When I was a kid, I was way more into the aliens than the Jedi. I’d pause scenes just to catch a glimpse of whatever creature was lurking behind the main characters. That habit hasn’t changed much—and luckily, the Disney era gave me a whole new batch of bizarre species to obsess over. Let’s talk about the ones that left the biggest impression.
Table of Contents
1. Turgle – The Frog Who Won’t Shut Up (and Somehow Still Survives)
Turgle from Jedi: Survivor is basically what happens when you throw a scheming, overly confident frog into the middle of a dangerous galaxy and somehow he just… doesn’t die. He’s not your usual wise alien or tough warrior. He’s a small-time hustler with big dreams and a bigger mouth. And that’s what makes him so good.
He calls himself stuff like the “Prince of Pilfering” and “Mayor of Misdemeanors”—all titles he clearly made up himself. His stories are almost definitely fake, but he tells them with such confidence that you start to believe them anyway. He once claimed to be running from bounty hunters across the galaxy, but in reality, he lived in a shipping crate and once got arrested for trying to sell scrap to a stormtrooper. And yet? He keeps going.
What’s funny is how often he’s in actual danger—like getting chased by the Bedlam Raiders or trying to trick an Imperial officer into finding a “secret” resource that turned out to be a rancor. And even when he’s literally about to be killed, someone like Cal Kestis ends up saving him.
But what really makes Turgle stand out is that despite all his nonsense, he’s oddly endearing. He loves the planet Koboh, wants to open a mud spa and a rancor petting zoo, and even dreams of being taken seriously one day. Deep down, he knows people underestimate him—and he uses that to his advantage. Turgle’s a total mess, but he’s our mess.
2. The Lanai – The Bird-Nuns of Ahch-To
You might remember these nun-like bird aliens from The Last Jedi, quietly fixing stone huts while Rey and Luke had lightsaber drama on Ahch-To. They’re called the Lanai, and they’ve lived on Temple Island for thousands of years, keeping up the ruins of the first Jedi Temple like it’s their sacred duty.
What makes them so unique is how much real-world depth they have. Rian Johnson designed them to feel like a kind of religious caretaker order—part seabird, part nunnery. The females, known as Caretakers, handle daily rituals and repairs, while the males (called Visitors) only show up once in a while during special events.
Biologically, they’re pretty fascinating. They evolved from the same stock as porgs (yes, porgs!) and have special membranes over their eyes so they can see underwater. Their culture revolves around fishing, music, and hand-motion-based language—plus they use fire signals instead of writing. Everything about them screams “isolated island tradition,” and it fits perfectly with the vibe of Ahch-To.
One of my favorite behind-the-scenes facts? They were originally going to show up again in The Rise of Skywalker as assassins on Kijimi. Imagine that twist: bird nuns turned hit squad. Sadly, that idea was dropped—but it tells you how much potential these quiet little aliens actually had.
3. Aki-Aki – The Most Wholesome Festival Hosts in the Galaxy
The Aki-Aki are one of the most joyful and well-designed species introduced in the Disney era. Native to the desert planet Pasaana, these elephantine beings are known for their peaceful nature, deep traditions, and a festival so colorful it stopped The Rise of Skywalker dead in its tracks. That was the Festival of the Ancestors—an event that only happens once every 42 years—and it perfectly captured what makes this species so unique.
Culturally, the Aki-Aki are all about resilience and community. Their history includes clan conflict, but the brutal desert pushed them to work together over time. Instead of building big cities, they live in small villages and reunite during key moments to trade and celebrate. According to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionary, this festival isn’t just for fun—it’s packed with meaning. From symbolic effigies to color-coded smoke signals (yes, their fireworks have lore), everything they do is rooted in honoring their ancestors and preserving their identity.
Biologically, the Aki-Aki have a cool evolutionary trait: their trunks split in two as they reach adulthood. The children, with their stubby snouts and round cheeks, basically look like walking plushies. Two standout kids from the book—Gusyin Tatam, who has a mischievous little smirk, and Kazza-Ki Sagree, grinning on a joke seat—represent the future of the species and are celebrated during the festival for that exact reason.
The Visual Dictionary also dives into how personal these characters are. One Aki-Aki adult, Jo-Dapshi Gorodbunn, wears worn jute robes and still bears the injury of a lost trunk from an old farm accident. Others carry carved Etobi head charms or ancestral Aki-Aki effigies as part of their clothing and ritual gear. It’s clear their costume design wasn’t random—it reflects real-life ideas of tradition, labor, and family.
And even though the film gives us only a short look, there’s depth behind every smile. Their literal-minded way of speaking (Unkar Plutt once noted this about them) adds a layer of innocence. They’re not warriors, not rebels—they’re survivors who’ve built a rich, symbolic culture in one of the harshest places in the galaxy.
4. Crolutes – Saltwater Tyrants With Melting Faces
We need to talk about Unkar Plutt, aka “the Blobfish.” He’s not just a jerk junk boss from The Force Awakens. He’s part of a species called Crolutes, a group of hulking aquatic humanoids from the salt oceans of Crul. And when they’re out of water? Their bodies sag like overcooked jello. It’s both gross and kind of perfect.
Crolutes are all male, with their female counterparts being a separate species called Gilliands. On their homeworld, they live in saltwater clan compounds with lagoons and fancy immersion tanks. The alpha bulls float during negotiations, eating fermented kelp and arguing over trade while bobbing like aristocratic hippos.
They’re not just weird for the sake of it—there’s lore here. Crolute society is structured around dominance rituals, breeding colonies, and strict clan hierarchies. But they rarely leave their planet, which makes Unkar Plutt a total outlier.
Plutt took that aquatic arrogance and applied it to junk dealing. He ran Niima Outpost on Jakku like a mini-empire, buying scrap for rations, modifying the Millennium Falcon, and strong-arming scavengers—Rey included. And let’s not forget: in the novelization of The Force Awakens, Chewbacca literally ripped his arm off at Maz’s castle (which is deleted in the movie). That deleted scene deserved to stay in.
For a character who started as comic relief, Plutt—and by extension the Crolutes—ended up with some of the most bizarre and well-developed alien biology in the sequel trilogy.
5. Anzellans – Tiny Tech Wizards With Huge Energy
Last but absolutely not least: Anzellans. You know them because of Babu Frik, the tiny droidsmith from The Rise of Skywalker who nearly stole the whole movie. He’s nine inches tall, has a voice like a coffee-grinder gremlin, and is somehow both adorable and terrifyingly competent.
Babu’s species, the Anzellans, hail from Anzell and are known for their tech skills. They speak their own language and sometimes broken Basic, and they’re usually found in workshops repairing droids or slicing through systems that most beings wouldn’t dare touch. According to The Rise of Skywalker – Visual Dictionary, their eyes are built for microscopic precision, and they bleed purple. Because why not?
Fun fact: the original concept for Babu’s species was that they’d been forced to work inside Star Destroyers for generations. They were supposed to know all the First Order’s weaknesses and even create a sabotage device that could shut everything down. That idea didn’t make the final cut, but it’s still floating in the lore.
In The Mandalorian, a whole crew of Anzellans shows up on Nevarro, and Din Djarin has to duck just to talk to them in their tiny crawlspace. And they’re just as chaotic as Babu—shouting, arguing, fixing things like gremlins on espresso.
These guys are living proof that Star Wars still knows how to create lovable, iconic aliens that leave a mark with barely some minutes of screentime.
