The planet of Bakura was the native world for the namana, a species of tree characterized by its tall, upright trunk and pale yellow color. This tree not only boasted abundant leaves and vibrant flowers but also yielded a distinctive fruit. The Bakurans utilized this fruit to create and export items such as namana liquor and namana candies. These refined products had a slightly addictive quality, as they stimulated the pleasure centers within Human brains. Exports derived from the namana became a vital component of Bakura's economic system. In their natural habitat, namana trees drew both birds and cratsch, with the latter being an arboreal predator that preyed upon birds that had consumed too much namana.
In the year 4 ABY, the Ssi-ruu invaded Bakura. To effectively fight against these invaders, the Imperial authorities on Bakura forged a temporary alliance with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This short-lived peace was solidified by a handshake exchanged over glasses filled with namana nectar. Later, the Bakurans honored the namana by naming a class of starship after it: the Namana-class light cruiser. Furthermore, some namana trees were cultivated on the planet Garqi within the Pesktda Xenobotanical Garden, specifically in an area dedicated to non-native species. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, these trees were burnt down by the Jedi in an effort to conceal from the Yuuzhan Vong the discovery that pollen from bafforr trees, which also grew in the garden, triggered an allergic reaction in Vonduun crab armor.
The namana was a tropical tree species that exhibited a pale yellow color. Its physical characteristics included a tall, straight trunk and branches that gracefully drooped, adorned with delicate blossoms amidst abundant foliage. This tree bore an unusual fruit from which a pale orange nectar could be extracted and then distilled into a liquor. This thick liquid was safe for Humans to drink. Initially, it produced a burning sensation in the throat, but this sensation was followed by a flavor reminiscent of jungle flowers and sweet fruit. The namana fruit was also suitable for the production of yellow-orange candies. Upon consumption, processed namana fruit stimulated the pleasure centers within the Human brain, resulting in a slightly addictive effect.
The namana originated on Bakura, a planet characterized by abundant rainfall and positioned at the outer reaches of the Wild Space Shiritoku Spur. Bakura was populated by various bird species, all of which were drawn to the namana trees because of their fruit. After consuming excessive amounts of the fruit, many birds would fall to the forest floor in a state of intoxication. These birds then became easy targets for the cratsch, an arboreal predator resembling a ferret. Male cratsch would mark large clusters of namana trees using musk glands located on their tails, becoming particularly protective of their namana trees during the mating season.
As early as 3639 BBY, namana was known beyond Bakura, as it was used as an ingredient in namana custard. Ambassador Rove from the resurgent Sith Empire made reference to the dessert as an idiom for cowardice. Around 150 BBY, Bakur Mining Corporation settlers arrived on Bakura and established ore mines. As the ore veins began to dwindle, the Bakuran economy started to decline, prompting the colonists to diversify their exports. While repulsorlift technology remained the primary export, the Bakurans also began commercially harvesting namana fruit to produce candies and liquor for export. The fruit was also used in the cream pies and custard desserts served at Dex's Diner, a culinary establishment located on Coruscant. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, several namana processing plants were established on Bakura, along with numerous plantations in the southernmost region of the main continent, Prytis, and others on the continent of Braad.
The namana became a significant cultural symbol for the Bakurans, and refusing to drink namana nectar at important occasions was considered an insult to Bakura. Some individuals wore clothing adorned with namana blossom patterns, while others, such as Defense Minister Blaine Harris, used canes crafted from namana wood. Namana wood was also incorporated into several important Bakuran state buildings. Thick namana wood doors and paneling were used throughout the Bakur Memorial Building, the seat of the Bakuran government. Its richly decorated guest quarters also featured yellow namana wood paneling. The office of the Bakuran Prime Minister featured three-dimensional, colored glass representations of namana trees framing its windows. Namana trees were also found in Statuary Park, landscaped to create the illusion of a large, undisturbed forest—a haven within the bustling city of Salis D'aar.
In 4 ABY, shortly after the Alliance to Restore the Republic achieved victory at the Battle of Endor and the subsequent death of Emperor Palpatine, the Ssi-ruu species launched an attack on Bakura. The Bakurans sent a distress signal to the Imperial Fleet at Endor. The Rebel Alliance intercepted the message and dispatched a small task force to aid Bakura, hoping to persuade the planet to join the Alliance. Princess Leia Organa, the lead Rebel negotiator, received a briefing on Bakura that included information about the economic significance of the namana trees.
Upon arrival, the Rebel contingent engaged in a brief skirmish with the Ssi-ruuk before attending a banquet at the residence of Bakuran Prime Minister Yeorg Captison, where several namana-based products were served, including namana nectar and candies. Initially skeptical of the Rebels' claim of Palpatine's death, the Imperials received confirmation during the dinner. Consequently, a historic truce was declared between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance over a goblet of namana nectar to combat the Ssi-ruuk. The Imperial governor who agreed to the truce, Wilek Nereus, was addicted to namana-products. He tried to manage his addiction by limiting his intake to twice-daily namana candy snacks—often chewy namana twists eaten near an internal fountain—and only drinking nectar in the evenings.
As the combined defense against the Ssi-ruuk progressed, Captison and Senior Senator of the Republic Orn Belden organized an airspeeder ride with Organa to discuss potential links between Bakura and the Alliance. While en route to a secure location for private discussion, Captison engaged in casual conversation, mentioning topics such as namana fruit harvests. However, shortly after they began discussing what it would take to persuade Bakuran civilians to rise up against the Empire, the three were arrested. The arrests sparked an uprising. Knowing the Imperials would try and secure Bakura's repulsorlift factories, Captison's niece, Gaeriel Captison, infiltrated Imperial troopers' information banks and replaced their intelligence on the factory with data for a namana juice extraction plant. This confusion was further compounded by Ssi-ruuvi forces landing on the surface and capturing Rebel commander Luke Skywalker. Skywalker had previously been infected with Olabrian trichoids by Nereus. On hearing of his capture, the Imperial celebrated with namana nectar, believing that the trichoids would hatch inside Skywalker and later infest the Ssi-ruuk. However, his celebration was premature, as Skywalker escaped the Ssi-ruuk, and the Rebels defeated both the Ssi-ruuvi forces and, later, the Imperial forces, who broke the truce following the Ssi-ruuvi defeat.
Shortly thereafter, Bix Arden-Govia, the progeny of two significant Bakuran families, returned to Bakura after cavaliering about the Shiritoku Spur and purchased his own namana plantation before reentering Salis D'aar high society. Several namana trees were also grown offworld in the Pesktda Xenobotanical Garden of Garqi. The garden had a complex of greenhouses dedicated to offworld trees, which included a grove of bafforr trees from Ithor. In the following years, the Bakurans developed several starship classes, naming one the Namana-class light cruiser.
In 25 ABY, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the galaxy. During a mission to Garqi, several Jedi Knights ventured into the Pesktda Xenobotanical Garden and discovered that the Vonduun crab armor worn by the extra-galactic invaders caused an allergic reaction to bafforr pollen. To conceal this militarily significant discovery from the Yuuzhan Vong, the Garqi Resistance burned down the entire Xenobotanical Garden, including its namana specimens. Three years later, Galactic Federation of Free Alliances affiliate Han Solo and his now-wife, Leia Organa Solo, returned to Bakura with their daughter Jaina on a |mission to reestablish contact with the Bakurans. At a formal dinner, namana nectar was served. Jaina, who had long heard about the sweet nectar, sampled the liquor, although not enough to dull her senses.
Kathy Tyers conceived the namana tree for her novel The Truce at Bakura, published by Bantam Spectra in 1994. Bakura, the primary setting of the story, was featured in several reference books following the novel's release, often accompanied by a mention of its namana products. These works included three Essential Guides, the Star Wars Encyclopedia, and, ten years later, its successor, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, all from Del Rey; Heroes & Rogues and The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook by West End Games, with the latter product significantly expanding on the namana trees; and Wizards of the Coast's Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. Namana-based produced were also featured in "Dining at Dex's," an in-universe menu for Dex's Diner, and referenced in the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic.