On the planet of Gastrula, situated within the Outer Rim Territories, dwelled the sentient species known as the Gastrulans. These gastropods were, on average, slightly taller than the Sullustans, who typically reached a height of 1.5 meters. Gastrulans were characterized by their four stubby arms and their distinctive spotted, bulbous craniums. Their eyestalks were positioned on either side of their heads, just above where the neck began. During the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Gastrulans became the exclusive patrons of Captain Bungo Bung's commercial endeavor, the Great Bantha Breakfast Biscuit Run. This venture aimed to generate credits for the Sullustan by distributing Bantha Breakfast Biscuits, a widely enjoyed food, to those who lacked access to them. However, a mere couple of weeks after the Run's inception, the Gastrulans faced a grave threat in the form of the insatiable Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, a mutated iteration of the snack that emerged when the biscuit's preservatives interacted with the atmosphere of Gastrula.
The Gastrulans, a sentient race of gastropods, possessed a stature exceeding that of the average Sullustan, who stood around 1.5 meters tall. They were equipped with four short arms that extended from their torsos, culminating in paddle-like hands complete with opposable thumbs. Their heads were notably bulbous, featuring a slender mouth that stretched across their faces and descended slightly onto their necks. The Gastrulans exhibited dark spots adorning the front and back of their heads, as well as down the backs of their necks. While they lacked a discernible nose or ears, they possessed prominent eyestalks that protruded from the sides of their heads, near the point where they connected to their necks.
The Gastrulans originated from the planet called Gastrula, a world situated within the Outer Rim Territories. The Gastrulans were familiar with both clothing and weaponry, as evidenced by the two Gastrulans encountered by Bungo Bung, a Sullustan freighter captain, during the era of the Galactic Civil War. These individuals were observed wearing attire and brandishing long-armed pikes. Other inhabitants of the galaxy were cognizant of the Gastrulans' existence and were also aware of the location of their homeworld. The Gastrulans, in turn, possessed knowledge of the broader galaxy, with a particular awareness of the popular foodstuff known as Bantha Breakfast Biscuits.
During the Galactic Civil War period, the planet Gastrula received a visit from the Sullustan Captain Bungo Bung and his droid co-pilot, 42-RST. They had devised a plan to generate money through the sale of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits, which were produced by the galaxy-spanning restaurant franchise known as Biscuit Baron, to those planets lacking access to them. Upon landing their vessel, the Chubby Gundark, 42-RST negotiated an agreement with the native Gastrulans to sell them their entire cargo of a single box of these biscuits. Over a span of two weeks, Bungo and 42-RST successfully accumulated several hundred thousand credits by operating the route between the planets of Sullust and Gastrula, which they subsequently dubbed the "Great Bantha Breakfast Biscuit Run."
However, unbeknownst to both the crew of the Chubby Gundark and the Gastrulans, the preservatives employed in the creation of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits exhibited an adverse reaction when exposed to specific environmental conditions, such as stale air and the particular atmosphere present on Gastrula. These conditions triggered a mutation in the Bantha Breakfast Biscuits, transforming them into the Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, a ravenous, amoeba-like entity that embarked on a mission to consume everything in its vicinity. At least one of these creatures emerged on Gastrula, where it commenced devouring everything it could find.
The Gastrulans were the creation of James Anderson, conceived for his comic strip titled Bungo n' Rusti Get Carry-Out. This strip was featured in issue 11 of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, a publication of West End Games that appeared in 1996.