Ottegan

Content approaching. Star Wars (2015) 16, Star Wars (2015) 34, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Last Call, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens–class. Parts of this article are no longer up to date. Please update the article to include missing information, and remove this template when finished.

Ottegans were a cousin species to the Ithorians a race of Hammerhead shaped beings from the Ottega system. Praster Ommlen, an devotee of the Sacred Order of Ramulus was a member of the species. As was the criminal Ola Hest who was active during the High Republic Era. They differed from Ithorians by having only one mouth as opposed to two, something which their Ithorian cousins mocked them for.

Biology and appearance

Ottegans were a genetic offshoot of the sentient Ithorian species with whom they shared the Ottega system.^[4] Their physiology closely resembled that of the Ithorians,^[2] as they were bipedal and possessed a hammer-shaped head, an elongated face, and wide-set eyes,^[5] but differed in having a single mouth set low on the neck, whereas Ithorians had two. This distinction led Ithorians to refer to Ottegans as hrumgatha, meaning "lone mouths", and to joke that Ottegans needed to speak twice as much to be heard.^[4]

Ottegans had two vertically slitted nostrils on the front of the face and a ridged, reddish-brown oval orifice positioned between the eyes. Their skin was pale and fleshy. Small, bumpy spikes grew along the sides of the head near the eyes, and facial hair could grow on their eyebrows and chins. They had long arms that ended in hands containing four fingers including a thumb.^[5]

History

Ottegans hailed from the Ottega system, sometimes called the Ithor system, a star system located in the Ottega sector of the Mid Rim of the galaxy^[6] The species shared the system with their neighbors the Ithorians.^[4] A long time ago,^[7] Ottegans diverged genetically from the Ithorians. Geneticists debated for millennia about the exact relationship between the two species.^[4] A journal entry on Ottegans, featuring an illustration of Praster Ommlen, was created by an unknown artist and later restored, expanded, and exhibited at the Graf Archive^[7] sometime after 34 ABY.^[8]

Ottegans in the Galaxy

In 231 BBY^[9] during the High Republic Era, the Ottegan criminal Ola Hest operated. She spent thirty years working as an enforcer for the Hutts. At some point, she was dispatched to collect protection money from a children's medcenter on Novor. When the Sisters of the Ninth Plane, who operated the medcenter, refused to pay, she turned her frigate’s thrusters on the sanctuary, bringing it down and killing everyone inside. Hest was later tracked to Gardulla’s Palace by the Blade of Bardotta, where she was captured and imprisoned aboard the Galactic Republic prison ship Restitution. While aboard the Restitution, Hest gained power among the ship’s population, maintained outside contacts with a network of assassins and bounty hunters, and employed fellow prisoners Muglan Tarantyne and Parr as her bodyguards.^[10]

During the Clone Wars, an Ottegan patron was present within a cantina on Coruscant while the Bad Batch were on a mission in Coruscant's underworld. The Ottegan urged the clone Hunter to leave as clones were unwelcome in the establishment.^[11]

In 10 BBY,^[12] an Ottegan was present within The Lodge in Fort Ypso when Lando Calrissian played a game of sabacc with Han Solo aswell as a few others prior to a raid on Kessel^[13] Later, when Chewbacca was imprisoned in a Imperial Impound Facility^[14] on Iakar^[15] an Ottegan cheered when the Wookie won against a Chagrian prisoner in a fight.^[14] An Ottegan with wide-set eyes was present aboard a freighter when Thane Kyrell was returning to Jelucan. Thane became suspicious that the Ottegan might be observing him. The Ottegan left the freighter without interacting with Thane however.^[1]

Sometime between Between 10 BBY and 3 ABY,^[16] Shortly after being chased by crime lord Askroh on the planet Bespin, Lando Calrissian was seated at a bar when an Ottegan bartender addressed him, offering his usual drink of Alderaanian White. Lando questioned whether the beverage had been smuggled, to which the bartender remained silent prompting Lando to pause. Shortly afterward, Clariah entered the bar, and Lando, noticing her, responded that he would have a bark tea.^[17]

Between 19 BBY and 8 BBY,^[18] An Ottegan was present on the streets of Mos Eisley when Ben Kenobi noticed a man with a spiral marking on his forehead.^[19]

In 3 BBY, while Mon Mothma was persuading a Tarsunt senator to join her in opposing Emperor Palpatine’s extension of the Public Order Resentencing Directive, an Ottegan accompanied them as Mothma’s aide, Erskin Semaj, spoke with the Ottegan.^[20] After the alien Oathkeeper gave a prayer celebrating the Empire, Senator Mon Mothma, accompanied by Erskin Semaj, exited the Senate to return to her private chambers. As she passed through the hallways, she walked by an Ottegan who was present in the building.^[21] Shortly after the massacre on Ghorman, an Ottegan was present in the Imperial Senate Building when Senator Dasi Oran, the representative of Ghorman in the Imperial Senate, was placed under arrest by stormtroopers and removed from the building.^[22]

Shortly before the Dragon Void Run^[23] in 0 ABY,^[24] an Ottegan was present in the audience at the Moncaladrome on Mon Cala during the occupation of the planet and pointed toward Tan Hubi while he was on stage shortly before Tan was killed.^[25] In 5 ABY^[26] an Ottegan senator was found dead in the Old Gather-House on Chandrila by Norra Wexley shortly after the attack on Chandrila. They were presumably killed in the fallout.^[27]

In the same year,^[28] an Ottegan was present inside Maz's Castle during a skirmish on Takodana. During the conflict, Imperial forces attempted to intercept General Han Solo of the New Republic who was assisted by the defector Ralsius Paldora in recovering data cubes hidden in a forest. These cubes contained intelligence vital to the Republic and to plans to liberate the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Although Imperial forces managed to engage Solo, the timely arrival of Inferno Squad enabled him to escape with the critical data.^[29]

In 28 ABY,^[30] an Ottegan who spoke through a vocoder that translated his words into Basic served as a senator in the Galactic Senate of the New Republic. The senator questioned Emissary Yendor’s statement regarding a criminal enterprise led by the Kajain'sa'Nikto Rinnrivin Di.^[31]

An elderly female Ottegan was interviewed by Deputies Streehn and Drego in Niima on the planet Jakku as a witness to events surrounding an explosion at the Kubaz Rikard Lovas's banking ship, during which her elongated face bobbed up and down rapidly. She stated that she saw a CZ droid leave the banking ship only minutes before the explosion, that she had an appointment with Lovas but left to do some shopping after the computer informed her he was absent, and that she was lucky not to have been inside during the explosion. The Ottegan shuddered and emitted a scared honking noise before Drego asked what time her appointment was.^[32] Adlee was a Ottegan youngling of the village Reestkii on the planet Jakku, who stood nervously and silently during a Zygerrian slaver raid that disrupted the settlement sometime after the Battle of Endor. Adlee, along with the other residents, was rounded up and confined within the town hall. While imprisoned, the Nu-Cosian pet seller Bobbajo kept Adlee and the other children calm by telling a story about how he had escaped from the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.^[33]

During the Hunt for Lor San Tekka, Commander Poe Dameron and Black Squadron of the Resistance were sent on a mission to the planet Ovanis by General Leia Organa. Upon arrival, they encountered a religious order, the Crèche, devoted to protecting an egg. An Ottegan from the order pointed a blaster at Dameron when he reached the world.^[34] Later, the Ottegan and other members of the order were surrounded by First Order troopers under the command of agent Terex of the First Order Security Bureau. They were subsequently rescued by Black Squadron however.^[35]

Several Ottegans were present on Arthon alongside Lor San Tekka during the period when both the Resistance and the First Order were searching for him. Poe Dameron recorded this information in his flight log, which he later compiled after the Battle of Starkiller Base^[36] in 34 ABY.^[37]

Praster Ommlen, an Ottegan ex-weapons dealer turned repentant devotee of the Sacred Order of Ramulus, was part of Maz Kanata's court at the time of the Battle of Takodana.^[2] He was present in the castle when Rey and Finn entered with Han Solo to speak with Maz Kanata.^[38] The Azumel Seezelslak warned that discussions about Ottegans were considered highly disrespectful when speaking with Dok-Ondar. Mentioning the species could provoke offense, and Seezelslak noted from personal experience that it was best to avoid the topic entirely.^[39]

Behind the scenes

Ottegans first appeared in J.J. Abrams 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.^[38] though not identified on screen they were named in the films visual dictionary released the same day as the film.^[2] Although the Ottegan species did not exist in the Star Wars Legends continuity, they did share a name with the Ottega system which contained the planet Ithor where Ithorians lived.^[40]

Appearances

Non-canon appearances

• LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sources

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: Aliens of the Galaxy
• Poe Dameron: Flight Log
• Star Wars: Aliens and Ships of the Galaxy
• Star Wars Helmet Collection: Sidon Ithano Weapons & Uniforms: Denizens of Maz Kanata's Castle (Picture only)
• Créatures et peuples de la galaxie
• Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
• Star Wars: Alien Archive
• Star Wars Search and Find Volume I
• Jedi Master Porter Engle: Characters of Star Wars the High Republic on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
• Andor Season 2 | Special Look | Streaming April 22 on Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (article) (backup link)
• Praster Ommlen in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and references