Morodin / Legends Morodins were a species of large , sentient herbivores . Often mistaken for massive herd animals , the Morodins had long , slender bodies that could grow up to twenty meters in length . They possessed six legs and two forearms , as well as a wide spoon - shaped snout . The most distinctive feature of the Morodins was their ability to secrete a nutrient slime trail that promoted growth and mutation in plant life that it covered . The composition of the secretion varied with the Morodin ' s diet , and they were always experimenting with new combinations by eating plants , exuding the secretion to create a new , more nutritious , strain of flora which then entered their food chain . Originally from a homeworld that struggled to feed its growing population , the Morodins established a colony on the planet Varonat to grow food . The Morodins turned part of Varonat into a vast jungle and transported their bounty to the homeworld aboard organic space vessel s . However , an ecological disaster on their homeworld prevented the Morodins from growing their ships , and contact with the homeworld was lost . The Morodins on Varonat continued to thrive . Eventually , Human colonists reached Varonat and saw the Morodins as wild beasts intent on destroying their plantings when , in reality , the Morodins were trying to help the Humans to grow their food . During the early years of the New Republic , a group of Krish began planting in the jungle and actively allowing the Morodins to fertilize the crop . At the same time , a safari had been established by the same group of Krish that killed several Morodins a year as part of a big - game hunt . Biology and appearance . Morodins were huge , sentient , herbivorous , mammalian lizard – slugs that grew to between ten to twenty meters in length , but usually averaged about fifteen meters . Long and slender , the Morodins had no trouble navigating dense jungle foliage . Members of the species possessed six stubby legs with three - toed feet , and two short forearms that terminated in clawed , three fingered hands . A long neck , which included prominent bulges where it connected to the lower jaw , supported a head with a spoon - billed snout full of flat teeth , and an eye on either side of a ridged cranium . Yellow skin covered the Morodin body , with darker - colored mottling running down the back ; a small tail protruded from the rear of the body . Morodins were generally peaceful and docile , even when confronted with a clear threat , and they moved relatively slowly . The Morodin produced a distinctive growl , which they used for communication . Morodins exuded a nutrient slime trail that fertilized soil and plant life , and was the basis for their unique form of biochemical agriculture . The slime was secreted from a gland located on the Morodins ' underbelly . The nutrient content of the slime fluctuated with the Morodin ' s diet , and the resulting excretion encouraged growth and mutation in plant life . By eating certain plants and then spreading the resultant slime over other vegetation , Morodins produced new species of flora . The new strains were more nutritious , and the Morodins added the resulting crop to their diet , in turn using it to create new secretions that produced yet more nutritious plants . The Morodins knew which combinations of food eaten and plants fertilized produced the best crop . Society and culture . Only 50 , 000 Morodins were known to live on the planet Varonat , and they were organized into tribes . To completely fertilize an area , the Morodins had developed a form of maze – running ; the elders of the tribe used their slime trails to create an elaborate and complex maze in a given area . The younger generation , as part of their education in the art of biochemical agriculture , then ran the maze to complete the fertilization . By using different slime patterns , the Morodins kept track of which combinations of nutrients were used to fertilize an area . At the height of their civilization , the Morodins had mastered space travel and grew their own organic space vessel s , although they lost their ability to grow these starships when an ecological disaster occurred on their homeworld . History . The Morodin civilization flourished on their homeworld before the formation of the Galactic Republic . 1 , 000 years before the Republic was founded , the Morodins established an agricultural colony on the planet Varonat in an effort to produce enough food to support their homeworld ' s growing population . Varonat was covered in immense plains , and the Morodins transported stores of food to the world to allow them , in conjunction with their own nutrient slimes , to convert the grasslands into edible plant life . The result produced the vast Great Jungle for which Varonat would become known thousands of years later . The colony on Varonat produced and harvested food , transporting it back to their homeworld aboard organic space vessels . Eventually , an ecological disaster on the Morodin homeworld stopped the Morodins from growing their organic starships . Cut off from their home planet , the colony on Varonat was left to its own devices . Over the centuries , the Morodins used their unique biochemical abilities to continually transform and modify Varonat ' s plant life to suit their needs , and gained an extensive knowledge of the native flora . In 242 BBY , Human colonists from Salliche led by Adarian Tropis settled on Varonat after scouting reports indicated rich , fertile soil in the Great Jungle . Settling Tropis - on - Varonat , the colonists began planting crops . However , the fertility of the soil only lasted for a single season . The Morodins attempted to help the Humans by covering their crops with their nutrient slime . However , communication between the Morodins and the Humans proved to be impossible , and the Humans had no comprehension of what the Morodins were trying to do or even the fact that they were sentient . They thought the Morodins were just animals trampling their crops . Eventually , Tropis theorized that the slime trails laid down by the Morodins were vital to the soil ' s fertility and gave the Morodins free run of several fields . The resulting crop was yellow and inedible ; following this , the colonists began to actively chase the Morodins from their fields and hunt them . Around 7 ABY , the Morodins encountered a group of Krish who ventured into the Great Jungle planting Yagaran aleudrupe plant s . Believing the Krish were interested in agricultural cooperation , the Morodins added the newcomers ' plantings to their fertilization rounds . Unknown to the Morodins , their nutrient slime chemically changed the pips of the aleudrupe plant ' s berries which , when combined with rethan - K and promhassic triaxli , created a blaster formulation as powerful as spin - sealed Tibanna gas . The Krish were pleased with the resulting crop , and continued to plant and harvest in the jungle . The Morodins continued to help the newcomers . Every few months , several Morodins were killed by hunters in the jungle ; to cover their operations , the Krish established a safari to hunt the Morodins . The leader of the Krish , Gamgalon , discovered that the Morodins were sentient , but established the hunt anyway while paying the local Imperial governor a large bribe to look the other way , as hunting sentient species was prohibited by Imperial law . The Morodins never equated the two groups , the farmers and the hunters , to be from the same source . A year later , the smuggler Talon Karrde and his associate , Quelev Tapper , traveled to Varonat to investigate Gamgalon ' s operation and see if it was a venture in which they could invest . During the course of their investigation , Karrde and Tapper joined a Morodin - hunting safari , but Karrde could not bring himself to kill a Morodin when he was confronted with one in the jungle as he sensed something was amiss . Later , he and Tapper witnessed a Morodin maze – running , and deduced that the large creatures were sentient beings . The two smugglers were discovered by Gamgalon , who did not take kindly to outsiders attempting to interfere with his operation . Tapper was killed by the Krish , but Karrde was rescued by a woman called Mara Jade . Karrde ' s actions left Gamgalon ' s operation in ruins . After the discovery of the Morodins ' sentience by the New Republic , a team was dispatched to Varonat to make formal contact with them and learn the Morodins ' biochemical agriculture . The team had to learn how to communicate with the Morodins , and to study the unique properties of the biochemical slime and deduce how it interacted with the native plant life . The team was also forced to deal with hunters who believed the Morodins were worth more as trophies , and had to contend with the inquisitive Imperial governor . Morodin in the galaxy . Morodins were only known to inhabit Varonat , a world on the Ison Corridor in the Anoat sector of the Outer Rim Territories , during the early years of the New Republic , and their population numbered 50 , 000 individuals . The location of their original homeworld was unknown to the galaxy at large as Morodins had been encountered on no other planets as of 8 ABY . Once the Morodin ' s sentience became known , it was generally believed that they had either lost or abandoned their advanced organic starship building technology over the millennia . Behind the scenes . The Morodin first appeared in " First Contact " , a short story written by Timothy Zahn for West End Games ' " Star Wars Adventure Journal 1 " published in 1994 . " First Contact " was later reprinted in " The Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal , Issues 1 - 4 " in 1996 , " Tales from the Empire " in 1997 , and on " " . As the latter two only reprinted the story , the RPG information that included the Morodin ' s history was not included . Morodins were later referenced in 1995 ' s " The Essential Guide to Characters " in Mara Jade and Talon Karrde ' s entries , and in 1998 ' s " Star Wars Encyclopedia " in the Varonat entry . 1998 ' s " Alien Encounters " reprinted the roleplaying lore and statistics from the original " Star Wars Adventure Journal " publication and classified the Morodins as a mammalian species . In 2004 , Morodins were mentioned in Varonat ' s entry in " " by Wizards of the Coast , and an entry in 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . In 2009 , the Morodin were mentioned , again in relation to Varonat , in " The Essential Atlas " . The illustration of the Morodin accompanying " First Contact " was provided by Mike Vilardi . For " Alien Encounters " , the artist who provided the image was not credited specifically for the work as several artists were listed en masse as providing interior art on the table of contents page .