- "Ickabel, this is Chalmun, owner of—"
"Chalmun's Cantina, I get it." - ―Figrin D'an and Ickabel G'ont
Chalmun was a male Wookiee and the owner of Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina in Mos Eisley, Tatooine. Originally a street fighter, he swindled tourists on Ord Mantell until he had enough money to buy his cantina from the Vriichon brothers. Despite his desire to enforce certain rules, his establishment was known for its occasional outbreaks of shocking violence, and even Chalmun himself had shady dealings with local gangsters.
Biography[]
From swindling to bartending[]
Chalmun was a Wookiee,[1] a species of tall, hairy humanoids hailing from the planet Kashyyyk.[4] Originally a street thug, he spent a few years swindling unfortunate tourists in the casinos of Ord Mantell. Eventually, he found his way to the suns-scorched, desert planet Tatooine, which was dominated by the Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure. There, in the city of Mos Eisley, he bought the Vriichon brothers' illegal spice den, located next to the city's "community" junk yard and only a stone's throw from the local spaceport. Soon after the sale, the Vriichons vanished, perhaps fearing the Wookiee's reaction upon discovering the many bodies they had buried in the basement.[2]
Cantina owner[]
- "Chalmun's Cantina was better than Jabba's. That's what we could say about it."
- ― Ickabel G'ont
Chalmun turned the place into a cantina,[2] which it had already been prior to the Vriichons' ownership, during the Clone Wars.[5] He hired several employees, including the daytime bartender Wuher, the nightshift bartender Ackmena, a barman for his private bar named Husklf, several henchmen, a security chief, a personal pilot, and a mechanic to maintain his utility crane ship.[2]
During the pan-galactic conflict between the dictatorial Galactic Empire and the freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance, Chalmun's establishment served as a rendezvous point and trading floor for the criminal elements of Tatooine, such as smugglers, bounty hunters, renegade spacers, and spice dealers.[2] Despite that, Chalmun enforced anti-violence rules in his cantina, and signs on the walls listed them in several languages.[3] The Wookiee, however, still relished the spectacle of occasional disturbances,[6] and was directly involved in shady business himself, entertaining Hutt-affiliated cronies—and the occasional retired podracing star—in his private bar, leaving the surveillance of the main crowd to his henchmen.[2] Chalmun also knew that Ackmena, "rented" the cavernous stone pipeways of the cantina's underground to two regulars, Kabe and the Muftak, but tolerated her side hustle as long as she shared the money with him. He was, however, very insistent that payment be on time, lest he lose patience and decide to throw them out by force.[7]
For some time, Chalmun employed the Rodian musician Doda Bodonawieedo to play in the cantina. One day, shortly before the destruction of Alderaan by the Galactic Empire[3] in 0 BBY,[8] he fired the Rodian and hired Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes to replace him. He ensured his new house band that it was safe for them to play there, and that he would protect them from the bounty hunter Greedo, whom they had discredited in the eyes of Jabba the Hutt. Despite that, he almost immediately left them in Wuher's care and went home.[3]
Later on the same day he hired the band,[3] Chalmun retired to his office, where Ackmena attempted to negotiate better working hours. Meanwhile, in the main room, a scuffle occurred between a blond young human and the violent Aqualish Ponda Baba. As it turned out, the human was Luke Skywalker,[2] who went on to become a hero of the Rebel Alliance and a mystical Jedi warrior.[9]
At some point after the Battle of Yavin, Chalmun reinforced the cantina's security, adding a button the bartender could use to summon an array of automated blasters from the ceiling. At the time, the daytime bartender was a man named Shrem, who feared his employer's reaction should he ever allow a robbery to take place or break a deal with a paying customer. The man, however, ended up doing the latter, but did not suffer Chalmun's wrath, as he fell into a trap sprung by a former partner of his and was hurled in Jabba the Hutt's rancor pit.[10] By 9 ABY,[11] a new boss was working in the cantina.[12]
Personality and traits[]
- "If word gets out the cantina's been robbed—or worse yet, we been breaking deals with payin' customers? The reputation goes up in smoke. And then old Chalmun tears my freakin' head off."
- ―Shrem
A large Wookiee,[3] Chalmun was covered in a three-layered[13] beige and gray[1] water-shedding coat of hair,[14] notably sporting a gray handlebar mustache.[1] Because of his fur, he had difficulties living in Tatooine's hot climate. Consequently, he was frequently in a foul mood, and wasn't averse to using brute force on those he felt disrespected him.[7] Although his rules for the cantina prohibited violence,[14] he did in fact enjoy the spectacle that occasional outbursts offered.[6] At any rate, Chalmun very much cared about the reputation of his establishement, and expected his employees to follow suit.[10] He also used to smoke spice, using a shisha he kept in his office.[2]
Equipment[]
Unlike many other Wookiees,[15] Chalmun was fully clothed[10] even though the Tatooinian heat made him uncomfortable.[7] He wore a padded gray vest with pockets on either side, a belt with a leather pouch and a holster for carrying a weapon,[1] a pair of trousers, and a dark shirt.[10] In his office, he not only kept assorted blasters, but also bowcasters,[2] the traditional weapon of his people.[16] He also owned a spiked club.[10]
Behind the scenes[]
Chalmun was first mentioned in Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley, a 1993 Star Wars Legends sourcebook written by Martin Wixted for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.[17] He became canon when he appeared in The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, a picture book written by Tony DiTerlizzi and illustrated with concept art by the late Ralph McQuarrie[1] that was released on October 7, 2014.[18]
Appearances[]
- "Not for Nothing" — From a Certain Point of View
- "Not for Nothing" — From a Certain Point of View audiobook
- A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy (Mentioned only)
- A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy audiobook (Mentioned only)
- The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight (First appearance)
- "The Kloo Horn Cantina Caper" — From a Certain Point of View (Mentioned only)
- "The Kloo Horn Cantina Caper" — From a Certain Point of View audiobook (Mentioned only)
- "The Luckless Rodian" — From a Certain Point of View
- "The Luckless Rodian" — From a Certain Point of View audiobook
- "We Don't Serve Their Kind Here" — From a Certain Point of View (Mentioned only)
- "We Don't Serve Their Kind Here" — From a Certain Point of View audiobook (Mentioned only)
- Doctor Aphra Annual 3 (Appears in hologram)
- "Wait for It" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Mentioned only)
- "Wait for It" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back audiobook (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Wuher - Cantina Bartender - Base Series 1) (First identified as Chalmun)
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 78 (Weapons & Uniforms: Mos Eisley Spaceport Cantina)
- Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills
- Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
- "Tatooine" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Star Wars: Complete Locations
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Not for Nothing" — From a Certain Point of View
- ↑ Star Wars: Alien Archive
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sphere of Influence"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Luckless Rodian" — From a Certain Point of View
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The Kloo Horn Cantina Caper" — From a Certain Point of View
- ↑ This event takes place during Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places the events of A New Hope in 0 BBY and 0 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Doctor Aphra Annual 3
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" and "Chapter 16: The Rescue" to 9 ABY. The events of Chapters 1–16 must therefore also take place in 9 ABY. As EV-9D9 is seen working in the cantina in that episode, with "The Key to Remembering" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi establishing she was hired because of the new boss, the new boss must have been working at Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina by 9 ABY.
- ↑ "The Key to Remembering" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley
- ↑ Star Wars The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight on Amazon.com (backup link)