Nanism was a medical or genetic condition that resulted in an abnormally short adult height. An individual affected by nanism was referred to as a dwarf. The term "dwarf" was also used inaccurately to describe species the average stature of which was naturally short, or miniature breeds within a given species.
In the galactic community, people with nanism sometimes encountered discrimination, especially in cultures that valued tallness as well as powerful build like the Sanyassan society.
The noble Yavid was constantly belittled by his peers on Sanyassa IV.
Nanism occurred when an individual was of unusually diminutive stature by reference to their species's average, due to a developmental or congenital disease. It was the polar opposite of giantism, an abnormal increase in physical size and stature. Humans, Wookiees and Sanyassans were among the varieties of species that could develop this condition. The Near-Human Bimms from the planet Bimmisaari, who stood from 1.0 to 1.5 meters for adults of both sexes, could easily pass as Human dwarfs.
Nanism was sometimes a cause of psychological difficulties resulting from social intolerance. The Sanyassan noble Yavid initially had some trouble in his homeworld's hierarchy due to his congenital diminutive size. In reaction to being constantly trodden upon, Yavid had to develop an explosive personality that could gain him a respected place among his peers.
On at least one occasion, the Imperial warlord Trioculus mocked little people with disdain and scorn, although the Grand Moff Hissa advised him not to underestimate his adversaries according to their size. Ironically, Trioculus himself was afflicted with a more exotic deformity, as he was a three-eyed mutant.
The term "dwarf" was often mistakenly used as an adjective to describe smaller breeds within a species, like the dwarf bantha and the dwarf varactyl, or even in reference to species in which the small stature was the norm—such as the porcine Ugnaughts or the industrious Nords. The verb "to dwarf" was also used, meaning "to make appear smaller or insignificant". For example, the Twi'lek minstrel Gobi Glie once stated: "But our foes have no legends; that's where we dwarf them."
A Bimm impostor posing as Kadann, a Human dwarf
In the last decades of the Galactic Republic, the one-meter tall actor Palleus Chuff played mostly villainous scheming dwarfs, although he became famous for his outstanding portrayal of the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda in his self-written play Jedi!.
The Human Kadann, a former Jedi Knight who turned evil and became the Supreme Prophet of the dark side, was born with nanism, with an adult height of only 1.3 meters. After the Battle of Endor, the former Director of Imperial Intelligence Cronal set up a "Church of the Dark Side" with a clergy of false Prophets, including the Near-Human Bimm Rajah Ubooki to impersonate the real Kadann. Believing the impostor to be the genuine Kadann, both the Imperial and the Rebels referred to the Bimm agent as "the black-bearded dwarf".
Among his many assumed shapes, the shapeshifter Rokur Gepta would sometimes take the appearance of what others described as "a malignant dwarf."
In real life, nanism (also known as "dwarfism" or "short stature") can take many forms, some of which are hereditary. The Little People of America (LPA) define nanism as an adult height of 148 cm (4 feet 10 inches) or less.
Actor Warwick Davis in Star Wars Episode I.
Star Wars creator George Lucas has been working with little people on a regular basis during his career as a movie director. At one stage during pre-production of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Lucas planned for Luke Skywalker, along with his uncle and aunt, to be played by little people. In 1977, Lucas eventually hired Kenny Baker to play the droid R2-D2 in A New Hope. In 1983, for Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Lucas recruited several actors with short stature to portray the Ewoks from Endor, including Warwick Davis, Kevin Thompson and Jack Purvis. Davis went on to play the title character in Willow, another Lucas movie that was released in 1988. This movie was notable for employing more little people than any production in many years, and was widely praised for employing Warwick Davis as the lead.
A diminutive character called Weazel appeared in the May 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, in which he was portrayed by Warwick Davis. Although he looks like a Human dwarf, Weazel's species has never been revealed, and he could belong to a diminutive species like the Bimms. However, Weazel's entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia states that he was "short and stocky" for his species.
According to the ambiguously canon article Prophets of the Dark Side: Villains for the Star Wars: New Republic Campaign, Part One, the real Prophet Kadann measured 1.3 meters, while his apprentice Jedgar stood at 2.3 meters in height. However, a picture of the two prophets together was shown in The Dark Side Sourcebook, and the height difference does not seem to be that significant.