Muftak Love

Remember this weird alien sippin' his Gin and Juice during the Cantina Scene in Star Wars?


Back then he was just an unknown background alien with fur, four eyes and a wiener for a mouth.

Today we know him as Muftak.

I came across this action figure at the thrift store. He is actually a Foul Moudama action figure from 2006. But since the figure was missing his boots and his lightsaber, and since I have such an affinity for the Cantina scene, I cut his robe off and made him into Muftak. Muftak proper was actually released as an exclusive mail away action figure during the Power of the Force line, with the later Foul Moudama release being the same figure with Jedi accoutrements added on.

Muftak and Foul Moudama are Talz, a race of aliens from the frozen planet Alzoc III.

Besides appearing in the Cantina scene, the Talz were represented on film by Foul Moudama, a Talz Jedi in the original (and best) Clone Wars animated shorts and more recently in their native garb in an episode of the lackluster Clone Wars series.

The odd kitbash flavor of those first alien creatures to appear and populate the Star Wars universe is what makes them so charming and timeless. The newer stuff is way too slick. Too much computer work and not enough real, visceral, tactile and emotional connection with what's being "made" these days.

Someone had to draw this creature with a pencil, build a costume out of real cloth and maybe real hair, real plastic and stitching and glue and paint, stick a real person in it and make magic happen. Today someone sits in a cubicle and pushes pixels all day. I ask you, is that progress?

Muftak thinks not.