Saurin / Legends The Saurin were a Trandoshan subspecies who hailed from the planet Durkteel , in the Kastolar sector of the Kashyyyk Region . Reptilian like the mainline Trandoshans of Trandosha , the Saurin shared knobby , scaly skin ; broad , flat noses ; wide , gaping mouths ; and sharp , jagged teeth with their cousins . In contrast , however , the Saurin had five - fingered hands instead of the Trandoshans ' three digits ( plus opposable thumb ) . Durkteel was a member of the Galactic Republic and a supporter of both the Refugee Relief Movement and the Refugee Resettlement Coalition during the Separatist Crisis . Saurin spacers made their way to many worlds , and members of the species found work as thugs , combat trainers , bodyguards , and droid merchants . Other Saurin joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic in its war with the Galactic Empire . Biology and appearance . The Saurin or Saurins were a subspecies of the Trandoshans and , as such , were sentient humanoid reptiles . They had much in common with both their cousins and with other reptilian species , such as the Barabel s . Saurin had scaly skin that came of shades of brown , green , purple , and yellow . Five - fingered hands were the primary feature to set them apart from mainline Trandoshans ; some Saurin had human - like hands , while others had clawed , reptilian hands like those of a Trandoshan . The typical Saurin had scaly , three - toed feet . The ranged in build from fairly short and thin to tall and muscular . The subspecies was divided into two sexes , with the females distinguished by their breasts . The typical Saurin had an elongated skull characterized by three spiky crests running down its length , one in the center and two on the sides . Smaller knobby patterns covered other portions of the head . Thick , bony ridges surrounded their dark , bulbous eyes . The snout sported a flat , stubby nose with two cavernous nostrils above a broad , gaping pink mouth brimming with sharp teeth . Their features were flexible , allowing a Saurin to smile and express emotion . Society and culture . Saurin were not known for their senses of humor . Nevertheless , the most stoic members of the species could be amused by a joke from a gifted humorist like the Bimm smuggler Rycar Ryjerd . Saurin names were composed of three elements : a first name , such as Gauron , Hrchek , or Sai ' torr , and a two - word surname , such as Kal Fas and Nas Tal . Members of the species were capable of using standard - level technology , including the piloting of starfighters and transports , and some Saurin became familiar with the technical specifications of such craft . Saurin tended to wear clothing typical of other spacefaring cultures , although some members of the subspecies chose to forego footwear . History . The Saurin shared a common ancestry with other Trandoshans . Nevertheless , they split off from their mainline cousins at some point in their genetic history . Physiological differences developed in the Saurin subspecies , included differently colored eyes and more digits on each hand . The Saurin and mainline Trandoshans came to claim two different planets as their homeworlds : Trandosha , in the Kashyyyk system , for the standard Trandoshans , and Durkteel for the Saurin , a world situated a short distance from Trandosha along the Durkteel Loop hyperlane in the neighboring Kastolar sector . Sometime between 15 , 000 and 8000 BBY , Durkteel became part of the greater galaxy within the heavily explored region known as the Slice . Durkteel eventually became a wealthy agriworld , and investments included the construction of an ever - increasing number of orbiting space stations . Saurin pioneers joined Borneck and Wookiee counterparts in the colonization of Yitabo , a world that lay at the junction of the Durkteel Loop and the Pabol Sleheyron . Yitabo eventually became a minor agriworld in its own right . Investors swelled Saurin coffers with billions of credit s in agribusiness , and over time the Saurin became one of the three most powerful indigenous groups in the greater Kashyyyk Region , along with the Wookiees of Kashyyyk and the Bimms of Bimmisaari . Durkteel did not avoid the influence of powerful neighbors beyond the region . By 5000 BBY , their world and the hyperlanes that connected it with the otherside had fallen into the control of the Hutts , making Durkteel part of Hutt Space . This influence had been broken by 4000 BBY , when the borders of Hutt Space retracted . Shortly thereafter , however , the Jedi Civil War erupted , and by 3959 BBY , Durkteel had fallen into a region of space controlled by Darth Revan as part of his Sith Empire , a situation that persisted until 3956 BBY . Hutt encroachment in the Kashyyyk Region brought Durkteel once more into the borders of Hutt Space by 1004 BBY , and again between 52 and 32 BBY . Durkteel joined the Galactic Republic by 22 BBY . With the eruption of the Separatist Crisis that year , Durkteel sided with the Republic . The planet became a member of the Refugee Relief Movement , a group whose goal was to aid those fleeing conflict zones . The Saurin provided assistance to the relief movement in the form of skilled pilots who operated the transports carrying the refugees ; at least one pilot , Rus Kal Kin , gained fame on his homeworld for his transport - flying missions during the crisis . Later that year , Durkteel joined nine other worlds to form the Refugee Resettlement Coalition ; members agreed to relax immigration laws and take in more refugees . Durkteel ' s population was 3 . 2 billion at this time . Nevertheless , Durkteel ' s proximity to Hutt Space once again placed its Saurin population in Hutt Space . As the Clone Wars erupted , the Saurin found their world in Separatist Space as well . Hutt Space had once again retracted , leaving the Saurin outside its grasp , by 4 BBY . By 137 ABY , however , Durkteel and its population fell within the region of space controlled by Darth Krayt as part of his Sith Empire . Saurin in the galaxy . Saurin had spread beyond their homeworld as early as 32 BBY . That year , a Saurin thug was working for the criminal Green Hair as part of the Raptors gang on the planet Coruscant . When the group confronted the Padawan Darsha Assant and the information broker Lorn Pavan , Assant used the Force to relieve the Saurin of his blaster , and Pavan stunned the gang member . Another member of the species patronized the Seko Cantina on Ryloth in 31 BBY . Years later , a Saurin was among those plagued by dianogas in Coruscant ' s Desrini District in 22 BBY . In 1 ABY , a Saurin was gambling at a casino in Cloud City on the planet Bespin where Lando Calrissian beat Barpotomous Drebble in a game of Sabacc . Two Saurin were at the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine in 0 BBY when Luke Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi came to charter passage off the world . One of the Saurin was Hrchek Kal Fas , a droid trader always on the lookout for cheap droids for sale , even if they were only available on the " invisible market . " Although he had come to the desert planet to investigate a possible business relationship with Tatooine ' s Jawas , he heard news of a reward for two stolen droids , supposedly " close companions " of an Imperial officer . He saw through this cover story , but when he witnessed C - 3PO and R2 - D2 wander into the cantina , he suspected they might be the droids in question . He tailed them out into the streets of Mos Eisley , but they were nowhere to be seen . The droid trader hired the tall Ranat Nevar Yalnal to do unskilled labor for him . Hrchek Kal Fas also retained the services of his cousin , Sai ' torr Kal Fas . She was a savvy warrior and combat instructor who took on students she deemed to have the right potential . Also in 0 BBY , a Saurin was present in the streets of Mos Eisley as the spy Garindan shadowed Luke Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi on their way to Docking Bay 94 . Later that year , a Saurin was captured on holofilm in the streets of Mos Eisley and broadcast as part of the Imperial program " Life on Tatooine . " During the Rebellion of the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the rule of the Galactic Empire , the famed transport pilot Rus Kal Kin proved himself as an ace starfighter pilot and a trusted member of the Alliance . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , the Saurin was hand - picked by the Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa to serve in a top - secret X - wing squadron , its mission to clandestinely seek out a new base of operations for the Alliance while simultaneously rooting out an Imperial spy . Rus Kal Kin flew several missions with this Stealth Squadron , and once its mission had been completed , he stayed on as an inaugural member of the squadron ' s successor , Rogue Squadron . Combat trainer Gauron Nas Tal also plied his trade on Tatooine . He worked for Jabba the Hutt as a combat instructor for the gangster ' s Gamorrean guards . The Saurin came to hate both his employment and his employer , and by 4 ABY , he was plotting to kill the Hutt . When the Jedi Luke Skywalker and one of Nas Tal ' s Gamorrean trainees fell into Jabba ' s rancor pit , the Saurin joined the other members of the Hutt ' s entourage in watching the battle below . The Gamorrean stood little chance against the rancor , although the Human managed to kill the beast . Gauron Nas Tal later accompanied Jabba on his sail barge the Khetanna . He died when the vessel exploded during the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon . Behind the scenes . The Saurin were one of the many alien species designed for the cantina sequence of , released in 1977 . They were known as Crocs , Crockers , and Gila - Men during production and principal photography in England . One of the two characters was supposed to be given the proper name Gilaass . The Marvel Comics adaptation of the film shows a Saurin informing Imperial stormtroopers of the presence of Obi - Wan Kenobi in the Mos Eisley Cantina , a task performed by the Human Garouf Lafoe in the original film . The production team of altered one of the Saurin masks from " A New Hope " for use for the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk . Modifications for the Bossk design included repainting the mask , changing the eyes , and creating new , less Humanlike arms and legs . An unmodified Saurin mask was used for a member of Jabba the Hutt ' s entourage in in 1983 . In 1995 , Decipher dubbed the species the Saurin as part of its " Premiere Limited " and " A New Hope Limited " sets of cards for the " Star Wars Customizable Card Game . " The company also named the Saurin characters seen in the films and gave them simple backstories . The cards have game effects related to the characters ' personalities and skills . For example , the Sai ' torr Kal Fas card can be used to " train " and improve the combat skills of another character , while the Gauron Nas Tal ( here spelled " Garon Nas Tal " ) card increases the power of any Saurin characters that have already been improved by Sai ' torr Kal Fas . The article " 50 Factoids about the Original Star Wars Trilogy " mistakenly says that a Saurin character was added to the cantina scene of " ; " the character in question is actually a Sarkan , a different reptilian species . The species has since played little role in " Star Wars " fiction , and their society , culture , and history remain largely unexplored . " Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy " is one exception and reveals that Saurin are a Trandoshan subspecies , and " The Essential Atlas " is another , as it reveals some details about Durkteel and its economy . Nevertheless , their history remains sketchy and questions remain , such as whether they split from their Trandoshan cousins before or after they moved to Durkteel . Other Saurin have largely been background characters . For example , the " A New Hope " Saurin appear in the background of the , " , " " The Emperor ' s Court , " and the . In October 2002 , artist Derek Thompson sketched a group of aliens as possible participants in the Clone Wars for . Among the characters , all representatives of species from the cantina sequence of " A New Hope " , is one Saurin . In the end , George Lucas rejected the concept . In 2009 , Hasbro released an action figure of Hrchek Kal Fas as part of its line of toys . The action figure differs from the on - screen depiction of the Saurin in that it wears no gloves , has more reptilian hands , and wears no boots . Hasbro calls this a " creative decision " taken to make the character seem more alien ; they argue that had the Saurin featured more prominently in " A New Hope , " George Lucas would have given them more non - human characteristics . The Saurin action figure also features gold eyes with black pupils , another discrepancy from the original film . Hasbro blames this on a production error among the Chinese production staff ; they ordered the toys corrected to have black eyes .