Niado Duegad

Niado Duegad was a native of^[1] the planet^[2] Vodran. His^[1] species was similar to the dianoga,^[3] a creature native to Duegad's homeworld.^[2] During the Galactic Civil War, a conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Duegad served as a mercenary.^[1] His species^[3] and culture controlled their environment through terraforming abilities. Niado Duegad's enhanced adrenal glands allowed for short bursts of incredible strength. Duegad had reddish-brown skin with black stripes and a single hazel-colored eye. He also possessed a level of Force-attunement.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Niado Duegad's origins date back to the production stages of 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, when several alien maquettes were created for possible inclusion in the scenes taking place in Jabba the Hutt's desert palace. The concept of a dianoga-like alien known as "Alien 18" was among those scrapped before the film's final release. Being non-humanoid, the "Alien 18" model was too difficult to realize as a puppet.^[4]

The alien was first named as Niado Duegad on a card showing a modified image of the maquette for the 1998 Special Edition Limited expansion set of Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game, thus bringing the maquette into Star Wars Legends canon.^[1] Rearranged, Niado Duegad's name is an anagram of "Dianoga Dude."^[5]