Jeby

Last Updated: 5/2/2024

Name: Jeby

Humanoid: No

Classification: Alternative/Giant

Homeworld: Rainboh

Coloration: Varied

Biology: The Jeby were a bizarre race of sentients found within the Star Wars galaxy. They had unique builds, with tall, angled bodies that sported four “legs” protruding from the bottom of their torsos, twelve prehensile “tentacles,” with six each extending from each side of their body, and three head-stalks sprouting from a single point on the top. Each of their sixteen limbs ended in a ball-like appendage bearing no visible digits. Though we know Jeby were quite large, we are unsure just how big they could grow, as they are depicted as being easily visible from a planet’s orbit (in fact, nearly the size of their homeworld), though this scaling is apparently inaccurate. Regardless, the species was incredibly tall, with an imposing posture that would most likely dwarf the average intergalactic denizen.

The Jeby were colorful creatures, with primarily white bodies, though their legs, tentacles, and appendages were covered in periodic red or sometimes pink bands and patches, while the entirety of their torsos were mottled with large, circular, red “spots.” Jeby were actually capable of shedding these spots, as well as reattaching them to their bodies using what we can only assume were suction cups at the end of their tentacles, alluding to some level of natural regenerative capabilities. For whatever reason, Jeby felt the need to assimilate any lost spots when possible, though they could easily survive while lacking them, so it wasn’t for survivals’ sake. It is also unclear whether these spots could regenerate or not, though their existence suggests this was, indeed, possible.

Branching out from one base, each Jeby head stalk was broken into three segments, including the head. The neck itself was segmented in half, with the right hand neck having a yellow lore segment and red upper segment, the center neck being green from top to bottom, and the leftmost neck being blue on the bottom and red on top (it’s possible these colors could vary from Jeby-to-Jeby). Perched atop each of these necks were three identical heads which were rounded and fleshy, being tan or peach in coloration. Their faces have large eyes with bright blue pupils, protruding, round, red noses, and upturned mouths with a red interior and no visible teeth. Additionally, each head had a large, long, lone, black hair extending up from the top. It was never revealed how many brains Jeby had, nor if they were considered one individual or three. Being a naturally cheerful species, their violent laughter was usually the cause for their temporary loss of spots.

Lore: The Jeby originated from a colorful, rocky planet located within the Inner Rim’s “Hapes Cluster,” which was situated along a few popular Trade Routes including the “Great Rim Route.” The Jeby themselves were an incredibly social species, and had been discovered, presumably by the Hapans of their predecessors some time after 20,000 BBY. Though they could be intimidating due to their size, they were very friendly and welcomed offworlders with open tentacles. They enjoyed telling jokes and making others happy, and would commonly burst out into laughter, which caused them to shed many of their bodily spots. After they had collected themselves emotionally, they would begin to collect themselves physically, giddily attempting to reattach as many of the spots they had previously dropped, though these efforts were often in vain.

Though being jovial was what they were most well-known for, they also had a reputation of being a very messy species due to the shedding. It was said the colorful surface of their world was coated in innumerous lost Jeby spots, though that did not impede the natural wonder and beauty of their world. The vibrant landscape made up of striped stone was accented by the rainbow rain that fell upon the planet periodically, as well as a beautiful, multi-colored object visible in the sky, seemingly a moon or some other satellite object. Unfortunately, access to Rainboh was eventually cut off from most of the galaxy when the Hapes Consortium closed the borders of their territory to all outside travelers. This event would take place around approximately 3,000 BBY, and the Hapes Cluster would not be reopened to the galaxy until after the Battle of Yavin, specifically in 8 ABY. Despite these overarching events, there is no evidence that the Jeby were ever caught up in the other deals and conflicts involving the Consortium and their other territories.

Continuity: The Jeby are a species exclusive to Star Wars Legends, and, if you couldn’t tell, they originated from the “Design an Alien” competition which ran between 1995 and 1997.

Unexplored: The Jeby are mysterious, primarily in their bizarreness, as their various traits cooked up in the mind of a young child are fantastical but often hard to justify in-universe! As much as I don’t want to rob this concept of some of it’s magic, this section is intended to make sense of species within the context of the Star Wars universe, so I am going to touch on some questions that would potentially ground the Jeby’s existence in reality, but don’t assume I don’t appreciate the fun and whimsy of the fact that this species previously existed with no further elaboration! Anyway, with that comment out of the way, let’s look into some questions we might be able to ask that would help us better understand this un-understandable species. For starters, when did the Jeby first develop sentience, what sort of creature (potentially looking similar) did they evolve from, and why did they develop into the unique appearance they hold following their discovery? On that note, when were the Jeby first discovered, by whom, and how did that first interaction go for both parties?

How big were the Jeby? Were they just slightly taller than the average Human, or was it possible they were the size of buildings or even skyscrapers? Did the species possess three brains, and if so, did each body house three personalities/individuals, or was there only one identity who could utilize three heads for different purposes? How versatile were their tentacles, and were they specifically made just for collecting “spots” or could they be used for gripping most objects, climbing, or even self-defense? What exactly were the spots, why did they fall off when an individual chortled, why did they need to be reattached, and how? Did the Jeby have extreme regeneration capabilities? And what happened if they lost many or all of their spots, or attached spots that had fallen off of someone else? Was this life threatening or would they grow back? What did the lifespan of a Jeby look like? Why did they develop so many distinct colors, was it camouflage? What did they eat? What languages could they speak? And what was their baseline m-count?

Moving back away from anatomy and biology, why were the Jeby so friendly? Had they been welcoming since their initial discovery? Did they have any sort of political system in place, and how were their communities separated, if at all? How big was their population count at any given time? Did they have a good relationship with the Hapans and any other sentient species within their domain? Did any ever choose to leave Rainboh and embark on journeys among the stars? What sorts of contact might they have had with the Galactic Republic? Were they ever attacked, occupied, or affected by any major galactic events or wars in some capacity? Were they pacifists? What sorts of philosophies and religions might they have had, and how was that affected by their distinct homeworld and biology? What did they think of their seclusion from the rest of the galaxy when the Hapes Cluster was closed to the outside? Or were they aware of it at all? Had Rainboh previously been a popular stop for traders, what did outsiders think of their vibrant world (and potential moon)? Or is it possible they were rarely if ever visited, which boosted their excitement for interactions when they were? There are still so many other questions I would love to ask, but for now, we should leave the list at this, as well as just generally requesting more basic worldbuilding information!

Additional Notes: This is legitimately one of my favorite species from the EU, both ironically and unironically. It 100% feels like something I would have designed when I was younger as I always go way overboard when specifying unique and alien anatomical traits! It makes me sorely miss the “Design an Alien” competition, even though it was well before my time. A much belated congrats to Paul Rice, who was only seven at the time he designed and submitted this part of established Legends lore. I hope he’s doing well wherever he may be now, and knows that there are still people out there that greatly appreciate his imagination and work! Now if only they’d get a modern but true to the original idea and design adaptation of the Jeby into Canon, or at the very least, a “redesign” by one of the awesome concept artists and illustrators who are employed by Disney/Lucasfilm/Star Wars at the moment!

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