Velmoc The Velmoc species were sentient , humanoid insectoids indigenous to the planet Velmor . Their distinctive physiology included powerful limbs , compound eyes , two antennae , and prominent crests that jutted from the arms . The species inhabited the mountains of their homeworld , sorting themselves into tribes . They were renowned for their warrior culture by some of the Humans who colonized Velmor ; other Humans reviled them as primitives . Despite the sometime animosity between the two species , some Velmoc integrated into Human Velmorian society and worked as servants . The insectoids spoke Galactic Basic Standard as a primary language . By the time of the Galactic Empire , the Velmoc were nearing extinction on Velmor . After a coup d ' état destabilized the Velmorian civilization and ushered in a period of puppet rule under the aegis of the Empire , the Velmoc faced their potential extermination by the Imperial Captain Zeta Traal . During an uprising that upended the Velmorian monarchy , the crown prince , Denid , escaped the planet with the help of his Velmoc aide , Jedidiah , a one - time Jedi hopeful who had turned down an offer of Jedi training to serve the royal family . With the help of Rebel Alliance operative s , Denid and Jedidiah returned to Velmor , a homecoming that eventually prompted a confrontation between Jedidiah and Traal . The encounter resulted in Jedidiah ' s death , but it also removed Traal from her position of influence , thus freeing Denid to become the king of the Velmorians . Biology and appearance . Velmoc were sentient insectoids whose bodies followed a more - or - less humanoid structure . Each of a Velmoc ' s muscular legs terminated in three long , flat toes , while each hand sported four fingers with sharp claws . A flat , wedge - shaped crest adorned each arm from the upper portion where it attached to the elbow , across the elbow itself , and to the top of the forearm . Members of the species could be strong , hardy beings , with a height exceeding that of an average Human . The insectoids ' bodies were colored green or dull purple . The Velmoc skull housed the brain , an organ otherwise vulnerable to injury such that a blow to the head might result in brain damage and cause the victim to devolve into gibbering insanity . Two compound eyes , colored gray or red , protruded from the sides of the head . A large maw gaped from the front of the face ; the lower , cantilevered jaw was shovel - like , with upward - pointing tooth - like projections that fit into slots in the upper mandible . A crest extended from the back of the head and gave way to a rectangular patch of striated skin at the back of the neck . Hairlike growths sprouted from above the eyes , the sides of the face , and the chin . Two antennae extended from the top of the head . Some Velmoc showed signs of sensitivity to the Force . Humans were susceptible to a malady known as the Velmoc flu , although they gained immunity to the illness if they survived a bout of it . Society and culture . As a tribal species , the Velmoc lived in small groups in the mountains of the planet Velmor . They were self - respecting and canny warriors , capable of employing their flexible fingers to use tools and wield weapons , such as long staffs . At least one member of the species wore clothing , which consisted of a segmented tunic , a belt , and boots fitted to the Velmoc anatomy . Some Velmoc learned to ride a native Velmorian beast known as the ycaqt . At least one Velmoc tribe , the Velmoc - Dac , accepted a Human into their ranks : Ergric Betos . Nevertheless , Captain Zeta Traal of the Galactic Empire disdained the entire species , with particular rancor reserved for the mountain - dwelling segments , whom she characterized as primitive . Velmoc spoke Galactic Basic Standard as their primary language . Velmoc names might be shortened for the convenience of members of other species ; for instance , the name Jedidiah became Jedi . Indeed , some members of the species integrated into the society of the Human Velmorians , with whom the Velmoc shared their homeworld . Such Velmoc often found employment as retainers , although others took on the role of sideshow entertainments . Despite the prejudice shown to the Velmoc by the Human Velmorians , members of the two species could become devoted and faithful friends . History . The Velmoc evolved on the planet Velmor , a world of forests and grasslands with a gravity of 0 . 92 standard . By the time Human colonists from the Empress Teta system reached Velmor , millennia before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War , the Velmoc population was already in decline . The planet and its parent system , Velm , became part of the Expansion Region and Mid Rim . Nevertheless , the planet was never highly integrated into the wider galaxy . While the Velmoc maintained their tribal existence in the world ' s mountains , the Human colonists established a monarchy and founded settlements , such as Den Velmor , which became the planetary capital . The population of the planet ' s native sentients continued to decline , however , and by the time of the Galactic Civil War , the species was nearing extinction ; they comprised a mere 0 . 3 percent of the planet ' s population of 892 , 000 . Those tribes that did eke out a traditional livelihood occupied the Tol Velmoc Mountains . In the 313th year of the Mrid — approximately twenty years before the Battle of Yavin — the Human King Lorac and his wife , Denira , were ousted from power in an Imperial - supported uprising . A Velmoc named Jedidiah , who served as an aide to the royal family and went by the nickname Jedi , whisked away the fifteen - year - old crown prince , Denid , and his betrothed , Loren . They fled to the nearby Tantajo system , but their poorly equipped starship failed , and they crashed on the planet Tantajoc V . Loren did not survive the crash . Despite insanity born of a head injury and extreme isolation , Jedidiah remained with Denid and helped his Human charge thrive on the forbidding planet for twenty years . Meanwhile , the regent , Zelor , took over rule of Velmor . He came under the influence of an Imperial captain , a Human woman named Zeta Traal . Traal orchestrated a plan whereby a few months after the Battle of Hoth , the prince Anod would throw the planet ' s allegiances behind the Galactic Empire — at Zelor ' s urging — upon his official coronation , an event that could only happen twenty years after Prince Denid ' s disappearance , as prescribed by Velmorian law . Meanwhile , Traal recommended that the Empire bombard the Tel Velmoc mountains from orbit to exterminate the Velmoc and terrify the Human Velmorians . When Ergric Betos , one of Anod ' s bodyguards , was exiled from Velmorian society , the Velmoc - Dac tribe accepted him into their ranks as a " soft - skin warrior . " His time with the insectoids granted him a deep respect for their culture . Nevertheless , Jedidiah and Denid ' s distress signal was finally detected ; a band of operative s from the Alliance to Restore the Republic — the Humans Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker and the droids C - 3PO and R2 - D2 — followed the signal to Tantajoc V and rescued Denid and his Velmoc protector . With Skywalker disguised as a bounty hunter named Korl Marcus and Organa as the prince ' s late fiancée , Loren , the group ventured back to Velmor to stop the coronation of Anod . Moments before Anod could become king , the outsiders appeared . When blood tests proved Denid was who he claimed to be , Traal called a royal forest hunt — actually part of a plot to kill the returning prince . Her plan went awry , however , when Jedidiah appeared riding a ycaqt . He attacked Traal to protect the others , but he was fatally shot in the melee . Anod , too , was killed in the forest . Jedidiah ' s death thus paved the way for the coronation of Denid , which occurred on Arloc 24th , the 310th Year of the Ycaqt . Years later , Velmor became a member world of the New Republic . Velmoc in the galaxy . The Velmoc Jedidiah had occasion to venture from Velmor on at least two occasions . On the first , the Velmoc was determined to be Force - sensitive . The Jedi Order offered to train the Velmoc as a Jedi , an aspiration Jedidiah deeply desired . Nevertheless , he felt that the royal family needed his help and would even come to ruin if he left for Jedi training . Accordingly , Jedidiah declined the Jedi ' s invitation and remained on Velmor . Nevertheless , Jedidiah left Velmor for two decades after the Imperial - sparked coup overthrew the king . He subsisted on the planet Tantajoc V with Prince Denid until returning to Velmor with the aid of Rebel Alliance agents . Behind the scenes . The Velmoc were created for " " , an issue of the Marvel Comics " Star Wars " comic book series that was first published in July 1981 . The issue was written by Mike W . Barr and illustrated by Walt Simonson and Tom Palmer . Barr ' s idea for the alien Jedidiah sprang from his desire to create a foil for Luke Skywalker ; in contrast to the fledgling Force - user Skywalker , who wants nothing more than to be Jedi , Jedidiah is someone who had the opportunity to become a Jedi but turned it down . Discrepancies in the coloring by Don Warfield and Christie Scheele depict the Velmoc character Jedidiah as green with red eyes on the cover , but dull purple with gray eyes in the issue itself . The information above assumes that both are valid phenotypes for the species . Another discrepancy arises when a medical droid suggests that Jedidiah has a " Human brain , " despite his obvious non - Human nature . The issue had problems with printing as well ; Simonson later recalled that he was aghast at the poor quality of the final printed issue . Dark Horse Comics recolored and reprinted the issue in November 2002 as part of " " ; the re - issue shows the Velmoc Jedidiah and the other characters as they were originally intended to be depicted . Author Cory Herndon added new information on the Velmoc and their relationship with the Velmorians in his article " , " published in March 2003 by Wizards of the Coast . The article is part of the " Planet Hoppers " series that describe planets in terms usable for the " Star Wars Roleplaying Game " .