The Utai were a race of squat, stocky humanoids originating from Utapau, characterized by their bulging eyes. They coexisted on their homeworld with the Pau'ans, in addition to immigrant groups of Amani and Sugi. Due to being the shorter of the two indigenous species, they were commonly referred to as "Shorts."
On Utapau, the Utai fulfilled the role of the working class, known for their unassuming disposition, while the Pau'ans comprised the more reserved upper class, serving as planetary governors, managers, and political figures. The Utai possessed expertise in areas such as animal care, machinery, piloting, and the maintenance of vehicles and starships. These two races, collectively called the Utapauns, maintained a mutually beneficial relationship. Initially, the Utai were the sole inhabitants of Utapau's enormous sinkholes, later joined by the Pau'ans who descended from the planet's surface. Their shared homeworld maintained a position of neutrality during the Clone Wars, a galactic war between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic, until the year 19 BBY when the Confederacy launched an invasion of the planet. The Utai and Pau'ans, pretending to accept Separatist control, secretly planned to rebel.