Zymod

Zymods were a type of color-changing reptile native to the jungle moon Ajan Kloss. They had poisonous tongues and webbed feet that let them climb almost anything. The Resistance base established on Ajan Kloss in 34 ABY suffered a small infestation of zymods, and in 35 ABY, the Jedi-in-training Rey had to dodge the flick of one's tongue while on the base's training course.

Biology and appearance

The zymod was a type of slinking,^[1] arboreal^[2] reptile^[1] native to the jungles^[2] and forests^[1] of the Cademimu sector moon Ajan Kloss. They had the ability to change the color of their hide, with hairy crests along their back and atop their head that could be brown in color. The rest of their skin, including their tails, could be green in color but was black at the end of their four limbs, each of which ended in four webbed digits.^[2]

These webbed feet allowed zymods to climb nearly anything from trees to the landing gear of a starship.^[1] The creatures' face included two protruding eyes and a mouth^[2] with a poisonous tongue.^[3] On average, they measured seventy-six centimeters (two feet, six inches) in length.^[1]

History

Zymods (right) infested the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss.

In 34 ABY,^[4] the Resistance established a base on Ajan Kloss where its personnel had to get used to a small infestation of zymods.^[1] In 35 ABY,^[5] the Jedi-in-training Rey dodged the flick of a zymod's tongue while moving through a training course built in the jungles near the base on Ajan Kloss.^[3]

A zymod was later climbing on a tree next to the base when Commander Poe Dameron announced that the Sith Lord Darth Sidious had returned.^[6]

Behind the scenes

A zymod first appeared in the 2019 sequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker^[6] and was identified in the accompanying reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, which was written by Pablo Hidalgo.^[2] Concept art of a zymod was created by creature concept designer Louis Wiltshire and titled "Wizard 75."^[7] In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel, a 2020 adaptation of the film written by Michael Kogge, zymod is misspelt as "zymond."^[3]

In the 2021 non-canon sourcebook LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Galaxy Atlas, which was written by Simon Hugo, zymods are listed as one of the top three "must see" sights of Ajan Kloss, although they are described as hard to spot in the broadleaf trees where they live. An "I spotted a zymod on Ajan Kloss" badge is pictured.^[8] In the 2022 non-canon video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the player must locate and interact with ten zymods hidden around the Ajan Kloss map to complete the "Reptile Revealer" rumor.^[9]

The crests of the zymods vary depending on their surroundings with two blue zymods in water, three brown zymods on rocky surfaces, two green zymods by trees, an orange zymod on Poe Dameron's X-wing fighter, and white zymods on an BTA-NR2 Y-wing starfighter and the CR90 corvette Tantive IV.^[9]