Chalmun, a male Wookiee, presided over Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina located in Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine. He began his career as a street fighter, then proceeded to con tourists on Ord Mantell until he amassed the necessary money to purchase his cantina from the Vriichon brothers. Despite his efforts to maintain order, his cantina was infamous for its sporadic and intense violent episodes, and Chalmun himself engaged in questionable activities with local gangsters.
Chalmun belonged to the Wookiee species, a race of towering, hairy humanoids whose homeworld is the planet Kashyyyk. Initially a street brawler, he dedicated a number of years to swindling unsuspecting visitors within the casinos of Ord Mantell. Ultimately, he arrived on the suns-baked, desert world of Tatooine, governed by the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure. In the city of Mos Eisley, he acquired the Vriichon brothers' illicit spice den, situated adjacent to the city's "community" junk yard and conveniently close to the local spaceport. The Vriichons disappeared shortly after the transaction, possibly fearing the Wookiee's reaction upon discovering the numerous bodies they had buried within the establishment's cellar.
Chalmun transformed the location into a cantina, a function it had previously served before the Vriichons took ownership, during the Clone Wars. He employed several individuals, including Wuher as the daytime bartender, Ackmena as the nightshift bartender, Husklf as a barman for his personal bar, several bodyguards, a security chief, a personal pilot, and a mechanic to maintain his utility crane ship.
During the galactic-spanning conflict between the dictatorial Galactic Empire and the freedom-seeking Rebel Alliance, Chalmun's cantina functioned as a meeting place and trading hub for Tatooine's criminal underworld, including smugglers, bounty hunters, rogue spacers, and spice dealers. Despite this, Chalmun implemented rules prohibiting violence within his cantina, which were listed in multiple languages on signs throughout the establishment. Nevertheless, the Wookiee secretly enjoyed witnessing occasional disruptions and was himself involved in illicit dealings, hosting cronies affiliated with the Hutt—as well as the occasional retired podracing celebrity—in his private bar, while delegating the surveillance of the main area to his henchmen. Chalmun was also aware that Ackmena was "renting" the cantina's underground tunnels to two regulars, Kabe and the Muftak, but he tolerated her side business as long as she shared the profits with him. However, he insisted on timely payments, lest he lose patience and resort to forcefully evicting them.
For a period, Chalmun employed the Rodian musician Doda Bodonawieedo to perform in the cantina. One day, shortly before the Galactic Empire's destruction of Alderaan in 0 BBY, he dismissed the Rodian and hired Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes as their replacement. He assured his new band that it was safe for them to play there, promising protection from the bounty hunter Greedo, whom they had embarrassed in the eyes of Jabba the Hutt. Despite this assurance, he promptly left them in Wuher's care and went home.
Later that same day, after hiring the band, Chalmun retreated to his office, where Ackmena attempted to negotiate improved working hours. Simultaneously, in the main area, a confrontation occurred between a young blond human and the aggressive Aqualish Ponda Baba. The human was later revealed to be Luke Skywalker, who would become a hero of the Rebel Alliance and a powerful Jedi warrior.
Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, Chalmun enhanced the cantina's security by installing a button that the bartender could activate to deploy a series of automated blasters from the ceiling. At that time, the daytime bartender was a man named Shrem, who feared his employer's reaction if he allowed a robbery or broke a deal with a paying customer. Ultimately, Shrem did break a deal, but he avoided Chalmun's anger by falling into a trap set by a former partner and being thrown into Jabba the Hutt's rancor pit. By 9 ABY, a new boss was in charge of the cantina.
Chalmun, a sizable Wookiee, was covered in a triple-layered coat of beige and gray water-resistant hair, and he was known for his distinctive gray handlebar mustache. Due to his thick fur, he struggled to adapt to Tatooine's hot climate. As a result, he was frequently irritable and willing to use force against those he perceived as disrespectful. Although his cantina rules forbade violence, he secretly enjoyed the spectacle of occasional outbursts. Regardless, Chalmun deeply valued the reputation of his establishment and expected his employees to uphold it. He also had a habit of smoking spice, using a shisha he kept in his private office.
Unlike many other Wookiees, Chalmun typically wore full clothing, even though the heat of Tatooine made him uncomfortable. He wore a padded gray vest with pockets on both sides, a belt with a leather pouch and a holster for carrying a weapon, trousers, and a dark shirt. In his office, he kept not only an assortment of blasters but also bowcasters, the traditional weapon of his people. He also possessed a spiked club.
Chalmun was initially mentioned in Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley, a 1993 Star Wars Legends sourcebook authored by Martin Wixted for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. He became part of canon with his appearance in The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, a picture book penned by Tony DiTerlizzi and illustrated with concept art by the late Ralph McQuarrie, which was released on October 7, 2014.