Bothans Missing from Live Action Star Wars!

In Return of the Jedi (1983), Mon Mothma says, “Many Bothans died to bring us this information.”  This is a mention in the Star Wars films, like the Clone Wars, but this was not properly developed in the Sequel Trilogy. Details of what happened with the two dozen spies was explained in The Essential Guide to Alien Species (2001) by Ann Margaret Lewis. In Legends of course, the Bothans were developed and first appear in Heir to the Empire (1991) by Timothy Zahn. A Bothan, their home planet was Bothawui, was seen as a figure in the New Republic in the form of Borsk Fey’lya. 

Bothans have long snouts like horses with long hair and pointed ears. The Heir to the Empire Sourcebook (1992) by Bill Slavicsek for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game depicted the Bothans. The Dark Horse adaptation of Heir to the Empire ran from 1995 to 1996. It featured art by Olivier Vatine and Fred Blanchard. The Shadow of the Empire (1996) novel by Steve Perry had a Bothan. In 1998, the Special Edition Limited expansion of the Decipher game, Star Wars Customizable Card Game, had a Bothan Spy card. All of these have fallen into Legends. There are no appearances of Bothans in Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels.   

In canon, they appear in the Bloodline (2016) novel by Claudia Gray. We have not seen them in comic books or film. Still, there are spies in the Sequel Trilogy with Bazine Netal in Force Awakens (2015). On the spy borderline, DJ, a codebreaker was played by Benicio del Toro in Last Jedi (2017). His character would have some dimension as a Bothan. In Rise of Skywalker (2019), an informant, Boolio gives the heroes some intelligence, the work of a spy. 

There is also Vi Moradi in Galaxy’s Edge and Kaz Xiono is a spy in the Star Wars: Resistance animated series. There was a spy in Rogue One (2016) with Cassian Andor. It is  possible that a Bothan could appear in The Mandalorian or possibly the Andor series that could show the Bothans first helping the Rebels. If so, I still see a lack of respect from the Lucasfilm Story Group with the Sequel Trilogy.  

Instead of developing the Star Wars universe, in the Sequel Trilogy, we are suddenly introduced to a new alien species. This is the Abednedo with long snouts seen with Ello Asty in Force Awakens.  We see other Abednedo so they are a part of the Resistance. Still, we have never seen them before and it is never explained why they joined the Resistance. It would make more sense to have Bothan pilots and characters. They were instrumental to the Rebel Alliance and Heir to the Empire had Bothans becoming an important part of the New Republic.  

There was a Chancellor, Lanever Villecham, in Force Awakens, a fatality of the Starkiller. He was of an unknown species, Tarsunt, partially furry so he could have easily been a Bothan. We have seen that the Expanded Universe of Legends material brought into canon. Bothans could have been developed by ILM. We could have Bothan pilots and technicians take an active role in fighting for the Resistance. Would I add Bothan pilots in the Force Awakens? Yes!, and instead of ignoring Star Wars lore, it would respect Star Warriors.    

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