Guaqa

This article is non-canon within the canon continuity. This article covers a subject from a Star Wars: Visions story that Lucasfilm declared is set in an alternate history within a reimagined galaxy.

The guaqa was a type of burrowing lizard that was capable of curling into a ball and was found on a desert planet. At some point during the Imperial Era, a pit was dug into the planet by individuals enslaved by the Galactic Empire. A guaqa helped one prisoner—a human named Crux—escape the pit by creating holes in the wall for him to grab onto when climbing out of the pit. Later, a guaqa observed a mural created by a painter in the pit.

Biology and appearance

The guaqa was a type of lizard^[1] that could curl into a ball^[3] and was capable of burrowing.^[2] Guaqas were found on a desert^[2] planet.^[4] The creature was light brown with a spiny darker brown shell that stretched from its head to its tail. Guaqas had four legs with three claws on each foot and also had two brown eyes.^[2]

History

At some point during the Imperial Era, a large pit was dug on the desert planet by individuals enslaved by the Galactic Empire. A guaqa emerged from the ground at the edge of the pit and scuttled down the wall of the pit before burrowing into the bottom.^[2]

Weeks later,^[5] Crux—a human who was forced to dig the pit—attempted to climb out. As Crux struggled, a guaqa broke a section of the wall near his hand, forming a hole and then retreated. The lizard then continued to create holes above his hand, which Crux used to climb up, eventually leading to his escape. Crux traveled to the nearby Crystal City in hopes of getting help but was soon captured by Imperial stormtroopers. He was thrown back into the pit where he died from the fall. The remainder of the prisoners called out to the people of the city and the inhabitants rescued the prisoners using transport shuttles. A painter who was in the pit created a small mural before being running to a shuttle. A guaqa emerged from the ground and looked upon the mural before running off.^[2]

Behind the scenes

Development

The guaqa appeared in "The Pit," a non-canon short film released as part of the second volume of the Star Wars: Visions series, written and directed by LeAndre Thomas. The animated short, produced by D'art Shtajio and Lucasfilm, was released on Disney+^[2] on May 4, 2023.^[7] The episode's audio description describes the creature as green with a black shell,^[1] despite actually being shades of brown.^[2]

When creating the creature, director LeAndre Thomas worked with Skywalker Sound to make the guaqa sound cute. Thomas heard the first pass in the sound mix and believed it sounded great but asked if it could be made a little cuter. It needed to sound intelligent but cute at the same time, as if the creature had a language. He wanted the audience to feel that it knew what it was doing. Skywalker Sound returned with the guaqa voice and Thomas considered it to be perfect.^[6] Concept art for the guaqa showcasing its range of movement was created by Rejean Dubois and Arthell Isom.^[3]

The guaqa is visually and behaviorally identical to the pucksy, a creature featured in "The Helpful Harvester," the second part of the fourteenth episode in the second season of the canon animated television series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures,^[8] which was released on March 19, 2025.^[9]

Concept art gallery

"The Pit"

Storyboards

Concept art

Digital renderings

In-progress artwork

Concept art

Concept art created by Rejean Dubois and Arthell Isom^[3]

Appearances

Explore all of Wookieepedia's media for this article subject:
Audio · Images

• Star Wars: Visions — "The Pit" (First appearance)

Sources

• Lucasfilm’s LeAndre Thomas on His Journey to Direct “The Pit” for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 on Lucasfilm's official website (backup link)
• Visions Revisited: 5 Highlights from "The Pit" on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Meet the Visionaries: LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge on the Heartbreak and Hope of "The Pit" on StarWars.com (backup link)
• "The Pit" Episode Guide | Star Wars Visions Volume 2 on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Directors LeAndre Thomas And Justin Ridge On "The Pit" | Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references