We hadn't seen this Star Wars Special Editions to introduce so many cool new aliens. One was Rystáll Sant, played by Mercedes Ngoh. The Canadian singer, dancer, actress and yoga instructor was a welcome addition to the singers in Jabba's Palace.

"I have no idea what I was," Ngoh itted in an interview with Star Wars Insider. "I'm half-human and half I don't know what else! I am definitely half-human, though!" Technically, she was half-Theelin, an alien race later established to be almost extinct, only surviving through reproducing with of other races. The Theelin haven't been seen on-screen since... at least, until 2024, when they've turned up twice.

The Theelin Have Appeared Twice This Year!

In The Acolyte & Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

The Theelin returned in The Acolyte, a Star Wars TV show set 100 years before The Phantom Menace. This introduced Dafne Keen as the half-Theelin Padawan Jecki, one of the stand-out characters of the series. Keen has always been a skilled stunt performer, and she pulled off some amazing fight choreography.

Then, to the surprise of viewers, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew featured a brief appearance by Paloma Garcia-Lee as Melna. One of the many aliens found on the pirate shadowport of Port Borgo, Melna took sympathy on the kids when she found them, although she was somewhat bewildered when they claimed to originate from the legendary treasure planet of At Attin. She seemed to be surprisingly sweet and innocent, despite living in a pirate haven.

Star Wars Is Clearly Ready To Use The Theelin A Lot More

Dafne Keen was a trailblazer

Dafne Keen was clearly something of a trailblazer for Star Wars, because it seems the Theelin are back. It makes sense; Lucasfilm managed to work out the make-up and prosthetics, and the costuming team surely isn't going to let all that effort go to waste. We haven't seen Theelin in 27 years, but it's reasonable to assume we're about to find ourselves in their golden age - just as the VFX team tend to bring back starships once they've created 3D models. George Lucas' Special Editions are now receiving an unexpected, if absolutely delightful, new legacy after The Acolyte.