Dratun was a Gotal male who, around 1.5 ABY, sat drinking with the Rodian Bludlow in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, located in the planet Tatooine's city of Mos Eisley. When a system-wide curfew was declared by an officer of the Galactic Empire, Dratun was one of many patrons who refused to leave the cantina. Ackmena the bartender responded by serving them all a free round of drinks and singing the song "Goodnight, But Not Goodbye," which prompted Dratun and every other customer to waltz out the front door. The evening's events were recorded and shown to all members of the Imperial forces.
Dratun and Bludlow refuse to leave Chalmun's cantina.
A brown-eyed, brown-haired Gotal male named Dratun was in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, a bar located in the planet Tatooine's city of Mos Eisley, one evening around 1.5 ABY. He took a seat at an empty table and, after being served by a waitress, was joined by the Advozse Bom Vimdin, who later left and was replaced by the Rodian Bludlow. As Dratun and Bludlow sat drinking, an officer of the Galactic Empire appeared on the cantina's wallscreen and announced that a curfew was being imposed on the entire Tatoo system. When the Human bartender Ackmena attempted to usher everyone out, Dratun was one of several patrons who responded by throwing garbage at her.
When Ackmena's further appeals failed, Dratun and Bludlow joined in a cantina-wide call for one more round of drinks, which the bartender reluctantly obliged them. She sang the song "Goodnight, But Not Goodbye" while serving her intoxicated customers, and when she called for everyone to follow her, Dratun and Bludlow joined in a dancing line and waltzed out the front door. The evening's events were recorded and broadcast throughout the galaxy as a program called "Life on Tatooine," which was required viewing for all members of the Imperial forces. The program was shown with the hope that its viewers would be uplifted by a feeling of superiority over the cantina's lowly denizens.
Dratun initially refused to leave Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina despite the issuance of an Imperial curfew, and he responded to Ackmena's insistence that he depart by throwing garbage in her direction. However, he later exited during a musical number after being served a free drink. Dratun comforted Bludlow after Ackmena deemed the Rodian "heartless."
Dratun was first featured in Star Wars canon as a nameless background alien in the cantina scene of 1978's The Star Wars Holiday Special, in which he was played by an uncredited actor. Several of the alien masks used in the scene were recycled from the cantina set of 1977's original Star Wars film, which featured two Gotal characters: Feltipern Trevagg and an unnamed Gotal. As Dratun's hair is of a different color than either of those Gotals, Star Wars authors Tim Veekhoven and Kevin Beentjes have postured that his mask was either altered from its appearance in the original film, or created anew. The Gotal mask used in the original film was created by makeup artist Rick Baker, as were all of the costumes created newly for the Holiday Specials cantina scene. Filming of the latter took twenty-four hours, and some of the actors in alien suits passed out due to a lack of oxygen.
In the year 2000, Star Wars Insider 48s edition of the recurring Insider feature "The Last Page" used a picture of the then-nameless Holiday Special Gotal to represent Trevagg. However, Trevagg had already been established as dying prior to the events of the Holiday Special in the 1995 short story Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale. In 2013, Insiders 144th issue confirmed the the distinction between the two characters by naming the Holiday Special Gotal "Dratun"—an early, discarded concept name of Trevagg's. The fan site Starwarsholidayspecial.com had already been referring to the Holiday Special Gotal as "Dratun" for years.
- Star Wars: Behind the Magic
- "The Last Page" — Star Wars Insider 48
- Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 1
- "Rogues Gallery: You're Barred!" — Star Wars Insider 144