Neimoidian

The Neimoidians were a sentient species of humanoid with two arms, two legs, a torso, and a single head. They had smooth, mottled green-gray skin and large, red-gold eyes with a pupil that split it horizontally. Some Neimoidians had a beige skin and the color could evolve over the years. For example, Nute Gunray had a gray skin at the beginning of the Clone Wars before turning green at the end of the conflict. Adult individuals were known to be tall, ranging from 1.9 to 2.11 meters. Neimoidians had long, bony hands with five pointed fingers, one of which was an opposable thumb. Although many Neimoidians were lean, obese individuals were not unheard of. They looked very similar to the Duros because the two species were genetically linked. In fact, the Neimoidian homeworld of Neimoidia was discovered and colonized by Duros. Over the millennia, the Duros of Neimoidia evolved because of the more humid atmosphere and heavier gravity of their planet.

The Neimoidians spent the first seven years of their life as "grubs," maggot-like larvae that were forced to compete with each other over a limited food supply. It was possible that they never emerged from their maggot state because of a lack of food and became drones.

The beginning of a Neimoidian's life was particularly brutal. For their first seven years, Neimoidian larvae were confined to huge hives where there was little food. The Neimoidians were forced to compete for food, and the greediest were usually the ones who survived. This education explains the species' affinity for trade and organization, but also their tendency to be dishonest, greedy and cowardly. A racist cliché about the Neimoidians was to portray them as a devious and obese plutocrat, fattened by his greed.

Neimoidians were naturally gifted at calculation, a skill that defined most of their culture. They evolved to rationalize all choices based on thorough risk assessment, which became a central element of their culture and a counterbalance to their skill in calculating odds. While this was often perceived by outsiders as stereotypical Neimoidian cowardice, to the Neimoidians it was a proud facet of their society, a survival skill that set them apart from other species. In any case, many Neimoidians were regarded as being paranoid. Those who served aboard starships rarely left the command bridge to avoid another colleague gaining more power.

Neimoidians were obsessed with status. A high ranking Neimoidian had to show off his wealth. Simple doors could be a sign of prestige, and they were usually finely crafted. Their status and wealth were also reflected in a combination of clothing and headgear. Possession of a mechno-chair or a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle was also a sign of prestige for the wealthiest Neimoidians. Corruption was particularly common among this species.

Neimoidians relied heavily on droids for many manual tasks, especially those that could be dangerous. Likewise, it was virtually impossible to see a high-ranking Neimoidian without being surrounded by battle droids or bodyguards. But not all Neimoidians were cowards. For example, the Neimoidian Royal Guards were military units composed of Neimoidians. These guards were intensely loyal to their people and sought to protect them through whatever means necessary.

Neimoidian society was hierarchical and built on a vertical model: the richest had luxurious palaces on high ground and the poorest had to make do with the often hostile soil of the Neimoidian planets. Furthermore, living on Neimoidia was far from being an honor for the Neimoidians, as most preferred to move to one of the Purse Worlds. The Neimoidian people and were ruled by the Trade Monarch from Neimoidia.

The Neimoidians were also a species that had no qualms about resorting to slavery, as they did with the Narquois. The Neimoidians practiced enslavement within their own species. Those who could not break out of their larval status, the Neimoidian drones, were employed in administrative tasks. Supervised by overseers, these drones were kept on a strict diet so as not to emerge from their larval state. To increase their efficiency, they were put in competition and the winners could devour the losers.

The history of the Neimoidians began twenty-five millennia before the Imperial Era when the planet Neimoidia was discovered by Duros explorers. The world was quickly colonized by them and became a Duro ally before joining the Galactic Republic three millennia later. The Duros of Neimoidia quickly distinguished themselves from their fellows Duro by ignoring the exploration of the galaxy in favor of the pursuit of wealth. Neimoidia's settlers quickly developed thriving trade guilds and their influence began to spread throughout the galaxy. Likewise, the people of Neimoidia evolved physically because of the planet's wetter atmosphere and heavier gravity. Ten millennia after the colonization of Neimoidia, the inhabitants of this colony, referred to as Neimoidians, were now considered a separate species from the Duros.

Very quickly, the decided to expand its influence by colonizing nearby planets. Cato Neimoidia was the first to be colonized by the Neimoidians, and from there they moved on to other worlds, such as Deko Neimoidia and Koru Neimoidia. These various colonies became known as the Purse Worlds. Some of the planets colonized by the Neimoidians were already populated by other species, such as Narq, homeworld of the Narquois. This did not bother the colonists, who enslaved the natives and forced them to work as miners, farmers or technicians.

Soon after its colonization, Cato Neimoidia became part of the young Galactic Republic. The Neimoidians flourished under this new galactic regime, which brought protection and many benefits to Cato Neimoidia, making it the most important of the Neimoidian Purse Worlds. The planet was strategically located near many Hyperspace routes and prosperous Republic worlds. For example, Cato Neimoidia was a stop on the Quellor Run, a particularly dynamic trade route that connected the Core Worlds to the Inner Rim Territories and the Expansion Region, both of which were being explored at the time Cato Neimoidia joined the Republic. The Purse Worlds were in close proximity to Kuat and Rendili, two planets that specialized in starship production. Finally, the planet had access to the Corellian Run, the Hydian Way and the Corellian Trade Spine, giving it connections to The Slice region and the southwestern part of the galaxy. The Neimoidians were able to secure numerous commercial and industrial contracts for the manufacture of ships. The influence and reputation of the species grew daily thanks to Cato Neimoidia, but also thanks to Neimoidia's proximity to the Trellen Trade Route and the existence of the other Purse Worlds. However, a certain imbalance appeared between Neimoidia and its colonies, since the latter were much more dynamic and prosperous. Neimoidia tried to keep a firm grip on its Purse Worlds by forcing them to export their profits to Neimoidia. Nevertheless, some Neimoidians preferred to leave their homeworld.

During this period of expansion, the Neimoidians discovered a planet rich in rare crystals in the Albarrio sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Determined to seize it, the Neimoidians engaged in a struggle for influence with the Hutt Clan, which had already established itself on the world. Over the course of several centuries, the planet changed hands several times until the arrival of the Muun. A people who colonized the nearby world of Muunilinst, the Muun were determined to take over this planet and used all the resources of their organization, the Intergalactic Banking Clan, to achieve their goals. Eventually, the Neimoidians, like the Hutts, decided to abandon this world to the Muun, who colonized it and named it Mygeeto.

Over the centuries, many Neimoidians held prestigious positions of power and influence. The Neimoidians experienced their golden age when Neimoidia became one of the founding members of the Trade Federation in 350 BBY. This was a union of businessmen, merchants, and the of the Neimoidians. The initial purpose of the Federation was to regulate trade in the Outer Rim. The organization had good relations with the Republic because the Neimoidians were known to avoid any trouble or confrontation with the galactic regime. The Trade Federation was successful because the Neimoidians were able to obtain the data used to map the hyperspace. Instead of sharing this information, they kept it in their possession and used it to tax the use of trade routes. The Neimoidians' ultimate goal was to have a monopoly on all interstellar trade.

Over the next few years, the Neimoidians gradually lost control of the Trade Federation to Kuati of Kuat Drive Yards. All of this changed during the Eriadu Conference. This summit was intended to settle several differences between the Federation and the Republic but the Neimoidians took advantage of the opportunity to have the Federation leaders assassinated through the Nebula Front, a radical political group. The death of the Federation leaders allowed the Neimoidian faction and its leader, Nute Gunray, to take power. Gunray quickly appointed several of his colleagues to top positions. Nevertheless, the failure of the summit led the Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to directly oppose the Federation by forcing it to pay taxes for the use of the Free Trade Zones. At the same time, the Neimoidians had allied themselves with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. These events led to the blockade of the planet Naboo. While the blockade and subsequent invasion were unsuccessful, these actions destabilized the Republic and allowed Darth Sidious to be elected Chancellor. Despite numerous trials, the Federation and Nute Gunray escaped all convictions. Nonetheless, this crisis caused unease in Neimoidian society, and some Federation members called for a demilitarization of the organization. Instead, the Trade Federation retreated to the Purse Worlds and withdrew from Neimoidia.

The Clone Wars were a disaster for the Neimoidians. Indeed, the Trade Federation had drawn closer to the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Separatist Crisis and Nute Gunray had joined the Executive Separatist Council. During the conflict, many Neimoidians fought in the Confederacy military.

Nevertheless, the Trade Federation proclaimed its neutrality and continued to have representation in the Galactic Senate. In reality, it supported both sides in hopes of maximizing its gains. Moreover, not all Neimoidians followed Nute Gunray's positions. Early in the conflict, a pro-Republic Neimoidian faction led by businessman Oje N'deeb attempted to take over the Trade Federation by gaining Republic support. At the same time, a bombing destroyed Cadesura, one of the districts of Zarra, the capital of Cato Neimoidia. Several hundred civilians were killed, and the Republic and Separatists blamed each other for the attack. Despite the Federation's neutrality, Cato Neimoidia became a battleground between separatists and republicans during the final months of the war. Similarly, Neimoidia was ravaged by a Republican attack. Ultimately, the war resulted in the defeat of the Separatists and the Trade Federation with the death of Nute Gunray and the other members of the Separatist Council on Mustafar. The Neimoidians emerged bruised from the conflict, especially as many Neimoidian larval incubators had been destroyed by the Republic during the assault on Neimoidia.

With the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Neimoidians, like other species that had fought for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, were marginalized by the new regime. They were the target of much mockery by representatives of the Empire. Many Neimoidians decided to flee the Imperial territory and founded colonies where some dreamed of taking their revenge on the Empire. One of these was discovered by the Chiss Mitth'raw'nuruodo and the Neimoidians tried to convince him to involve his regime, the Chiss Ascendancy, in a war with the Empire. The Neimoidian Luk Hutsok worked as an arms dealer during the Imperial Era and made a wealthy living for himself.

Shortly after the battle of Yavin, Imperial Captain Canonhaus was tasked with writing a report on the attempt to destroy a convoy of Alderaanian refugees. Wanting to know if his reports were actually read by his superiors, Canonhaus filled in his report with false information. Thus, the refugees had become accountants from a Neimoidian Purse World. The officer was thus able to discover that his reports were being ignored.

During the New Republic, the Neimoidians were sued by Narquois lawyers who demanded compensation for the enslavement of their species by Neimoidian colonists. Likewise, some Narquians, such as the pirate Pru Sweevant, took revenge on the Neimoidians by attacking ships that belonged to them. During this time, the Neimoidians abandoned the business of commerce in favor of security. The vaults of the former leaders of the Trade Federation were opened up for the wealthy individuals of the galaxy and Cato Neimoidia became an important bank. A Neimoidian named Hallion Nark have been working for the gang of pirates Kragan Gorr's Warbird gang.

Because of the way they were educated, Neimoidians made effective merchants. The other side of the coin was that many other species despised them for their selfishness. Indeed, stereotyping against Neimoidians was rampant throughout the galaxy, particularly among worlds contained within the Galactic Republic. Beliefs that the people were solely motivated by greed and cowardice were so invasive that many Neimoidians felt they were treated as second-class citizens. Propaganda played a negative role in promoting Neimoidian culture, often downplaying their contributions to art and music. Other examples played into prejudices against the people, such as the poster Taxation Without Federation, a HoloNet News piece that was accused by many as perpetuating the "fat Neimoidian" stereotype.

Neimoidians first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, the first installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The Neimoidians were originally envisioned as organic versions of the B1-series battle droids, but such complex and fantastic design was ultimately simplified with the decision to portray the characters with actors wearing animatronic masks rather than through CGI.

The head design of the Geonosians was taken from unused original concept art for the Neimoidians before it was decided that they would be played by actors wearing masks.

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