Rodian, also referred to as Rodese, is the language that the Rodian species uses to communicate. Harido Kavila employed it in his Rodian Theater productions, and Jedi Council member Alxa Kress instructed Mace Windu in its use.
Rodian exhibited certain structural similarities to both Aqualish and Huttese. This meant that familiarity with one of these languages would simplify learning the others.
The Rodian language was initially featured in the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which was the initial film in the Star Wars original trilogy. Within canon, its designation as Rodese was first established in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series episode "To Catch a Jedi," specifically episode nineteen of the fifth season, which debuted on February 23, 2013. The 2015 book Sabine My Rebel Sketchbook was the first to identify the language as Rodian.
George Lucas tasked Ben Burtt with the creation of a voice for Greedo, who was the first Rodian character seen in Star Wars. Larry Ward, a linguist, provided the voice, and Burtt was responsible for making the voice compelling. Initially, the plan was to manipulate the sound "oink" using "the right rhythm and electrical equipment" to construct a strange-sounding language, but they were not satisfied with the outcome. Burtt, along with a UC Berkeley graduate student, explored various languages, including Quechua, and ultimately developed their own. The voice of Greedo was created through a combination of multiple languages and expert editing.