Lamproids were a sentient, serpentine species that had veiny, wrinkled and brown-pale skin and a thick, muscular neck. Their heads had a red oral cavity, partly covered by four large, black teeth. They had four black stalks adorning their head, two of which pointed vertically and another two pointed horizontally and shadowed their eyes. They also had a serpentine coils and a venomous tails so they can protect themselves from dangerous lifeforms on their homeworld. Despite their serpentine nature, Lamproids could communicate in Galactic Basic, or in their native language Lamproid. At least one Lamproid was known to be Force-sensitive.
Lamproids had an aggressive nature, and no obvious culture or creative pursuits, meaning they were often mistaken to be non-sentient by other species. Lamproids from Florn grew up in home nests, and despite their aggressive nature, Lamproids that showcased violence against their families could be exiled off-world.
During the High Republic Era, a male Lamproid named Quin Amarant was a member of Lourna Dee's Tempest in the Nihil. He would unknowingly lead the Jedi to the on Grizal, where he was later killed by Lourna Dee during the ensuing battle.
In the year 0 ABY, a Lamproid known as Dice Ibegon was a patron at Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina on Tatooine. Ibegon was Force-sensitive, and a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. She hoped to convince her lover, Lak Sivrak, to join the Alliance.
The Lamproid was designed for A New Hope as a puppet from the neck up.
The Lamproid species was designed for the cantina sequence of the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, though they weren't identified on-screen. In 1995, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens established the species' name as Florn Lamproid and the cantina character as Dice Ibegon, in the Star Wars Legends short story "One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid," part of the anthology Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. They were later identified in Star Wars: Alien Archive.
The character was a hand puppet created by Rick Baker's special effects team. Phil Tippett designed the puppet because many of the other characters in the sequence were humans with masks. Tippett originally intended for the Lamproid puppet to simulate breathing through its mouth parts. It was known as "drooling arm" during production because it was able to emit red slime through an internal tube. In preparation for shooting the close-up featuring the character, Tippett rushed to get the tube fitted into the puppet when producer Gary Kurtz questioned the effect. The blood-like drool was at first approved by George Lucas, though he initially filmed the scene without it. On another take, Tippett's assistant, Laine Liska, worked the mechanism because Lucas called for the goo for the puppet. However, the slime shot further and with more force than intended. Lucas ultimately decided against using the effect in the film due to the mess it caused. During shooting, the character gained the name "Snake Head", but was later officially dubbed "Nake". This became non-canon when One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid was released.
- Star Wars: Alien Archive