The laa was a scalefish native to the oceans of Naboo.
Biology and appearance[]
The typical laa was a green-scaled fish with a long snout and a broad tail. The laa also had a long, thin dorsal fin tipped with a bio-luminescent bulb. This bulb helped attract the favorite prey of the laa, the yobshrimp.[2] Laa also picked out yobshrimp from the gills of tee, which, despite being voracious, did not harm the laa for the yobshrimp were parasitic to the tee.[1]
Its own predators included sees and opee sea killers.[1]
Behavior[]
Like several other fish, the laa were attracted to the bright lights of Otoh Gunga, but learned by experience not to pass through the membrane openings to the air-filled domes.[4][5]
History[]
Laa existed in the waters of the Mid Rim planet Naboo during the invasion of the planet by the Trade Federation.[3] They were present in Lake Paonga as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Gungan Jar Jar Binks swam down to the city of Otoh Gunga to speak with Gungan representatives.[3] In 20 BBY, laa, along with ray, faa and mee, were present in a holding tank aboard the Titavian IV, an exploration vessel formerly operated by the Intergalactic Zoological Society on Mycroft whose mission was to gather and catalog specimens from across the galaxy.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
Laa, along with its musically-influenced scalefish cousins, the doo, ray, mee, faa, see, and tee, first appeared in the deep waters of Naboo in the 1999 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.[3] They were later illustrated by Terryl Whitlatch in the 2001 reference book The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide,[1] and referenced in the 2004 comic Republic 69.[6]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Strongholds
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (First appearance)
- Republic 69
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide
- Star Wars: Episode I (Pack: Sea Creatures) (backup link)
- The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary
- 'Sisters of Carnage' Update: Now Live on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)