Thursday, June 5, 2008

Amanaman (POTF 1985)






Why should you get this figure? I'll give you SEVEN reasons this time:

1. It is the one of the most "alien" of the Star Wars aliens. That cowl, those extended arms, the stubby legs. This isn't just some actor with make up, this is a whole different being.


2. Any character that has little to no speaking part and that you have to point out where it is in the film to other people is automatically considered cool.

3. It comes close to being first in alphabetical order (yeah, I know, Admiral Ackbar beats its out).

4. The staff with the three heads (possibly shrunken) and the severed hand. Three freakin' severed heads and a hand! If your mom actually looked closely at the package, would she have bought this for you? No freakin' way! Who cares it doesn't have a blaster or a lightsaber - freakin' severed heads, man!

5. It only has two different variations - the U.S. card and the overseas "tri-logo" card.

6. Despite barely on screen, he has his own coin, damnit!

7. For all these reasons it has been one of my personal favorites.

Backstory:

Amanaman had very little screen time, appearing in Jabba's throne room in Return of the Jedi. It's species is Amanin, a primitive culture from the planet Maridun. While they have the aforementioned stubby legs, they are able to curl up in a ball and roll at quite fast speeds. Their skin secretes a poison which deters predators and acts as a natural moisturizer. Their native habitat is typically rain forest, preferring to live in trees (not unlike Wookiees). It is unclear exactly what motives Amanaman had (he may have been a bounty hunter), or who his head decorations were when they were alive, but it is fairly certain that Amanaman died when Jabba's sand barge exploded.

Note: "Amanaman" is often the nickname for the Amanin species.

Full story? His Wookieepedia article

5th in alphabetical order

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