Eopie

This article is about the creature native to Tatooine. You may be looking for the similarly spelled Eopi.

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Eopies were herbivores native to the planet Tatooine.

Characteristics[]

The quadruped mammals were distinguished by their pale skin and long flexible snouts.^[1] An eopie's tough, pale, white skin^[4] (which has sparse, smooth hair)^[2] helped keep the creature cool by reflecting the intense rays of the planet's twin suns.^[4]

A special hinged skull allowed for a very flexible, elongated snout and a broader range for sharp incisors. Eopies got most of their moisture from desert lichens and tubers.^[2]

Thick foot pads broaden on impact for maximum shock absorption when running. Elbow and knee calluses protect against the desert sands when they sit down - in a camellike way.^[2]

When startled or angry, eopies spat undigested stomach contents at bothersome (such as pesky skettos) or dangerous passersby - something considered extremely annoying to humanoids.^[2]

Eopies reached maturity around six standard years of age and their average lifespan was 90 standard years; however like most creatures, the animal would weaken with age. Young eopies were much more vulnerable to the harsh desert conditions of the twin-sunned world. Young eopies needed to consume more food than a mature one and were also unable to carry as heavy a load. Newborn eopies were slow and awkward, but could walk within minutes of their birth,^[4] and were preyed upon by some of the more dangerous creatures of Tatooine, like anooba and sarlaccs.^[2] Older eopies were kept by the planet's moisture farmers to eat desert weeds that absorbed the planet's already valuable moisture.^[4] They were also used as transports across the vast desert plains of the arid planet.^[1]

NiktoEopie-FF — A Nikto riding an eopie with blinders on

Eopies were renowned for their endurance and ability to carry a hefty amount of cargo.^[1] They also had a reputation of being stubborn or grumpy creatures.^[5] This however, could be attributed to their owners, who often pushed these animals to the limit, packing them with extremely heavy loads.^[4] It could also be attributed to the limited diet available to these beasts of burden, which gave them incredibly potent flatulence.^[1] When domesticated eopies became too old to work, many Tatooine settler families gave them to their children as pets, as they became completely acclimated to handling.^[2]

These creatures could also be used for consumption for their milk or their meat, in various dishes such as Eopie brisket,^[6] Eopie stew^[7] or Eopie cream pie.^[8]

Many breeds existed, including the dwarf eopie.^[9]

A population was apparently present on the planet Dra III where it was preyed upon by such creatures as the nashtah.^[10] Several domesticated eopies were also present on Saleucami.^[11]

History[]

A couple of eopies were used by Qui-Gon Jinn to transport a new hyperdrive for Padmé Amidala's J-type 327 Nubian royal starship after winning the Boonta Eve Classic.^[1]

In 1 ABY,^[12] Jabba the Hutt's beast master Malakili hired a spacer to kill Jundland eopies in order to collect their livers to feed the sarlacc of the Great Pit of Carkoon.^[13]

Behind the scenes[]

The development of the eopie began when a two-legged beast of burden concept was transplanted from Tatooine to Naboo to become the kaadu. In the kaadu's place came the eopie design. An early Doug Chiang production painting of a kaadu hauling a Podracer engine was retouched in Photoshop so that the two-legged animal became a four-legged eopie.^[4]