Becoming a Jedi Knight is not unlike being conscripted into the Mickey Mouse Club. You need a fresh face, a pleasant demeanor, preternatural "it factor," and voilà! You're suddenly living inside a space ziggurat with Samuel L. Jackson.


And just like the Mickey Mouse Club, the Jedi Order accepts Padawans from all across the galaxy. You can be a parasite-infested swamp abomination with feces of enriched uranium and extinction-inducing halitosis, but as long as your midi-cholorian count hasn't been diminished by wine coolers and peer pressure, you're en route to a promising internship giving Obi Wan Kenobi shoulder massages.

So without further ado, here are ten extraterrestrial beings who picked up a lightsaber. We're wading into the deep end of the Expanded Universe, folks.


10.) Beldorion the Hutt

This character appeared in the 1997 Planet of Twilight novel. Once a member of the Jedi Order, Beldorion went over to the Dark Side and enslaved an entire planet, using his Force powers to maintain a buff physique. He met his end when Leia cut him in half. I'm pretty sure Huttlets across the universe spin soft-spoken yarns around the campfire about Carrie Fisher.

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9.) Tyvokka the Wookiee

This Jedi from Chewbacca's homeworld of Kashyyyk hung out with such luminaries as pre-Dark Side Count Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Plo Koon. Tyvokka wielded a wooden lightsaber and powerful precognition, so he always knew what Jefferson Starship LP you bought him for Life Day.



8.) Skippy the Droid

In Star Wars lore, there exists the legend of Skippy, a Force-sensitive R5-D4 unit who caused himself to malfunction so that the Jawas could sell R2-D2 to Luke Skywalker. Yes, droids aren't aliens. Sure, this vignette was from a non-canonical tale by Peter David. But hey, the following heroes almost hung out with Skippy...


7.) The Iron Knights

These Force-wielders were from a species of sentient, virtuous crystals known as the Shard who occupied robotic bodies. And according to Wookiepedia, Skippy was almost shoehorned in as their messiah figure until the author realized that this notion was too weird, even for a galaxy full of telepathic samurais who drink blue milk.


6.) The Force Vampire

In a 1990s Star Wars roleplaying game, the Jedi Knight Tel Angor accidentally transformed into a Force-drinking Vampire after attempting to become the avatar of the Light Side. I'm not sure how the mechanics of such a transformation work. But seeing as how garlic probably doesn't exist in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, I will simply assume that your party was perpetually boned when you bumped into him. Non-canonical artwork by YueYume


5.) Ku-Kak the Wampa

Another strange antagonist from the RPGs was this lightsaber-wielding Wampa, who mastered rudimentary Force powers. Given the weirdness we've encountered thus far, I'm surprised there isn't a Jedi Tauntaun. He'd be the Star Wars equivalent of Francis the Talking Mule. Image via.


4.) Thon the Tchuukthai

Probably the most storied character on here, Thon was a reclusive Jedi master who resembled a bearded styracosaurus. His adventures appeared mostly in the Dark Horse Comics tales, and he was not opposed to giving piggyback rides every now and again.

3.) Warwick Davis

As an April Fools' Day prank on StarWars.com in 2006, the entire film Willow was briefly appropriated by the Star Wars universe. Here's a sampling of the elaborate minutiae that touted magic as a secret Force power:

One such journey took him to a world entirely wrapped in harsh deserts, and populated with many bizarre and wondrous beings. There, Willow adopted the guise of Weazel, a transient in a strange port city. Willow used his magic to tip the odds of simple card games, earning enough keep to stay afloat in an alien world. His winning streak earned the attention of Watto, a local junkshop proprietor who invited "Weazel" to his viewing box to watch the Boonta Eve Podrace. Watto thought, incorrectly, that Weazel would prove to help ensure good luck. Watto lost everything on that race.


2.) Jedi Mickey

Now I sort of want a Jedi Aristocats. Also, disappointed that there were never Jedi versions of Jaxxon, the Dianoga, Sy Snootles, or the six-breasted dancer from Jabba's palace.


1.) The Unnamed Jedi Ewok

Goodness, were the roleplaying games a wellspring of "huh?" This unidentified extraterrestrial plush doll debuted in the 2004 Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds RPG sourcebook. Absolutely nothing is known about him, but he probably had a talent for public speaking.


BONUS: The Jawa Jedi, The Tree Jedi, The Max Rebo Jedi. Thanks Refraction and GenXClub!


Related: More Expanded Universe oddities.