Worms known as Nightwatchers, also called Arconan night terrors, and sometimes referred to as sandborers, represented a sparsely documented species of sand-burrowing worms that were active at night and were indigenous to the planet of Jakku. Fully grown individuals could reach lengths exceeding twenty meters, though unsubstantiated claims suggested some attained even greater sizes. According to the local scavengers inhabiting Jakku, nightwatchers would lie still beneath the sandy surface, yet upon detecting the slightest ground-level vibration, they would explosively emerge and seize their unsuspecting prey. Possessing triangular heads adorned with prominent red eyes, nightwatchers exhibited a superficial resemblance to the Arcona, a sapient race characterized by a humanoid form. Their dietary habits were unrestricted, as their mandibles were capable of pulverizing metal into fragments, and their digestive systems secreted potent acids capable of dissolving any otherwise indigestible material.
In the aftermath of the attack on Tuanul, the astromech droid designated BB-8 found himself under the observation of one such worm. The nightwatcher emerged from its subterranean dwelling, its red eyes narrowing inquisitively as the BB unit proceeded along its path.
Nightwatcher worms constituted a worm species capable of attaining lengths of up to twenty meters; however, accounts existed describing specimens reaching five to six times this length. The anterior section of their elongated, segmented anatomy featured an immense maw containing multiple blue tongues internally, and encircled by sizable teeth-like projections. Positioned above the oral cavity were a duo of diminutive red eyes, capable of blinking, and situated upon stalks possessing a degree of independent rotational and motile capacity relative to the primary body. Two short sensory appendages dangled below the eyes. Due to the similarity between the nightwatcher worm's eye stalks and the head of the Arcona species, some individuals had given the worms the moniker of Arconan night terrors.
The worm's body itself was reddish-gray in hue, distinguished by a brown mantle encompassing the upper half of its structure, and robust red legs extending from each segment, terminating in a singular black claw. The body tapered beyond the mantle, culminating in a pair of tails, each adorned with several red segmented spines. These organisms were capable of generating deafening roars, reminiscent of vocalizations produced by members of the acklay species, while also exhibiting the capacity to produce sounds more akin to intelligible speech. They also secreted copious quantities of spittle from their oral cavities.
Indigenous to the desert planet Jakku, nightwatcher worms predominantly dwelled within the region recognized as the Sinking Fields, although occasional sightings were reported in the Goazon Badlands following significant sandstorms that displaced dunes into that area. These worms spent the majority of their existence concealed beneath the desert's sandy expanse, capable of traversing this medium at velocities exceeding that of a sprinting human. These behaviors led some Jakku residents to refer to this species as sandborers.
According to the oral traditions of Jakku's scavengers, the worms possessed the ability to detect vibrations emanating from the sand above them, although they also frequently extended their eye stalks above the surface to observe potential prey. The worms fed on the abundant refuse scattered across Jakku's arid landscapes, but also actively hunted droids and even launched assaults against humans. Although primarily nocturnal, they would hunt during daylight hours if they had not been able to find food.
Upon pinpointing a target, the worms would frequently tunnel beneath it, then erupt from the sand either in close proximity to or directly beneath the intended food source, attempting to seize it within their jaws. The worms did not invariably consume their catch immediately, occasionally retaining it within their jaws while retreating from the capture site beneath the sandy terrain. When thwarted in their attempts to secure a meal by prey that outmaneuvered them, a nightwatcher worm would sometimes emit a subdued, mournful sound and lower its eye stalk. The worms communicated using a language known as Hideo.
Generally speaking, the nightwatcher worm was a species that had not been studied in detail and was regarded as mysterious by many. An entry on nightwatcher worms penned by Peli Motto was featured in "Species From A to Z," a compendium of survival information distributed by Carson Teva during the New Republic Era. Certain artisans on Jakku harvested their outer layers and repurposed them into lamps, one of which the scavenger Rey acquired for use within her dwelling, a dilapidated All Terrain Armored Transport known as Hellhound Two. In the year 34 ABY, the astromech droid BB-8 made a solo escape from Tuanul village on Jakku following its attack by forces affiliated with the First Order. As the droid progressed through the desert unaccompanied, a nightwatcher worm elevated its eyes from the sand in its wake. Shortly thereafter, BB-8 was apprehended by the scavenger Teedo, only to be liberated by Rey, who consented to accommodate the droid for the duration of the night. As the pair proceeded back toward Hellhound Two, the eyes of a male nightwatcher worm resurfaced behind BB-8 once more, but this time Rey recognized the creature and the peril it presented to the droid, having previously documented the species in her survival guide.
Alerting BB-8 to the worm's likely intention to consume him, Rey and the astromech remained motionless, hoping the creature would disregard them; however, it swiftly submerged and initiated a direct course toward them beneath the sand, prompting the pair to flee. The worm proved swifter than its quarry, and erupted from the sand ahead of them, roaring and attempting to seize Rey in its jaws. The scavenger skillfully employed her quarterstaff to prop open the worm's mouth, affording herself and the astromech sufficient time to evade it. Reeling upward, the worm clamped down on the staff, launching it from its maw back in Rey's direction, who successfully intercepted it. Relieved of the staff, the worm submerged once more and passed beneath Rey to rapidly overtake BB-8, surfacing directly beneath him and ensnaring the droid within its jaws.
With its prey secured, the worm submerged and began to move away from Rey toward Hellhound Two; however, the scavenger hurled her quarterstaff, successfully piercing the sand above the worm's submerged path, causing it to reemerge and release BB-8 while roaring. As the droid was sent flying through the air, Rey leaped over the roaring creature from behind and then caught the astromech, swiftly ascending atop the walker. With the worm unable to reach them on the vehicle's elevated position, Rey felt compassion for the famished creature and tossed it a fragment of scrap she had collected, ensuring it would not starve. Content with the offering, the worm submerged and departed to consume its meal.
On the subsequent day, the Teedo returned with two henchmen and speeder bikes with the intention of reclaiming BB-8 from Rey, who was riding on her speeder with the droid, having initially planned to proceed toward Niima Outpost. After successfully causing the henchmen to crash, Rey guided the Teedo into the wreckage of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer where she knew the nightwatcher worm she had previously encountered resided. Upon entering, she dismounted and challenged Teedo to engage in combat for the droid, prompting him to halt his bike and produce a JSP-14 pistol. As he remained stationary, the nightwatcher worm passed beneath the bike once, then erupted from the ground behind it, consuming the bike in a single bite and dislodging its rider. Frightened by the creature, the Teedo fled, enabling Rey and BB-8 to depart safely and proceed toward Niima.
The nightwatcher worm was designed as a hand puppet for the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which premiered on December 18, 2015. The film's director J.J. Abrams initially conceived the concept, but by the time he consulted with creative supervisor Neal Scanlan regarding its creation, budgetary constraints had become a concern. Scanlan then volunteered to have the creature fabricated for a mere £100, after which sculptor Ivan Manzella offered to further reduce the price to only £50 and constructed the creature during his lunch break. While discussing the creature onstage during the "The Creatures, Droids and Aliens of Star Wars: The Force Awakens" panel at Celebration Europe in 2016, Scanlan jokingly asserted that he had received the £50 payment for the creature but never actually remitted it to production. Scanlan himself portrayed the creature, extending his hand with the puppet attached while concealed beneath the sand in Abu-Dhabi.
The vocalizations of the nightwatcher worm were provided by Robert Stambler, and a transcription of various sound audio from the film revealed that it was the word "Kojima," which was a reference to the Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima, who is a real life friend of Abrams. Continuing this reference to the game designer, the 2019 video "Every Language in Star Wars", which was released as part of the Star Wars By the Numbers series on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, revealed that the language spoken by the nightwatcher worm is called "Hideo".
The worm was not officially named within the film itself, but received identification in the reference books Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo and Rey's Survival Guide by Jason Fry, both of which were published in conjunction with the film's release.
Dave Filoni and Ghostbot animation studio, the animators of Forces of Destiny, staff, including the series' director Brad Rau and Ghostbot co-founders Alan Lau and Roque Ballesteros researched possibilities for the design. They looked at various real-world worms and slugs, of which Ballesteros was afraid of, microscopic photography of "bugs", inluding the Tardigrade, nicknamed the "water bear," creature designs by Ralph McQuarrie and Terryl Whitlatch and footage of the sandworms in the 1984 film [Dune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dune_(1984_film). The animation director, Tatyana Drewry Carvin, then worked on balancing 'the worm's weight and mass with his ability to move under and through the sand," specifically referencing Dune.