Lurmen

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Found on Mygeeto and Maridun

• Size:
  1.1 to 1.4 meters tall

• Affiliation:
  Neutral

• 

The Lurmen are a species of lemur-like humanoids that appear in The Clone Wars animated series. They are based on a design developed for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Lurmen is both the plural and singular form of the species name.

Art Origins

During story exploration for Episode III, Writer/Director George Lucas had the Art Department concoct a wide variety of planets, locales and species as inspiration for storypoints, and action beats, knowing full well he would never be able to make full use of all the concepts generated. Among one of his most favored designs which survived multiple iterations were a species of lemur-like people, a design dating back to 2002. According to Sang Jun Lee, one of the artists to illustrate most of the lemur concepts, Lucas was inspired by a flag touting a lemur exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo. Lucas liked the look of the species, but struggled to find a place for them in the evolving story.

At first, they were to reside on Utapau (or "Utapo" as early notes suggest), living within the massive sinkholes of the windswept planet. They were transplanted to Mygeeto, the crystalline planet for a while, but then ultimately eliminated from the movie in 2003.

Transplanted to Maridun

In the earlier drafts of the "Jedi Crash" episode of The Clone Wars, the native creatures encountered by the Jedi would be the savage Amanin, a flat, long-armed species established to be native to the grassland planet in Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens -- Enemies and Allies (West End Games, 1995).

However, the story's theme would focus on pacifism, and how the Jedi are seen by peaceful cultures as perpetrators of war. Such an outlook didn't fit with the depiction of Amanins in their most well known appearance, the bloody battles witnessed in the pages of Star Wars: Empire #16-18, a three-part arc titled "To The Last Man," published in 2004 by Dark Horse Comics. A replacement alien was needed.

The Clone Wars has proven to be an opportunity for Lucas to dust off old favorites. The lemur design finally found a home -- in the form of Lurmen colonists living on the Maridun savannahs. The Amanin are nowhere to be seen in the episodes, but they do make an appearance in the tie-in webcomic, The Clone Wars: Neighbors.

Curiously, the Lurmen do retain one quality previously exhibited by the Amanin. The Lurmen healer Wag Too somersaults in order to traverse distances quickly, rolling around in a ball at fast speeds. This is how the Amanin are established to travel in Galaxy Guide 12 and Star Wars: Empire. For viewers not familiar with those sources, the Lurmen tumble looks very similar to a droideka roll as well.

Tee Watt Kaa's Search for Peace

It is not yet known where Tee Watt Kaa's tribe of Lurmen began their journey, but they landed on Maridun -- an uncharted world -- to escape the bloodshed and violence of the Clone Wars. Tee Watt Kaa espoused a deeply rooted philosophy of non-violence and non-aggressive solutions. The Lurmen colonists carved out a peaceful existence on the plains of Maridun, harvesting enormous seedpods to use as shelter, extracting vital oils within for nourishment and medicine.

When a Republic frigate crashlanded on Maridun, survivors Aayla Secura and Ahsoka Tano sought medical aid from the village. Though Tee Watt Kaa was wary of the Jedi, he could not deny them medical attention. The Separatists soon arrived, and Tee Watt Kaa ejected the Jedi from the village. as to avoid any punishment from the Confederacy. Tee Watt Kaa continued his stance of peaceful resistance to outsiders, unaware that the Separatist leader, General Lok Durd, intended to wipe out the village as a field-test of a new experimental weapon.

Despite Tee Watt Kaa's stern orders, the Jedi returned to protect the village. The chieftain's son, Wag Too, defied his father and picked up arms alongside other young Lurmen to drive the droid invaders away. The Lurmen were spared destruction, but Tee Watt Kaa sadly reflected on the cost of this victory.