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Breast

"Mara can't exactly drop what she's doing either. She's feeding Ben."

Breasts were the mammary glands of mammalian species and some reptomammals, and were normally a distinguishing feature of the female of the species. Males do have breasts, but they are far less developed than their female counterparts due to the sexual dimorphism.

1 Biological role
2 Role in males
3 Cultural significance
4 Non-mammals with breasts
5 Behind the scenes
6 Appearances
7 Sources
8 Notes and references
9 External links
- 9.1 In other languages

Biological roleEdit

"She feels all… mushy."

―Ben Skywalker^[src]

In some cultures, sentient females nursed their own young. This was true of both primitive planetary societies like Dathomir, where the warrior-women of the Singing Mountain Clan would feed their children even during solemn councils of war,^[1] and high-tech interstellar civilization: Leia Organa Solo nursed her twins for some time^[2] and Mara Jade Skywalker nursed her son Ben until he was a few months old.^[3] Even Tenel Ka Djo, Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium, nursed her daughter Allana herself (although this may have reflected her own Dathomiri heritage).^[4]

Alternative techniques of feeding infants did exist, as the TDL Nanny Droid could store up to two liters of milk internally.^[5]

Other sentient species retained strong breastfeeding traditions as well: female Wookiees had six breasts, which they used to nurse their large litters of cubs.^[6] Askajian females also had six breasts,^[7] while Gran females had three.^[8]

Role in malesEdit

As male individuals are not biologically meant to nurse their offsprings, they sport much smaller breasts (usually referred to by "chests", the region of the body female breasts rest upon) and produce no milk. The exposure of male chest was perhaps considered a sign of strength and virility and seemed to be uncontroversial, as Mandalore the Lesser (then a gladiator), Aron Peacebringer (a planetary leader)^[9], and Anakin Skywalker (in certain circumstances, such as on Nelvaan) would freely exhibit them. The males in primitive cultures would also go barechested in their young adulthood and childhood, such as the Nelvaanians.^[10] Also, males would go barechested to allow freedom of mobility or body temperature, as exhibited by the Whiphid Jedi Master K'Kruhk,^[11] Galen Marek while on Felucia,^[12], Kar Vastor, a Korun leader on Haruun Kal, or Ki-Adi-Mundi when training in his youth. Some males, such as Anakin Skywalker and Corran Horn would also sleep barechested for comfort, though it should be noted that Horn undressed completely to sleep as opposed to simply going barechested. Also, male breasts were usually not covered if the male is in a bacta tank, as exhibited by Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn, or when tortured, as seen with Cade Skywalker. Medical examinations, such as those performed by the Kaminoans on their clones, were usually performed on barechested males. Men of various species, such as the human Jariah Syn, the Nautolan Kit Fisto, and a Quarren individual also swam barechested. Exposing one's chest, also exhibited by Syn, was a part of preparing to make love.

Cultural significanceEdit

In mainstream galactic society, breasts were normally kept covered.

Female patients in bacta tanks could have their breasts covered,^[13] but in some cases they chose not to.^[14] Leia seemed unperturbed by the sight of Shen breastfeeding in public on Dathomir,^[1] and Luke Skywalker was similarly unfazed when he encountered the Fallanassi adept Norika wearing only a sarong.^[15]

Based on these occurrences, it is probable that bared breasts were considered uncontroversial among the Dathomiri and the Fallanassi. Some Twi'lek dancers performed bare-breasted,^[16] and Askajian females were prized as dancers and lingerie models because of their six-breasted physique.^[17]

Non-mammals with breastsEdit

A number of females belonging to non-mammalian species are known to have had breasts, most notably the reptilian Falleen. It was possible that these reflected a mammalian connection in the Falleen's genetic ancestry,^[source?] but other sources indicated that the size and pigmentation of the spinal ridge were the main distinguishing feature of gender dimorphism in this species.^[18] It was possible that large-chested Falleen females like Savan had cosmetic surgery, or that this was an evolutionary trait reflecting the Falleen's nature as highly-evolved sexual predators.

Similarly, the physique that T'ra Saa, who was a Neti—a sentient species of plants—assumed in her pseudo-Human form may have been consciously chosen, as she was a shape-shifter.^[19]

Rodian females also possessed breasts with functional mammary glands. Off-world females, however, would wear loose clothing in an attempt to disguise their gender. Some females did flaunt their physique if they knew it would work to their advantage.^[20]

Behind the scenesEdit

As in many other comic books, female characters are sometimes depicted with breasts on the verge of being disproportionately large. However, breast size is only ambiguously canonical, as characters that appear in both comics and movies typically have smaller breasts in the movies, whose canonicity overrides that of the comics.