Rokrul

"Master…"
"Yes, Anakin, I know. There are only women and children."

―Skywalker and Kenobi, upon arrival in Rokrul^[3]

Rokrul was a village on the planet Nelvaan in the Outer Rim Territories' Koobi system. It was built within an indentation on the side of a cliff and was populated by the local Nelvaanians. The villagers of Rokrul learned that the scales from the tail of the local horax could be used to create an elixir that would repel the large beasts, and bringing back a scale from one of the animals became a rite of passage for young Nelvaanian boys, earning them a place in the warrior ranks.

During the Clone Wars, the Techno Union captured all the adult men from the village and began experiments on them in hopes of creating a super-Nelvaanian army. In 19 BBY, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker landed on the planet and came in contact with the remaining villagers, who informed the two of their plight. Skywalker was then revealed to be the answer to a prophecy stating that the Holt Kazed, or "Ghost Hand," would free the captive men due to his prosthetic hand. Skywalker located and destroyed the Techno Union base, freeing all the Nelvaanian men who survived the battle. The Jedi Knight returned to the village with the men and reunited them with their families.

Description[]

A cliffside village[]

The women and children Nelvaanians of Rokrul village

Rokrul was a small village on the Outer Rim planet Nelvaan, in the Koobi system.^[6] The village's buildings were carved out of the rock within an indentation on the side of a cliff. The structures were mostly giant, hollowed-out mounds protruding from the floor.^[3] The village was populated by at least 116 Nelvaanians^[5] belonging to several tribes, and the village was a result of a loose affiliation among the tribes created for protection and assistance.^[4]

Culture[]

"They're summoning the spirit of the fire. The mother weeps, she is sick. Our warriors have failed. Failed to heal the mother. Into the never-ending winter, a stranger comes. But tell us why he has come. What is his purpose?"
"Holt Kazed."
"They're saying 'Ghost Hand.'"

―Obi-Wan Kenobi translates the Holt Kazed prophesy told by Orvos^[3]

The culture of the village necessitated that the strongest men be warriors and scouts, responsible for hunting and protection, while the women stay in the village and do the building, gathering, and—most important of all—raising of the children, as motherhood was sacred in Nelvaanian tradition. The villagers regarded their homeworld as the "Great Mother," and whenever something tragic happened in nature, they felt as if the Great Mother had been hurt. The villagers also believed in a prophecy that stated the Holt Kazed, or "Ghost Hand," would come to save the Nelvaanians from a crisis sometime in the future.^[7] Children were considered precious treasures, regardless of gender, and the elders were paid great respect.^[8]

Tuzes-Adaz-and-Orvos — Chieftain Tuzes-Adaz and shaman Orvos of Rokrul

The chief of a tribe was often one of the tribe's eldest members who assumed the position after a long, productive life. They were assisted in their ruling by their bond-mate and were advised by the shaman of the tribe. As all members of a tribe shared communal duties, with every member participating in the rituals for their gender, there was no special test that an elder had to pass in order to become chief. Rather, chiefs were selected by the "Great Mother" due to a showing of respect and deference on the elder's part. The decision was not questioned by any of the villagers.^[8]

Village clothing was different for men, women, and children. Women wore long brown, gray, and red gowns, while the men wore pants and loin cloths with no top. Children wore robe-like garments that were often brown in color.^[3] During celebrations, the villagers also wore giant masks and gauntlets while dancing around a bonfire.^[9] These fires were occasionally used to speak to the "Spirit of the Fire," a spiritual figure in Nelvaanian tradition.^[3]

History[]

The horax elixir[]

"It seems you've interrupted the boy's rite of passage, or test."

―Kenobi, to Skywalker^[3]

Interrupted-horax-hunt — Bringing back a scale from the tail of a horax became a rite of passage for young Nelvaanian boys.

The villagers of Rokrul discovered that an elixir used to repel the vicious horax beasts in the area could be made using the tail scales from one of the creatures. One scale could be used to make a perimeter around the village that would last for an entire year. It eventually became a rite of passage for young Nelvaanian boys to venture out at the start of the year and bring back a scale from the tail of a horax, earning them a place among the male warrior ranks if successful.^[10]

Liberation from the Techno Union[]

"You've done a great thing for these people. Well done, Anakin."

―Kenobi, to Skywalker^[9]

During the Clone Wars,^[3] a galaxy-spanning conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems that lasted from 19 BBY to 22 BBY, the Confederate-allied^[11] Techno Union created a laboratory on Nelvaan. The Techno Union base functioned off a siphon generator that drained thermal energy from the surrounding area, plunging the nearby village Rokrul into an endless winter.^[12] Although the village's shaman, Orvos, had predicted a coming ice age, the intensity and abruptness of the cold took the village by surprise. The villagers, not knowing what caused the winter, believed that the "Great Mother" was ill and that she had to be healed in order for the warm weather to return.^[7] To discover what caused the Great Mother's illness, the village sent out its male scouts and warriors. All of the men, including a warrior named Harvos,^[13] were captured by the Techno Union and mutated into cyborgs for the war effort.^[12]

Rokrul celebration — The villagers celebrate the return of their men.

In 19 BBY, Jedi Master^[11] Obi-Wan Kenobi and^[3] Jedi Knight^[11] Anakin Skywalker landed on the planet and were taken to the village after interfering with the initiation process of a young Nelvaanian boy, the son of^[3] Chieftain Tuzes-Adaz.^[1] Upon the Jedi's arrival at the village, Tuzes-Adaz told Kenobi and Skywalker of the legendary Holt Kazed, or "Ghost Hand," and why all the men of the community had vanished. Orvos, the local shaman, covered Skywalker's body with bruise-leech crawlers during a ritualistic practice. Afterward, Kenobi stated that this would be Skywalker's final Jedi Trial, the Trial of Spirit, and the villagers sent Skywalker to rescue the Nelvaanian men.^[3] After Skywalker infiltrated and successfully destroyed the Techno Union base,^[9] consequentially returning warmth to Rokrul,^[4] he^[11] led the mutated men back to the village. After some initial hesitation, the women and children learned to accept them once again, throwing a celebration around a large bonfire.^[9]

Behind the scenes[]

"…is a little reference to the Canadian studio that did all those wonderful Star Wars cartoons back in…back when we were kids. And Rock & Rule, fantastic film by Nelvana studios, so we use the dog-headed peoples that they were so fond of using as the natives here."

―Paul Rudish explains the inspiration for several aspects of the village^[14]

Rokrul first appeared in the twenty-third chapter^[3] of the 2003 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which aired on March 23, 2005.^[15] The village was first named in the StarWars.com Databank entry for Nelvaan.^[12] Rokrul's name is similar in pronunciation to the title of Rock & Rule, an animated film by Canadian animation studio Nelvana. The film was an influence on the character design of the Nelvaanians. Influences on the culture of the village included The Star Wars Holiday Special, the fantasy film The Dark Crystal, and Native American mythos.^[14]