Kaminoan

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Kamino

• 

From the Movies

While only a select few know of the Kaminoans, they are recognized by those in the know as as the preeminent cloners in the galaxy. The gentle and seemingly naive Kaminoans possess a scientific cunning that allows them to excel in the genetic manipulation of numerous species. They have, in the past, completed orders of questionable ethics, creating armed forces. They take pride in their work, never appearing to think of the consequences of their craftsmanship.

The largest and best-known example of their clone armies is the one they crafted specifically for the Republic. Fulfilling an order apparently commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, the Kaminoans used a bounty hunter named Jango Fett as the template for their human army. The end result was a military force of alarming skill, speed and efficiency.

Kaminoans are tall, slender beings with glassy eyes, elongated necks, and pale skin. The males of their species often have prominent head-fins, a throwback to their evolutionary roots found in the oceans of Kamino. The Kaminoans inhabit the stilt cities of their planet, with the largest concentration residing in Tipoca City.

From the Expanded Universe

When the planet Kamino began to come out from the deep freeze of an ice age, and its oceans swelled with melting ice, the native inhabitants were forced to adapt. Pushed to the brink of survival, the Kaminoans perfected cloning technology and practiced selective breeding to keep their species viable.

The struggle for survival instilled in the Kaminoans an austerity that rejects materialism common in other cultures. A stroll through a Kaminoan city reveals a stark minimalism of seemingly colorless walls and structures. Beings capable of seeing the ultraviolet spectrum, however, will note that the Kaminoans do indeed have a decorative sense.

Kamino was in need of raw materials, so the Kaminoans traded their genetic sciences expertise in return for necessary imports. Though few know of their world, those that do laud the Kaminoans for their cloning skills. The mining colonies on Subterrel employed Kamino-made cloned workers and they have in the past crafted clone armed forces.

Though outwardly polite, the Kaminoans foster an intolerance of imperfection. They see such flaws as potential poisons to an ideal gene pool. They closely monitor their cloning projects for any deviations in biochemistry, subjecting wayward clones to extensive conditioning to pull them back in line.

Kaminoans have very little interest in life beyond their solar system, other than the imports needed by their society. They are detached from the arena of galactic events and have no concerns regarding the repercussions of their breakthroughs.

Behind the Scenes

The design of the clone makers was inspired partially by the classical alien imagery that has developed from years of UFO lore: the almond-eyed long-necked aliens sometime referred to as "Grays." To soften that often menacing countenance, the Episode II concept artist infused qualities of baby seals to give the Kaminoans an innocent, child-like quality.

Since the Kaminoans were the only inhabitants of a watery world, they were also given secondary aquatic characteristics, most notably the fish-like fin-crest and the clammy pale skin. At one point, design notes hint of the possibility of the Kaminoans being luminescent, though that was never firmly established.