Pets of the Old Republic: #13: Majestic Varactyl

I’d originally hoped to release this installment of Pets of the Old Republic earlier in the month, but it seems the curse of bad luck associated with the number thirteen meant I would miss both the theatrical re-release of Revenge of the Sith and the faux-holiday Revenge of the 5th (and 6th!). Regardless, I want to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Episode 3 with a portrait of the Majestic Varactyl pet. Varactyls saw their first appearance in that movie and have established their spot among the iconic creatures of Star Wars lore.

The first Varactyl we meet is named Boga and was ridden by Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Utapau during his confrontation with the Separatist leader General Grievous. Varactyls, natives of Utapau are described as “reptavian”, indicating that they share traits with reptiles and birds. Given that we now know that birds are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs, and that many dinosaurs are thought to have feathers, the term “reptavian” seems to me to imply a distinction without difference. Still, it’s a colorful bit of sci-fi nonsense jargon.

General Kenobi and Boga the Varactyl in Revenge of the Sith.

Varactyls were inspired by a drawing of a Stormtrooper riding a lizard-like mount by the legendary comic artist Al Williamson who is best known to Star Wars fans as the artist of comic book adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the Star Wars newspaper comic strips from that era. George Lucas was a long time fan of Williamson and asked the concept artists at ILM to create a mount for the Jedi to ride in Episode III. ILM artists iterated on Williamson’s lizard adding inspiration from iguanas and the addition of a feathered mane to create a creature that would come to life on screen as Obi Wan’s Varactyl.

Illustration by Al Williamson of a lizard mount which inspired the Varactyl.

Aside from its glittering scaled skin and colorful plumage, Varactyls are perhaps best well known for their distinct roar. As with other creature’s vocalizations across Star Wars, the call of the Varactyl was created by combining the sounds of several very different types of creatures, in this case a dolphin, coyote, dog and tasmanian devil. It’s quite the hodgepodge, but the result strikes that perfect balance of strange and alien, but still familiar enough to feel real.

Varactyl concept art by Derek Thompson for Revenge of the Sith.

Players of Star Wars: The Old Republic will encounter Varactyls in the wild on the worlds of Taris and Belsavis, but there are also several available as mounts and four tiny pet versions including the subject of this post, the purple Majestic Varactyl. In addition to this one, pet collectors can also acquire the green Grand Varactyl, the blue Glittering Varactyl and the sickly, featherless Juvenile Experimental Varactyl, a product of Valkorion’s nightmarish experimentation on Nathema.

In general, I want this project to spotlight pets which can be collected by players by playing the game, but all of the Varactyl pets come from the market or from the other players via the Galactic Trade Network, SWTOR’s auction house. Since pets tend to be more affordable on the GTN that other Cartel Market goods, I hope you’ll forgive me when I do feature pets, such as the Varactyl that loom large in Star Wars lore or have distinctive and unique appearances in SWTOR.

Varacytl mounts: Infected Varactyl, Grassland Varactyl, Irradiated Varactyl mounts, alongside a Majestic Varactyl pet.

Therefore, let me also highlight three Varactyl mounts that can be acquired outside of the Cartel Market. Two of these can be purchased with credits and Cartel Market Certificates from the Underworld Exchange vendors in the Cartel Bazaar section of both Fleets. Cartel Certificates can be collected by players as daily log-in rewards and from the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event, which will be returning again this summer. My favorite Varactyl mount, however, is the Infected Varactyl which players can purchase from Jeevlic, the special Rakghoul Resurgance reputation vendor. This is easily one of the spookiest mounts in the game and an appropriate for any power-mad Force walking Inquisitor.