What I really want to know is this...

Falleen aren't mammalian. They wouldn't need breasts, which are mammary glands.

In our world, upright animals (and this only includes humans) are mammals, so it makes sense they have breasts where they are. But that can't be applied to the Star Wars galaxy. Twi'leks, Chiss, and other humanoids, I'll buy. But a non-mammalian species should not have breasts. Falleen signify sexuality by using pheronomes. They don't need a physical indicator.

EDIT: Hmm, basically what Havac said...

 

Yeah, but they're reptiles. No reptiles have breasts. Other critters have crests, or plumage or something. Besides, the Falleen have pheromones for that. They don't need breasts.

No reptiles on Earth have breasts. The Falleen are the product of a different evolution than Earth reptiles and they don´t have to give birth and feed their young in the same way as Earth reptiles do. What it is worth, even humans have reptiles in their ancestry when one goes back enough time - around 250 million years - in the evolutionary tree. And humans too do have pheromones according to recent studies.

 

Man, I can't believe this thing broke 2 pages already. Or at all, for that matter.

 

Ooooh yeah. It isn't a mater of authenticating it using those examples, they just came to mind as other examples in universe.

Breasts are more than just mammary glands. They are also fatty tissue and sensitive nerve endings meant for sexual advertisements and stimulation. And, as I said, pheremones only work in close quarters, not at a distance. Visual stimulous is still needed. Whether they should or not isn't the question. They point is that they do, so the question therefore is "why". The answer is simple. Sex. It is to advertise to males, nothing more. That is why non-mamillian humanoids would not have nipples, even though they have breasts.

 

I don't think we should assume that breasts are a sexual stimulus for all species. Sexual stimuli is often related with reproduction - breasts are an indication of fertility for humans - not so for all animals. If the Falleen were mammals, it wouldn't be a big deal. But they are reptiles - a word that has the same meaning whether on Earth or in the SW universe. That is a major difference, and they very well be stimulated by different things - skin color, for example, as well as smell. It just seems more logical to assume that Falleen with breasts is an error than something the writers intended.

 

No, not for all animals, but for all humanoids. (cont.)

 

It is the primary physical cue, particularly since humanoids wear clothing, and walk upright. Also, Falleen are reptilian, yes, but I wouldn't call them reptiles in the truest sense of the word. Remember, they do have other mammilian features as well, particularly head hair. On Earth, no other animal, mammal or not, besides the Human female, has swollen breasts all the time. It is uniquely indicative of the humanoid form. Using that logic, other humanoids would likely develop similar sexual adaptations to attract mates, and reptilian or not, Falleen are humanoid.

 

I'd much rather know why these book and comic people wear the same clothing nearly every single time. Like the same Secura skimpy outfit each time. And why she wear can wear it, and not the repetitive wizard garb like other wizards?

 

Probally because it is a cultural thing...kinda like why Mundi gets to be married and have kids despite the Jedi's ban on such attachments. Coneheads get to have kids, female twiliks get to dress entincingly.

 

I have no hesitation referencing the SWTC discussion of Falleen here, citing an RPG source that suggests that female Falleen don't have natural 'mammalian' features; also, Tyers' description of the ones smiling at Anakin as "sinuous" suggests something sleek and slim...

And as to Twi'leks, SWTC also makes a very pertinent observation that smaller versions the forward-dropping tentacles seen on Orn Free Taa are also seen as wattles in on the chin of at least one other Twi'lek male...

Near-humans of possible genetic hybrid status with wattles on their chin?

Where have we seen that before?!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

OMG TWILEKS R TEH SITH!!!!11!!!111!!

 

This article suggests that mammary glands may have evolved from skin glands that kept eggs moist. These skin glands aren't needed if the eggs can keep themselves (or rather, their insides) from drying up. Reptiles on Earth use calcified egg shells for this purpose, which means there wouldn't have been any evolutionary need for them to retain such skin glands.

But let's say there was a prehistoric Falleen reptile who used glandular secretions to protect her eggs from dryness - much like a duck-billed platypus does. A few million years later, one of her descendants developes the interlocking teeth feature. This means she can chew her food better, leading better digestion. The down side is that it's no longer practical to grow new teeth when the old ones wear out. This in turn means babies are going to have to be born toothless because their jaws are too small for a full set of teeth. It's a good thing the mother has those egg-coating glands, which over the years have been secreting a lot more than just moisture, because otherwise the babies will starve.

From there, they might have evolved much like mammals have on Earth. (Mind you, it would be one heck of a coincidence. Especially if you keep the cold-bloodedness.)

Of course, this hypothesis can be shot down with one canonical quote saying that their breasts are indeed fakes.

ThrawnMcEwok: citing an RPG source that suggests that female Falleen don't have natural 'mammalian' features

Do you know if that RPG source states unequivocally that Falleen females don't have them, or if it merely suggests?

- lazy

 

it would help this discussion to know if twileks have pubic hair, but sadly, no known twilek woul reveal this to us... and fanart isn´t proof. damn

this turns into another sexthread offshoot?

 

For what it's worth, the SWTC article does assume Twi'leks to be hairless, like I initially did. Guess even the great Saxton missed those pesky eyebrows.

 

Funny how this thread turned from a discussion of why Twi'lek females have eyebrows to why Falleen females have breast....

Plausibly Falleen are supposed to be mammal-like reptile analogs, much like we have in our fossil record from the Permian-Triassic Periods. In the course of evolving into mammals, its very likely that some of these reptiles developed proto-mammary glands to feed their young. Whose to say that the Falleen could not have developed in a similar fashion?

Then again, a simplier explanation is that not all creatures in the Star Wars universe follow the same rules as those of our own. To borrow an example from the old WEG Creatures of the Galaxy supplement...you could have a feathered, cold-blooded creature that gives birth to live young in the Star Wars universe and write it off as a contradiction of what we think should be.

 

lazy: SWTC provides a direct quote that "Falleen females are visually almost identical to males; the most notable exception is that their spinal ridge is usually smaller and a brighter green in colour"; make of this what you will: the associated image shows a Falleen female dressed in typically 'female' ways, but most or all of this could be the result of dress and grooming...

The apparently clinched waist could be created by a corset, a bustle, broad shoulders, and clever cutaways in the clothes (note how far 'out' the spine-ridge goes above the waist); the upper-body could just be cleverly-dressed pectorals, perhaps padded; and the umbound hair and high heels ape humans' culturally-defined 'female' styles of coiffure and walking...

[image=http://theforce.net/swtc/Pix/books/weg/falleen1.jpg]

Personally, I tend to think of Falleen females as being distinctly slim and reptillian... but that is just me...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

so if... falleen females are identical to males when it comes to the exteriour, and they are portrayed with breasts.. does that mean XIZOR HAS female shaped BREASTS?

 

McEwok, did you ever think that maybe that article is wrong in its description?

 

All visual depictions of Falleen females show typical humanoid female dimorphism, including the wider hips and breasts. It isn't just the clothing. If you have access to them, take a look at the picture of the female Falleen in the Essential Guide to Alien Species and on page 41 of SW Gamer #07, which has a picture of a female Falleen in a tight fitting gown with very clear female humanoid breasts, sized at about a D-cup. Also, considering the gown is a low-cut strapless, it is definately not the dress that creates the breasts. Not only that, but considering we have at least two other non-mammilian Humanoid species that have been confirmed by LFL to have actual breasts (these being the Mon Calamari and Rodians), it stands to reason that Falleen women could too, and this is confirmed in all of the visual depictions of them, that they do indeed have breasts.

 

Double post

 

so female falleens arn´t female falleens but falleenish looking other species from the falleen homeworld? lol..

 

No, it means that female Falleen do indeed have typical female dimorphism common to all humanoids, that being distinct breasts, wider hips, smaller frames, more supple, graceful appearances, etc... even though they are of reptilian descent.

 

I'd say that a good many known Twi'leks would be willing to reveal that, given what professions a lot of them seem to have.

 

I believe the original question was do female twi'leks have eyebrows.
I think the answer is yes and they have eyelashes, both of these traits are useful in a species. The hair protects the eyes.
As for other body hair again I would say yes, afterall they are mammals and body hair is a good way of maintaining body heat.
In fact we consider twi'leks to be so similar to humans we allow cross breeding. I have 2 children from human fathers.

What I also was wondering was, why do female ones cover their ears, but leave their boobs and bum so on display.

 

The question was why. I can see plainly that they do.

How do you know?

..

I think the ear things are the result of an inconsistency between Lucas and the EU. Look closely at all the prequel Twi'leks; the ear things are always the same color as the skin, even including patterns on one or two of them. I think in Lucas' mind, those cone things are their ears. or at least prehensile lekku.