The Kon'me were a sentient reptilian species with origins on the ocean planet of Bal'demnic, situated within the Outer Rim's Auril sector. As inhabitants of the small islands dotting Bal'demnic's landscape, the Kon'me society was distinctly structured into two tiers: an elite upper-class, dwelling in opulent, bubble-shaped residences along the coastal cliffs, and a working lower-class, residing in more humble, thatched huts on the beachside. Renowned for their deep-seated mistrust of outsiders, the Kon'me generally avoided involvement in broader galactic affairs unless absolutely unavoidable. However, their isolation was shattered when Bal'demnic's cliffs were discovered to contain the valuable mineral cortosis, drawing them into the Clone Wars.
In the year 19 BBY, the Confederacy of Independent Systems launched an invasion of Bal'demnic, with the intent to mine the deposits of cortosis ore. The upper-class Kon'me reluctantly acquiesced to the Separatist occupation. Conversely, the Kon'me living on the beaches displayed resistance, initiating a rebellion against the Confederate battle droid army. Amidst this conflict, the Galactic Republic dispatched a contingent of its clone army, spearheaded by several Jedi Knights, to support the Kon'me uprising. However, the Kon'me rebels, perceiving all off-worlders as oppressive invaders, turned their aggression towards both Confederate and Republic armies, ultimately compelling both external forces to withdraw from Bal'demnic.
The Kon'me were a sentient reptilian species originating from the ocean planet Bal'demnic, which is found in the Bak'rofsen system within the Auril sector. Displaying a humanoid form, the Kon'me exhibited pink skin marked with darker spots, and possessed an elongated neck connecting their torso to a pointed head. Their hands featured three digits each, while their feet were equipped with two digits.
The Kon'me made their homes on the small, tropical beach islands scattered across Bal'demnic's watery expanse. Their society was structured into two primary classes: an upper echelon that resided in gleaming, bubble-like structures perched on the islands' cliffs, and a lower stratum that inhabited simpler, thatched dwellings along the beaches.
The Kon'me harbored a significant distrust of outsiders and colonists, adopting an isolationist approach and shunning involvement in the affairs and disputes of the galaxy. Bal'demnic, deemed exceptionally beautiful and appealing by numerous off-worlders, might have become a popular tourist destination were it not for the Kon'me's isolationist stance. Consequently, the Kon'me were often regarded as a troublesome and bothersome species by the wider galaxy.
In combat, the Kon'me donned armor comprised of a breastplate, shoulder plates, and a helmet featuring a horizontal slit for visibility. Complementing this armor, they wore brown leggings and wrist guards.
Largely insulated from galactic conflicts and events due to their isolation, the Kon'me were nonetheless subjugated by Ak'ghal Usar, a Dashade Shadow Killer who governed the nearby planet of Urkupp, sometime before the Cron Supernova obliterated Urkupp in 3996 BBY. In 19 BBY, the concluding year of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Commerce Guild scouts from the Confederacy discovered trace quantities of the rare mineral cortosis embedded within Bal'demnic's island cliffs. Motivated by the desire to mine this cortosis—a metal capable of withstanding even lightsaber attacks—for their war effort against the Republic, and to divert Republic forces from the Core Worlds, the Confederacy presented the upper-class Kon'me with an ultimatum: either permit mining operations on Bal'demnic or face destruction by the Confederacy's battle droid army.
With limited options, the Kon'me leaders reluctantly granted Commerce Guild miners permission to commence cortosis extraction on Bal'demnic. Conversely, the lower-class Kon'me, viewing the off-world miners as invaders, rebelled against the Separatist presence, utilizing potent weaponry smuggled to them by war profiteers seeking to exploit the situation. The Kon'me insurrection established military barracks within the upper-class' bubble homes on the island cliffs, deploying their advanced blasters to repel the Separatists. In response to the uprising, the Confederacy deployed OG-9 homing spider droids to overwhelm the Kon'me's positions, plunging Bal'demnic into turmoil.
Concurrently, Separatist communications regarding the situation on Bal'demnic were intercepted by the Jedi Order and the Republic. Jedi Master Mace Windu, determined to prevent the Confederacy from acquiring cortosis that could be used against the Jedi in the war, dispatched a contingent of the Grand Army of the Republic, led by Jedi Knights such as Sha Koon and Halagad Ventor, with orders to disrupt the Confederate invasion by any means necessary. However, upon the Republic task force's arrival on Bal'demnic, the Kon'me freedom fighters, perceiving the clone soldiers and their Jedi commanders as yet another army of foreign invaders, opened fire on both the Republic forces and the Separatists.
The island terrain of Bal'demnic hindered the maneuverability of both the Republic and Separatist armies, compelling both external factions to withdraw from the planet's surface. The Confederacy completely abandoned Bal'demnic, while the Republic established a small orbital defense fleet around Bal'demnic to ensure the Separatists would not attempt to initiate another cortosis mining operation.
The Kon'me made their initial appearance in the opening sequence of Chapter 22 of the animated television series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, produced by Cartoon Network. This chapter was first broadcast on March 22, 2005, as part of the show's third season. The Kon'me's name and a concise background were subsequently established by Arthur Papadam, writing under the alias "Arf Maul," for Bal'demnic's entry in the Databank, as part of the What's The Story? segment on StarWars.com. The Kon'me were also featured in Bal'demnic's entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, released on December 9, 2008.
Arthur Papadam named the Kon'me species in homage to "Mekon," the final adversary in the Commodore 64 video game, Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future, which debuted in 1986. Papadam was reminded of Mekon, whom he described as "a big green alien with a big head," by the Kon'me's physical appearance. This connection was reinforced by the Kon'me's weapon emplacements, which evoked Mekon's own weapons platform in Papadam's mind.
To rationalize the Kon'me's triumph over the Confederacy, Papadam indicated that he envisioned the Kon'me as "boasting a history of defeating several local aggressors," although this detail was ultimately omitted from the final version of Bal'demnic's Databank entry. The name of their homeworld was inspired by the word "condemn," which Papadam hoped would convey "the impression that the planet and its inhabitants are not as innocent as they might appear."