Popper-stalk

"Boy, you best clip that line of blabber unless you want me to tan your hide with a dry popper-stalk."

―Glen Taffral, to Webb Taffral — 20?cb=20250116042720

Popper-stalks were a native plant of the Outer Rim planet Saleucami that had fibrous, air-filled bulbs. The crop was grown in the fertile, warm soil of Saleucami's calderas and used by the world's farmers as animal fodder.

By 21 BBY, the farmer Cut Lawquane grew popper-stalks on his family's farm. That year, the family's children—Shaeeah and Jek—discovered a Separatist escape pod while playing in their farm's fields. When the young clone Omega visited the Lawquane's farm in 19 BBY, she was awed by the popper-stalks and reached out to touch them. In 4 ABY, during a Taffral family dinner on Saleucami, the farmer Glen Taffral threatened to beat his son Webb Taffral with a dry popper-stalk if he continued arguing during the meal.

Description

The Lawquane's Farm's popper-stalk fields

Popper-stalks were a type of tall plant native to the Outer Rim planet Saleucami. They featured light brown stalks and green leaves. The round bulbs of the plant were fibrous, consisting mostly of air inside.^[1] Popper-stalks especially thrived in the fertile soil in the world's calderas, as the ground there was warmed by geothermal vents.^[2] The plant was often grown as a crop for livestock feed, as it was edible by eopies, reeks, and other farm animals.^[3]

History

A farming staple

Even before Saleucami was settled, popper-stalks were one of the few plants that grew on the world. Eventually, when the world was colonized and the settlers brought livestock, popper-stalks were grown and used to feed their animals.^[1] By the time of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, some individuals felt that the bulbous plant life of Saleucami was strange^[2] and weird. The farmer Cut Lawquane grew popper-stalks in a fenced plot on his and his family's farm.^[1]

An escape pod in a field of popper-stalks

In 21 BBY,^[5] the Republic and Separatists began fighting on the world, ultimately resulting in an injured Clone Captain Rex recovering for a night at the Lawquane's farm. That night, the family's two children—Shaeeah and Jek—left their house to play in the farm's nearby popper-stalk fields and found a crashed Separatist escape pod there. After Shaeeah pressed a button, activating the BX-series droid commandos inside the pod, they fled back through the fields in fear and warned their parents of the impending danger. Though Cut and Rex successfully defended the homestead, the Separatist General Grievous used the escape pod to flee Saleucami.^[6]

Imperial Era

"Woah."

―Omega, awed by popper-stalks^[7]

The Bad Batch and Omega walked through popper-stalk fields on their way to visit the Lawquanes.

When the Clone Wars came to an end in 19 BBY, the Republic reorganized into the Galactic Empire.^[8] By that year,^[9] the Lawquanes still grew popper-stalks in at least two plots on their farm, as well as in fields elsewhere on their property. When four of the Bad Batch's clone commandos—having recently defected from the Empire—visited the farm^[7] in 19 BBY,^[9] they walked through the family's field of the crop. The young unaltered clone they had brought with them—Omega—had previously not been exposed to many new environments and was awed by the plants, reaching out to touch the popper-stalks bulbs while looking around in wonder. Later, while playing with Shaeeah and Jek, Omega left the safety of the farm's outer fence to fetch a ball. When a nexu prepared to attack her, the family's mother—Suu Lawquane—climbed to a vantage point above the farm's fenced popper-stalk fields to shoot at the creature while the clone commando Hunter swiped at the creature with a knife, driving it away.^[7]

In 4 ABY,^[10] Dav Taffral of the Rebel Alliance returned to his Saleucami house, which had popper-stalks growing around it. During a Taffral family dinner, Dav and his Imperial-loyalist brother, Webb Taffral, began to argue, and their father, Glen Taffral, interrupted their dispute with advice. Webb then mocked Glen, but backed down when the older farmer threatened to strike him with a dry popper-stalk if he continued.^[4]

Behind the scenes

Star Wars: The Clone Wars concept art of popper-stalks — *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* concept art of popper-stalks

Popper-stalks first appeared, albeit unidentified, in "The Deserter,"^[6] the tenth episode of the second season of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which first aired on January 1, 2010.^[11] Concept art picturing the plant was made for the episode and included in "The Deserter"'s corresponding episode guide.^[12] Popper-stalks later appeared in "Cut and Run," the second episode of the animated television series Star Wars: The Bad Batch's first season,^[7] which released on May 7, 2021.^[13] Molly Denmark created a lighting concept for "Cut and Run" that featured popper-stalks, which was released in the installment's corresponding episode guide.^[14] A plant with the name popper-stalk was first introduced in Aftermath, a 2015 novel written by Chuck Wendig as the first installment in Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy.^[4]

Molly Denmark's lighting concept for "Cut and Run," which featured popper-stalks

The English edition of the De Agostini Star Wars Encyclopedia booklet "Scarif and Other Planets in the Outer Rim" first explicitly identified the plants^[1] in "The Deserter"^[6] as popper-stalks,^[1] thus making the episode the plant's first appearance.^[6] The French version of the booklet—which only described them as bulbous vegetation^[15]—was first published on July 20, 2021.^[16] Meanwhile, the French edition of another booklet from the same series—"Mustafar and Other Planets in the Outer Rim," first described them as "cannes popper,"^[17] and later as "popper-stalks" in its English edition.^[3] The French version of the booklet was first published on April 8, 2022.^[18]