Cebann Veekan Cebann Veekan was an actor who , after 4 ABY , performed in a stage production based on Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker ' s exploits and adventures . Originally a holo - performer who worked with in the Imperial Entertainers ' Guild , circumstances within the organization made it more difficult for non - Humans to find acting work . As a Hamadryas , Veekan was forced to find other avenues of employment , and began acting in several non - Guild productions . Eventually , he found himself on the arid desert world of Tatooine , in the Outer Rim Territories . Depressed , Veekan spent most of his time in Chalmun ' s Cantina , situated in Mos Eisley . One of the bartenders , Ackmena , would often entertain her patrons with singing and performance , prompting Veekan to join her and start an acting troupe . They performed constantly at the cantina , and Chalmun himself allowed it as long as the performances made money . The troupe , however , did not truly achieve success until 4 ABY , when they adapted the life story so far of Tatooinian Luke Skywalker to the stage . The play attracted substantial crowds , forcing the troupe to leave the cantina and move onto larger venues . Veekan continued to play the lead role until he grew too old , when he began instructing others who would succeed him in the part . Biography . Early career . Cebann Veekan started his career as an actor as a mid - tier holo - performer , working within the Imperial Entertainers Guild . He landed roles in low grade horror stories and comedies , and was able to make a living . However , when the Guild began instituting excessive " loyalty purges , " it became more and more difficult for non - Humans like the Hamadryas Veekan to get work in the industry . He was forced to look for work outside the Guild , and began working in several independent productions , performing in plays . He soon realized that his audiences were not so much interested in what he was doing , as they were in their alcoholic beverages . Chalmun ' s Cantina and success . Veekan eventually found himself on Tatooine , an arid , desert world located in the Outer Rim Territories . The planet ' s live performance industry was not promising , and there were no buildings in Mos Eisley that even came close to being a theater . Depressed , Veekan spent much of his time in Chalmun ' s Cantina , drinking away his troubles . There , he met the Human bartender Ackmena , who was known to augment her service with various types of performance , including singing . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , Veekan was present in the cantina when a meeting between patron Krelman and Ackmena was broadcast to other systems , including the Kashyyyk system . On the cantina ' s wallscreen , an Imperial officer announced a curfew on the Tatoo system , forcing all citizens to return home . When Ackmena tried get her patrons to depart , Veekan joined in the mass protest , and in doing so received a free round on the house . He departed shortly thereafter , but returned in due course . Veekan believed that Ackmena ' s skills in the trade were much like his own , and so decided to create his own troupe in conjunction with the bartender . The Wookiee proprietor of the cantina , Chalmun , allowed Veekan and Ackmena to perform for his customers as long as it made a profit . At first , however , the troupe struggled to reach success , although in time their situation improved gradually . Their luck changed after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY , when the troupe created a play based on stories from the adventures of Luke Skywalker . Skywalker , who originally hailed from Tatooine , was now a legend , particularly amongst citizens of his homeworld . His actions while fighting for the Rebel Alliance were as well , prompting Veekan and Ackmena to capitalize upon it with their new play . The Skywalker play earned the troupe both acclaim and attention . Veekan , in the lead role , became a local hero himself , and was performing the part in front of progressively larger audiences . Fellow cantina patron Myhr Rho , a Cathar , was inspired by Veekan and Ackmena ' s play , and decided to start the " Skywalker Tour " as a direct result . In time , the popularity of the play grew to a point in which Chalmun ' s Cantina , capacity wise , was no longer suitable , and the troupe moved to a larger venue . Veekan continued to play the part for many years , until he became too old and was forced to hand it over to someone younger . When he retired , he began instructing his successors in the role , and helped out with the production behind the scenes . Personality and traits . When faced with the prospect of unemployment , Veekan would become sorrowful , and turned to drinking dens for consolation . He exploited venues and events to the full , turning the life of one of Tatooine ' s more famous heroes into profits for both himself and Chalmun . In the role , Veekan was revered by the local populace , though to a lesser degree than Skywalker himself . He was also found to be inspiring by some , who used their experiences in watching Veekan ' s play to sometimes alter their lifestyles completely . Behind the scenes . The character of Cebann Veekan first appeared as an unnamed character in " The Star Wars Holiday Special " , which was directed by David Acomba and Steve Binder . The character was initially known as " Baboon Man " on set . Baboon Man ' s makeup , which was designed by Rick Baker , took some two and a half hours to apply . Unlike many of the actors underneath flexible masks , the actor portraying Baboon Man , as well as the man portraying Myhr Rho ( then known as " Lion Man " ) particularly suffered under the heat from the lighting on the lengthy 24 - hour shoot of the cantina sequence . The character also appears sporadically and randomly in the non - canon game " " . Later , Veekan was named and given a story by Tommy Mac , writing as " DJ Maul : Got Feet ? , " through the StarWars . com feature , " What ' s The Story ? " The character ' s species name was contributed by Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia creator Bob Vitas , who was writing as " Bubba1227 . " Mac thought that the character looked somewhat like actor , and so decided to base Veekan ' s name on Bacon ' s . Mac ' s entry was also changed multiple times in the editing process , though Mac himself had no problems with the alterations . In the Databank entry , however , the name " Veekan " is misspelled as " Becann " two times , as a typographical error . In the same round of " What ' s the Story ? " entries , Benjamin Christopher Norton Dawe ' s entry for Myhr Rho also featured Cebann Veekan , but this was added by the StarWars . com editors , and not Dawe himself .