Bruise-leech crawler

"He says this may hurt a bit."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Anakin Skywalker^[2]

Bruise-leech crawlers, alternatively known as Nelvaan bruise-leech crawlers, were leech-like creatures native to the Outer Rim planet of Nelvaan. Orvos, shaman of Rokrul village on Nelvaan, covered Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker's chest with bruise-leech crawlers as part of a ritual before sending him off to destroy a nearby Techno Union laboratory. The leeches caused pain as they crawled over Skywalker's torso and left behind blue trails.

Biology and appearance[]

Native to the Outer Rim world of Nelvaan, bruise-leech crawlers, sometimes referred to as "Nelvaan bruise-leech crawlers,"^[3] were annelids that were reddish-brown in color, with some having little black patches of fur toward their back ends. They had a circular mouth that was lined with teeth and two protrusions directly behind the head. The crawlers were capable of leaving a blue trail behind them as they moved.^[2]

Behavior[]

When placed on someone's body, the crawlers could make intricate rectangular designs out of the blue trails they left behind.^[2]

History[]

Bruise-leech on anakin — The crawlers leave a blue design on Anakin Skywalker's torso.

"Is this really necessary?"
"It's part of their ritual. You must be respectful."

―Skywalker questions Kenobi over the necessity of the crawlers^[2]

In the year 19 BBY,^[4] Orvos, the shaman of the Nelvaanian village of Rokrul, used bruise-leech crawlers in a ceremony to prepare the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker for his journey to destroy a nearby laboratory operated by the Techno Union that used a siphon generator which had plunged the world into an ice age. The crawlers proceeded to create a rectangular design across Skywalker's torso with the blue trails they left behind as they moved slowly, causing the Jedi much pain.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

The bruise-leech crawlers made their first and only appearance in the twenty-third chapter of the animated television microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars,^[2] which aired on March 23, 2005.^[5] The species was then named in the Nelvaanian StarWars.com Databank entry.^[6]