Neimoidian
Neimoidians are the most visible villains of the film The Phantom Menace. According to the Expanded Universe, Neimoidians are descendants of Duros colonists that landed on Neimoidia in the year of the Republic inception. At some point in their development, the Neimoidians learned to domesticate giant beetles, and they have been getting others to do physical labor for them ever since as stated in Labyrinth of Evil. By the time of The Phantom Menace, the Neimoidians control the galaxy's largest commercial corporation and are at the head of the powerful Trade Federation.
Neimoidians are born as grubs and placed in communal hives until the age of seven. Inadequate food is fed to young Neimoidians in order to encourage acquisitiveness. Those who hoard enough food survive while those who do not hoard die. Even as adults, Neimoidians tend to be greedy, possessive, and fearful of death. Eventually, the grubs learn that to survive, they must kill each other; therefore out of the many grubs that are born, very few survive.
Neimoidians have been stereotyped by other races in the galaxy as corrupt and greedy, particularly after the Battle of Naboo. They are certainly willing to resort to extortion, lies and manipulation, but their success also lies in exceptional organizational abilities. Training in organization revolves around Neimoidia's mass hives and huge fungus farms. Neimoidian young are placed in a community hive where they are forced to combat their siblings for food and other necessities. The weak die, since the strong hoard food and resources. This is said to be the source of their characteristic greed and corrupt nature. The Neimoidians do not view themselves as wicked, but rather focused on being the best they can be in their society. The Trade Federation army is employed only when "future customers" do not realize their "best interest" in trading with Neimoidians, on Neimoidian terms.
Neimoidian culture is extremely hierarchical. Although the monarch of the Neimoidians is never seen in the films, every Neimoidian ship carries a hologram of her. Amongst the seen Neimoidians, clothing denotes status:
- Lott Dod wears a tall diplomatic ploov and a purple representative's mantle over a very expensive robe of Tyrian violet cloth.
- Nute Gunray, Commanding Viceroy of the Federation army, wears a showy crested tiara and blue viceroy's collar.
- Rune Haako, legal counsel to Nute, wears an attorney's cowl.
- Daultay Dofine, captain of the flagship vessel for the Naboo invasion, wears a tall command officer's mitre.
- An unnamed Neimoidian wears a lavender collar identifying him as a financial officer.
- The most exalted Neimoidians rank a walking mechno-chair. Neither comfortable nor practical, mechno-chairs are very expensive beetle-like seats which can carry a lazy Neimoidian or project hologram transmissions. Neimoidians also employ a number of prestigious protocol droids, including the brilliantly silver TC-14. TC-14 is kept docile through frequent memory wipes and is employed to distract guests while the Neimoidians devise manipulation strategies.
In contrast to the rare and showy technology of the Neimoidian elite, the battle forces of the Neimoidians are mechanically advanced, but cheaply mass-produced. An emphasis is placed on massive, intimidating numbers of mindless battle droids controlled through a central computer. This unquestioning reliance on a central control is what will ultimately spell failure for the mechanized army. Episode II revealed that their form closely resembles that of the vaguely insect-like natives of Geonosis, where the droids are mass produced.
Much like many of the Imperial Officers in the Original Star Wars Trilogy were given British accents, some Neimoidians have been given Asian accents.
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