A while back on page two of my "Blanket Statements" topic, I went on quite a tangent. Well, after refusing to let myself live it down, I decided to give it a bit more thought and figured that it'd make a good blog entry. So here it is... my rabid tangent on Rodian physiology and evolutionary theories, the extended version!

What started the tangent and my sillosophical mind was Master Ki-Aaron-Mundi's comment about creatures' brains being hard-wired to adhere to specific traits. I thought about it and put it toward the stereotyping of the Rodian species. Their violent tendencies arose from what was apparently a vicious and dangerous life on their jungle world. So, I decided to track that evolutionary path and see what would arise from it, based on the physical traits of modern Rodians.

"Wait," you're prolly wondering, "you're gonna bore us with a big biology lesson, aren't you?"

In a sense, yes. Though, I'm sure someone's interest will be piqued. That and I really have nowhere else to put my weird theories and I'm sorta hoping that someone at Lucasfilm will take notice. Wishful thinking, I know. At least a few will be entertained, even if it's just at the fact that I took the time to write this up!

Anywho, the New Essential Guide to Alien Species describes the Rodian race as reptilian beings whose obsession with violence arose from the dangers lurking in the jungles of their homeworld. It also says that they are primarily hunters and never really developed their own agriculture. This seems somewhat out of place, given their physiology.

Due to the jungle environment, I would assume that there would be other sources of food, i.e. fruits, insects, large flowers, etc. Taking into account the Rodian physiology, then I would figure that they would have lived off of such foodstuffs. The green skin-colouring and sucker-tipped fingers would dictate an arboreal lifestyle, or at least an ancestry of tree-dwellers. The large eyes would fit with nocturnal activities. And the snout is better-suited to insectivores or sucking sap or nectar. The facial structure alone doesn't strike me as belonging to the meat-eaters.

When the Rodians descended from the trees and began walking upright, thereby freeing their arms to carry items and use tools; they went from being the hunted to now the hunters. I would have assumed that the facial features would follow suit with the change in diet and lifestyle, as to tear meat, it requires a larger mouth and teeth. The Rodians have snouts and no teeth that I can see. This leads me to believe that their diet is still comprised mostly of insects, vegetable matter, and other things that they would be able to comfortably eat.

I can't really picture Greedo, for example, eating a cheeseburger as his face isn't built for it. It'd be quite a task and make quite a mess. The shape of the mouth just doesn't work very well for biting things. Greedo would be better off cutting the burger into smaller pieces and eating it that way, which automatically reminds me of that one Seinfeld episode...

Though, while I'm still on the topic of physical structure, let's try and figure out what those little antennae are, shall we? Given the apparent reptilian heritage (though, I think they're more of repto-mammals, as the females do have mammary glands...) and what the Databank says of those antennae being "sensory organs," then I looked at other reptiles and amphibians for clues on what they could sense.

Some species of frogs, like the African clawed frog, detect minute vibrations through the water using a lateral-line organ. Various fish use similar organs for detecting bioelectrical fields generated by other creatures. Certain snakes, like the pit vipers and large constrictors, have pits on their upper jaws that detect heat. Perhaps those small antennae that twist around are sensing vibrations or heat? The Essential Guide already covers the extent of their vision range, so it could be that the antennae may help with that, allowing a Rodian to see into the infrared range.

Though, if we go back to what I said about them possibly being insect-eaters, then if the antennae detected vibrations, the Rodians would be able to locate grubs hiding inside branches. This would be similar behaviour to the mouse lemur; a small primate with enormous eyes, fingers that end in almost sucker-like pads to allow 'em to climb, and prominent ears. Perhaps the Rodians also have the mouse lemur's long tongue for snagging insects out of borrows?

So, it seems to me that the most-likely explanation on what those antennae could be used for would be to detect vibrations. If that's the case, then it would be very difficult to sneak up on a Rodian. They wouldn't even have to turn their head to know you're coming around a corner.

Now, back to what the Rodians did with the meat that they hunted, seeing as how they would be forced to dice it up into smaller bites in order to eat it. Perhaps meat isn't their primary source of food. So, what did they do with the creatures they hunted? Shelter? Clothing? Weaponry? That seems to be a likely conclusion. Killing for food was not the primary goal, as they had other sources of nourishment. Though, since they concentrated their hunting for things other than food, then that may be how their brains became hard-wired for violence. Hunting wasn't necessary for survival; it was a sport. And therefore, the Rodians were taught to view it as just that.

And there you have it, folks. This blog was brought to you by Trak Nar's wild-and-crazy theories. Drive safely!

EDIT: Found that mouse lemurs make a better comparison than aye-ayes. This picture of a mouse lemur says why.