Verpine / Legends Verpine were an insectoid sentient species from the Roche asteroid field . Best known for their technological aptitude , the Verpine were considered to be among the finest starship engineers in the galaxy . Biology and appearance . Verpine were thin bipedal insectoids , standing 1 . 9 meters tall on average . Unlike many insectoids , including the Kibnon to which they were distantly related , the Verpine had only four limbs ( two arms and two legs ) , though there were instances of Verpine growing vestigial wings . Their heads were dominated by large compound eyes . They also had two antennae , one located behind each eye . Their hardened carapace , composed of a green chitinous substance called " carahide " , was as flexible as the skin of other creatures , yet tough enough to deflect a blade or even absorb a glancing blaster bolt . The Verpine circulatory system did not contain a heart — at least , not an organ which Human physiologists would identify as a heart . Verpine eyes were keen enough to pick out microscopic details . Their antennae contained tympanic nerves which picked up sound . Their antennae were also sensitive to radio waves , giving Verpine the natural ability to sense and transmit radio waves to communicate with another Verpine in their language over distances on the order of one hundred kilometers . Some observers mistook this nearly instant , silent communication for true telepathy . Thanks to their natural radio communication network , their colonies were run as a consensus democracy , with all Verpine instantly consulted on questions affecting the hive . Given their reliance on radio communication , Verpine frequently suffered negative consequences when their antenna were damaged . While researching the Verpine , Leia Organa noticed that virtually all Verpine criminals suffered from a set of damaged antenna . Verpine came in two types — intelligent , hermaphroditic Verpine and unintelligent worker drones . At the time of their entrance into Galactic society , only five percent of Verpine were intelligent , but the demands of technological civilization required the Verpine to restructure their society . After the change , egg - laying Verpine used a special enzyme to ensure all eggs laid developed into intelligent Verpine . Any drones needed by a Verpine hive were produced via cloning . When a Verpine hive needed more members , some of the fertile Verpine would be asked to lay eggs , while others would be assigned to fertilize them . The eggs were cared for in colony incubators , and hatchlings were cared for by the entire hive . While hermaphrodite , there is evidence to indicate that individual Verpine had definite genders , either permanently or at some point of their existences . A " hive mother " communicated with Jedi Leia Organa Solo during the Swarm War , and mentioned " male warriors " . General Airen Cracken referred to Moegid as " he " in his reports . The fungus Magenge , which grew inside the asteroid colonies of the Verpine , formed the basis of the Verpine diet . Society and culture . Verpine had variable naming customs . Some had single names such as Fxz ' et , Zix , Ss ' s , or Moegid . Others had first and last names such as Kuli Ned ' lx , Kyli Ned ' Ix , or Osos Niskooen . Many , though not all , Verpine names contained sibilant consonants and glottal stops . Verpines were also known to make highly sought after weapons such as the Verpine shatter gun , the Verpine headband , and the Verpine prototype shield . History . The Verpine people did not evolve in the asteroids of the Roche system . Each inhabited asteroid was only made livable through the creation of artificial , self - sustaining environments in the interior . Some observers thought that the Roche asteroids were the remains of a Verpine homeworld which had broken up either slowly through natural forces , or suddenly as a result of a catastrophic civil war . Others theorized that the Verpine were descended from extra - galactic nomads who settled in the Roche asteroid field . The Verpine simply told outsiders that they did not know of the location of their original homeworld . Whether it was due to the after - effects of this ancient civil war , or because of the political uniformity and egalitarianism of their civilization , the Verpine were a peaceful people , expert arbitrators who preferred compromise to conflict . The large insects had long been a spacefaring race and had colonized the Roche asteroid belts before the Old Republic was born . By the time of the Jedi Civil War , the Verpine were part of the Galactic community . High - quality Verpine - manufactured items ranging from ion blasters to cardio - regulator s were widely used . Some of these designs were adapted and improved from other species , such as the Bothans or the Arkanians . Contemporary rumors were suspicious of the Verpine , however . Extrapolating from the Verpine practice of testing ion blasters on active droids , some Verpine weapons and medical technology were thought to have been tested on live sentients . In later years , Verpine engineering was exemplified by the starship manufacturer Slayn & Korpil , which built the famous V - 19 Torrent starfighter for the Galactic Republic and the B - wing starfighter for the Rebel Alliance . Their shipbuilding skills were attributed to the need to produce vessels which could safely navigate the Roche asteroids . The Roche Hive Mechanical Apparatus Design and Construction Activity for Those Who Need the Hive ' s Machines , more commonly known simply as " Roche " , was a Verpine - owned droid manufacturer which met with limited success with models like the 8D smelter droid and the J9 worker drone . During the Galactic Civil War , the Verpine were openly sympathetic towards the Rebel Alliance . However , they did not officially join the Rebellion as a whole , partly due to their natural pacifistic idealism , and partly due to the Imperial " advisors " posted in their system . After the Empire fell , however , the Verpine became supporters of the New Republic , with a close relationship with its military . In 8 ABY , the Verpines broke a number of contracts with the Barabel s to produce starships . They claimed that a " mad " hive mother had taken the ships , and given the nature of their society they were under no obligation to retrieve the ships . The Barabels did not see it in the same light , and began negotiating with Kubaz chefs for the sale of Verpine body parts to use in their cuisine . In response to this , the New Republic planned to send Leia Organa Solo to mediate the situation . The situation deteriorated rapidly when a Barabel ship was discovered with frozen Verpine parts . A fleet was sent to avert a war between the species , and Mon Mothma herself traveled to mediate . During the Swarm War , some Verpine who were addicted to the Gorog Nest ' s black membrosia acted on the side of the Killik s , including procuring B - wings and Verpine shatter gun s for the Killik forces . The Killiks attempted to invade the Verpine capital asteroid , Nickel One , and overthrow their government . The attempt was foiled by the actions of the Jedi Luke Skywalker , Mara Jade Skywalker and Jacen Solo . During the Second Galactic Civil War , the Verpine accused the people of Murkhana of breaking trade agreements by producing technology similar to theirs . They signed a non - aggression pact with the Mandalorians because of their fear that the Mandalorians would expand their borders once again and invade Verpine territory . The treaty was simple : the Mandalorians would supply their best export , military strength , while the Verpines would supply defense technology and quality control . This agreement was later put to the test when Imperial Remnant forces allied with Darth Caedus attacked the Verpine ' s home system in an attempt to gain control of their technology . The Mandalorians rushed to their aid and , with the help of Jedi Jaina Solo , the Mandalorians fought to defend the system . Following their experiences with Imperial attacks , the Verpine developed the IX - 6 heavy combat droid to aid in their defense of the asteroid settlements . Sometime after the establishment of Darth Krayt ' s Galactic Empire in 130 ABY , Roche was ordered by Imperial officials to immediately cease the production of the IX - 6 and destroy all existing models . Unwilling to succumb to the Empire , Verpine spread the factories throughout the Roche asteroid belt , hiding them deep in the asteroids which appeared abandoned from the surface . When the Empire learned of the defiance , a fleet of Star Destroyers blasted several heavily populated Verpine asteroids to dust . The massacre , however , did not break the will of the Verpine species and Roche continued to produce new IX - 6 and smuggle them to anyone who could afford them . Verpine in the galaxy . Many of the Verpine who left their home system found work as starship technicians . Most of them met with success , though some of them would get in trouble for continually making unauthorized , sometimes dangerous , " improvements " to the equipment they maintained . Others used their experience with Verpine communal decision making to act as professional arbitrators and negotiators . At least one Verpine , Beyghor Sahdett , became a Jedi , and managed to survive Order 66 , killing a large number of clone troopers in the process . A population of Verpine was present on the planet Essowyn , where they were thought to be weak - willed by the native Saurton s . Han Solo and Chewbacca befriended a Verpine priest of the Sacred Way on Aduba - 3 after rescuing the clergyman from an angry mob . Years later , Solo , Lando Calrissian , and Lobot worked with a Verpine slicer named Moegid on an ill - fated mission to recover a copy of the Caamas Document from Bastion . Zraii , Rogue Squadron ' s mechanic , was also a Verpine . Suskafoo , a member of the first hive contacted by the Alliance , actively joined the Rebels by helping to develop the B - Wing and serving in Dagger Squadron . Behind the scenes . The insectoid priest Han Solo met in " " was not identified by species , though Solo referred to him as an " Insect - guy " and a " Buggie " ( the latter nickname was also used by another character ) . The retcon identifying the priest as a Verpine was established in " Star Wars Gamer 4 " . This character has a yellow - green exoskeleton and large green eyes , but no visible antennae . The priest was also addressed as " Pera " , meaning " Father " in High Galactic , even though other material refers to Verpines as hermaphrodites . This may be explained by the Verpine assuming a male role when interacting with other species , much like some Hutts . It is possible that " Buggie " is a common nickname for Verpines — possibly a derogatory one , since Solo used the more respectful " Pera " when addressing the priest directly . According to Leia Organa Solo in " " , Solo had been uncomfortable with insectoid species since his encounter with Kamarian s ( as seen in " Han Solo ' s Revenge " ) . In regards to Verpine having genders , in " " , the narrator refers to a pair of Verpine characters by the pronouns " he " , " him " , and " his " .