Spamel

Spamels, found in the arid regions of their native world, the Mid Rim satellite Jedha, were four-legged species with a mixed blue or purple hide. They featured brown or gray eyes, a black hair stripe down their back, and a short tail. Their skeletal structure supported their frame, characterized by a stout neck and a swaying, wedge-shaped head.

These creatures, standing up to 4.9 meters or sixteen feet tall due to their long, slender legs, sometimes adorned with striped tan fabric, necessitated the use of a rope ladder to reach the seat on their backs. Spamels surviving the destruction of Jedha City were also equipped with breathing apparatus due to the harsh environmental conditions. Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, unfamiliar with the species' name, noted their peculiar appearance.

As riding animals, spamels demonstrated an understanding of spoken instructions, allowing for control of their movements. They could be prompted to stand with clicking sounds and summoned via whistling. In combat, they would charge forward, using their heads as weapons. These creatures often grunted and engaged in self-grooming, and they seemed to enjoy having their heads scratched.

Spamels were present on Jedha during the era of the Galactic Republic and its follow-up, the Galactic Empire. Remains of deceased spamels were scattered across Jedha, and an ancient temple, Pilgrim's Sanctuary, featured murals depicting these creatures. Spamels participated in a ceremonial parade through Jedha City on Reflection Eve, the day preceding the annual Reflection Day festival. Riders on these beasts carried banners proclaiming a brighter future for those who devoted themselves to the Force, as the creatures carefully navigated the crowds. Zallo Blaak, a visitor, was nearly trampled by a spamel during one such parade but was rescued by the scholar Kasmira.

Shortly after the Battle of Jedha in 382 BBY, Jedi Master Orin Darhga and Jedi Knight Gella Nattai passed by a small enclosed area containing spamels and a small barn while pursuing Axel Greylark, the son of Republic Supreme Chancellor Kyong Greylark.

During their stay on Jedha in 9 BBY, Cal Kestis, Merrin, and BD-1 rode a spamel. After Imperial stormtroopers destroyed Merrin's landspeeder, the group sought refuge at the Divine Oasis, where they found several spamels. Kestis used the Force to control one of the creatures, which then lowered itself to allow them to mount it. An approaching sandstorm prompted the riders to urge the spamel to sprint towards the Archive, a secret base for the Hidden Path network.

However, a deadly skriton emerging from the sands caused the spamel to abandon its riders in fear. The spamel, fleeing into the storm and taking shelter in a cave, inadvertently led its riders to safety, as they followed the sound of the beast to the shelter. The group spent the night in the cave and reached the base the following day. Shortly after, Kestis, Merrin, and BD-1 embarked on a mission to Pilgrim's Sanctuary to rescue Brother Armias, a Narkis Anchorite, with Merrin suggesting the use of one of the spamels near the Archive to reach the temple.

As the group mounted a spamel, Kestis sarcastically expressed his hope that this new steed wouldn't abandon them, recalling their previous experience. Merrin, curious about the diet of spamels, jokingly inquired about their food preferences.

During the Empire's control of Jedha, Imperial sandtroopers also used spamels as mounts. These soldiers patrolled the cold sands, scouting pilgrimage routes to Jedha City and watching for outlaws and the rebel Partisans led by Saw Gerrera. The troopers riding spamels also carried lances. In 1 BBY, the Empire destroyed Jedha City to test the Death Star weapon, devastating the moon and severely weakening the Partisans.

In 1 ABY, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker of the Rebel Alliance rode spamels while leading a squad on a battle for Jedha to contact the surviving Partisans. After rescuing two Partisans, Ubin Des and Chulco Gi, Skywalker's spamel was shot down by an Imperial LAAT/le patrol gunship. The four rebels were forced to share a single spamel, eventually escaping with the help of the Millennium Falcon and abandoning their mount. They then traveled to their base on NaJedha, the satellite orbiting the holy moon, where they kept another spamel, much to the dismay of the protocol droid C-3PO, who was tasked with feeding it.

The Partisans also used spamels for transportation. Skywalker, Des, and Gi rode one to the settlement of Ai-jed to distribute filters to the civilians of Jedha. Later, the Partisans and their Rebel allies rode spamels during their attack on an Imperial mining facility extracting kyber crystals. While the mounted soldiers created a diversion for the Millennium Falcon's arrival, Des and Gi's spamel was shot down by an enemy artilleryman.

After the successful destruction of the mining facility, Gi and Skywalker traveled by spamel to the Temple of Central Isopter on the edge of Jedha's crater so that Gi could complete his pilgrimage and Skywalker could learn more about the Force. However, they lost their mount to a hostile sand slug along the way. Around the same time, the Wookiee Chewbacca was aboard a Gran pilot's vessel hoping to reach his rebel friends on Jedha. During an engagement with an Imperial TIE fighter in NaJedha space, Chewbacca bumped into a spamel on the Gran's ship after it was hit, causing the creature to fall and make a noise.

Spamels were featured in a hand-drawn chart of Jedha, believed to be created by the Ithorian creator Gammit Chond. The chart, depicting Jedha around 1 BBY, was later restored and collected with other charts in the Graf Archive on Orchis 2 sometime after 34 ABY.

At least one spamel resided in a protected metropolis on Plazir-15, a planet in the Outer Rim, during the period of the New Republic. Around 9 ABY, the Duchess of Plazir-15 and her spouse, Captain Bombardier, hosted a banquet in a large hall filled with a variety of animals, including a purple-skinned spamel. The spamel remained unbothered when a flying creature briefly landed on its back, continuing to roam the banquet hall.

Spamels were conceived for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2016 film that initiated the Star Wars Anthology Series. Prior to the film's release on December 16, the creatures were first depicted, though unnamed, in Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, which included a map of Jedha related to Rogue One. Illustrated by Tim McDonagh, the book was published on November 3, 2016.

The Holy City of Jedha in Rogue One was inspired by real-world sacred cities such as Mecca and Jerusalem, as well as locations in the Middle East and North Africa. Consequently, spamels were inspired by camels found in those regions. Concept artist Christian Alzmann designed the creature, referring to it as "Jedha 'Camel'" in his illustration. Matt Allsopp also depicted a spamel in concept art for Jedha.

During the filming of Rogue One in Jordan between July 23 and July 24, 2015, stormtroopers were filmed riding camels between Jedha City and the overlook where Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, and K-2SO stand. These camels were intended to be digitally replaced with Alzmann's design, but the shots were ultimately cut. However, spamels are visible in some digitally generated scenes within Jedha City.

During Industrial Light & Magic's visual effects review for Rogue One, the creature was temporarily nicknamed "space camels," which was later shortened to "spamels." This nickname became the official name in "Every Creature in the Star Wars Movies," a Star Wars By the Numbers web series installment for StarWarsKids.com, released on May 31, 2019.

Spamels also appeared in the 2023 computer game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, serving as a ground mount for Cal Kestis and his companions on Jedha. Riding a spamel allows the player to traverse slopes and jump high to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. The player, as Kestis, can pet the beast and use it to attack enemies. The game mostly uses "spamels" as the plural form, but some dialogue uses "spamel."