The group known as The Children were the lost, cannibalistic descendants of a Human Old Republic exploration team. This team met with disaster when their ship crashed on Dagobah in 40 BBY. The members of the survey team gradually perished due to various factors, most notably fever. However, the Children developed a resistance to the fever, allowing them to endure. As the adults depleted their food supplies and began to die, they resorted to feeding their offspring with the bodies of their deceased companions. The Children came to regard this practice as normal and adopted it themselves. Galt, the eldest of the Children, was only seven years old when the last of the adults died. From that point until 1 ABY, the Children eked out a meager existence by scavenging what little sustenance they could find in the swamp. They were uniformly emaciated and pale, with sparse, unkempt hair and few remaining teeth. The Children harbored a profound fear of a short green being whom they referred to simply as the "Imp".
In 1 ABY, Platt Okeefe and a band of smugglers landed on the planet. They encountered the Children, who welcomed them into their village, called The Shelter. During their stay, the Children severed two limbs from the smuggler Traut for use in their cooking. Zak Arranda, one of the offworlders, uncovered their activities and was imprisoned for his objections. The Children also managed to overpower Boba Fett, who had tracked the Arrandas to Dagobah in pursuit of the bounty on their heads. Both Zak and Boba Fett eventually managed to escape. Later, Zak inadvertently led the pursuing Children into the Dark Side Cave, where they were tormented by visions of the past, specifically the time when their parents were compelled to nourish them with human flesh. However, despite their actions, the smugglers took the Children with them when they left the planet, arranging for the Rebel Alliance to help them assimilate back into galactic society.