Bothan

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Bothawui, Kothlis

• Size:
  1.5 meters

• Diet:
  omnivorous

• 

From the Movies

The Bothans are an alien species allied with the Rebellion. They serve as information specialists, using their highly-trained spies to gather data vital to the outcome of the Galactic Civil War. Many Bothan spies died to deliver data regarding the second Death Star to the Alliance, just before the Battle of Endor.

From the Expanded Universe

Bothans are a humanoid species characterized by stocky builds and fur-covered faces. The fur acts as an emotional indicator, as different moods trigger different rippling responses on a Bothan's fur.

Bothans hail from Bothawui, a cosmopolitan planet spared from the Galactic Civil War due to its neutrality. Bothans also have numerous colony worlds scattered throughout their small patch of indigenous space, like the planet Kothlis.

Bothans arrange themselves in family clans, and the apostrophe in their surname separates their immediate family name with their clan name. For instance, Borsk Fey'lya is of the clan Alya. Family is very important to Bothans, and clan loyalty is paramount; Bothans proudly display their clan sigils. Between clans, however, it is a different matter altogether. Bothan politics is known for subtle backstabbing maneuvers. While the Bothans aren't a violent people, their skills at character assassination are unparalleled.

The Bothans are renowned for their information-gathering techniques. For over 300 years these aliens have been cultivating a vast network of operatives dedicated to gathering useful data. The Bothan spynet remained independent during the Galactic Civil War. At least, it did so on the surface. Much of the intelligence gathered was siphoned to the Alliance, but the Empire and criminal organizations also took advantage of Bothan services.

It was the Bothan spynet that captured plans for the second Death Star, just prior to the historic Battle of Endor. Two dozen Bothan pilots and gunners of Blue Squad lost their lives in raiding the Imperial transport Suprosa.

The Bothan reputation for skullduggery and deception has colored many a being's perception of them. Many openly question their involvement in the Imperial trap at Endor. When it was revealed that the Bothans were tangential accomplices in the destruction of the planet Caamas, there was a great uproar that demanded the furred aliens be brought to justice. This political tinderbox threatened to split the New Republic, but cooler heads prevailed.

Now, the New Republic is led by a Bothan Chief of State, Borsk Fey'lya. A long time member of the New Republic's inner council, Fey'lya claims to have the New Republic's best interests at heart. But old Bothan habits die hard, and Fey'lya and his staff spend much energy in protecting the Chief of State's political life rather than tending to the Yuuzhan Vong crisis tearing apart the galaxy.

Behind the Scenes

Though the Bothans are spoken of in Return of the Jedi, they are not seen in the film. A popular speculation at the time was that the prune faced aliens present at the Rebel briefing were actually Bothans, but these in fact are Dressellians.

Bothans were first given a physical description in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire novel, which came out in 1991 from Bantam Books. Since that time, the Bothan look has varied widely from artist to artist. At times, they are almost simian. Other times, quite human-looking. Lately, they've been shown with extended muzzles that give them an almost equine appearance. Such diversity of appearance may be due to racial variations among the scattered Bothan clans.