Bimm

Classified as a species of Near-Humans, it's believed that the Bimm migrated to the planet of Bimmisaari many millennia ago. There, they integrated themselves into the existing culture of the world, which was already inhabited by a fur-covered species also known as the Bimm. The Near-Human Bimms were known for their short stature, often compared to the height of Human children, rarely exceeding 1.5 meters in height. Despite their diminutive size, male Bimms often grew impressive beards, which they wore with pride.

After settling on Bimmisaari, the Near-Human Bimms assimilated with the planet's native Bimm population, blending their respective societies and cultures into a unified whole. Although the two Bimm species had lived together for almost all of their recorded history, certain cultural aspects were more closely associated with one species than the other. While some sources attributed these cultural tendencies to one species or the other, sources such as Mammon Hoole presented them as aspects of a single, shared culture.

Both species referred to themselves as "Bimms" and coexisted peacefully in their shared forest cities, even though they lacked any biological connection. They saw themselves as a single people, a perception shared by the rest of the galaxy. Intermarriage between the two Bimm species was not unusual, but genetic incompatibilities meant that couples wishing to have children often had to adopt.

The Bimms had a deep appreciation for art, music, and storytelling. They particularly enjoyed heroic tales, although they were more inclined to listen to these stories than to embark on adventures themselves. The language known as Bimmini, which both species used, was more often sung than spoken. To Human ears, Bimm conversations sounded almost mystical, resembling songs sung in five-part harmony.

Both species were known for their gentle and peaceful nature, which explained their harmonious coexistence. This peacefulness extended to offworld visitors, who were treated as honored guests. The Bimm welcoming ceremony involved a reception line through which each visitor would pass. In complete silence, each Bimm in the line would reach out and gently touch the visitor's head, arm, or back. More important visitors would be greeted by larger crowds in the procession. However, this honor was not extended to armed visitors, who were expected to leave their weapons behind. A visit from a member of the Jedi Order was one of the most significant events in Bimm society. The Jedi were greatly respected by both Bimm species, and stories of Jedi like Murrtaggh were popular among Bimm bards long after the Order's fall. Even Bimmisaari's laws prohibiting visitors from carrying weapons were relaxed for visiting Jedi carrying lightsabers.

Originating from a world in the Outer Rim, the Bimm traveled to the planet of Bimmisaari during the era known as the Great Manifest Period. Upon colonizing the world, the Bimm encountered the native species of furry Humanoids. The two species grew together as a unified society, becoming known collectively as the Bimm and were well respected play-writes and experts in hospitality. During the Great Sith War, forces of the Galactic Republic traversed the Lesser Lantillian Route, which passed through the Bimm homeworld, to launch a counterattack against the Sith Empire.

By the time of the New Sith Wars, the Republic's power had diminished after centuries of conflict. This left the Bimm homeworld under the control of the Hutt regime and a Sith group called the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Bimms remained under Hutt control even after the Brotherhood was destroyed, finding themselves in territory contested by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. The Bimms, having quietly withdrawn from the corrupt Republic decades prior to the war, discovered that their world's remoteness allowed them to largely avoid the chaos of the Republic's collapse and the subsequent oppression of the Galactic Empire. During the Sy Myrthian Insurrection, the Bimm were conquered by the Empire, and the Hutts were driven off the planet. Following the Battle of Endor, the Bimms remained neutral but showed friendliness toward the Alliance to Restore the Republic and later, the New Republic. While under the control of the Greater Maldrood as of 4 ABY, the Bimm were conquered by Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo in 9 ABY.

Around this time, New Republic agents Leia Organa Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo were sent to Bimmisaari for a peace conference in 9 ABY, intended to start negotiations for the Bimms to join the Republic. Mammon Hoole, a Shi'ido anthropologist, included information about the Bimms in his publications. A significant trade hub, the Bimm population suffered greatly in 26 ABY during the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of the galaxy. Near the end of the war, the New Republic launched an effort to liberate the Bimm, saving the remnants of their homeworld and species from complete destruction.

The Near-Human Bimms were the most common type of Bimm encountered throughout the galaxy. Some Bimms worked as entertainers or scholars, while others became adventurers, either as scoundrels who somehow found their way into noble circles or as artists who followed heroes to witness and record great deeds in ballads. Entire Bimm communities also existed in enclaves outside of Bimmisaari, known for their hospitality.

One Bimm who defied the pacifist norm during the Galactic Civil War was Rajah Ubooki, a Near-Human Bimm and Imperial Intelligence agent who impersonated Kadann, the Prophet of the Dark Side, and later proclaimed himself Galactic Emperor. During the Clone Wars, a group of five Bimm investors visited the [Cularin Trade Show](/article/cularin_trade_show], held in the Cularin system, aboard the starship TAV Prosperity. During the show, the ship experienced a hyperdrive malfunction within the Cularin comet cloud, causing a booth to collapse on the investors.

Force-sensitive Bimms were not rare, and many joined the ranks of the Jedi Order throughout the Republic's history. Jedi were always treated with great respect in Bimm culture, and celebrations were held whenever one visited their planet. Bimm artists like Ha'lathin or Vasnish Kay, and traders and smugglers such as Rycar Ryjerd, were typical examples of Bimms found throughout the galaxy.

The first appearance of a Bimm was as a background character in the Mos Eisley Cantina scenes of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope in 1977. The character was played by Marcus Powell. In 1979's The Star Wars Holiday Special, unused footage of Powell's character, filmed on the Mos Eisley street set, was included. Neither appearance formally named the character or his species.

The name "Bimm" was first used in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire. The 1993 Heir to the Empire Sourcebook, a supplement for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game written by Bill Slavicsek, provided a more detailed description of the Bimm species and included illustrations. While both Heir to the Empire and the Heir to the Empire Sourcebook described the Bimms as "half-furred," an illustration by Allen Nunis and Paul Daly in the Heir to the Empire Sourcebook made them appear to be simply short Humans.

In 1995, Dark Horse Comics published a comic book adaptation of Heir to the Empire. The adaptation's artwork, by Olivier Vatine and Fred Blanchard, depicted clearly non-Human aliens with large, floppy ears. However, in the same year, the Premiere Limited set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, published by Decipher, included a card identifying Powell's character from A New Hope as Rycar Ryjerd, a Bimm smuggler. Ryjerd, portrayed by an actor without extensive prosthetic makeup, more closely resembled the Human-like Bimms from the West End Games illustrations than the floppy-eared aliens drawn by Vatine and Blanchard.

The confusion was clarified in 1998 by Daniel Wallace's The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons. The entry for Bimmisaari included a drawing of two floppy-eared Bimms but noted that the planet was also inhabited by a small, Human-like species with the same name. Later works, such as 2001's The Essential Guide to Alien Species by Ann Margaret Lewis and various Wizards of the Coast supplements for their Star Wars Roleplaying Game, provided more information about the history and shared culture of the two Bimm species.

A later retcon in Abel G. Peña's 2006 article Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties identified Kadann, a major villain in the Jedi Prince series of young adult novels by Hollace and Paul Davids, as a Bimm. It also explained that the Kadann in the novels was only posing as the true Kadann, a short Human. Confusion between Near-Human Bimms and Humans also appears in Brian Campbell's 2001 Star Wars Roleplaying Game adventure The Rycar Run, which describes Rycar Ryjerd as a Human.