed a duo for a time , but their efforts sold poorly . He eventually took up computer engineering for the droid - production company Rebaxan Columni as part of the team responsible for the design of upgrades for the MSE - 6 series . Behind the scenes . A frog - like puppet was created as part of the changes to the " Special Edition " of the film during its 1997 re - release . Concept art for the character was drawn by George Hull ; an early design resembles the final creature except for its long tail , which was removed from the final puppet . The crew referred to the character as " Jedi Rapper " during production . The puppet was digitally added to scenes of the Max Rebo Band performing in Jabba ' s Palace as part of a general change to replace the older song , " Lapti Nek " , with a song called " Jedi Rocks . " As part of Jabba ' s court , Rappertunie appears as a background character in several images of the palace , as in " Escape from Jabba ' s Palace " , a children ' s book written by Jay Rudko . Both the musician character and his species received names — Rappertunie and Shawda Ubb , respectively — in the " Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook , Special Edition " , a 1997 sourcebook for " " published by West End Games . The volume ' s writers also provided information about Shawda Ubb biology , culture , and society . Game statistics in the book allow players of the roleplaying game to portray Shawda Ubb characters ; they receive bonuses to actions taken in moist environments , but penalties to those in dry ones . The 1998 West End Games book " Alien Encounters " reprints these values and expands on the species ' background .