Pylat bird

Pylats were medium-sized, non-sentient avians that were naturally found within the mountainous regions of Neimoidia. They possessed a total of four limbs: a pair of legs and a pair of wings that also functioned as arms, each terminating in a four-fingered clawed appendage resembling a "hand." A prominent and decorative crest of feathers adorned the top of their heads. The most common coloration featured predominantly white plumage, accented by colored patterns on the crest, cheeks, and neck. Their tail, long and broad, could be either white or exhibit darker hues. A less common variety, residing in the forests of Sojourn, displayed white plumage marked with red spots. As avian creatures, pylats reproduced via eggs, with embryonic development and hatching occurring outside the mother's body. They were also endothermic animals, generating internal heat by metabolizing food to regulate their body temperature.

Within their native habitats, pylats utilized their noticeable headcrests for display purposes. Despite exhibiting territorial defensiveness, they were considered appealing by avian enthusiasts and could be tamed. Their vocalizations produced a harmonious and calming sound to the ears, so much so that one could gauge a pylat's overall contentment by the quality of its song. Pylats kept as pets could be housed in specialized cages equipped with stasis field generators, although some owners opted to carry their birds while walking.

The common pylat bird evolved on Neimoidia, a planet located in the Colonies region of the galaxy. The sentient inhabitants of that world, a Near-Duros species known as the Neimoidians, came to associate the pylats with wealth and status, creating covetousness amongst those who did not possess such birds. Their fatty eggs were also a delicacy in Neimoidian cuisine. At some point in history, the pylat also found their way to Sojourn,a moon located in the Outer Rim Territories, where they evolved into a distinct breed.

Due to their white plumage and soothing songs, pylat birds were highly valued as companion animals by the galaxy's more affluent individuals. In the final decades of the Galactic Republic, a pylat with red spots became entangled in a scheme that would ultimately determine the fate of the galaxy. Seeking an alliance with the Trade Federation to realize his Grand Plan, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis arranged for a pylat bird from Sojourn to be delivered to Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Initially, Gunray was puzzled by the unusual bird, unable to determine its origin. However, he was pleased by the gift and soon displayed it prominently in his office, enjoying the envy it provoked in his colleagues.

Soon after, Darth Sidious, Plagueis' apprentice – publicly known as Senator Palpatine of Naboo – contacted Gunray via holo to claim responsibility for the bird, initiating a wider conversation. Gunray, unfamiliar with the powers wielded by Sith Lords, was threatened by Sidious, who proposed demonstrating his abilities by killing the pylat remotely. Gunray quickly recognized the advantages of complying with Sidious's demands. However, Sidious and Plagueis had completely deceived Gunray. The bird was not actually from Sojourn, but a clone of a red-spotted pylat created on Kamino – one of many tests Plagueis commissioned from the Kaminoans in preparation for the eventual order of a clone army.

Later, during the Federation's blockade of Naboo under Sidious's orders, Gunray kept several caged pylats in the conference room of his flagship, the Saak'ak. When he released poisonous gas into the room in a failed attempt to assassinate Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the birds perished in their cages, visually alerting the Jedi to the impending danger.

Despite their longstanding popularity among the elite, pylat birds were not exhibited at the Coruscant Livestock Exchange and Exhibition until after the establishment of the New Republic in 4 ABY. Following their debut there, a Sy Myrthian diplomat owned a pylat bird as a pet. The renowned zoologist Lyrre T'enna created impromptu sketches of pylats, which were included in the published version of her field guide.

Several exotic cagebirds were initially planned to appear in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. They were intended to be present at the beginning of the movie, during the scene in which the Jedi ambassadors notice the presence of poisonous gas in the conference room. The pylats were to die in their cages, alerting the Jedi to the gas attack. However, the movie staff ultimately decided that the presence of birds in a negotiation room during a blockade was inappropriate, as was the idea that the Jedi would require such a visual cue to detect the gas. While that footage was removed, it was still present in Terry Brooks' novelization of The Phantom Menace, which was released shortly before the movie itself. Original production artwork by Terryl Whitlatch, dating back to February 1997, depicted the Neimoidian birds as phoenix-like creatures with flowing red feathers and eye-shaped purple spots.

The exotic birds that were cut from The Phantom Menace were first shown in their current appearance and identified as "pylat birds" in Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary, written by David West Reynolds. According to the fan website T-Bone's Star Wars Universe, Reynolds derived that term from the name of Laura Pylat, one of his good friends from the University of Michigan.

In the 2000s, Neimoidian bird cages could be purchased in the Star Wars-themed MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, but those were empty. Once again, the pylat did not make the final cut. They did, however, make the final cut of the 2012 novel Darth Plagueis, where they were mentioned by name, and were key to the first face-to-face holovid between Nute Gunray and Darth Sidious.